Casting Chaos
How to direct metal, crowd, and emotional collapse
Never have I ever directed a film while a live metal band was raging onstage. Until that moment of TRVTH. Or, “My truth, Your truth, and What actually happened”.
There’s always more than one version of the truth. And in this film, we take a deeper look at a night club. A rock band. And three emotionally-wounded people, each with their own version of the truth.
I’ve directed shorts of various scales before. One of my larger sets as a director involved close to thirty people: sixteen cast members and a modest crew. TRVTH was a different beast entirely. We ran three cameras simultaneously, followed three principal characters, and staged the entire film inside a functioning nightclub with over sixty background performers - all in a single day.
The location was DNA Lounge in San Francisco, a place that had become one of my creative home bases over the past several months. In addition to being an iconic SF nightlife landmark, everyone at DNA has been a delight to work with. For this private event, we leased the venue, worked with their in-house sound and lighting team, and coordinated all the logistics. The space, the energy, and the people - true stars of the show - all landed exactly where they needed to.
TRVTH matters to me because it’s rooted in truth. Not literal reenactment, but emotional truth - the kind that lingers and demands expression. I’m a kind of writer who starts with a seed planted: a moment, a thought, or an unfinished story, and then extrapolates it to the extreme. I love shaping a mere grain of reality into something cinematic yet emotionally recognizable. Even if someone hasn’t lived the same experience, they understand the feeling and can relate to the characters.
This film was inspired by a relationship that never truly happened. It could’ve become a conventional love triangle, a quiet drama, or a situationship - but I don’t speak basic. Instead, I wanted to explore what happens when unresolved pasts collide with present commitments, when a previous relationship re-enters the frame of a newly formed couple. Not in a safe or intimate space, but in the middle of something loud, dark, and intense. Like a live metal show.
Our three characters, two women and one man, meet in chaos. The environment is aggressive, visceral, disorienting. There is no room to hide. The music is loud, bodies are moving, the space is crowded and unpredictable. That instability mirrors the emotional states of the characters themselves: raw, fragile, triggered, and barely contained.
The Characters
LIV
ASH
The Band & Backstory
Live performance in the film is powered by Electromancy, aka Robot Metal Band. Two humans and three “robots” - hollow human forms fitted with LED lighting and mechanical elements that respond to the music in real time. A perfect match for our characters’ emotions: broken, but kicking. A conceptually powerful and visually striking ensemble.
The band’s founder and vocalist, Steph, created this project after being diagnosed with Lyme disease, which impaired their ability to play guitar. Rather than walking away from music, they reimagined the performance itself. This truly symbolizes a creative survival, something that even people not in the scene can connect with.
A cinematic perfection.
Three mannequins. Three characters. Hollow bodies lit from within. Emotional disconnection rendered physical - the parallels were impossible to ignore. This wasn’t set dressing. It was thematic alignment.
I discovered Electromancy by accident in September 2025 by seeing their flyer on a street pole. (Who does it anymore?) The flyer read: “See robots play metal.”
I love robots. I love metal. So I went.
That night didn’t just introduce me to Electromancy - it offered an emotional blueprint for TRVTH. I met someone who became the prototype for Max: a man torn between a former lover and a current partner who is now pregnant. His decision to leave wasn’t driven by desire, but by obligation. What hurt more wasn’t betrayal, it was silence. The lack of explanation. An open-ended question with no closure.
That was enough.
I didn’t need the full story. I had the trigger. Within six weeks, I knew this had to become a film.
I wrote the script at the end of 2025, refining it through conversations with trusted writer friends. My production partner was immediately onboard and with a few more visits, I knew that DNA Lounge was the obvious choice.
Flyer/photo by
respective creators
The logistics were intense.
Scheduling the venue, aligning cast and crew availability, securing contracts, posting casting calls all felt like another layer of chaos during the holiday season. In addition to the three leads, we also needed 60+ background performers to make the concert feel real. And thanks to the collaborative nature of filmmaking, music, and the Bay Area art scene - the community Showed Up. #ForeverGrateful.
On the bright/er side, the day itself ran with near-miraculous precision.
