BURBS

Hi! We're the Aro Valley Hiking Club.

We have no interest in hiking. Please don't bring it up again.

The Aro Valley Hiking Club is a film production company and our main interest is in producing content for the web. B U R B S - the thing we're about to ask you to give us money for - is the project that brought us together. We really love B U R B S. We think you might, too.

Here we go. Get into it.

B U R B S is a an anthology of dark comedies produced for distribution online. Each instalment is set in a different Wellington suburb. Although each short is an isolated, stand-alone title, they're all united by a sense of humour that is specific to us, to Wellington and to New Zealand. But not our mothers, it has to be said. They don't get it at all.

Season One has seen us develop and shoot stories that are inspired by and infused with the quirks of our city's charismatic little divisions. We take a suburb, strip-mine it for material, and imagine a story that pushes the boundaries of the possible while remaining recognisable.


A look at violent pretensions in Newtown (this is a literal description).

A turf war erupts over a Strathmore Park bus stop between two drag queens who share more than the one obvious secret.

A young man contemplates love in the digital age while on a date with something that lives in the waters off the Wellington Coast.

Musings on domesticity by a Seatoun housewife at an accidental swinger's party.


So far we've been working out of our own pockets and have become adept at debasing ourselves for equipment, talent and access to locations. All very jolly and bohemian, which has been fine so far because we've been able to complete what we've completed to an exceptional standard. It's also worth noting that B U R B S will be available for free to anyone upon release.

As we've come to the pointy end of things, however, we've realised how important it is to have support that is a little more substantial as we move into the final, pre-distribution phase of production.

Primarily, we're looking for support to fund the cost of scoring the series. Our city is filled with talented musicians and composers and we'd love to be able to secure rights to music and original compositions. Money is really the only thing that'll get us what we think the series deserves in this respect.

Did you know it's really windy in Wellington? Because it is, and because so much of the series takes place outside, this has turned sound mixing and editing into an incredibly labour-intensive process. It'd be nice, we think, if the show was audible. We need to shell out for seasoned experience in this regard.

If you're excited by this, let's make this happen. Donate today. 

And, if you don't

we'll throw all of your household pets into Wellington Harbour.

Love,

the B U R B S team.
x o x


t h e A R O V A L L E Y H I K I N G C L U B