The Awkward Conversations We Have

The Awkward Conversations We Have is a series of six self-contained short films directed by James Barber (25) and written by Arran Dutton (28). The series is due to be released online in October and the aim is to capture awkward conversations that could feasibly take place, although Arran admits that he hopes most of them wouldn’t. “Whenever you ask someone about an awkward conversation they’ve had usually their answer is very dull and in terms of scripting them it easily becomes clichéd. We’ve had to think outside the box, therefore we felt the chain of events leading up to each awkward conversation had to be unusual in order to create a scenario that feels original.” “We don’t want to be restricted and pin a genre on the series because each film is different. However, if we were pushed then dark, dry and uncomfortable comedy drama would be a good start,” Arran says. “The subject matter touches the bone, but we think the films are layered and will surprise people. In places the audience will think it’s really sweet and heartfelt, even if it also disgusts them and makes them squirm in their seats.” This budding new creative partnership hopes that viewers will enjoy the result of what was a journey into unknown territory. Residing in Street, Somerset, James is a talented director who has honed his craft in video production both independently and professionally. Developing a thirst for filmmaking when studying at Strode College he went on to create and upload videos to his Barbster360 YouTube profile which to date has received over 500,000 hits. “I wanted to learn all aspects of filmmaking so I’d spend any free time I had shooting videos and experimenting, not only as a director, but also with visual effects and editing techniques,” explains James. “After a while my videos were receiving thousands of hits and I was invited to work on professional shoots. Now, The Awkward Conversations We Have has brought a new challenge in working with a scriptwriter and actors for the first time. It’s been an amazing experience.” The Awkward Conversations We Have will be the second independent series co-produced by Arran after he wrote and directed the audio series Unholy Behaviour in 2011 alongside Dave Perry and Mid-Somerset based acting talent including Gary McKinven, Angela Bell and Robert Prince. Later co-founding Glastonbury based production company Audio Factory with Dave, Arran works as a scriptwriter for the company and his links with actors from across the southwest has enabled him to pull together a wonderful and diverse cast for this series. “We’ve been honoured to have such a talented cast for our series,” says James. “The standard of performance is very high and everyone has approached it with an open mind, which was much appreciated because there are moments in Arran’s scripts when you wonder if it’s possible to get away with it, but they’ve embraced it and we think people will enjoy the series we’ve created.” The Series Synopses: Son, We’re Swingers – Dave’s life is changed forever when his parents explain to him that they have been leading a life of swinging. The Hunted – When Kate realises that her long-term stalker has followed her into a café, she decides to approach him in order to seek answers for his actions. However, during what is their first conversation, Kate falls for Robert, but he soon realises he can’t stand to be in her company. Sarah – When Matty lent Sarah his limited edition Watchmen DVD he never anticipated that she’d die in a car crash before she had a chance to give it back. He decides that he can’t be without it and when he realises the now out of production DVD costs a fortune on EBay, he pays her parents a visit to ask for it back, even though it has only been a week since she was buried. Kinder Egg Girl – Jake has feelings for ex-flame Olivia, but she’s gone cold on him. Having remembered she is partial to a Kinder Egg, he decides to leave one on her doorstep as a surprise. The problem is that although he knows she lives on Manor House Road, he doesn’t know which house she lives in, so he goes online, counts the number of houses and buys 323 Kinder Eggs with a plan to leave one on each doorstep and thus ensure she receives one. It’s a very romantic gesture. Sadly for Jake, as he walks up to one front door, Olivia opens it as she exits with her new boyfriend. Naturally, she’s taken aback and wonders why Jake’s stood on her doorstep with two bags full of Kinder Eggs. The Secret – Geoff and Derek, both in their forties, are best friends that share a flat together. They’re also Necrophiliacs. Their relationship, however, is on the brink when Derek ventures into a field and finds that Geoff has dug up a corpse that belongs to him. And they’re not just holding hands… The Heirloom – When Danny is at the house of his new girlfriend Claire, he accidentally breaks a cherished family heirloom when he is left alone in a room with her ten-year-old brother, Ben. Having developed strong feelings for Claire, he doesn’t want this accident to cause the relationship to end, so he panics, and having acquired the knowledge that Ben has been seeing a therapist due to a compulsion to damage other people’s property, Danny decides to blame him. Ben feels the wrath of his parents and is told he will be shipped off to boarding school. Three days later and Claire’s family are on tenterhooks as they await positive news on the search for Ben, who ran away from home after the incident and is since feared to have been abducted by a sex offender. Danny decides that he has to come clean and visits Claire and her family to tell them the truth behind the broken heirloom. To keep up to date with the progress of The Awkward Conversations We Have, visit www.facebook.com/awkwardconversations For further information contact Arran Dutton on 07988 842063 or contact@arrandutton.com