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‘Visa Issues’ is a drama short film written by Robert Feldmaier (who also plays the lead role as Alex) and has been making the rounds of the independent short film festival circuits. The short film is created by a group of young aspiring actors and filmmaker crews that are passionate in making films. We caught up with the writer , Robert Feldmaier, in an interview.
UniversalCinema Magazine (UM): Tell me how did you come up with this story idea?
Robert Feldmaier (RF): I love the „Taken“ Series with Liam Neeson and in general I like kidnapping movies and thrillers with Jason Statham, etc. So those movies really inspired me and of course COVID. Then Any Ferreiras and me came up with the idea, or the experience, that all of this COVID stuff brought huge problems and challenges with getting a visa. So we thought this could be a nice idea for a movie combined with the kidnapping story. So we wrote the Basic story together and then I turned it into the screenplay.
(UM): How did you come up with the cast selection for this film?
(RF): We basically had for each role all the people in mind already. I knew that Any would be a great choice for the role of Vicky. And while shooting it turned out that she was perfect for that role. We also knew who would be the villain, because Pepper Jensen has such an iconic laugh, that we just had to choose him. The role of Alex does for quite good for myself, because I can really relate with him. I am always so worried for people that I love and so we thought that character is great for myself.
(UM): Is this the first time you submitted to film festivals?
(RF): Yes it was my first time.
(UM): When did you start acting?
(RF): I started getting into it in 2018. I was able to get the role of a Nazi Journalist in „When Hitler stole pink rabbit“, a German feature film that ran in local theatres and recently also in selected theatres in USA. People can also watch it on Netflix and Amazon Prime right now. This movie and this opportunity was really a great blessing that Christ gave me. All thanks to God.
(UM): Who is your inspiration for writing this script?
(RF): The whole COVID stuff and experiences of myself and also experiences of Any in getting a visa issued and the whole process did take really long during COVID. So the Name of the Movie became kind of a pun. And like I said above. I love the kidnapping thriller movies and so we tried to combine that a bit. So I guess I could say that, besides my experience, Any inspired me for my part of storytelling and writing a lot.
(UM): What are some of your favorite film/tv shows?
(RF): I really like „The walking dead“ and „Yellowstone“. But my favorite TV show is „The Shield“ with Michael Chiklis. That was a great Cop show.
(UM): Where do you see yourself in five years in the film industry?
(RF): That is a good question. I would love to be doing my own movies, but in cooperation with a film studio until then. That would be really nice. Action thriller movies. But after all it’s not up to me. God is in control. Not me. I hope he will make it possible for me and lead me there. I want to bring glory to Christ our lord and put messages in my movies. That people will focus on the really important things in life which is God. People think it is boring to follow the lord and live in his glory. But it is the best thing that could ever happen to anybody.
(UM): Given the budget and time constraints, how did you manage to get organized in making this film?
(RF): Well of course there was a lot to do. Planning the locations, the shots, the times and so on. There was really a lot to think of. Even while acting, I had so many things in mind about the project that my acting did suffer a lot under that. But during shooting I was able to improve that and I could kind of separate the „actor“ mind and the „filmmaker“ mind. But I have to say Organizing is everything. Sitting together and talking about it how to do everything. That is really important. I was so glad for the help of each and everyone of the cast and crew.
(UM): Was there a large budget invested in this short film?
(RF): We invested quite some money. We had to have several props and crafty things. We also rented a bar for half a day.
(UM): What do you think about the casting?
(RF): It was great. Besides the main cast, I think the others of the cast were so much important. They kind of created the environment of the scenes they were in and that helped me personally so much. Those are really routinely guys and they did great. I am really happy for having them there. God is great that he brought all of them into my life and all glory and thanks belongs to him.
© 2021. UniversalCinema Mag.