How Director Mary-Sue Masson Thrives on Authenticity

Mary-Sue Masson is an experienced filmmaker and scriptwriter, known for her comedic work and distinct visuals. Before learning to direct at the BBC, she gained creative insight working in ad agencies such as DDB as an art director. Solidifying her place among the most exciting modern directors, she recently won two Cannes Lions for ‘The Chat’, a project for Breast Cancer Now that took place entirely within a WhatsApp group chat.

With both her husband and mother being diagnosed with cancer around the time of that project, ‘The Chat’ became an extremely powerful and important piece of work for the director. Speaking to LBB’s Ben Conway, Mary-Sue tells the story of making something so close to her heart and why it means so much to see it be awarded on the biggest stage in advertising. She also discusses the difficulties of creating short films, like her celebrated film 'Who's The Daddy?', as well as why it’s better to create a piece that’s hated than something no one remembers.

LBB> How was your journey to becoming a filmmaker?

Mary-Sue> After college, I landed a job as a junior graphic designer at a small ad agency. With mostly financial clients, the place was fabulously dull, however the bookshelves at the agency were chock full of One Show & D&AD albums. Every lunch hour, I studied old campaigns - Avis, and VW by Bill Bernbach - and was blown away by the power of a strong, simple concept. I knew I wanted to make great ads like that. 

I quit the dull job and went back to college to learn to become an advertising creative. I quickly discovered that coming up with strong ‘simple’ ideas is not as easy as it looks! Eventually, my portfolio was good enough to land me a job at DDB - the very agency co-founded by Bernbach. It felt like I’d arrived! 

After working as an art director in London for eight years, I was hired as an in-house creative at the BBC. This was a game-changer. This is where I learned about production and directing. I knew how to come up with ideas and write scripts. The BBC trained me to shoot them.

LBB> What's the most important piece of advice you received early on in your career? How does it influence you and your work today? 

Mary-Sue> My mother taught me, whether you’re stacking shelves at a supermarket (which I’ve done) or the CEO of a corporation (which I haven’t!), to always bring your A-game. Anything you do, do it to the very best of your ability. You don’t know where it might take you, or who’s watching. Most importantly, do this for your own sense of accomplishment. 

The second came from Tony Cullingham, the course leader at the Watford School of Copywriting for Advertising. Tony taught us it’s better to make work that’s loved - or even hated - than work that’s bland or, God forbid, unmemorable. Every script or idea that I’m writing, or shot that I’m planning, I stop and think, ‘Can we push this a bit further? Can we make it better?’ - because you never know who’s watching!

LBB> You won two Lions at Cannes for ‘The Chat’ with Breast Cancer Now - tell us a bit about what that means to you and how special this project was! 

Mary-Sue> Thank you, we’re all still buzzing about those lovely Lions! I was approached about the project by Clancie Brennan, the producer of both my shorts ‘Who’s The Daddy?’ and ‘Wake Up’.  As soon as I heard the concept - a drama series played out on a WhatsApp group - I was in. I knew this was an original, smart idea. It was beautifully written and we had a phenomenal cast on board!

There was another big reason I wanted to take on this project. I’m getting personal here, but this opportunity came up as my mum was coming to the end of her cancer journey. My husband was also diagnosed with cancer around this time (life just throws it all at once sometimes). Thankfully, his was treatable. I had to turn down work for a few months, as I needed to be around for them both. This campaign was the one exception, and Mum agreed. She died a month after filming. My husband had surgery and is all clear now thanks to the NHS. 

So yes, ‘The Chat’ being recognised as a powerful, effective work that is helping people with that dreaded diagnosis means a lot. A Lot. 

LBB> You’re known for your comedic dialogue and finding humour in difficult situations - how did these skills apply to ‘The Chat’? How was the experience of directing for such a unique medium?

Mary-Sue> It’s all about authenticity. Both humour and drama only work when the narrative feels ‘real’.  And this is so much easier when working with such stellar acting talent; Rakie Ayola, (‘The Pact’, ‘Dredd’, ‘12th Night’, ‘Black Mirror’) Claudie Blakey, (‘Pride & Prejudice’) Kate Ashfield, (‘Shaun of The Dead’, ‘Nymp()maniac’) and Indira Varma (‘Game of Thrones’, ‘Star Wars’). 

I love any idea which comes from a truth, funny or otherwise. If there’s something real, or relatable in the message, I really thrive. I also enjoy the directing challenge of finding new ways to take an idea from a page onto the screen. 

‘The Chat’ was an unusual job, as the actors had to film themselves on iPhones. One camera. One angle. So I needed to give them a way to break the dialogue if they needed to, without losing the whole take - for example, to lower the phone to ‘call a dog’ while out walking. I would discuss the scene with them and importantly, give them what I called this ‘get out of jail’ cut point as some of the dialogue was quite lengthy. They rarely needed this, but having the option, put them at ease. Then I just needed to get out of their way and let them be, which they all did beautifully. 

I also made sure they had the space to perform. Both in the funnier and more dramatic moments. I loved how it was quite messy and raw in places, which is exactly what I was looking for. I’d seen so much ‘iPhone footage’ shot on an Alexa and then treated in post. This needed to be a real thing - and it was - under the watchful eye of our DP, Hamish Anderson.

LBB> Speaking of directing and writing for unique scenarios - tell us a bit about working with kids for Haribo and directing the childish adults who had to ‘say’ the lines in the spots! What were some of the challenges and lessons learned on that campaign? 

Mary-Sue> One challenge was working for hours with several small children, hyped up on too much sugar. Let’s just say I needed to lie in a quiet room at the end of the day!

Those kids’ voices were totally unscripted, which was the original concept. I made a test film with my own kids so we could show the clients how this would work. You can’t write the stuff little kids come up with. I found the funny in the little mispronunciations and hilarious descriptions that only a six-year-old could dream of. It’s the authenticity of the kids’ voices which was the key to the campaign’s success, which is now global. 

Casting the adults for this role was great fun. We cast actors who would have a childlike quality to them – as supposed to being a caricature. It’s a fine line. The ability to lip sync was vital and it came as quite a surprise how many people couldn’t do it!

LBB> How has your experience with ‘Who’s the Daddy?’ influenced your career? Are you looking to do more long-form comedy? 

Mary-Sue> The funny thing is, I never made ‘Who’s the Daddy?’ for any sort of career progression thing. I had this idea and characters in my head and couldn’t get them out until I put them in the frame. It was like a compulsion. Making shorts is not easy, as anyone who has made one will know. But we pulled it off, and it did really well in the festivals. As a result, it’s opened me up to new opportunities and briefs. The whole process was a learning curve.

I have written a comedy pilot, which is currently making the studio rounds. We’ll see what happens. I’m developing two other ideas but trying to squeeze in writing between shoots has been a challenge lately. Fortunately, I have another short, ‘Wake-Up’, currently on the festival circuit. This one’s a thriller, even though I do prefer making comedy. Quite literally, my happy place!

LBB> What are you looking forward to for the rest of 2023 and beyond - both in work and in your free time? 

Mary-Sue> Winning at Cannes felt like a lovely turning point after losing my mum. And it was on the summer solstice no less! I’m currently in pre-production on a commercial shoot that I’m really excited about. After wrap, my husband, two teenage boys, our Irish terrier and I will head to our summer holiday. Camping in Wales, then diving in the Red Sea. The dog will not be diving! We’ll be keeping our fingers crossed ‘Wake-Up’ finds the same level of success on the festival circuit that ‘Who’s the Daddy?’ captured. We’re looking forward to healthy and happy times ahead.