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'Raspberry Heaven' By AMBER FOSSEN Ashland Dailly Tidings From the time he learned to walk, David Oas knew stories. His mother was a well-received storyteller; his father, a Lutheran Minister never short on stories for the congregation. Now Oas, a retired Southern Oregon University psychology professor emeritus, is telling a story of his own in "Raspberry Heaven." "I've always wanted to be a filmmaker but I don't do it just for me," Oas said while seated in the downstairs office of his Ashland home. "Raspberry Heaven," a psychological thriller, is a multi-layered story Oas carefully crafted, (weaving together images (situations) which have stayed with him since his years as a psychologist.) pulling from his experiences as a psychologist. The feature length film is now ready for its debut in Ashland -the city that served as the main backdrop for filming. "To some degree, I wrote the script to some of the surroundings I see," he said, noting the majority of scenes were shot within a 5-mile radius of Ashland. The film features familiar haunts like the Ashland Springs Hotel's Bulls-Eye Bistro, the Ashland Community Hospital and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival's New Theatre. Written and directed by Oas, "Raspberry Heaven" is about a brother and sister's tormented past which becomes a detective's obsession, a psychologist's nightmare and a forgotten soldier's personal war. The characters' twisted and tormented lives defy healing until each is thrust into a series of situations that lead them toward personal redemption. For Ashlanders, the local connections in the film will be interesting. Angie, the sister, works as a stitcher at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. The role is played by Los Angeles actress Alicia Lagano, whose TV roles have included "ER," "Providence" and "Judging Amy." Angie's brother, Kurt, is played by San Francisco-based actor Morgan Spector, who appeared in plays at Reed College and trained at the British American Drama Academy in London. Other roles showcase Ashland's wealth of talent. Mick Callaway, played by OSF actor Richard Elmore, is the stepfather seeking revenge. It's a role Elmore relished. "This guy Mick that I played was definitely an over-the-top villain," Elmore said. "He's a guy who is carrying a lot of baggage with him. He was a tortured Vietnam vet who was probably brutalized as a child, which is probably why he brutalizes the people he comes into contact with." Elmore pointed out that gathering the actors for the film shoots required a lot of juggling, "You have to take your hat off to the people who did the scheduling, because a lot of the actors were obviously doing shows at the festival." Working at OSF at the time were Michael Elich (Detective Alex Purdue) and Robin Goodrin Nordli (the detective's wife), as well as Saffron Henke and Gregory Linington. Other local actors included Catherine Rowe, Paul Vincent O'Conner, Doug Rowe, Charlie Kimball and Brandy Carson. According to producer Howard Schreiber, filming took only 21 days to complete. He said "Raspberry Heaven," a modified low-budget film, had a tight budget of $500,000 to work with. "We were very efficient I think on this shoot," Schreiber said. "You need to be quite efficient in getting as much done in as limited a time period as possible." He estimated between $8,000 and $10,000 in production costs alone per day. For the film's executives, showcasing local talent both on and off camera was an important part of the project. "Part of our goal was to utilize the existing film infrastructure and the talents that are really extraordinary in the Rogue Valley and I think we accomplished that," Schreiber said. After filming, there was editing. And even more editing. Creating a rough edit with his nephew Gabe Oas in Omaha, Neb., Oas then went to Los Angeles to enlist the help of a number of editors to do a fine edit. Boiling down the film's original running time of 163 minutes, the film was later pared down to the 113-minute film that will be shown in a sneak preview opening tomorrow and running from Aug. 15 through Aug. 21 at the Varsity Theatre. Oas sent the film to a number of national film festivals including San Diego, Austin, Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale and Savannah. A test screening has tentatively been scheduled in Portland sometime in September, according to Oas. Nearly 30 years after attending the University of Southern California Film School in the 1970s while on sabbatical, Oas' first film is awaiting its audience. "I'm interested in how people will respond to the film. It's multi-layered," Oas said, hinting at the film's complex story line. "People are going to be asking questions after the film and I think people will come and see it more than once." Oas said the cast and crew will meet informally at the Bulls-Eye after the premiere to rap about the film. And while "Raspberry Heaven" is Oas' first film, it's not likely to be his last. Lining a shelf along his office wall, are several dozen screenplays waiting to go from paper to the big screen. "There are many, many more stories I've put together," Oas said. He plans to begin shooting his next feature film with the working title "Blood Atonement" sometime next October. "Raspberry Heaven" has not yet been rated. Parental discretion is advised, for some sexual situations and action violence. LINKS: REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. 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