Mosley Muses on Life, Creativity and Spot- making with a Heart
With a background in documentaries and photography, Trio Films Director Ramaa Mosley is drawn to projects that capture human emotion.
Mosley Muses on Life, Creativity
and Spotmaking with a Heart
With a background in documentaries and photography, Trio Films' Ramaa Mosley
is drawn to projects that entail capturing honest and human emotion.
When Trio Films Director Ramaa Mosley got her start in commercials 13 years ago at the age of 22, she dreamed of being a female Frank Budgen, a director known for creating impactful images that grip the viewer. Having grown up watching James Bond and John Wayne movies with her father and brothers, Mosley happened to love powerful, active storytelling. She was drawn to boards that exemplified masculinity - action, sports and classic 'guy' themes - and shied away from anything overtly feminine.
Soon, she'd built up a body of work that included spots and campaigns for adidas, PowerAde, ESPN2 and Callaway Golf. In the past few years. however, Mosley had a breakthrough, and her work moved into a more emotional, narrative direction.
"I got my start as a documentary filmmaker and stills photographer, and have always loved working with real people, telling real stories and capturing real moments on camera," says the director, who is represented in Canada by Industry Films and in Germany by Wonderboys Film. "I realized I wanted to combine those loves with my commercial work. When a spot resonates with a viewer on an emotional level, the brand becomes more memorable.
"I love directing sports and action-type spots," she continues, "but it's also incredibly fulfilling to helm a commercial about families and relationship bonds - something I wouldn't have focused on 10 years ago. It's just that now, everything I direct is always with an eye toward capturing and conveying an emotional and meaningful narrative."
Today, Mosley has been busier than ever, directing campaigns for McDonalds, Pedigree, Walmart, Juicy Juice, Tide and most recently, MilkBone. They're all projects that merge strong stories with evocative imagery and human moments.
"Thanks to her training in documentary filmmaking and photography, Ramaa has a subtle, unobtrusive approach to connecting with her subjects that's perfect when working with non-professionals," says Erin Tauscher, Executive Producer of Trio Films. "Her directing style allows her subjects to feel comfortable showing their natural selves on camera, and she applies this approach regardless of whether she's shooting a spot with athletes, truck drivers, teens, or folks with disabilities. Because of this, she's a huge creative asset to our roster. Clients love her, as do the subjects of her spots."
On the MilkBone shoot for Draftfcb, Mosley shined a light on Canine Assistants, a non-profit organization that MilkBone has supported for more than 12 years. The spots were lensed by DP Danny Moder, who's collaborated with Mosley on more than 20 commercial projects and three short films.
The documentary-style campaign, which comprises three 30-second spots and a series of webisodes, showcases the inspiring tales of individuals with disabilities who've been paired with incredible service dogs, bred and trained by Canine Assistants to help recipients with common tasks. The dogs are taught more than 90 tasks, including dialing 911, pressing buttons, opening doors and retrieving remote controls.
The three spots tell the stories of Jack, a young boy with Duchene's muscular dystrophy, and his dog Amber who helps him break down barriers both physically and emotionally; Zoe, a young girl with Down syndrome and her dog Carmel, who helps her open up socially; and Chris, a trainer at Canine Assistants and his star pupil Noble, a Golden Retriever.
Filming children with disabilities requires a unique approach. "During the MilkBone shoot, we had to stay open to magical moments," says Mosley. "So while we were staying faithful to the agency script as much as we could, the best moments on camera were the ones that just happened naturally. It's great that the agency was so sensitive to that. My cinematographer Danny and I share the same approach. During shoots we tend to move around our subjects with the camera. This allows us to quietly and quickly capture moments, which works out great for unpredictable subjects such as children and dogs. We never worry that there's a moment we'll miss out on capturing something special."
This knack for filming authentic performances can also be seen in a campaign for Walmart via The Martin Agency, which captured the perspective of a mother sending a child off to school. The four spots – "Apparel," "Laptop," "Kiss" and "Goodbye" – comprised vignettes in which parents convey a longing to guide and look after their kids even when they can't be there.
"In exploring the dynamics of family life, the agency purposefully cast real people for the roles," Mosley says. "It was great that The Martin Agency sought my perspective as a documentary filmmaker to draw out a more genuine, human quality to the campaign."
Mosley has spent her filmmaking career honing the craft of capturing emotional human moments on camera. Despite her young age, she's a veteran. Her introduction to the craft came at the tender age of 16 when she made her first film, the documentary "We Can Make a Difference," about global pollution's effect on children in local communities. The film screened around the world and went on to win a United Nations' Global 500 Award in Geneva, Switzerland.
After this initial success, Mosley moved to Los Angeles and landed a job as a script reader, convincing her employers she was actually 21. When she turned 18 she enrolled at Bennington College in Vermont, where she studied theater, literature and photography. Two more documentaries followed, one about Jamaican farm workers picking apples in Vermont and another about Aymara Indians in the Alto Planos of Bolivia.
Within three months of graduating, Mosley had seven offers to sign as a director with top commercial companies, and within weeks was directing music videos for bands like The B-52s, Creed and Five for Fighting, and commercials for the aforementioned brands, along with spots for Zyrtec, Royal Bank of Canada, L'Oreal and Rockport, among others. She joined the roster Trio Films in 2007.
Thirteen years after starting her career as a director and many commercials later, Mosley's approach to directing and her ability to bring honesty to a story has made her a sought-after talent. She attributes much of her success to great client collaborations, the creative support of her production company and handpicking boards that speak to her emotionally and creatively as a filmmaker and storyteller.
But Mosley hasn't gone entirely soft however. A recent behind-the-scenes exposé of one of her commercial shoots reveals a director who may have a heart of gold, but can also be as tough, biting and funny as any of her male counterparts. (To screen it, click here.)
Trio is a boutique studio that offers a versatile roster of directors capable of executing the largest creative endeavors. Founders/EPs Taylor Ferguson and Erin Tauscher have extensive production backgrounds, and whether they're overseeing TV spots, web content or films, the company's attention to detail is evident in every project produced. Roster directors include Matt Eastman, Todd Field, Jackie Oudney, Bob Rice, James Weitz and Stefan Wuernitzer.
Published 14 January, 2011
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