For the second year in a row, the Grand Award for Student Videos went to an aspiring young filmmaker from the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg based in Germany. This year, the talented Vanessa Stachel received the prestigious award for her innovative stop-motion spec spot "Delivery for Mr. Frogula".
In this interview, we delve into the creative journey behind this remarkable work, explore the inspirations and challenges faced along the way, and get to know more about Vanessa Stachel, the creative force behind this unique vision.
Congratulations on your Grand Award! What does it mean to you and all the people involved in this project to receive this award?
Our “Team Frogula” is absolutely blown away by the success we had in the last months at festivals with our stop-motion spec spot! And now, winning a Grand Award at the US International Awards shows us we made all the right decisions when making the film. Thank you so much, we feel honored!
Can you run us through the creative process behind the winning work you entered into the 2024 US International Awards?
My very first idea was just to make a stop-motion spec spot about a vampire frog. That’s it. I felt a bit exhausted from the very busy three years of film school I had so far and I loved the idea of just crafting a frog puppet and listening to audiobooks for countless hours while doing so.
And maybe also to tell a super fun and spooky story? Since forever, I’ve been in love with Vampire stories... and with frogs!
So that’s how it started. I teamed up with producers Nadia Zimmermann and creative producer Luca Merkle. We had already worked on many other projects together before, and it was a blast every time. Soon we also got cinematographer Benedict Uphoff and producer Jack Yevhen Baratov on board who were also enthusiastic just about the thought of telling the story of a stop-motion vampire frog. At Filmakademie, we can pitch projects to find people from other departments. That’s what we did, and the team filled up.
I guess the idea for the product – the LG OLED TVs – came when I put thought into the biggest challenges a vampire frog could have – but giving it a twist. I like to tell stories where the unexpected happens.
We worked for about five months on the film. Starting in July of 2023. The shoot phase was six weeks. Before the shoot, all the voices and the edit had to be final (as an animatic) because the animators would animate on the acting of our voice talents.
The biggest challenge was to convince our film school that we could pull the project off as it was very ambitious, and when we got greenlighted, we had to make it happen of course. So, there were some very long workdays and six weeks, shooting every day, was intense, but also a journey I love to look back to.
Most proud of I’m probably that the film sparks so much joy in people! And I also love that the characters seem to work so well. I had so much fun writing Stella and Frogula, and people really like the grumpy moth and the snobbish frog – that makes me happy.
And of course, I’m proud of the whole team Frogula – all of them, amazingly talented people!
What were your expectations when entering? Did you assume you would be in the race for a Grand Award?
No, not at all. When we started our festival tour, we were sure a lot of people would like the film, but we did not expect it to be this successful. We are not a graduation project and did not have a big budget and everything had to happen rather fast compared to bigger projects. We always believed in the film, and we are grateful now that others, including the juries, see this as well.
Now, please tell us something about yourself. Can you give us a brief bio and disclose your background?
I have always been fascinated by storytelling since my childhood days. I loved fairytales and fantasy books, tried myself at acting, and started to make my own “animated films” when I was 12. At 15 years old, I made my first films with friends and family with a mini DV cam. And I LOVED it! Editing, mixing in some music, doing special effects: I loved the magic you can do when making a film. I studied communication design because I felt I wasn’t ready yet for film school, worked in this field, freelance & employed, did lots of Motion Design, and then decided to make a childhood dream come true by applying to the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg. And it worked out!
What are some of your works that played a major role in your career or that deem to be important to you?
While studying communication design, I made a Zombie film (about humans who bite Zombies to turn them human – which is bad!) that played well at some young filmmaker festivals in Germany, and I got motivated to become better at my craft. My first film at Filmakademie was my first try at puppet stop-motion (“A Bloody Graveyard Story”). There, I realized how much fun (and work) stop-motion is. I wanted to do that again! With my second-year film, the live-action spec spot “Lady Painmaker” (which won Silver at the US International Awards) I learned a lot about writing characters.
What was the most challenging project you worked on so far?
Also, in the second study year, we did a Horror-Fantasy short film. The budget was super tight, but we had big ambitions. So, I guess I learned a lot there for future projects.
Can you describe your creative process for us?
I love to do creative brainstorming sessions with people who are also my friends. Just talking about stuff and having fun can spark the idea. Staying open-minded is the key. Let the thoughts wander around, I guess, and finding an unexpected path works for me most of the time. When I am writing on a script, I try to create a calm, concentrated but also cozy situation for myself.
What advice would you give fellow aspiring filmmakers and video creators looking to enter competitions and make a mark in the industry?
Try to learn what your personal strength is and what the stories are that you want to tell. Of course, watch lots of films, series, and spots to get lots of inspiration, but then create your own films and find your voice. Once you know what you want to tell stay true to yourself but still be open to trying out something completely new. Always keep on learning. I’m myself still on my path and learn so many new things with every project!
