Sergio Guerra is a promising Latino filmmaker from Los Angeles bred on old school terror and suspense. I recently had a chance to check out his new short film, MURDER BALLAD, the review of which you can look out for at Hell Notes and should be able to read soon. The bottom line is I loved the film and can’t wait to see what Sergio does next.
I hope you enjoy our conversation as much as I did and, if you like, you can watch MURDER BALLAD for free right now on YouTube by clicking HERE!
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Sergio, when you mention in your press kit the location you filmed your short in is allegedly haunted you know I gotta ask: First, do you know the source of the alleged haunting? And, did this knowledge have any affect on how the film was shot or turned out overall?
Unfortunately, I’m not sure of the source of the haunting. The house was built in 1902, and the current owner would tell us stories about unexplained occurrences like televisions or lights turning on by themselves. You can read more about the history of the house here: https://historicharrishouse.com/history/
I do feel as though this presence created an ambiance that set the mood for the film. It was the fourth cast member, if you will. One time during lunch, I was all alone inside the house using the bathroom. Once I stepped outside and into the hallway, I just got this feeling that something was in the air. Not a ghost. Just an essence. Having been sufficiently creeped out, I went outside to join the others.
Your first short film, CREATURE COMFORT, won best script at the ATX Black List script competition in 2016. You mentioned that films got made with a man with a bad back and a woman who was seven months pregnant. For MURDER BALLAD, you mentioned your first day of filing began after only a single hour of sleep and after casting one of your stars just three days before shooting. Is it safe to say you’ve befriended diversity as a slight necessity to creating effective horror?
Being an ethnic minority myself, I understand that pulling from people with diverse backgrounds and experiences tends to enhance storytelling opportunities. (For clarity, though CREATURE COMFORT was a winner in the 2016 ATX-Blacklist competition, we didn’t get around to shooting the short film based on it until the summer of 2019.)
Regarding your casting choice of Frantz G. Saint Louis Jr who plays a most sinister minister, how did it come down to such a fine wire timewise to cast him, and what was your plan for his role up until that point?
Funny story: I initially thought of my good friend Frantz for the role of Deacon Ankou — but I got too inside my own head about it. I was worried that he might have been too young for the role. So we cast another older actor, which didn’t end up working out. So there we were, three days before filming, and it hit me again — Frantz! Sometimes the universe gives you an opportunity to correct something. Call it my “Quantum Leap” moment. But I called him up and said, “Hey, what are you doing this weeked?” He said, “Nothing.” I said, “ Well, good, because I got a job for you.”
Considering your full cast wasn’t completed until a few days before shooting, once the cameras started rolling and you got to see what your stars brought to their performances, did this change in any way the direction your film went?
I had the opportunity to rehearse with Daniel and Hannah a few times before filming, so I knew what they were bringing to the table. And they were both incredible to work with and gave amazing performances. But the Frantz situation was remarkable, because I really planned this film within an inch of its life. But because he was only cast with three days to spare, there really was no way of being sure what he was gonna do. I did the best I could by sending him my notes on the character, but when he showed up that day, what he was gonna do was anyone’s guess. I think you could be onto something with that suggestion. My favorite show growing up — of all time, really — was “The Twilight Zone.” To me, it was the perfect blend of trying to figure out the puzzle or mystery of what was going on while simultaneously trying to understand the theme or message — all rendered in a nightmarish scenario, of course. So I’ve tried to take that layered approach with my storytelling. Sure, the cruelty, and the brutality, and the violence on display in “Murder Ballad” is grotesque. But what about the implications going on underneath it all? Is it possible that those could be far worse than what we see?
In both of your shorts to date, it would seem if one were to point a finger at your calling card, it would be one made of subtleness, a underlying terror you prefer keeping beneath the surface of your films even while portraying some pretty brutal violent acts. It’s as if you’re telling the audience, sure this is obviously not pleasant, but try peeking underneath it all for the really scary stuff. What are your thoughts on this suggestion?
I think you could be onto something with that suggestion. My favorite show growing up — of all time, really — was “The Twilight Zone.” To me, it was the perfect blend of trying to figure out the puzzle or mystery of what was going on while simultaneously trying to understand the theme or message — all rendered in a nightmarish scenario, of course. So I’ve tried to take that layered approach with my storytelling. Sure, the cruelty, and the brutality, and the violence on display in “Murder Ballad” is grotesque. But what about the implications going on underneath it all? Is it possible that those could be far worse than what we see?
In MURDER BALLAD, I love the grainy feel of the film and how the lighting was used to create a feeling of desolation and despair without coming off blackened to the pint of having to strain to see what’s going off. Was this deliberate and, if o, how did you pull it off to such great effect?
Those black, shadowy lighting choices were very deliberate. I worked with, really, a genius cinematographer in Alonso Homs, and he was able to render those dark images I saw in my head perfectly. We took as inspiration the original “Halloween” and, especially, the ‘70s work of Gordon Willis, like “Klute,” “The Parallax View,” and “All the President’s Men.” All hail the Prince of Darkness!
If I may ask, can you give us an idea of the budget and time frame it took you to write, create and produce the finished product of this short film? Was it close to what you may have estimated?
The basic framework of the story I wrote in one sitting. Counting revisions, overall the short took me about three weeks to nail down. The budget was approximately $20,000, which was pretty much in line with what we were expecting. The shoot itself was two days, which was pretty amazing considering how much story we were able to cram in.
What is it about the medium of short film that has drawn you back with MURDER BALLAD and what has the medium taught you that you may not have expected to have learned from it?
Shorts are great because of their inherent immediacy. You just dive right into the story. And there’s no room for anything extraneous. So there’s this natural tension there because you know they could end at any moment. I think the biggest thing I’ve learned is that so long as you’ve got a camera — and nowadays, with our phones, that’s all of us — anyone can make one at any time.
What else might you be working on that we fans can look forward to seeing next from you?
I’m currently working on a horror feature script called “Snakehead” that deals with Native American folklore.
Thanks so much for your time, Sergio. Like I mentioned above, I can’t wait to see what you do next!
Thanks so much for your time, Sergio. Like I mentioned above, I can’t wait to see what you do next!
And to everyone else, if you skipped the film link above and dove right into the interview, click HERE to watch MURDER BALLAD for free. It’s 10 fearful minutes well spent.
Until next time, stay hungry… stay dark.
