Rogelio Robles and his contagious enjoyment about his first steps into filmmaking

Rogelio "Roy" Robles started directing less than one year ago. He began his journey with the short film Dark Room. In 2023 Roy plans to put out 3 short films; Red Room Requiem, Collected, and Enough. We were lucky enough to approach the director for an interview.

Welcome Rogelio! Thank you for joining us, tell us about yourself, when did you discover this was your career path?

R- Hi everyone! Well, about a year ago, or so, I decided that I would switch from writing books, to writing and directing films. I started filming my first short film Dark Room in July of 2022 and in that moment I knew, wow this is for me!

Which filmmakers inspired you and why?

R- David Lynch and David Cronenberg. David Lynch for his surrealism and style in his films is perfect to me. I just remember sitting there watching Eraserhead for the first time and feeling this uncomfortable feeling like I was living in a nightmare. Haha it was wonderful. Cronenberg for the body horror definitely. And his films are always well written and directed.

Tell us about Dark Room.

R- Dark Room is a short film about a man who loses everything, including his mind. And in the film we see him lose his mind. It's wonderful really.

What was the biggest challenge for you?

R- Post-production. The editing of the film for sure.

Who would you suggest this short to, and why? Who's your target audience?

R- All horror fans definitely. But also those people who have suffered from loss and felt like they were going insane themselves. Yeah, I see you there suffering, you're not alone.

What inspired your work?

R- Dark Room started off as a book idea. I was going to write Red Room Requiem, which is the follow-up to Dark Room. But I decided I was going to switch to film. I felt like I needed to do a prequel to show the character's downfall and what led to his murderous rage.

We'll definitely stay tuned for the next chapters then!

What was the stylistic choice behind alternating vertical and horizontal shots? What was the process behind it? We felt trapped in the vertical shots to represent the madness that he is experiencing.

R- Yes! It signifies that the walls were closing in on him, and even though it was happening in his mind, I wanted to be able to show that on-screen as well.

Chris Rivera on set

The short is represented by different coloring choices, what's the meaning behind it?

R- It's in black and white for the majority of the film. At the end, he stands in front of the Red Room. Which will be the main room for my next short Red Room Requiem. That's where he will keep all his victims.

Grief is such a deep emotion to represent through art, what's your take on the subject with Dark Room?

R- We see in the beginning how he holds the picture sadly and that pain and grief just build throughout the film. The way he screams and his body language all represent the changes he is dealing with.

A fun fact about your short movie.

R- Even though the film really represents sadness and grief. We were laughing a lot haha it was a good time. And my son got to be a part of it so that was neat!

Oh, that's very cute! Having your son on set!

What's the best part of your job, what's your favorite step in the process?

R- Filming, actually watching the actors do their thing and interject ideas as they pop into my head. It's so much fun!

When it comes to the casting process, what was your aim? How was the experience?

R- For Dark Room, Chris just had the look i was going for and umm yeah he totally killed his role.

How is it going with festivals so far?

R- Phenomenal! 5 selections, 2 Semi-finalist spots. Got a lot more to go this year. Including your amazing festival. Thank you again for the interview.

Absolutely! We are honored to witness your first step in the industry and into your festival runs.

How did you experience COVID19 as a creative?

R- Covid kicked my ass haha I was depressed most of the time and uncertainties of ever going back to normal were just too much for me to deal with. So it definitely didn't help me in a creative aspect at all.

What would you say to someone that wants to start this path as you did? What do you regret and what would you have wanted to know earlier?

R- Do it! Don't hesitate! Do it! Live your dream. If it's truly what you're destined to do it will work out beautifully. I have no regrets. Just stay focused.

What's your dream project?

R-I would love to work with Neon films or A24 that would be a dream come true.

Thank you Rogelio Robles for submitting your work with us! It was a pleasure having you!

R- Thank you for this, it was wonderful! The pleasure is mine!

Follow Rogelio here:

You Tube Channel

Instagram

Watch Dark Room here:

If you also want to do an interview with us, send us your works on Film Freeway.

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