The storyboard was revised about ten times and the team quizzed doctors on the medical questions. It was a struggle to get everything properly set-up, not only searching for a University Clinic, where we were allowed to film, but also for the religious settings.

Oskar Siebert on the cover of UNICA News.

Oskar Siebert on location for 'Mother'.

It was very hard to find people who fitted into their role, like the mother and the daughter with heart-disease. So we had a casting call and even searched for actors in the theatre. But this was a hard task, because none of them got a cent. Eventually we found Danielle Clamek for the daughter and Doris Dubiel for the mother. They were a perfect match and also very experienced actors.

Oskar was searching for the locations very carefully and made good choices. After knowing the settings, we added illustrations to our storyboard showing the camera positions. The team - all of them, actors, cameraman, lighting people - were talked through their positions before shooting the picture. Several times we had to repeat scenes.

On the set were about 60 people who acted and helped us with everything. Oskar is a very difficult director. Sometimes I was the only one who could calm down the situation and talk to everybody. He's a person who is very full of life, my director and dad.

Daniela Siebert recording the telephone voice.	Danielle Clamek (in wheelchair).	Doris Dubiel as the mother.

The ambulance was a real one, as were the doctors in it. So it was authentic, because everything had to look real and not just approximately right. For the driving scene, our man with the microphone was lying on the floor and Oskar had the camera in his hand, because there was so little space in there, but they finally made it!

After filming was over (8 full days) and Oskar was satisfied with everything from the light, to the sound, to the tiniest detail, cutting began. It took 2 weeks and also we had to do dubbing, because the original recordings were spoiled by other location sounds. Our friend from Prague, Pavel Hokr, composed the music. He is very talented and had great ideas for our "soundtrack". But Oskar had his own conception of the music and so Pavel had to re-compose until Mr. Siebert said "Yes."

As we don't have very good sound recording facilities at home, our friend Jan Lengyel assisted us with his professional help. In Prague we did the music, the sound and dubbing. And so the movie was completed. Our preview was on the 18th of March 2005.

Director and cast relax between takes.	Heinz Müller, Dorothea Kühn, Daniela Siebert and Eric Grun	Director and cameraman, Aaron Gratz, consult.

It was Oskar's last short movie because he has now had a shoulder replacement, and has no flexibility in his arm which makes it hard to hold the camera.

But we hope that the audience likes our short movie. We are very proud to reach people all over the world with our messages. It is a great feeling to have so many friends around the globe who watch our movies and keep in touch with us. Movie-making connects us and this is very worthwhile. It is the greatest reward for us.

Hopefully the message about love and giving in our movie has reached a lot of people out there. Life and rescuing lives is the greatest thing on earth.

- Daniela Siebert (Project leader, actress and director's daughter)    March 2006

You can read about the Sieberts in English on the videoAktiv Regensburg website: www.videoaktiv-regensburg.de

Page updated on 21 March 2008

Authors' views are not necessarily those of The Institute of Amateur Cinematographers

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