Today we’d like to introduce you to Kayla and Krista Kummerl.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, how did you get started?
Directing came to us before we even knew it. We grew up in Carrollton, Texas, with two engineer parents. Our dad is half Korean and half German, while our mom is Mexican. So, we are a melting pot. As kids, we constantly grabbed our friends to film impromptu skits, YouTube videos, or music videos. We were continually finding ways to tell stories – big and small. Much of this inspiration came from being part of our Middle and High School theatre department. We immersed ourselves in the theater program at our high school, where we furthered our love of the arts. Seeing a script on paper turn into a total production was a fulfilling experience, and we knew it was something we wanted to continue to be a part of – except this time, behind the camera. The idea that you could spend so much time on a story or project just for it to be performed for a short time and then taken down, left only in the viewer’s memory, amazed us.
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 premiere and realized this was the perfect city for us to grow as filmmakers.
As we embarked on our first year of studying film at The University of Texas, we found ourselves amid 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 how the art so heavily influences the visual language of a story. We quickly went 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 focusing on writing and directing spec work that would grow our portfolio as a directing duo.
Most recently, we are directing a global commercial for Instagram Reels this December. While directing a piece for Instagram is a dream come true, the most rewarding part about the whole process is working with a local crew that has known us, from production assistants to production designers to now directors. From the grips to production assistants to producers, we feel so lucky to have grown in this community of filmmakers that now feel like family. Being young Hispanic-Korean women, we have felt so fortunate to be uplifted in this community of talented people and feel so supported by every single person we work with.
It wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The hardest part of our journey thus far has been being young. Many people can mistake age for inexperience, which has often led us to avoid winning certain jobs. There can be an imposter syndrome that comes with this sometimes, where we begin to believe that we are incapable or deserving of the opportunities we get because of our age. Thankfully, we have been supported by so many local filmmakers (John Rains, Ivy Chiu, Morgan Bond + Nick Grisham, Keaton Loudamy) who have taught us that age and ability do not have to be congruent. Our age and ability to relate to a younger demographic give 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!
Let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
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. As a directing duo, we love the collaboration and creative control that comes with there being two of us. Our process begins in pre-production, where we hone in on our creative approach and craft our vision for the piece. Through hours of conversations, we bounce ideas off one another and cast our vision. We are huge fans of recording animatics on our phones and editing them ourselves to ensure transitions and camera moves work seamlessly. When on set, we love the freedom to divide and conquer after spending pre-production honing in on our vision together. While one of us works with the agency, the other can be rehearsing with actors or working with crew. By coming to a set aligned with our vision, we can simultaneously ensure the execution is on point during production.
At 23 years old, no one is better suited to speaking to the Gen Z audience than someone who can relate to Gen Z’s likes and interests. Our work strives to find the magic in the mundane of a high school classroom or a lazy Sunday morning. We take things for granted, but that can also be where exciting stories come to life. Relatable, whimsical, fun. 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 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.
We are most proud of how much we have accomplished in such a short time. Some may attribute this to the fact that there are two of us! Because we attended UT Austin during the pandemic, our real film school occurred on commercial film sets, and we wouldn’t have wanted it any other way! Learning hands-on from professionals in the industry was amazing, and we are where we are with all of the advice we have gotten from everyone we have worked with.
Let’s end by discussing what matters most to you and why.
For us, the energy created on set is one of the most important things when shooting anything. Working with people who truly believe in us and bring positive energy to the work environment makes the whole process so much more rewarding. While it is “work,” at the end of the day, we want everyone on set to feel supported and cared about.
Contact Info:
- Website: kummerltwins.com
- Instagram: kummerltwins
Image Credits
Emily Deen, Ethan Tran, Joe Reynolds