Given the scope of the project with a one-day restraint, communication was direct, decisions were fast, and we started exactly on time.
The crew arrived at 9 a.m. By 10, background actors began filling the space. By 10:30, everyone checked in, received their wristbands, and after a brief introduction and safety meeting, was ready to rock.
The band performed live for over an hour. Some of our background performers had never been to a metal show before. Others were musicians from the scene. The energy was electric, authentic, and so powerful - it was delightful to see people taking photos and enjoying themselves.
*Video by Olga Gabris
Yes, we wanted those photos.
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with Scarr Kevorkian
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Our Rockstars
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Robotic Bandmates
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with Steph
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Steph and Shaun
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Shaun and Steph
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Dane as Max
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Dayana as Liv
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Director & DP Discussion
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Footage Review
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Crowd Reactions
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Dane and Dayana
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Leslie Zhao
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Reginald Black
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Dane, Lily, and Dayana
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Announcement in Progress
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Mitch's Hair in Flight
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Goblyn at the Front
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Beautiful People
We divided the shoot into clear visual movements: crowd immersion, stage performance, and character conflict. Three cameras captured everything simultaneously. Our DP Unni Rav moved through the pit on a gimbal, stage cameras tracked the robots and performers, and wide shots grounded the chaos in space.
Tony Gapastione, the Founder of BraveMaker, stopped by and created a reel that captured our set’s vibe. His kind words meant the world, because Tony was the first person who helped me believe I could direct. That belief changed my life.
The Crew
Olga Gabris
Writer/Director/Producer
Unni Rav
DP/Producer
Gabriel Bocanegra
Gaffer/2nd Camera Op
Niko Karp
3rd Camera Op
Elon Sharton-Bierig
BTS and Stills
*Photo by Olga Gabris
Scott Somers & Billy Finnegan
Grips
Quinn Vitakis
Sound Mix/Boom
Jesse Reale & Cecilia Gonzalez Subia
Unit production managers
Later, we transitioned to dialogue scenes to a bathroom stall where only the three leads and crew remained. The cramped space amplified the tension exactly as intended. By early evening, those scenes were complete. As darkness fell, we moved outside to capture the opening and closing moments of the film: two women, a cigarette, and their unspoken understanding.
No filters. Besides the cigarette ones. Just the truth.
And, as a rare exception in indie film, we wrapped before the scheduled time.
The DNA team was there to support us until the end and after we ate, cleaned, and packed, we were on our way exhausted, but elevated.
Lily as Ash
Quinn, Niko, Lily, Billy (left to right)
Unni, Quinn, Niko (left to right)
Quinn and Niko in positions
Niko in the zone
Blocking with Dane and Lily
Lily, Dane, Dayana
Dane as Max
Unni, Lily, Dayana
Lily and Dayana
Lily and Dayana
It goes without saying that a realistic live show wouldn’t be possible without our incredible
Background Talent
who spent a part of their Sunday with us. From the bottom of my heart, Thank You!!
Jacob Gunter
Gabrielle Trejo
Matt Q
Matt Torres
Tanya Ochoa
Max Russell
Nick Nimick
Lilith Corrine
Kaeli Mogg
Scarr Kevorkian with Garrison, Daemon and Scarlett
Peter Granitov
Andrew Silvis
Aaron Rice
Reginald Black
Janiera Kay
Josh Shah
Marian Wymore
Vicky Toth
Alan Onymous
Trevor Hooper
Meghann Dubie
Jessica Solo
Alicia Hurtado
Charlotte Weissglass
Parker Levaise
ALL Crew who doubled as an Extra 💜
In the days that followed,
our cast and crew shared the BTS footage, tagged one another, and flooded my inbox with gratitude and joy.
While this indie filmmaker’s life is hard, I love every second of it. The collaboration, the chaos, the risk. I love that I get to tell stories that matter to me, and, hopefully, to others.
I strongly believe that what’s meant for you, won’t miss you. But you still have to show up. Every day.
And most of the people I work with, do exactly that.
All photos unless mentioned otherwise by Elon Sharton-Bierig.
Article by Olga Gabris.