Directors Profile: J+J; From East To West

As a couple/business duo, directors Jing Shao and Jess Zou, aka J+J, find the honesty, mutual inspiration and constant debate between them aids their work. Their stylish ads for Intel, Levi’s and others have got them signed to Untitled in LA and, as they tell Iain Blair, they’re on a shared mission to bring more truth and a Western-style softer sell to China’s advertising

The flow of art and commerce from one part of the world to another has never been a one-way street, so during an era when the West has been eagerly exploring and tapping the vast potential of the Chinese marketplace, the Chinese have also been busy expanding into the lucrative American and European markets. And it’s no longer just about cheap electronics, furniture and clothing. The latest Chinese cultural fashions and advertising trends are also driving the engines of international commerce, as evidenced by the growing US profile of directing duo Jess Zou and Jing Shao – together known as J+J.

Expecting the unexpected

Based in Shanghai, J+J are well known in their native China and throughout Asia where their stylish work is admired for its contemporary look and bold use of colour and music. They have already directed an impressive, original long-form commercial for Intel and the short film Le Carrousel for Trendiano, a high-fashion Chinese brand, as well as eye-catching campaigns for Hilton, adidas, and Baileys. Most recently the duo completed a Levi’s campaign, starring the Chinese editor of Marie Claire, Frankie Han, which is currently running throughout Southeast and East Asia. And while the pair may still be relatively undiscovered in the West, all that’s about to change. J+J recently signed with Jim and Kristin Evan’s commercial production company Untitled, the LA-based entity that represents an elite roster of directors working in commercials, film, TV and web content. And they plan to set up a Los Angeles base later this summer.

“Signing with Untitled is very exciting for us, and we really feel a sense of teamwork and family with them already,” reports Shao. “Having a rep and a production company work with you is rather rare in China for commercial directors. When Jess and I began, we worked freelance, and we still work freelance there, so this is all new to us. We’ve talked to other international directors, but we don’t know yet quite what to expect. We do know it gives us a sense of security, and a great opportunity to build on a relationship that is creative, collaborative and that’ll help us grow as directors.”

They go on to stress that collaboration is a key factor in all their productions. “We use a lot of the same team for many of our commercials in China,” adds Zou, “and this was a good fit for us.” Shao notes that J+J first came to Untitled’s attention through a former university classmate of his who had worked with Jim Evans on several productions in LA. “When Jim was helping an agency look for young directors in China for a high-profile commercial to be shot there, [my ex-classmate] suggested us,” he recalls. Even though J+J didn’t land the job, they made the short list – and a big impression. “Jim really liked our reel, and he approached us right away about representing us – which was kind of a shock,” he says. “That was just at the end of last year, so it’s moved very quickly.”

Harmony – from board to shoot

While both Zou, 30, and Shao, 28, are Chinese, the latter was raised in America and attended the University of Southern California before returning to China to work. “We met on set in 2011, helping a friend shoot a web commercial,” says Zou who studied literature in college, went on to work as a scriptwriter in TV for four years and then moved into directing web virals and commercials. “We became friends and started dating, although we worked separately in terms of directing.” Eventually the couple decided to combine their personal and professional lives, and formed J+J late last year. “We’re both relatively new to directing, as I’ve only been doing it for about 18 months, while Jess has been directing a bit longer,” says Shao. “But right from the start, we’ve worked very cohesively as a team. We don’t have a separation of duties, and right from pre-production when we first get the board for a job, we discuss the idea and hash out a general game plan through the pitch, through the storyboarding and casting, all the way to the shoot.”

During pitches, Zou tends to take the lead, “as I’m not so fluent in Chinese,” he admits. “But otherwise, there’s no real division of labour, and it helps that we’re a couple as we can talk about ideas and gradually refine them all the time.” Zou elaborates, “we definitely inspire each other a lot. Sometimes one of us will come up with an idea first, and then we bounce other ideas off each other.” The couple also find the fact that they challenge each other helps. “We’re always very honest with each other, so we can really analyse why an idea works or doesn’t,” says Zou. 

Inspiration for the team comes from many sources, ranging from the natural world and the traditional outlets of film, literature and music, to the energy of today’s youth culture and the new media spaces of YouTube, Tumblr, Instagram and Vimeo. “I love photography and film cinematography,” says Zou, “but we also consume a lot of visual art from all over the place.” When the couple first met with Untitled, they quickly stressed their interest, “in the young generation’s world of social media,” adds Shao. “So much of what we feel is exciting and innovative comes from the internet, whether it’s a music video from France or a post on Tumblr. All that stuff influences our ads and the look we go for.”

Chinese buy into the hard sell

Looking at the commercial industry in general, Shao says that he’s “really glad” he’s spent so much time working in China. “It’s allowed me to see and appreciate the differences between China and America,” he explains. “There are so many opportunities in China, and our careers have taken off so fast. At the same time, there are some big challenges that I feel would turn off a lot of filmmakers.” These include “the sort of immature boards we get most of the time from the agencies there,” adds Zou. “But then you have more freedom to change those boards, and we’re always very honest with them about what we feel will work. We always push to make them better.”

Perhaps predictably, the hard sell is still “far more effective in China,” notes Shao. “If you’re creative, the soft sell is always more interesting and creatively stimulating, but it’s just not as effective with the general population.” But the times they are a’changing. “Chinese agencies are realising that the hard sell isn’t always the best way,” says Zou. “But it still varies so much from client to client and agency to agency,” Shao adds. “Everyone has a totally different idea of what’s good, what works, so it’s pretty crazy.”

By comparison, they point out, American ads tend to rely on humour “or a joke with a single punch-line,” Shao notes. “You don’t see much of that in China, where commercials use a lot of beautiful aesthetics, whereas US ads are often very simple and down-to-earth on purpose.”

China’s truth/image tension

With their “commitment to authenticity” and documentary style, J+J are well aware of the central role ‘truth in advertising’ plays in their work, especially in the Chinese market. “The whole concept of ‘saving face’ is so ingrained and important in our culture,” notes Zou. “So even if you have no money, you will organise the most expensive meal you can in order to impress your guest. And that philosophy carries over – not only into how the clients want to present themselves – but into what people want to see,” Shao explains. As an example, he cites their home base of Shanghai and the stark contrasts between the glittering new city and the back alleys of the old town. “We love the street culture and old buildings, but not only is that something our clients never want to see – it’s also something that the local consumers never want to see either,” he says.

Shao asserts that that tension – between portraying ‘the truth’ and ‘the image’ – is definitely a big element in Chinese advertising. “Commercials are all about presenting an ideal – of a brand or a lifestyle – but at the same time you want to be honest. And I think for a lot of Chinese, who are all striving to reach their potential in a developing country, they also want to see this ideal image. They don’t want to see the harsh reality of the truth.”

But as with the hard sell, attitudes about how truthful advertising can, and should, be are gradually changing, “especially among the younger generation in more creative fields,” Zou says. She notes that modern urban Chinese now “live in a world of advertising.” Adds Shao, “So when you’re bombarded with these idealised ‘untruthful’ images all the time, you seek something more authentic after a while – something that connects on a more personal level. And I think China’s now moving into that era. And like everything in China today, it’s happening really fast. It took a few decades for US advertising to move from the sanitised images of the 50s and 60s to the grittier reality you get today. In China, it’ll probably take just a few years.”