Bernice Afriyie | Arts Editor
Featured image: Tinder the Web Series dramatizes the horror and humour of Tinder dating. | Courtesy of Alex Ketchum
Many millennials have personally experienced or know someone that has used a dating app. Better yet, many of us have heard the horror stories of Tinder dating, including catfishing, unsolicited photos of their genitals and awkward first dates. It’s not uncommon for people nowadays to meet the love of their lives online or to just meet up for casual dating. The rise of social media and dating platforms has made the once-stigmatized practice of online dating a socially acceptable and encouraged activity that people even participate in as groups.
Alex Ketchum, a film production student at York, decided to dramatize the Tinder phenomenon in a web series he wrote and directed with other students, called Tinder the Web Series.
“I knew that Tinder was a popular application. If I was going to make something, I wanted it to be attractive to my audience, my audience being the youth,” says Ketchum.
“It’s not normal to go out and meet someone at a bar anymore. It’s just been implemented into our social norms that if you say you met someone off Tinder it’s cool, whereas you say you met someone at a bar, it’s like: ‘Oh, really?’ There’s a shock factor to it.”
Tinder the Web Series has seven episodes and chronicles the love trials of Kate, played by Sarah DeSouza-Coelho, as she is pressured into using Tinder by her friend Michelle, played by Brittany Clough.
Though Tinder experiences may be familiar for Ketchum’s audience, it was a challenge to bring the experiences of Tinder, Twitter and Facebook conversations into a multi-dimensional medium that is focused on visuals. It was an even bigger challenge to financially produce the content.
“It was difficult to capture [some of the stories] because of their locations,” adds Ketchum.
“The series was supposed to be 12 episodes but we didn’t get funding for it so this is funded from our pockets […]”
“We had to pay our locations, we had to provide food and transportation, cover gear, props, the composer and animator.”
Part of the difficulty in funding the project was the fictional nature of the series. Film funding in Canada usually goes to documentary projects or those that have proven success. Ketchum advises young filmmakers not to fret, however. You can make a film on a low budget, all that matters is vision and execution.
What’s interesting about Tinder the Web Series is how it plays with form and context in order to enhance Kate’s Tinder experiences. The fast-paced swipe left or right nature of the app is perfectly captured by the momentum of the web series.
Imitating current social media video trends, Ketchum tries to mimic today’s fast-paced society in the pacing of the series, without taking away from the narrative or experience.
The creative form coupled with the hilarious stories makes Tinder the Web Series a must-see for all. The series will be released later this month with regular updates on the premiere and how can you support the series.
