Winner Interview
Vanessa Stachel, Student Filmmaker, Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg
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!