The Couch (web series)
In this Make It Yours dramedy series, a psychology graduate student must see four therapists at the same time in order to complete her required hours in time for graduation.
Interview with Producer and Lead Actress Ayelette Robinson
Watch The Couch (web series) here:
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
There were a couple of reasons I decided to make this web series. First, I am an actor and it is part of our career that we must create our own work to showcase and market our skills. But a secondary, equally important reason is that I want to put out into the world work that I would like to see in the world. I want to see more stories about real women's lives and challenges, stories that include diverse cast and that leverages the talents of diverse crew. So I wanted to create a project that had all those things.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
If you have ever needed to feel less alone in your struggles, or questioned your life choices, or needed to see more of yourself as a woman or person of color on screen, or needed to feel like there is someone else out there who gets what it's like not to know what you are doing with your life, then you should watch this series.
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
The idea that the personal is the universal is actually one of the themes in the story! The story is about one woman's struggle to figure out how her life pieces fit together, how she fits into the frame of her life that she has created but isn't quite sure she fits into, how she should handle family and romantic relationships that are not serving her, and how she can process parts of her past that are part of her story but not part of who she is today. All of these issues are deeply personal, but also powerfully universal because we can all relate to them.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
The idea for the structure of the story -- the Make It Yours format -- came first. Then I had to find a writer who was willing to write a story that could fit into this structure, and that took a while. But once I found a writer, which happened through Women in Film, she wrote the most perfect and amazing script and we did not have to make any substantive changes to it!
What type of feedback have you received so far?
It's all been so positive. People find the characters extremely relatable, thoughtful, and flawed, like we all are. They find the story real and engaging, and they love the Make It Yours format. Everyone has said they want a Season 2!
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
There is always a risk when creating a project that no one gets your vision, that this project that you have spent so much time -- in my case years -- on, and find so powerful and touching doesn't move other people. So I wasn't surprised by people's positive reactions, but I was extremely relieved and moved that others had the same reaction to the story that I did. One thing that I find interesting is that some people find the main character likable from the start, and other people feel she is not likable at the start and only becomes likable as we get into the story. Those opposing views surprised me, but it delighted me that people felt invested in and thoughtful about the character.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
As a producer and actor, I want to be a part of the new story, the story of previously underrepresented human beings who have not been seeing themselves in front of or behind the camera. I am so proud that our project not only tells the story of an imperfect female character, but also has an ethnically diverse and almost all female cast and crew! I want everyone to be able to easily find a story they can watch that helps empower them, that lets them know they are not alone, that they can overcome whatever challenge they are facing, that they can find a way to share their gift with the world, and that they not only can be but ARE a part of the story. To be a part of a community of new, diverse, and exciting voices would mean so much to me not only as a way to get my own stories into the world, but also as a way to reach audiences who might not otherwise see these stories and know that they can be a part of them.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Season 1 of the project is completed. At this stage, we are looking for: distribution, sales, festival circulation, and press.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
I would love for women, especially women in their thirties, forties, and above, and people of color to relate to the characters and story and feel their voices have a place in this world. I would also love to get distribution.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
How can and do you change the world you live in to make it the world you want to see? And do you favor grand gestures and mass change, or personal one-to-one interactions?
Would you like to add anything else?
The Couch is honored to have won Best Web Series and Best Screenplay at the Oniros Film Awards, and was a finalist for Best Actress, Best Acting Ensemble, and Best First-Time Producer.
I sincerely want to thank you for considering us to be a part of your community. I would love to know that the projects I am working so hard to put into the world are touching and empowering others.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
The writer of the series and I are in development on a feature entitled "Love & Embalming Fluid." It is about a middle aged woman who, unhappy in her marriage, opens a funeral home in her house and has an affair with a younger undertaker. I will again be producing and starring in it, and Sarah Knapp, the writer of The Couch, has written the script and will be directing it.
Interview: September 2018
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
The Couch (web series)
In this Make It Yours dramedy series, a psychology graduate student must see four therapists at the same time in order to complete her required hours in time for graduation.
Length: 7 episodes, approx. 55 minutes total
Director: Katy Harliss
Producer: Ayelette Robinson
Writer: Sarah Knapp
About the writer, director and producer:
Writer: Sarah Knapp is the award-winning writer of The Couch. She has written pilots for Pivot and Lifetime, and is preparing to direct her first feature.
Director: Katy Harliss is an actor and director who was immediately drawn to The Couch’s story and eagerly jumped on board to make it a reality.
Producer: Ayelette Robinson founded Cross Carefully Productions LLC to bring to life stories that explore the joys and sorrows, simple and complex, of being human.
Key cast: Ayelette Robinson, Debbie Fan, Cristina Frias, Jay Pennick, Annie Chang
Looking for (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists): Sales Agents, Buyers, Distributors, Film Festival Directors, Journalists
Social media handles: @couchwebseries on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
Facebook: http://facebook.com/couchwebseries
Twitter: http://twitter.com/couchwebseries
Instagram: http://instagram.com/couchwebseries
Hashtags you use: #thecouch #webseries #MIY #awomanwrotethat #awomandirectedthat #awomanproducedthat #awomaneditedthat #filmmaking #sagaftra #production #womenmakingmoves #hollywood #womeninfilm #wif #inclusivecrew #getherintheroom #ifshecanseeitshecanbeit #femalefilmmakerfriday #hireams
Where was this filmed? Los Angeles, CA
Funders: Self-funded through my production company, Cross Carefully Productions LLC
Made in association with: SAG-AFTRA
Where can I watch it next and in the coming month? Premiere Screening on October 25, 2018, 7 pm at the Hollywood United Methodist Church - event is free but RSVPs required at: http://bit.ly/couchscreening. We will be submitting to online platforms in the coming weeks.
We are also an Official Coronet Selection of the Queen Palm International Film Festival in October.