Why Jorn Haagen Always Puts the Idea First
A firm believer in the idea that paying attention is the best life insurance, Jorn Haagen is an internationally acclaimed director who’s always striving to create, visit new places, and learn new things. Having recently signed with FRANK Content for Canadian representation, he’s eager to share his love of advertising with the country’s market, of which he very much appreciates its ‘no-nonsense attitude’ and quality of craft.
Outside of this, Jorn is known both for his pastime of DP-ing and directing his own work, as well as his signature ‘street-casting’ approach - both of which he’s bringing to Canada. All in the name of fortifying the creative and benefitting the big idea, he’s always aiming to unlock a project as early as possible, figuring out exactly what will bring it to life in the most beautiful, memorable and entertaining ways possible.
LBB’s Josh Neufeldt sat down for a chat with Jorn to learn about all this and more, discussing how he’s finding Canada, and the lessons he’s learned throughout his career.
LBB> You recently signed with FRANK Content for your Canadian Representation! What inspired this decision, and how have things been thus far?
Jorn> It’s simple - it’s people. We shoot people (sounds dramatic, but we do), we tell stories about people, we want people to connect with people, and if there is a reason why I love this industry, it is people. Therefore, my conversations with Danielle were why I chose FRANK. I related to her philosophy, her approach and her energy.
To build on this, after a little bit of a longer break from the Canadian market - simply due to having shot in America and Europe quite a bit - I was looking for a new home. And a home has to be personal for you. You can’t just go and figure you’re going to fit into any constellation, or look at other production houses and say, ‘Oh, they don’t have anyone like me, they kind of need my directing style’. That’s not how it works. This is why I chose FRANK, and specifically wanted to work with Danielle. She couldn’t have been more supportive, couldn’t have been straighter, and beyond that, what made me so comfortable was the fact that I felt understood as a director. Obviously, everyone looks at a reel and has their own ideas on what they love and which spots are the better ones (myself included), but I think Danielle is the first producer that pretty much lined up exactly with my own preference of where I shine.
LBB> What sort of work are you most passionate about, and why?
Jorn> I, in the least pompous way possible, love the comparison between filmmaking and architecture. There are so many similarities, because what it really comes down to is a strong, single-minded idea. In architecture, you can see it and feel it as you experience the building. But in filmmaking, advertising, feature films, etc., the single-mindedness of the creative idea is what drives us. It could be a moment, it could be a three-step story - whatever you want to call it - but it has to carry a unique idea that you can get your head into. So what do I feel most passionate about? It’s when I can identify, feel and see that single-minded concept of executing the original idea. It’s really that simple.
Now, any director will tell you that they can do anything, of course - that’s why we’re directors - but you have to work out your strengths and your advantages. This is your signature, and your signature will always follow you. If you truly believe in understanding what you are good at, and what naturally drives you (visually or storytelling-wise), how could you not get excited about the fact that you get to find a specific creative expression that lines up with what you think is the best way of fortifying a creative idea? Make sure that idea shines! We’re a bunch of egos in this industry, but the idea must always come first. Doing that - that’s what excites me.
LBB> With this in mind, how do you approach a treatment for a given spot?
Jorn> First of all, don’t start writing right away! That’s how you end up relying on things from previous jobs, and it’s also how you end up creating a truly generic treatment - which agencies have seen way too many of. Instead, take enough time to identify the key. Every single project has a unique key that will unlock everything. And yes, that is for the agency to decide, but that’s also what you have to do. Show the project enough respect to spend time identifying the key that goes into the lock that is the project.
When you do that, I think the treatment becomes far easier to write. Most directors dread writing treatments because they know they have to say certain things, and there are some fabulous director words that have since become a joke (‘organic’, ‘filmic’, I could go on and on), but it comes from a place of wanting to share your perspective on something. Honestly, if most directors read other directors’ treatments, they would be shell shocked at how similar they are. So, spend a little time! Make sure your treatment supports the idea, but also that it carries a unique identity that is clear enough for not only the client, but also yourself. You know what your solution is!
LBB> You’re known to DP the majority of your spots. What is this like, and why is this something you’re so keen on?
Jorn> I have always been, and always will be, a director first. In fact, I’m one of those director-DPs who didn’t start as a DP, but started wholeheartedly as a director and was then lucky enough to work with some of the most incredible DPs of our industry.
If you pay attention and have a keen photographic eye, you soon understand the magic of doing more than simply recording something. To this end, I owe my mentorship, and a great deal more, to an incredible Polish DP named Piotr Sobociński (who is, unfortunately, no longer with us). He gave me two things that I think most people should remind themselves of every now and then. Firstly, that it doesn’t matter how good you are, just how good you want to be. And the other thing (other than always shoot backlit if you can shoot backlit), is to focus on the visual concept of what you’re trying to do, within your mind. It’s almost like a visual instinct. If you have that idea in your head, then you can use grading and light and specific kinds of lenses to get closer to that expression. Moreover, this allows you to communicate in a way that makes sense, rather than saying, ‘This is roughly what I like, now go and do it for me’.
As for why I do it, there are two main reasons. Apart from the fact that specifically in advertising, I find visual expression to be incredibly important in supporting an idea, doing both is incredible for efficiency. Yes, I still rely heavily on a gaffer, but I know exactly what I need to make a moment work. I don’t have to light beyond it. I don’t have to set up x amount of scenarios that could fall into that moment. So, by being fully aware of what I want to do, and knowing when I want to shoot, I save a lot of time.
