Diving in with Snapper's Directing Duo Stefano & Alejandra

Stefano & Alejandra are a directing duo from Spain known for their quirky, eclectic style. Stefano’s creative streak was unleashed at an early age when he spray painted his dad’s Mercedes whilst Alejandra was busy designing outfits for her pet hamster. They cut their teeth with stints at ad agencies in both San Francisco and Hamburg before returning to Madrid to focus on directing. Now they are storming the international circuit working with clients such as Subway, Vodafone, Shell, Apple, Schweppes to name a few. They are represented by Snapper Films in London. Here, they give an insight into their kooky comedy style, living abroad, and what the future may hold.

Q> You both started in the industry as a set designer and art director. What inspired you to become a directing duo?

Stefano & Alejandra> We had already known each other for a long time and found we both have a complementary set of skills so it was the inevitable step to follow our passion of film making. Everyone asks us if we ever fight, working together and being a couple. We actually get on really well and fortunately, so far it seems to be working! We think our sausage dog Frida helps. 

Q> You have a kooky comedy style. Where do you draw your inspiration from? 

Stefano & Alejandra> Coming from the advertising world we are constantly surrounded by talent and inspiration. We are always on the hunt for new artists so try to find intriguing photographers, sculptures and painters that we like so we can then incorporate into advertising language. 

Q> How did you get into stopframe animation? It’s a very hard genre to perfect. Is this an area you’d want to explore further? 

Stefano & Alejandra> It all started with the music video we made called ‘Tic Tac’. We had the idea to move futuristic walls alongside the rhythm of the music and then recreate it in miniature form. The video went on to be nominated for several music video awards in Germany, New York and Montreal. I wouldn’t classify us as animators but we do like the stop motion technique. It can be quite versatile and you can mix it up with other forms of media. It’s another string to our directing bow. 

Q> You both hail from Madrid and have lived in Hamburg and San Francisco. Do you think living abroad has enriched and influenced your directing style? How? 

Stefano & Alejandra> You always learn new things when you leave your own country. Living abroad, learning different cultures and attitudes has enriched and influenced our work for sure. I would say all our collective experiences have attributed to our directing style in some shape or form. Returning back to Spain to start as a duo seemed like a natural decision and it’s been great building a new stage of our career back in our homeland.

Q> You’ve worked for some high profile brands such as Schweppes, Vodafone, Shell as well as several music videos. Do you have a piece of work that you think sums up Stefano & Alejandra?

Stefano & Alejandra> I wouldn’t say we have one piece of work that defines us. We continue to grow and develop as directors and learn something different or a challenging skill which can help us build our reel. We like to throw our hand at anything and everything!

Q> Tell us about your award winning short film Business Plan. 

Stefano & Alejandra> This was an idea in the pipeline for several years. We originally wanted to film it in live action but then realised it was more intriguing and had more depth and humour if it was made in 2D animation. To be nominated at the Tokyo Anime Festival in the official selection was an honour! They sure know how to do animation over there! 

Q> And the collaboration with Snapper? How did that come about? 

Stefano & Alejandra> We had been talking to Helen Hadfield for quite some time and when she started Snapper we knew this was a company we wanted to involved with. They have a small roster with a high calibre of prolific directors and a strong ethos. We’ve already shot a series of films for Shell and hopefully this is the start of a beautiful relationship.

Q> What does the future hold for Stefano & Alejandra? 

Stefano & Alejandra> We’d like to continue to flourish globally, develop our directing style and work with some brilliant clients. It’s a precarious time in the industry but we think it will provide us with some really exciting challenges and opportunities.