
Photo: Jan Saurer
Photo: Jan Saurer
Munich is the place for chic and trendy? No, this city has more to offer, says filmmaker Vanessa Weber v. Schmoller. In order to show which residents characterize the city, she founded "Münchner G'schichten" ("Munich Stories"): a video format that portrays Munich residents and their projects. In this interview, she reveals which topics Vanessa Weber v. Schmoller is particularly interested in and what goals she is pursuing with her production company „Herz Film Productions“.
Ms. Weber von Schmoller, you have lived in London, San Francisco and Sydney, among other places – yet you are dedicating your own format to this city of all places with “Münchner G'schichten”. What do you love so much about Munich?
Vanessa Weber v. Schmoller: Munich is home for me. I grew up in Schwabing, this is where I have my roots. I love this city and see that it is constantly changing. I think there is something incredibly warm about Munich. It may take a while for the people of Munich to let you look behind the scenes, but once you get to know them, you realize that they are very open and curious.
You present these people and their stories in short video sequences. How did the idea come about?
Weber v. Schmoller: My business partner Olivia, with whom I founded the format, and I have traveled a lot and have repeatedly come across clichés about Munich that we disliked. Munich is often seen as a superficial chic city or simply as a business location. It hurt us to see that our city, and therefore its residents, are repeatedly pigeonholed. Because there are so many things to discover here that you might not even notice at first glance. We wanted to look behind the scenes, show heartfelt projects far removed from the clichés, we wanted to show the people behind these projects and tell stories of courage, passion and integrity. We wanted to show the stories of the people who shape this city.
A few minutes is a relatively short time to tell a story. How do you approach storytelling to turn an idea into a well-rounded story?
Weber v. Schmoller: For me, it's always about the questions: Why? How? What? I always start with the motivation, because I think that's the most important thing in storytelling: that you understand why someone is doing something and whether or not this project will pick you up. It's a classic hero's journey that we tell – and we've tried everything from three minutes to 18 minutes. Each length has something to offer: with longer sequences you can show more beautiful images, but you can also tell a short story and still touch people. That's the secret: to reveal the essence. The projects that grab me the most are the ones that require courage. The ones that may not have been easy at first, but where someone has stuck to their dream. I have a lot of respect for people who dare to do something and inspire others with it.
»When you watch a good movie, you also have a new experience to some extent – through the spoken word, with what you see, through the music that accompanies the whole thing and with the way the movie is edited. That's the great thing about the movie: that it speaks to us on so many different levels and can draw you into the story.«
Vanessa Weber v. Schmoller
On your social media channels, you not only publish short films about “Münchner G'schichten”, but increasingly also pictures of secret corners or restaurant recommendations. Have formats other than moving images become more important for you?
Weber v. Schmoller: Yes, definitely. I see “Münchner G'schichten” as a playground for different format ideas. I believe there is no right or wrong way, you always have to try out new things. If I can touch people with what I do, then I've achieved my goal – and that works with all formats.
Over the course of your career, you have worked for many TV formats and channels, including Galileo. What fascinates you about moving images?
Weber v. Schmoller: Film is the closest thing to experience. When you watch a good movie, you also have a new experience - through the spoken word, with what you see, through the music that accompanies the whole thing and with the way the movie is edited. That's the great thing about a movie: that it speaks to us on so many different levels and can draw you into the story.
In 2021, you founded your own production company, Herz Film Productions. Why did you decide to do this?
Weber v. Schmoller: I took this step because I really enjoy developing formats and I really wanted to do more than just direct. With a production company, I have many more opportunities to work with freelancers or other companies. I also always particularly enjoy working with young people and passing on some of the experience that I myself have gained over the last 25 years in my sometimes very challenging profession. I have been lucky enough to have great mentors myself and find it very rewarding to work with someone who surprises me with their ideas and new perspectives. I love discovering and learning new things.
Over the past six years, you have mainly devoted yourself to your first documentary film: “A Sky Full of Bees” was released in German cinemas in 2022. What fascinated you so much about the topic of bee mortality that you dedicated an entire film to it?
Weber v. Schmoller: I've always been a person who listened to the quiet tones. I grew up with nature and spent several months a year at the North Sea, in the Swiss mountains and on the Bavarian lakes before I started school. When I found out about the state of our biodiversity, that the biomass of flying insects had declined so drastically, I knew I wanted to make a long documentary out of it. This is a topic that is so important that it needs a bigger stage. Everyone has something that drives them and I always follow my intuition. In this case, my heart told me to do it. For me, there was no if, only a when.
This movie was your biggest project to date. What challenges did you face?
Weber v. Schmoller: The film was a huge challenge, both in terms of content and structure. We didn't get any funding, we didn't have a broadcaster to support us. I had to rely on finding sponsors during the corona lockdown, which was extremely difficult because people were simply no longer available. The other big challenge was that you need a lot of manpower for a project like this. We were shooting with a movie camera and you need a crew that can operate the equipment. At times, there were only four of us working on the film, which was actually designed for at least ten people.
How did you still manage to realize the project?
Weber v. Schmoller: It was only possible thanks to my family, friends, a wonderful crowdfunding community, a few sponsors and the prize money for the Deutsche Bahn Environmental Project Award, which I received in 2021. We worked with an incredibly small budget: We only had about a third of what we had targeted until the end. Many people wouldn't have produced the film under these conditions, because it also meant that we couldn't pay “normal” salaries. Many of those who worked on this film did so on a voluntary basis, thereby doing their bit to protect biodiversity.
Species conservation and climate change are now much-discussed topics. How did you approach the topic and find your own spin?
Weber v. Schmoller: I wanted to tell this film from my own perspective as a mother and filmmaker. In principle, I told my own story, namely that I knew about this topic but was not aware of its scope, its threatening nature. I wanted to highlight what species extinction really means and at the same time show people solutions.
You seem to have achieved your goal: To this day, the film is being shown in many companies, cinemas and at events, is currently being screened at international film festivals and is even available for schools as official learning material in all state media centers throughout Germany.
Vanessa v. Schmoller: Yes, the film is still very active at the moment and is being shown at various film festivals around the world, for example in Montenegro, Nigeria, Toronto and the USA. But what I would like to do is take the film much more into companies and get them excited about the topic. We have so many great companies in Bavaria as a media location that could build an alliance for species conservation or at least be part of it. I would like to invite these companies to enter into an exchange. The fact that the topic is more important than ever is shown, for example, by the biodiversity fact check, in which 145 experts have compiled all available data on the state of nature in Germany over three years. The results were recently presented and are alarming. A turnaround in the biodiversity crisis has not yet been achieved. I would like to make my contribution to changing this with this film.
Documentary film or short portraits – which format will occupy you more in the future?
Weber v Schmoller: I would love to make more films about personalities and projects that raise awareness. Heartfelt projects by people who are committed to nature and our society. I'm interested in people who think and act in a visionary way. I would also like to continue making portraits about exciting lives. I would like to tell these stories in various formats between five minutes and an hour and a half – I'm keeping an open mind. I think every topic has its length. For me, it's always primarily about the message: the essence has to be there - then a few minutes is often enough for a story.