Episode
Vanessa Esteves
- Podcast
- First Time Go
- Published
- May 8, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 1313
- Processing state
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Summary
The kind of filmmaking that my guest, Vanessa Esteves, does is all encompassing -- job, hobby, passion. And that shows through in her latest work, CHRISTOPHER & THE BUG (2025), a "heartwarming short film about a reclusive owl whose peaceful solitude is disrupted when a tiny bug unknowingly moves into his home." We talk about why we don't see the bug, what college roommate inspired her to write this story -- not in a good way!; animated films and screentime for kids, and more. If all of our films were given the thought and love Vanessa gives her directorial debut, we would be in such a better place. In this episode, Vanessa and I discuss: do we see the bug in CHRISTOPHER & THE BUG? how she got started in filmmaking and why she decided this would be her directorial debut; what is it like producing animated films and if it is an easy jump back to live action; the lessons she's learned from producing films that she brought to CHRISTOPHER; how to tell the story on a run time of 11 minutes!; the challenges of specifically an animated film; why sound design and score were so huge for this film; the idea that animation is just for kids and how it is different in the short film world; how we can improve families and filmmaking; her day job at Boatrocker Studios as a senior director for creative affairs, kids & family, and how she feels about screentime for kids; what it's like being a filmmaker in Toronto and what's next for her. Vanessa's Indie Film Highlight: GYMNASTICS (2025) dir. by Nikki Buziak and Leo Fafard Memorable Quotes: " We call it a bedtime story for adults." " The reason that you never see the bug is because I don't want it to necessarily just be a bug, right? If we showed the bug, then it's a film about an owl and a bug, and then it definitely feels…