How Joseph Fifelski and J.J. Schindler Created The Short Film ‘Roy’

Director Joseph Fifelski and producer J.J. Schindler were in film school when Fifelski was struck with inspiration about the concept for the short film Roy. It wouldn’t be until years later when the two would come together to create a film based on the concept that would attract the attention of actress Katerina Kovalchyk. Roy has gone on to win multiple awards at film festivals and continues to impress audiences with its high production value on a low budget. We’ve interviewed Joe Fifelski and J.J. Schindler to get behind-the-scenes insight on how Roy was made.

The following interview has been edited for clarity and length.

1. In your own words, can you tell us what Roy is about?

Joe Fifelski: Roy is about sacrificial love.

J.J. Schindler: Roy is the story of the ultimate sacrifice, giving one’s life for another. It’s about seeing the dignity in every person and reaching beyond yourself to help others in need.

2. How did you come up with the story? What was the inspiration behind it?

Joe Fifelski: I came up with the story sitting on my balcony outside my apartment at school. I needed to have a short film written for an assignment the very next day and it was around 11:00 at night. I simply closed my eyes for a minute or two and then wrote the script in one sitting with what I envisioned. And that draft is almost exactly what you see in the film.

The inspiration behind Roy was really the image of a damaged, barefoot, robot in the snow. What was her story? I imagined the characters and the world almost simultaneously because they felt so natural together.

3. The acting was incredible in the short film. What was the casting process like for Roy and how did you, as the director, approach working with them to bring out their best performances on set?

Joe Fifelski: Fun fact! The actor for Roy had actually never received any formal acting training and didn’t have any experience outside of being a background extra. He was very willing to dive in and spend time preparing for the role and that was such an incredible experience to watch him become Roy through an acting crash course that Shelby Turner, the AD, JJ Schindler, the Producer, and I gave him in the two weeks leading up to the shoot. His vulnerability and hard work really blew my mind and paid off in the film.

The casting process was a long ordeal. We went through many hours of auditions and eventually came around to the conclusion that the talent we needed was right in front of us the whole time.

J.J. Schindler: We had to jump through a lot of hoops to get our cast. We auditioned many people to play the role of Roy in the film but ultimately, we found that a friend of ours Jonathan Sperling was the best fit for the role.

The female robot was played by Katerina Kovalchyk. She is a very well-known actor in Russia & Poland. When Joe approached me about producing the film I immediately thought of Katerina as the female lead. It was a long shot but I reached out to her and she coincidentally was meeting with a manager in Los Angeles, so we had a meeting to discuss the possibility of her playing the role. She loved the project and immediately said yes. The only problem was, that she didn’t have a work visa in the U.S. but she desperately wanted the role. I told her if she really wanted to commit to the role I would work with her to get he work visa in the U.S. which would also allow her to get other work down the road.

Long story short, after six months of paperwork and constant back and forth with the government we secured her work visa and the rest is history.

4. What were some of the biggest challenges that the Roy crew had to overcome on set?

Joe Fifelski: A severe time crunch. Due to some challenges with wardrobe we ended up fighting the clock to wrap in time. It was hard to let so many wonderful shot ideas die due to the time crunch, but we had a fantastic team and we still were able to tell the story with what we had.

J.J. Schindler: Joe and I are big believers in creating immersive worlds for the audience and we knew that we would have to build an entirely new practical set. This required working with our super talented art director & set decorator to come up with a concept that we could execute on a low budget. The barn we filmed in needed to look like things had been there for a very long time. Here are some before and after photos of the set and a video to the location before and after we changed it.

Before:

After:

5.The film looked beautiful. How did you approach the cinematography and art direction on Roy?

Joe Fifelski: My background is actually as a concept artist and art director so for me the styling of the film and the story of the world in how it looks and feels on screen was front and center. I knew that I wanted to mix the two aesthetics of sci-fi and 1920’s America so it was fun to create a balance between the two without having either element be too distracting.

The cinematography for ROY was intended to feel natural and vintage. It was really fun to play around with the lighting and the temperatures of everything within the concept art and then make it a reality with our incredible camera team. One of the more interesting ideas was built around the temperatures of everything, specifically the cold world that the girl steps out of, into the warm dry world that Roy inhabits. Following through with the lighting and color grading really helps sell the idea.

J.J. Schindler: Here is a little BTS video with the cinematographer, Jesse Barron and director Joe Fifielski discussing the visuals of the film.

6. What’s the most difficult part about being a producer or director on an independent film?

Joe Fifelski: Budget. Budget is really the hardest hurdle to overcome when telling a story at this level, especially when you have a passion for a genre like sci fi. It takes a lot of thought and creativity to pull something off without much funding.

J.J. Schindler: The most difficult part for me as a producer is trying to hit top industry-standard production value on a very low budget and short time-frame. The devil is in the details and the details are what makes a film go from good to great. There are a multitude of factors but it boils down to the artist and the tools you give them. You may have a highly talented artist but if you don’t give them the tools they need, they can only produce so much production quality with what they are given. Our team definitely went above and beyond and gave a lot of themselves to make this production a success and we were proud of the end product.

7. What were some takeaways from creating Roy that you have applied to other film projects?

Joe Fifelski: Sometimes a good story is simple! I have learned to trust my gut and not overcomplicate my stories and what I’m trying to get across.

J.J. Schindler: 1) Don’t underestimate what you can do with very little. If you are creative, you can make things go a long way.

2) Over-communicate, it’s better to annoy your fellow filmmakers with over-explanation and clarification than to risk something not being perfectly understood.

3) Take the time to really make sure you understand the director’s vision for a story, if you’re not in sync you can’t help direct him and the crew to bring the story he wants to life. Communicating art is very hard with the multitude of personalities you will work with.

8. Finally, what does storytelling mean to you?

Joe Fifelski: Storytelling is incredibly important. It’s fundamental to understanding the world around us and inspiring us to be better people.

J.J. Schindler: Storytelling to me is a way to explain the human experience in a visual and emotional way. You have the opportunity to touch people. I believe it was Mel Gibson who said something along the lines of; if you entertain the audience, that’s good. If you were able to entertain and educate them, that’s even better. If you’re able to entertain, educate, and elevate the audience, then you’ve done something great. To me, that is the pinnacle of filmmaking I’m always striving to achieve, falling short of often, but always striving to hit that trifecta.

Roy is a sci-fi about a robot mechanic holed away in a rundown barn, living in a world of rustic antiques melded with futuristic sensibilities. He is a man forgotten by society and spends his days tinkering at projects. That is until someone unexpected opens the door to his shop — a slave robot on the run from her former master who desperately needs his help. Watch Roy for free on Reveel.