The Local Artist Speaks: MY SUMMER AS A GOTH

'Tis the seen for ghoulish delights and great local films! Tara Johnson-Medinger and Brandon Roberts I making a film about explorations in the goth culture. There's a big party going on at the Hollywood Theatre tonight (Oct. 28) to celebrate meeting a recent fundraising goal (click here for details) but in the meantime, meet the duo behind the film!

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How long have you lived in the Portland area?

Brandon: Most of my post-adolescent life, with a 6-year interlude in Los Angeles, and two years spent in Ashland where I graduated from SOU.

Tara: I moved "back" (I'm from Salem) to Portland in 2002 from Los Angeles, CA where I lived for six years.

Give us a brief history of your project:

Brandon: MY SUMMER AS A GOTH is the film that we co-wrote and are co-producing. It is the story of a "normal" 16 year-old girl, Joey, who is sent to live with her grandparents for the summer and ends up being transformed by the mysterious neighborhood Goth boy. It's a sweet, empowering film about how sometimes as teenagers we try on other identities to find out who we are. It's not just a story for Goths, although we have taken great pains to make sure that culture has been treated respectfully- it's more of a story for anyone who felt different as a teenager and grew as a result of that. I hope it speaks more universally to people in that way.

Tara: MY SUMMER AS A GOTH has been in development for about two years thus far. We spent that time focusing on getting the script right and assembling a talented crew to help us get this film made right. In the month of October, we are in the midst of a Kickstarter.com fundraising campaign, raising initial capital to get the film off the ground. We hope everyone will donate and help make our little dream come to life! For more information about the Kickstarter, go to: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1759327397/my-summer-as-a-goth?ref=live


What were some of the musical inspirations behind the film?

Brandon: We were definitely inspired by the music of our youth, especially 80's Goth bands. I personally listened to an inspiration soundtrack featuring Siouxsie & The Banshees, the classic Ministry track "Everyday Is Halloween," and new music by M83 and Bat for Lashes. M83's "Graveyard Girl" is the song that relates most to this script; I listen to it repeatedly as I work on rewrites. Same with This Mortal Coil's "Song To The Siren."

Tara: I have been a long-time fan of Robert Smith and The Cure, as well as Joy Division and Bauhaus. I don't think any Goth soundtrack would be complete without "Bela Legosi's Dead" or any number of Cure songs-- there are almost too many good ones to choose. We are going to try our darnedest to get some of these Goth classics on the soundtrack!


Where do you hope to premiere MY SUMMER AS A GOTH?

Tara: We want to throw a black carpet premiere in spring or summer 2013 at the Hollywood Theatre. It is the site of the Portland Oregon Women's Film Festival, or POWFest, which I am the director of in addition to being a film producer. It's a beautiful Portland landmark theater, and it's also rumored to be haunted, which is just too good and Gothy to pass up.

Speaking of other bands, who do you like on the Portland music scene?

Brandon: We recently caught a local Portland Goth band that we felt had a ton of potential, Mortal Clay. They were playing at the Lovecraft, a Goth bar that reminds us of Fangtasia, the vampire bar from the tv show True Blood.
Tell us about a recent “Only in Portland” moment you might have had.

Brandon: When I went up to introduce myself to the lead singer of Mortal Clay, she brightened and said, "I've heard of your film!" In that moment, I was reminded of how truly small Portland is. I'm hoping that works to our advantage and that we can get our friends and neighbors excited about our project and supporting our efforts.

Finish this sentence: “I cannot live without_____”

Brandon: MUSIC. For reals. It drives so much of what I do; I couldn't write or create without it. I'm a lifelong music obsessive--always have been, always will be.

Tara: [insert answer here]---having a super hard time answering this one! Uh...everything? My family, my creativity, my support systems (friends, family & greater community), Portland. So yeah...everything!

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Hear their interview on ArtclecticPDX by clicking here! Check out the details about the film by clicking here! There's also a blog - click here!