Margo Mars — Partner & Managing Director, BRF
Margo talks to TheNextGag about creating culture, how brands should learn how to let go and how women can influence other women to be creative.
Margo Mars is the Partner & Managing Director of BRF in the UK.
BRF (B-Reel Films) is a global production company working across Commercials, Feature Films & TV, Documentaries, Branded Content, Interactive and Music Videos.
BRF was founded in 1995 as a Film & TV production company, and in 1999 mind-melded with B-Reel, then a production company working at the intersection of TV and technology. Today, BRF is an independent film production company operating in Los Angeles, Stockholm and London.
BRF is strongly rooted in classic storytelling and high-end production while always looking for new ways to reach audiences across evolving formats.
Margo Mars joined BRF in early 2016, bringing 12 years of experience to the table. She came from Prettybird London where she was Executive Producer and Head of Production. Prior to her role there, Margo was a hands-on producer known for her contribution to groundbreaking and revolutionary work.
THENEXTGAG: I WANTED TO COME BACK ON THE SHORT FILM THAT YOU DID FOR CHANEL?
MARGO MARS: Jellywolf.
TNG: ABSOLUTELY. I DON’T REALLY KNOW HOW TO DESCRIBE IT. IT’S NOT REALLY AN AD. HOW WOULD YOU TALK ABOUT IT?
MM: We have to say obviously that it is Alma Har’el, the director. It is her story. In the end, we call it “a trippy love letter to women”. Because, it really is a trip, like a journey.
With the project, The Fifth Sense, Chanel wanted to highlight women creators. So, they have a hero creative every few months, each from a different discipline. There has been someone who did digital arts, someone who did photography. Alma was their Fourth Hero to do Film. The brief was to take inspiration from Chanel fragrance to make a piece of art or a creative. And that’s the only thing that they briefed and that we had to follow. We were otherwise free to make what we wanted.
Alma really wanted to make something that was different in terms of beauty advertising and how women are portrayed and objectified for the male gaze and not for their own strengths, and to show how women like to see themselves. That became a very important thing.
Alma is not someone who would create something that is fake, like enhancing ‘beauty’ with Photoshop. It is all about a real woman. With the casting, we also really wanted to have an African-American heritage there, inspired by Afrofuturism.
TNG: HOW WAS THE WRITING PROCESS ?
MM: When the project came to us, she wrote the film quite organically. This story is about Kiersey’s trip, her journey into womanhood. And the visuals, that is pure Alma. She is trippy. It was just such a joy to make, to be able to not have to deal and conform with all the rules of beauty. Actually, I think it made the women look so much more beautiful.
TNG: WHAT HAS BEEN THE REACTION FROM THE PUBLIC ?
MM: We had so many beautiful reactions from across the world.
It is funny because it really is like a love letter. We call it that because some people like it and some people don’t. And the people who don’t like it, it’s not for them. It’s for young women to remember their voice and their strength. We’ve had young women watch it and they cried. And they would call us. Just because it hit a note: their mother was like that or they had difficulties getting where they wanted to go. And it has been really beautiful for that.
And then, of course, there are some who are not in tune with that. They don’t need to be. It’s not for everybody. It’s their problem, right? If they are watching it and they go “What the f*** is this?”, we don’t mind. It’s not for everyone. It is not supposed to be mainstream. Seven million people have now watched it and read the whole idea around it. It has obviously touched a chord. And we are super proud of it.
TNG: IT WAS VERY BRAVE FOR THE BRAND TO GO INTO THIS TERRITORY.
MM: Yes. Chanel has been so supportive. It was very interesting. There were times when they couldn’t quite follow the journey of the artist. Like with the casting, it happened to end up with Zoë Kravitz. She is a friend and she hooked us up with Kiersey. And then her mum Lisa came on board, and it was just fantastic and so organic how they worked together on set.
It was only a two-day shoot. It was all very quick. We did it in like three weeks, the whole production. Obviously, it wasn’t a big budget. It was very tough. Everybody chipped in because they wanted to make it. And Kiersey and Lisa did it for nothing.
Then, as a client, Chanel just had to trust. Because, there was no time for the process. Usually, with commercials they get total control. The most interesting thing here is that they learned really quick to give the artist a platform — which they do with The Fifth Sense — and it can only become something ground-breaking if they let the artist really go.
TNG: DID YOU WORK IN DIRECT WITH THE CLIENT OR THROUGH AN AGENCY ?
MM: i-D was the commissioning side. They attended the shoot and they were always thinking about the overarching project that it fits within. But other than that, we were free.
For instance, for the clothing, at one point, we asked “Should we borrow some Chanel stuff to wear?” And they were like “No. You could borrow and mix.”. But they didn’t want it to become a fashion film or an ad for Chanel. It really had to be explicitly not about that. Which is really nice.
In the film, they are all wearing different brands. There is just one scene, the opening scene, where Kiersey has a beautiful Chanel sweater, very cool.
TNG: HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH THE NAME OF THE FILM ?
MM: We didn’t have the title at the beginning. Jellywolf came later in the process. What happened is that we had a script and the story. When Alma went into the edit, it was right at the time of the Women’s March after Trump’s inauguration. She went to the March in Washington DC with Kiersey. They were together, they just came off shooting and they went to the March and it was incredible as an experience. Coming back from it, they did an hour in the sound studio just talking about being a woman and that became an important part of the voiceover of the film.
