The daily Astorian., March 21, 2019, Page 7, Image 7

THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2019 // 7
Visual arts, literature,
theater, music & more
A backstage view
An interview with the writer/director
of ‘Vicious,’ a thriller about a stripper’s
dark journey that screened in Manzanita
By DAVE FISHER
FOR COAST WEEKEND
he regional film
“Vicious,” slated for
release this Septem-
ber, made its Oregon Coast
debut recently on a cold
winter’s night in Manzanita.
For writer/director Jason
Rosenblatt of Portland, it’s
been a decade-long journey.
“I wrote and directed
my first short films in col-
lege before attending the
New York Film Academy
six-week summer program
and then the graduate film
program at Columbia Col-
lege Chicago,” said Rosen-
blatt, who grew up in Bea-
verton and graduated from
Lewis and Clark in 1999
with a bachelor of arts
degree in psychology. “After
a decade in film school and
then working in the trenches
of Hollywood, I returned to
Portland in 2008 determined
to stop talking about films
and start making them.”
The idea for “Vicious”
came up shortly after Rosen-
blatt returned home from
Los Angeles.
“I was looking for work
that would allow me to con-
tinue to pursue my writing
and editing work. I realized
one option available, if I was
a woman, might be strip-
ping because there could be
a significant amount of dead
time.”
Ideas soon flowed and
the script went through a
few years of rewrites with
help from fellow Portlander
T
ered ultra-low- or no-bud-
get. While there were inves-
tors, the investment amount
was not significant com-
pared to the majority of
films that get completed and
distributed.”
Like Belle in the movie,
Rosenblatt’s means to an
end involves another job,
working a graveyard shift
as a concierge at a down-
town Portland condo-
minium to help make ends
meet. During production he
received help from friends
and acquaintances who
filled in as “extras” during
the shoot. In one particu-
lar scene, a raucous group
of strip club patrons begin
yelling and shouting obscen-
ities at Belle as she per-
forms onstage, bringing her
to tears.
“They’re not at all like
that in real life,” noted
Rosenblatt. “It was a stretch
for them to act like that.”
Randall Jahnson, writer of
“The Doors.”
“So, the idea for
‘Vicious’ came in 2008, the
first draft in 2009, and 10
years later the film, which
was filmed in Portland, is
finally being released,” said
Rosenblatt.
The 96-minute film,
intended for mature audi-
ences, stars Angela Nor-
deng, Tommy Harrington,
Jason Richter, Geno Romo
and Tommy Hestmark.
“Vicious” features a num-
ber of Portland businesses,
musicians and actors. The
film is due for release this
fall from Summer Hill
Entertainment.
Forces to overcome
“Vicious” is the story
of a young woman, Belle
White, who is working her
way through law school. By
night, she is a stripper. Belle,
who’s stage name is Roxie,
becomes alarmed when she
finds herself the object of
a middle-aged stalker who
refuses to leave her alone
until she agrees to quit
working as a stripper. She
delves deeper into the dark-
ness of the world in which
she has become entrapped,
but in the end gains the
strength to overcome those
forces that played a negative
role in her life.
The film gives audiences
a glimpse into the entic-
ing and exciting world of
exotic dance and its flip
side, a backstage view of the
inner workings of a dark and
Getting it right
seedy profession.
The filming took place
in late 2013 with reshoots
in 2014. Editing and sound
design continued through
2015. The film made the
rounds at festivals in 2016
and 2017, during which it
earned numerous awards,
including best actress for
Angela Nordeng, who plays
Belle, at a variety of film
festivals and Rosenblatt as
best director at the Oregon
Independent Film Festival.
Geno Romo, a Port-
land radio station DJ and
one of the film’s supporting
actors, accompanied Rosen-
blatt to the recent screening
of “Vicious” at Manzanita’s
Hoffman Center for the Arts.
“I was amazed how long
it took to complete,” Romo
said of the independent
effort. “Months after I had
completed my shoots I ran
into Jason only to learn that
he was still working on the
film.”
Part of the reason,
explained Rosenblatt, was
funding. “There’s no stan-
dard budget or timeline for
independent films,” he said.
“‘Vicious’ is what’s consid-
As for how long it took to
complete “Vicious,” Rosen-
blatt has no regrets.
“What we did different
from other films I’ve heard
of is that we never gave up
on re-shoots and fixes to get
it right,” he explained. “The
initial production was 18
days, but then there were 12
days of reshoots and then
another 20+ days of pickup
shots. And more reshoots
with producer Andre Khrul
and then editor Sean Parker,
as well as additional dia-
log and sound effects work
with composer Bryan Minus
and sound designer Jason
Wells.”
Romo, who plays the
strip club owner, agrees that
the extra time was worth the
effort. “It made for a bet-
ter film, and if there’s any
money to be made, this
guy (Rosenblatt) certainly
deserves it.”
Long range, Rosenblatt’s
goal is a career writing and
directing stories as feature
films, TV shows and web
series. “I’m always writing
and searching for the next
story to tell,” he said.
Currently, he’s in reg-
ular production on a You-
Tube web series titled “Ted
Tantrum: the Self Reliant
Man,” starring Alan Burrell.
His second feature, “Inter-
section,” has been shot and
edited with the sound design
and score still in the works.
“I am also in pre-produc-
tion on four no-budget short
films intended to target film
festivals such as the McMin-
nville Film Festival, where,
last month, I had three of my
films play for audiences.”
It’s a busy time for
the Portland-area native
who, around the age of 13,
decided he wanted to be a
novelist and, later in col-
lege, that he wanted to be a
screenwriter.
The trailer for “Vicious”
and additional information
can be found at summerhill-
films.com/vicious. Some of
Rosenblatt’s short films are
available on Vimeo.com.
The Manzanita Film
Series is a program of the
Hoffman Center for the Arts
in Manzanita. Films are
screened monthly through-
out the year and include
unique and provocative films
created by filmmakers from
around the Pacific North-
west. For more information
visit hoffmanarts.org. CW