If there is anyone who understands the importance of viral marketing, that is Wicked: For good director Jon M. Chu.
At WIRED’s Gigantic Interview event in San Francisco, former YouTuber and Crazy luxurious Asians the director said that working with bands like Justin Bieber taught him the value of connecting with fans online during the imaginative process. By directing a Bieber concert film, Never say neverChu said that in the delayed aughts, the 14-year-old star used Twitter to introduce Chu to fans. After Bieber posted a clip in which he joked about the director following him around the set, Chu told WIRED senior culture editor Manisha Krishnan that he began watching his online following grow by tens of thousands almost immediately, which really made us realize the power of a direct connection with his fan base.
Chu said that working with Bieber made him realize that “the story is told before you even start shooting, and once you’re done with the film, you have to continue that story.” That’s why he believes fans are so invested in him Mean– and its continuation, Wicked: For good– and why the film’s marketing and press tour relied so heavily on the relationships the cast built during filming.
Bonds like the one between stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo were born out of the enormous pressure the crew felt to create something that was not only great, but also profitable. “All we had was each other, so we were very, very connected,” Chu said, likening the relationship to that of Silicon Valley developers working together for long hours to deliver a recent product.
Photo: Annie Noelker
Photo: Annie Noelker
A Bay Area native, Chu said he has always felt partially indebted to the tech world for his start in the entertainment industry. In the 1990s, when Chu was just a teenager, tech-minded customers at his parents’ Chinese restaurant pitched him computers, graphics cards and software when they heard he was interested in filmmaking, which helped him gain an advantage over other students as he went to college at the University of Southern California. “I was uplifted by the generosity of this place, and when I return, I feel a great sense of responsibility,” Chu said.
The director also said that due to his long involvement with technology, he is quite open when it comes to the interplay between artificial intelligence and filmmaking. The director is “fascinated” by the potential of artificial intelligence in collecting and organizing information, so he has put a lot of work into learning how to exploit artificial intelligence in his own process because he wants to understand its potential.
On the other hand, Chu said while doing Mean he believed it was valuable to have practical settings and be able to improvise, rather than having to write every bit of dialogue, camera movement, and characterization in advance.