It wasn’t thought out from the beginning. It was a beautiful process in which they were both inspired.
Remember that the first thing in the brief is truly about inspiring other women to do their own thing and not being led by the male. And it really did inspire Kiersey. And then Kiersey called her mum and they both did that voiceover which is one hour of Kiersey talking about being a woman. We want to release it at some point. We want to make another layer.
So, the name Jellywolf came from this. It’s soft as a jelly and wild as a wolf. That symbolises a woman.
TNG: AND DID CHANEL APPROVE THE TITLE RIGHT AWAY ?
MM: Of course, Chanel was like “What is that title?”. Because, if you don’t know the backstory it is a bit strange. They immediately understood what we meant. And it was really nice, because they went with how Alma saw it. And of course, it is a name that sticks.
TNG: YES. IT IS CATCHY.
MM: What I love is that the film had a life afterwards. There was an artist who made a poster for the film on his own. He saw it and wanted to contribute with some art.
Just now, we had a beautiful comic book artist, her name is Jamaica Dye, who started painting the scenes. And she tweeted Alma “I made a few things” and Alma immediately replied “Make the whole film! Make a book!”. So, now the book is published on i-D as part of The Fifth Sense — full circle! It is 34 pages. It is the most beautiful artwork. And it is so in-line with what we set out to make. Because it is one artist who inspired another and soon she is going to print a beautiful Jellywolf book.
Please do check it here: http://jamdye.com/jellywolf/
TNG: ARE THERE MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR ARTISTS TO DEVELOP THEMSELVES THANKS TO THE SUPPORT OF BRANDS ?
MM: Absolutely. It is still very early days in terms of understanding the value. People bring the value of this in terms of impressions. But, you can buy impressions. So, everybody is focused on having influencers, because then you get more.
Whereas I think that if you release it well, if you make something that is honest and real, it will be sought-out and it will be fuelled and it will be liked. Not liked in terms of people pressing the like button, but in that it adds to culture. You become a culture maker.
And that is a bigger impression than a thousand teenagers hitting like just because they see it in their feeds.
Brands need more content and they are commissioning a lot. But these are small budgets. And, of course, all directors want to make something. So, everybody is trying to make the best work possible. Because, when you make original content, it is your own creative. It is not like “Oh, it is a commercial with a packshot, so it is not me as an artist”. But when you make your own film, then it is your work, so you are always going to make it in accordance with what you believe. And the content that the clients are getting is incredible!
It is a very interesting time. It is exciting. And I think that those who are really going to shine are directors that have their own original ideas and are able to write and have an original vision.
TNG: HOW DID YOU BUILD YOUR ROSTER OF DIRECTORS AT BRF ?
MM: I wrote an article a few months ago about how I built the roster. I joined BRF a year and a half ago to set up the London office for films and to put my spin on it. That included adding a lot of female directors and local directors. But also, it included bringing diversity, not in the pure sense of gender, colour or minority. It is more deeper about a diversity of voices. For example, a musician doing a film, if they are, of course, talented in directing.
It is so nice to get other people to do these content pieces, because the scale is different and they have different voices. I am proud to work with Natasha Khan, for example, as a director, who is a musician. She is an incredible all-round artist. She is going to come at a film with a completely different set of references than the next director.
I think that this is now possible because there is such a need for original content. There is a different way of commissioning and making films. There is so much of that. But there is also so much gratuitous content that is just filling the void. And people spend good money on that. It makes me boil internally. You have to be bold in what you make.
Creatives need to stop just looking at the reel. Have a conversation with the director. Be inspired by each other.
TNG: THIS INDUSTRY IS A BIT TRADITIONAL. IT IS SO HARD FOR PRODUCERS TO SELL A DIRECTOR IF HE DOESN’T HAVE THE RIGHT SHOWREEL.
MM: This is an issue that we tried to address through Free The Bid and also how I myself run the company and my roster. This is what I fight for all the time. The creatives need to stop just looking at the reel. Have a conversation with the director. Be inspired by each other.
For example, Alma didn’t have anything like this on her reel. She had the most beautiful award-winning documentaries. But this is sci-fi, heavy post-production, CGI, and actors performance. No creative agency would have given her that project to direct. No way. And they would have missed out.
Have a conversation. Especially, if you are trying to get diversity in voices … Of course, they are not going to have a full reel of material that suits you. Natasha Khan is an award-winning musician. She has won three Mercury prizes. Of course, she is not going to have a showreel with tons of films. But, open your eyes. Sure, she can make that stuff. I am sure she can tell a beautiful 30-second story and make something that is different. Or, at least, let her pitch.
TNG: HOW IS FREE THE BID HELPING YOU ?
MM: Free The Bid is helping women directors get more work. Of course most of the time there is a stronger male showreel. There are going to be ten or a hundred men that have a better reel than most female directors trying to get opportunities.
But that will always be the case if you don’t give them the chance.
And this goes for all types of diversity, not just gender. Anyone with a different vision. At least, let them pitch. Give them a chance to show their vision. Have a talk. It is frustrating because I think we can make much better work!
Free The Bid helped drive real change and open real conversations. The numbers are changing rapidly which is an incredible real achievement in under a year.
Margo Mars
Partner & Managing Director
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