Student series: KU filmmaking duo conveys the magic of girlhood on screen
At 21 years old, University of Kansas senior filmmaking pair Hannah Davis and Audrey Merckling have created five award-winning films and on-screen worlds celebrating girlhood and whimsy.
With their unique and individual aesthetics, the film students combined their creativity to create 12 meaningful works of art. While currently developing their individual senior capstone short films, the two have a years-long history of uniting their film knowledge to bring their creative visions to the screen.
“[We’ve] shared so many film classes together, so I feel like we’ve developed our artistic visions together,” Davis, president of the KU Screenwriters club, said.
Davis and Merckling began collaborating in an introductory production course at KU. The filmmakers’ backgrounds in the performing arts helped the two immediately understand each other’s artistic visions.
“I think that we have similar tastes in aesthetics, and so we can put our ideas together really well,” Merckling said. “Both of us having roots in doing stage before doing film gave us similar references and similar experiences. And then I think we have a similar sense of humor, which makes it easier to work together.”
From their production course, Davis and Merckling began their work together. The duo worked together on 12 films, five of which they intentionally collaborated on. Over the years, their creative styles and personal work ethics have rubbed off on each other.
“I feel like I take a lot of knowledge or inspiration from Hannah’s background in writing and scriptwriting and being the president of screenwriting [club],” Merckling said. “I think we’ve just learned a lot together.”
In addition to their shared lessons, the media they consume also contributes to their creative compatibility and allows them to gain inspiration through similar media references.
“She loves Audrey Hepburn films. I love Audrey Hepburn films,” Davis said. “I think both of us… we love whimsy, we love fantasy, we love romance. I think that all just came together.”
These themes can be seen across the films Davis and Merckling have worked on, both in their collaborations and individual work. Their 2022 film “Victoria” shows the relatable feeling of turmoil before a first date. Inspired by the 1948 ballet “The Red Shoes,” the film incorporates visuals associated with girlhood.