Swipe Night – Tinder

A Grand Prix winner at Cannes Lions, Swipe Night is a bold reimagining of dating with Tinder. An interactive, end-of-the-world experience, this first-person mini-series offers the user choices designed to show them what they’re really about. Directing each episode of this first-of-its-kind production, Karena wanted Swipe Night to be more than purely entertainment. Set in a fast-paced, apocalyptic alternate reality, she saw an opportunity to create a genuine adventure, and one where people can really get to know themselves and the people they match with.

In this frantic and chaotic setting, users become heightened versions of themselves, where they are more honest, more fun, and more real. Their true nature is reflected in the choices they make. And so everything that went into creating Swipe Night was about rooting the user in this world, and building their relationship with it. From the characters, to the locations, to the story, each had to feel real and personal, and resonate with the younger generation of Tinder users.

In bringing this together, Karena wanted the camera to also live in this ‘personal’ space. So the lens is rooted in the point of view of the user, with other people engaging directly with it. In contrast to a TV show or a music video, shooting something interactive like Swipe Night meant treating the camera essentially as another character. And so Karena and the team had to constantly keep the camera involved and engaged with the scene unfolding all around it.

This allows the entire experience to feel strangely ordinary. While, of course, the events surrounding the user are extraordinary and often wild, Karena intended for it to be very much grounded in reality. Almost as if you had stepped outside of your home the same way you do every day, except this time the world was ending. Together with locations that felt accessible, that were culturally relevant, and that spoke to a specific generation, this grounding allows for Swipe Night to be relatable, making it all the more gripping.

By combining authenticity in story, characters, and places, and creating a raw and energetic experience, the intention was to help users understand themselves. Being immersed in this world, and then presented with spontaneous choices, Karena wanted people to embrace their true nature. In doing so, Swipe Night gets deeply personal, and fosters a journey of genuine connection and discovery.