How to Date Couples
How to Date Couples is a spoof on educational films from the 50s. With the help of an ever-present narrator, Mark and Kelly delve into the mysterious world of open relationships in search of the perfect couple to date.
-
Sunny MonroeDirector
-
Sunny MonroeWriter
-
Sunny MonroeProducer
-
Kevin WileyProducer
-
Budi MulyoProducer
-
Randall ClevelandProducer
-
Kara O'ConnorKey Cast
-
Tom StewartKey Cast
-
Ron "AAlgar" WattKey Cast
-
Caitie AuldKey Cast
-
Randy WoodKey Cast
-
Randall ClevelandKey Cast
-
Molly TellersKey Cast
-
Project Type:Short
-
Runtime:8 minutes 34 seconds
-
Completion Date:October 27, 2016
-
Production Budget:2,000 USD
-
Country of Origin:United States
-
Country of Filming:United States
-
Language:English
-
Shooting Format:digital
-
Film Color:Black & White
-
First-time Filmmaker:Yes
-
Student Project:No
Sunny Monroe is a freelance copy writer in Seattle. She’s produced sketch comedy shows with SketchFest Seattle and a few short informational videos. Sunny has performed in the SketchFest Mashup and The Passion Project, a storytelling show about personal passions, which is where she started boiling down the ideas for this short. How to Date Couples is her first short comedy film.
The idea for this short came from Sunny’s own fledgling adventures in the world of open relationships. She and her partner Alan decided to start dating couples in 2014. Sunny thought this would be the “training wheels of open relationships,” but she and Alan soon found that getting four people on the same page was more complicated than expected. As they clumsily forged their way into this new lifestyle, they met some fun, loving people; experienced some truly awkward moments; and wondered at the profound weirdness of completely shaking up their romantic lives.
As Sunny titillated her friends with stories of their exploits, the idea for a web series emerged. But a web series can be an intimidating idea for someone who has very little experience in the film/video industry, so Sunny’s friend Anne Hartner suggested she turn the idea into a short film script. And wouldn’t it be a hoot if it was a spoofy 50s instructional?
Good idea in hand, Sunny sought the help of a local film industry connector, Budi Mulyo. Budi liked the idea, demanded a script, and connected Sunny with her indispensable director of photography, Kevin Wiley. She also gathered up some friends from the Seattle sketch comedy community, and figured out the rest as she went along. She learned that she should not try to take on directing, props, and craft services all at once. She’s been amazed and humbled by the talent, creativity, and dedication her cast and crew brought to the project.