Pablo C. Vergara in a NYFA graduate. He shot, acted, wrote, and directed Necromurder
indieactivity: How did you get connected to the project? Did you have to audition? If you did, would still have got the part?
Pablo Vergara: Originally I wrote the story and did the casting and we had rehearsals and all the fighting choreography and such. Just the night before we were supposed to start rolling cameras my lead actor bailed on us and with not more than a few hours left and all nerves aside, I had to make the drastic decision of jumping into the project as the Lead. A friend convinced me to do it stating that it was I, after all, who knew the story best and understood the character’s heart better.
indieactivity: As one of the main cast on the project, how did this ‘choice’ work for you?
Pablo Vergara: It made a lot more sense too for most of the character’s struggle is biographical and the rest is based on a real murderer and arsonist which I’ve studied for most my life… So everything ran smoother as we started shooting and when it came to having an integral and more realistic character with the histrionics it conveys.
Pablo Vergara writer/director for Necromurder gives project insight
indieactivity: What part of the story challenged you when you wrote it? What drove you to get on the project?
Pablo Vergara: The fact that most of the character is inspired on real events that happened in my life and music career but at the same time it deals with a very surreal story that occurred in real life as well. It was a very honest and honest story for me, both during the Pre-Production process of writing to the time cameras started rolling.
I wanted to use this film to showcase a more visceral aspect of the human condition and the struggles of a modern day artist trying to ‘break through’ in a world gone mad. The entire piece is an ode to the pain of living and growing up since we are portraying a bunch of renegade young kids who belong to a very misunderstood and extreme cultural group that is called Black Metal.
indieactivity: You’re not new to indie films. What do you enjoy about the work that keeps you working?
Pablo Vergara: Just the flexibility of it. Having total control and not having to deal with producers or studios telling you what to do and how to do it. Total freedom, as dangerous as that may be, at times…
indieactivity: Give an example of a direction you received from the director during the production?
Pablo Vergara: Since I directed and acted on the film, it was a very challenging and difficult process for me to jump on and off from the complex character while directing my actors and myself. Not to forget that I chose Method Acting as my acting style and that entailed a lot of headaches and probably some rather uncomfortable moments for my actors, which I admire and have the utmost respect for.
They are definitely the ones who stole the show and props to them for being professional and understanding. Since I couldn’t really see how my performance was captured on film while I was shooting my scenes I just rehearsed with my actors and taped the rehearsals as much as possible and worked with my acting coach to break down every scene in the best way to approach it depending of the what was required to be portrayed from me as an actor.
indieactivity: How did you create your character from ground up?
Pablo Vergara: Before the production of my film I had been struggling with several real difficult issues in my personal and professional lives for a few years, events involving toxic people, failing relationships and a frustrating music career in which I lost a lot of money and made bad deals, lots of skeletons in the closet and just real hard-core life experiences that I wanted to showcase in my film.
Then I did a vast research on the character I was portraying which is a famous Black Metal musician who committed a series of serious crimes in the early nineties and got put in jail for a long time for doing so. With all this elements, my hands were pretty full and it made a very solid character in the end.
indieactivity: As main cast on the film, describe the feeling of responsibility that you shouldered. Where you scared? Or did it fire you up? What scenes where difficult to shoot?
Pablo Vergara: It was rather nerve wracking, for sure. Specially because there was so much at stake, a huge investment of time and resources made and the responsibility of portraying the original artist in a good light, or as good as you could portray a serious criminal.
Also, the film being my real first Leading Role gig and having the entire show revolving around my character and all eyes on me, it was extremely difficult and it has to be the hardest most ambitious project I’ve been involved in. Having produced and directed the film, sleep came very seldom and the constant multitasking helped with having strong headaches and over stress, which I used as fuel for making my character more believable, since it is a man who’s slowly going off the deep end and gradually becoming more unstable until he is loses his mind.
Worked like a charm. Most difficult scenes for me where the intimate ones with my actress Kathy, portraying ‘Myst’ who’s my character has a crush on and considers his only source of hope but his decadent lifestyle keeps pushing her away. It was hard to try to capture those magic moments with a very limited time for shooting and with all the lack of intimacy around us while exposing our vulnerabilities with total strangers all around. Luckily my entire team was really amazing and supportive and things went on smoothly for the most part.
Still from Necromurder – Black Metal Film With incredibly talented actress Katarzyna Walczak
indieactivity: Explain one creative choice you made on set during production?
Pablo Vergara: That has to be the famous Walking Times Square Scene. There was no big production or planning on it, contrary to the entire film, no makeup artists were involved, I did the makeup myself and hoped my wig was in place and it was just me and my Cinematographer with his Arri Alexa Cinema Camera shooting that night, just the tree of us against a swarm of thousands of strangers packing up the streets of Times Square, totally unscripted and shoot in a mercenary style type of a shoot. It was so cool and turned out so epic too. I got to scare a bunch of people by photo bombing them and many more took some cool selfies with me.
indieactivity: What did you take away from the film production?
Pablo Vergara: I will definitely try a different approach and formula for the next film I may chose direct and act. I love all aspects of Filmmaking but it’s hard to really enjoy things fully when you are working in parallel on different key elements of the production.
indieactivity: What do you like most about the director, and his/her collaboration with his/her team?
Pablo Vergara: I think I have a unique Directing style that seems to be working great for the type of storytelling that I do. My team was excelsior and outstanding and without them the film wouldn’t have been possible to made. I am extremely grateful.
indieactivity: What is next for you?
Pablo Vergara: I am currently writing a feature and trying to get my short out there in some VOD platforms. There’s been some Film Festivals picking it up and some more acting gigs are being booked. I’d love to direct a few more short films with some people that I’ve wanted to work with. I’m also working with a very talented musician with the hopes of consolidating a musical project and shooting some music videos in the process. Lots of work ahead!
indieactivity: What advice do you give actors regarding what you learnt on the project?
Pablo Vergara: Know the Heart of the Character well, talk to your director as much as you can and go all out without any fear. If your director is good and you did a good homework, the camera will catch you.
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