Conversations of the First Kind

Author: Vesna Ćorović Butrić

The first agreements with regard to the show seemed nice and – easy.
Nice because it is about babies, children, family, therefore, everything that I have been researching, reading and making shows about – for decades.

About the Conversations of the first kind
That is something I know best, out of all the things I know: talking to children, no matter their age.
And it seemed easy: I will just keep talking to them…

But then the pandemic broke out… everything shut down, everything stopped, with direct contacts with children of all ages going first…
It was still nice thinking about babies, but, easy was no longer easy…
And then Vidak was born… Vidak’s home is the first house in which this show was made. His mom Maja – who gave birth to him at the start of summer of 2020 and his slightly older brother Vukman, have been collaborating with me on my shows since Vukman’s first words.
And, just like she bravely gave birth to her second son at a time when other things were talked about more than birth, mom Maja Radović bravely started this endeavor as well: she will record her “talks” with the baby on her phone and send them to me.
It could not have happened any other way. This lasted for nine months.
The second home in which this show was made is the house of a ceratin mom and a certain daughter. Marina Stojanović and Đurđa Stanojević. In the show, the two of them play the Big Stuffed Bear – the toy king, and the Robot, who was the first present for Vidak. They also recorded themselves on the phone.
My story. I wrote it to connect the segments of the “talks”.
The third home is – my own. It is where Matija Butrić – Lead Animator & Sound Designer – and I edited the entire show. I gave birth to Matija 30 years ago.
The music we used is from the Call for original music that the Programme for Children, the Young and Family has issued for several years. The authors are young composers Aleksandra Aleksandrović and Mira Milosavljević.

Complete text (Serbian/English parallel version, pdf)

Music Cue Sheet - Conversations of the First Kind


Credits

Genre • Play; documentary

Series • Family story

Title • CONVERSATIONS OF THE FIRST KIND

Duration • 21'34''

Recording technique • mobile phone

Author • Vesna Ćorović Butrić

Music • Aleksandra Aleksandrović, Mira Milosavljević

Directed by • Vesna Ćorović Butrić, Matija Butrić

Sound Designers • Matija Butrić, Milan Filipović

Actresses • Mother and daughter: Marina Stojanović and Đurđa Stanojević

Coordinator of the project Creative Europe for RTS, Radio Belgrade • Nikoleta Dojčinović

Show Material • “Conversations” between the mom and the baby – from the first month – Maja and Vukman Radović; the father and the younger brother also participate. Play structure that links documentary recordings together: Great Stuffed Bear and Robot talk.

Premiere • April 21, 2021 on Radio Belgrade 1

Translation • Radojka Jevtić

Funded by • Radio Television of Serbia

Supported by • the Ministry of Culture and Information of Serbia

Biography

Vesna Ćorović Butrić graduated from the Faculty of Philology in 1981, obtaining a degree in Teaching Yugoslav Literature and Serbo-Croatian Language. She joined Radio Belgrade in 1983. In 1993, she transferred from Radio to the Education Department of Television Belgrade. She came back to Radio Belgrade in 2003 to work as Editor-in-Chief of the Education Programme for Children, Youth and Family. Vesna wrote and edited the following books: Džepno pile, 1989 (Pocket-Size Chicken), Šta je unutra, 1995 (What’s inside), Ulica na ljuljaški, 1999 (Street on a Swing) – Neven Award, Kuća na koncu, 2000 (House on a String), Biću snovoslagač, 2001 (I’ll be a Dreamsetter) - Sigridrug Award for Best Children’s, Monodrama - with Slobodan Beštić, Ostaviti kod Ruže, 2003 (Leave it at Ruža’s Place) – “Rade Obrenovic” Award for Best Children’s Novel, Dobro jutro deco, 2004 (Good Morning, Children) - with Jovan Ljuštanović and Bratislav Milanović, Vidim te - ne vidim te, 2005 (Now I see you – Now I don’t) – short stories, Unatraške, 2007 (Backwards), Žuto je plavo, 2008 (Yellow is Blue), Znam, 2011 (I know), C,c,c, 2017 (Tz, tz, tz) – street stories (for adults), Izmislica, 2018 (Fiddle-Faddle) - „Gordana Brajović” Award, Bongo i družina retkih kućnih ljubimaca, 2019 (Bongo and the Rare Pets Society). Vesna Ćorović Butrić is also winner of the Sundial Prize of the “Sirmium” Centre of Culture from Sremska Mitrovica. In 2021, she received the Award of Zmaj Children’s Games for her creative contribution to contemporary expression in children’s literature.