Director duo debut - Introducing HP Sauce

A black & White portrait of film directors, Harriett Maire & Perry Bradley

Everything’s better with a dash of HP Sauce

Harriett Maire and Perry Bradley recently joined forces to shoot for Honda NZ via the good folk at Rainger & Rolfe. Director Duo Debut.

Playfully dubbed “HP Sauce”, their directing duo reflects their easy working relationship, genuine camaraderie and complementary strengths. Harriett and Perry created a tag team approach to directing performance and driving machines. Without running each over - bonus!

We sat down with them to chat about what it was like to share the director's chair, wear the same T'shirt and vie for the creative director's attention. And no prizes for guessing who the DOP favoured.

THE PROCESS

Perry: Double the directing power, double the fun, right? Harriett and I wanted to avoid overwhelming Kelly Putter, the ECD at Rainger & Rolfe, during preproduction. We aimed to speak as one cohesive voice.

Harriett: Perry and I practically finished each other's sentences, making it a dynamic collaboration. I mean, co-directing my first car commercial with Perry Bradley? Talk about luck! Through this project, I gained valuable insights into car commercials. Our plan was clear: Perry focused on the car, while I honed in on the actors, unleashing our unique strengths.

PRE PROD

Perry: Brainstorming together felt like a friendly game of catch. We kept that hotline open from the treatment all the way through.

Harriett: Directing can be a bit lonely, so having a partner to bounce ideas off was a delight. "What do you think?" became our mantra.

CASTING

Perry: Harriett rocked the Casting Director role, handling auditions and agent talks.

Harriett: Casting is a blast, building trust before the shoot. When Evelyn waltzed into the audition room, owning the stage and tossing her prop microphone, we knew we hit the jackpot. She's a gem, and working with her was pure joy.

PRE VIS

Perry: I went all in with shoot boards and pre-visualization. Mashing up audio snippets from the casting informed a lot of our approach to the pacing.

Harriett: Perry's storyboards are works of art, while mine resemble a child's doodles. The pre-vis let us finesse timing and rhythm, unlocking the spot's full potential. The magic was real!

ON SET

Perry: Ah, the classic question: "Who does what on set?" Well, for us, it was all about splitting duties smartly. While Harriett worked her magic from the backseat—like a contortionist—guiding actors while discreetly hiding from the camera. I manned the drone unit and captured those vehicle-to-vehicle shots at the same. It was super efficient from a time point of view. Having Harriett work with the actors at the same time was a real superpower.

Harriett: Our double-trouble plan was a hit on set, helping us double our output. Kudos to 1st AD Luke Wheeler and DOP Renaud Maire for crafting an efficient schedule. I slipped into all sorts of positions in the Honda's backseat, giving actors tips without being seen. And that day of head-banging with Evelyn Towersey? Hilariously sore neck the next day, but totally worth it! The crew rallied behind Evelyn, creating such a vibrant energy. Shooting alongside my Dad, Renaud Maire, was a dream come true.