The other benefit is that operating the camera allows me to get much closer to my actors. I find that I can actually communicate with them in a completely different way when I’m right there with the camera. I can suggest things, I can massage a performance, and I can create an intimacy with my talent. This almost allows me a jam session-like experience with my talent, and that can be the difference between a moment that feels true, and a moment that is a little staged.
LBB> Building on this, how does your hands-on approach help you as a director?
Jorn> I think a hands-on approach, for me, means that I take responsibility. Ultimately, I understand that with my job comes the responsibility for everything. Don’t try to pass problems onto other people, try to be part of the solution. Make people excited. Trust people. Show people that you trust them!
This last point is especially important. A good director knows that if you show people you trust them, you will have ideas coming at you all the freaking time. Just be smart enough to pick up on those, and use them when they benefit the bigger idea.
LBB> What do you feel is the secret to the casting process? And how do you amalgamate this with your style to create strong work?
Jorn> I’ve been lucky enough to shoot with BBH in London and a couple of times, John Hegerty was involved. He said something that resonates with me to this day: ‘Whenever you watch a casting tape or are in a casting session, do yourself the favour of looking at the person and then closing your eyes and looking away. If the image of that person is almost immediately evaporating, then for God’s sake, don’t choose that person!’. To me, this doesn’t mean we’re after people that are extraordinary, just that we’re looking for definition - something that carries a type of uniqueness that allows you to pay attention. It’s a visual medium that we deal with, so therefore, generic should be our biggest enemy. Casting, maybe more so than anything, is where good ads and not so good ads will show themselves the quickest.
Street-casting is also something quite special to me, simply because of the approach. We used to shoot a lot in Cape Town, because it was the best place to go in when it was wintertime in Europe. But, casting there wasn’t easy, and I realised we needed to cast a wider net. So, the idea of walking around with an actual casting person was born. We’d walk into shopping malls and other places where we’d find people doing their natural thing, and this allowed me to watch them. If I found them interesting, then my casting person would go up, make a connection, and ask them if they could see themselves coming to a casting studio and trying out what actors do every day. But, what was then crucial was the fact that I would be part of this process in the studio too. I would show them little tricks, and try to give them enough confidence to be what we wanted them to be: themselves.
This became so successful that I’ve now done this in every single territory I’ve shot. And it just shows that, again, finding somebody who is right for the role doesn’t mean that they need to know how to act. Obviously, when it comes to dialogue, that’s a whole different bag of hurt, but we’ve tried it there too and been successful. It’s just all about casting a wider net.
LBB> How has the landscape of commercial directing evolved over the years and how have you adapted to these changes?
Jorn> I’m not going to educate anyone on the impact social media has had, but there’s no doubt that with it, a significant amount of fear has entered the world of advertising. A lot of people are asking, ‘What do we do when we can’t tell a story in a short amount of time?’. However, you’ve got to get excited about the prospect of explaining something from the perspective of the person who is going to watch what you’re shooting.
The most important thing for me has been trying to understand what a spot is aiming for. More and more these days, I not only get asked to shoot the spot, but also provide the full ‘tool kit’ (shorter spots for social media, and even stills), which is incredibly exciting. You get to problem solve! Not only are you focusing on strengthening an idea when it comes to telling a story, but you’ve also got to figure out the essence and boil it down to a 10-second spot, or less. And then you also have to do it with stills in a way that allows you to do what advertising has always done well - brand building.
Overall, the biggest challenge for the industry is that there are so many brands doing exactly the same thing, and they all seem the same. It has to be our job - both from the agency and filmmaking sides - to not forget about brand building and identity.
LBB> How does the Canadian market compare to other parts of the industry? And what do you like about working here?
Jorn> One thing that’s always come with working in Canada is the continuous complaints about budgets. And to that, I honestly say, you should try working in Scandinavia!
In seriousness though, we see the same ideas and clichés drive the Canadian market time and time again. The fact that you don’t fall under the same, generic umbrella as the big, naughty brother below the border, and also the notion that Canada tends to be a combination between the US and Europe. However, I disagree. I think Canada is very much its own thing. There’s a reason why my love for the country and its advertising has always been so prominent, and that’s because there is this no-nonsense attitude that comes with being Canadian. There’s less bullshit, and the ideas are better! It’s that simple.
LBB> Finally, what’s the most outrageous problem you’ve come across on set – and how did you solve it?
Jorn> I could go on and on about this, but I’m going to choose a Canadian spot that we did a while back. It was the Subaru ‘Super Sumo’ car wash spot, where we had a bunch of Japanese wrestlers being outrageously sexy while washing a Subaru Forester. In the spot, we had an older couple that were supposed to get stopped in their tracks, and just give this reaction of shell-shocked horror.
Anyway, we found the perfect couple, and they did a really good job in the casting. But on the day, and I know everybody has had this experience, suddenly, they started acting and the reaction became way overcooked. It stopped working. I was talking to one of the creatives on the job, and he was like, ‘What’s going on with them, why are they being so awful?’, and I was like ‘Well, they’re trying!’. He was like, ‘Tell them not to try’, and I was like ‘I can’t just tell them that, they’re stuck in their ways! We’ve got to figure out a different way to do this!’.
That’s when the suggestion came. Someone said, ‘Jorn, you speak a bunch of different languages, why don’t you try yelling something to them in your native language?’. I think it was take 18 or something crazy by that point, and so, instead of waiting for them, I just let it out. I went ‘Scandi-ass’ crazy on them, and that’s what ended up in the commercial. All in all, this is just a great reminder that you’ve got to be light on your feet and ready to come up with solutions. See opportunities and possibilities wherever they are!
