Match Made [Dodge College Thesis Film]

Match Made follows the last episode of a hit dating show as the main star, Anna, is shaken by the weight of her final decision and the horrid reality of the entertainment business controlling her environment.

The film pursues the dialogue between the implications of the exploitation of women in reality television and the manipulations and greed driving the production through the heightened lens of a psychological drama. In doing so, we look to pose the questions of where to draw the moral line in the creation of reality media and whether or not good reality television is worth the cost of the subject's sanity.

As the true events and inspirations of the film have been touched on by media in the past, we seek to bring these issues back to light, depicting them through a narrative drama short film and focusing on the relationship between the subjects of reality television and the environment the business reigns over.

During a live dating show finale, Anna has to choose between two suitors, Jesse and Declan. To make this decision, Anna is being coached by her producer, Alan. Anna prefers Jesse, but Declan is better for the show’s ratings so Alan tries to push her in that direction. After final dates with Jesse and Declan, Anna has an interview with a star of seasons past, Madeleine, who is questioned about sensitive details in her life, causing her to storm offstage. Anna follows her to a dressing room, where a crazed Madeleine has a meltdown and reveals to Anna how every choice she made on the show was manipulated, and they’re doing the same thing to Anna. Unable to cope, Madeleine breaks a mirror and uses a glass shard to end her life. Alan quickly escorts Anna away, and tells her she has to go back on stage and decide between the two men. Traumatized and distraught after what Anna just witnessed, she accuses Alan of trying to control her choices. Alan uses Anna’s distressed mental state to his advantage and convinces her to choose Declan. On live television, Anna chooses Declan, accepting her role as a powerless victim to a drama-obsessed media.

Since I was young, I religiously watched dating shows. At the time, I knew they were fake, but I still idealized the lives of the women on the show who supposedly found their one true love. As I got older, I became more critical, realizing the tactics used to create good dating shows were immoral. To create drama and manipulate contestant’s choices, they would be isolated, emotionally manipulated, and even given excessive amounts of alcohol so they’d be more impressionable. In most cases, this manipulation was targeted at women.

After watching multiple seasons of a reality TV show where these tactics were used, I thought about the heavy psychological toll and trauma this creates for the women on the shows. It became important to me to tell a story about how these shows—and media as a whole—commodify women in every aspect for the sake of entertainment. With Match Made, my goal is to amplify the environment of dating shows and the horrors that the main character, Anna, faces. After viewing the film, I hope to give our audience a new perspective on how our media hurts and tears women down just for a good show.

We are humbly seeking aid to fund the primary challenges revolving around our set build to bring this story to life. This set encompasses vital elements such as the maze-like backstage hallways, sterile dressing rooms serving as the backdrop for our characters' development, and the grandiose stage where Anna will announce her decision on live television. Additionally, it encompasses the dressing room setting pivotal to the climax of our story, wherein Madeleine takes her own life in front of Anna. The hazards inherent in this scene necessitate meticulous set construction to create the optimal environment, ensuring the utmost control for our actors' performances. The climax further mandates the involvement of a skilled stunt coordinator to enhance the safety and precision of the scene's execution. Addressing these challenges inherently requires additional funds to facilitate the composition of a comprehensive and secure production environment, essential for the successful realization of our film.

Any donations will be going towards the following:

Camera Lenses & Lighting Equipment - $2,500

SFX Make-up Artists - $500

Set Dressing & Building Materials - $2,000

All donors over $30 will earn a special thanks in our credits.

Any donation or even a simple repost on social media means the world to our team!

Match Made builds on the issues and repercussions of the facade cast by reality television, especially concerning women in dating shows. From the female perspective, we employ our main character arc as a vehicle to critique and comment on the current conventions and systems in reality entertainment and to influence thoughtfulness and nuance in the content we consume.

Our film is inspired by real events and seeks to expose the casual viewer to the manipulative tactics of reality television and bring attention to the demeaning roles women are placed into for the sake of entertainment. Our team is diversely made up of unique and zealous young filmmakers all with distinct backgrounds and perspectives from all over the US, and we are excited to be able to share the making of this film with you all.