The Kummerl Twins

Unaffiliated

What was your first professionally directed work and when was it?
Our first professionally directed piece was a spec titled “The Night Shift” for Converse which harnessed our passion for playful visual storytelling and allowed us to apply our experience as production designers to create a colorful, whimsical narrative.

This piece allowed us to speak to the adolescent experience that we connect with and admire, and added a touch of surrealism as the world of the laundromat transforms into a checkered floor ballroom full of colors and confetti. This work was completed in May of 2022 (our junior year of college) and was a piece that established our voice as directors who aim to connect with a Gen-Z generation through relatable, yet eye-catching narratives.

How did you get into directing?
Directing came to us before we even knew it. As kids, we were constantly grabbing our friends to film impromptu skits, YouTube videos, or music videos. We were continually finding ways to tell stories big and small. The idea of directing intensified in our senior year after writing and directing a short film titled Pajaro. This film won first place at the state-wide UIL Film Competition and was also admitted into the SXSW High School Shorts program. We spent back-to-back weeks in Austin watching our film premieres and realized this was the city where we could grow as filmmakers.

As we embarked on our first year of studying film together at The University of Texas, we found ourselves in the midst of a global pandemic. While all classes went online, we took the opportunity to get on commercial sets and start working. While we ultimately wanted to direct, we have always been inspired by the way that the art so heavily influences the visual language of a story. We quickly moved from art assisting to art directing to production designing. By the time we were Juniors, we were working on commercial sets in the art department and also focusing on writing and directing spec work that would grow our portfolio as a directing duo.

3) What is your most recent project?
Our most recent project called “The Sunday Scaries” is a spec we did for BeReal, a popular app amongst Gen Z. This project embraced the mundane Sunday Scaries aka the feeling of anxiety or dread that so many people experience before the upcoming work or school week. We were able to bring our vision to life by both directing and production designing the piece.

4) What is the best part of being a director?
Being young. At 22 years old, we truly believe that there is no one better suited to speaking to the Gen Z audience than someone who can personally relate to Gen Z’s likes and interests themselves. Our work strives to find the magic in the mundane of a high school classroom or a lazy Sunday morning. Things we take for granted but that can also be where interesting stories come to life. Relatable, whimsical, fun.

5) What is the worst part of being a director?
Being young. Many people can mistake age for inexperience, however we believe our age and ability to relate to a younger demographic gives us a leg up. This connection with our audience allows us to craft the perfect balance of relatability and eye catching narratives. Not to mention our stamina, energy and enthusiasm which we bring to every collaboration!

6) What is your current career focus: commercials and branded content, television, movies? Do you plan to specialize in a particular genre–comedy, drama, visual effects, etc.?
Our focus is directing commercials. As young Korean-Mexican women, we strive to catch the eyes of audiences through rich colors, strong production design, and youthful stories. For us, directing heavily leans on strong visual design to bring a story to life. It is an opportunity to meld production design and directing into authentic storytelling.

7) Have you a mentor and if so, who is that person (or persons) and what has been the lesson learned from that mentoring which resonates with you?
We met John Rains, a commercial producer (turned one of our closest friends) when we first moved to Austin for college. John believed in us before anyone else did and has resolutely supported us in our careers as budding directors. He’s the most driven person we’ve ever met and we truly would not be where we are today without him. John has taught us to never equate our age to ability or experience.

10) Tell us about your background (i.e., where did you grow up? Past jobs?)
We grew up in Carrollton, Texas to two engineer parents. Our dad is half Korean and half German, while our mom is Mexican. So we are pretty much a melting pot. We immersed ourselves into the theater program at our high school which is where we furthered our love of the arts. Seeing a script on paper turn into a full production was such a fulfilling experience and we knew it was something that we wanted to continue to be a part of – except this time, behind the camera.

We are so grateful for all of the University of Texas/Austin professors who understood and excused us from classes as they recognized that working on sets and getting real world experience was as valuable as their lectures. Because of their support, we were able to work on a multitude of commercials that taught us things we never could have learned in the classroom.

Having come up in the art department, much of our work is influenced by strong production design and vivid colors that elevate youthful experiences and turn them into something extraordinary

Contact

• Unaffiliated, Email: kummerltwins@gmail.com, Website: kummerltwins.com