Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the pilot episode of the highly-anticipated supernatural romance Cupid’s Match debuted on CW Seed February 14th. The Cupid’s Match Project marked a unique partnership that leveraged the talents of both the Wattpad and Tongal communities to create original content.
It all began when the eponymous Watty Award-winning novel by author Lauren Palphreyman became one of the most viral stories from Wattpad in 2017, garnering over 35 million reads online. To bring the book to screen, Wattpad turned to Tongal and our worldwide network of filmmakers to first create several proof-of-concept teasers before opening it up to fans to help decide which filmmaker would ultimately have the opportunity to shoot the official Pilot episode for CW Seed with the potential to develop the entire series.
From the start, KR Squared Productions caught our attention with a clearly-defined style and vision that matched the swoon-worthy world of Cupid’s Match. Based in Los Angeles, this mother-daughter jane-of-all-trades team was excited to dig into the story of Lila Black, a 17-year-old high school student who finds herself in a supernatural world of romance, adventure, and betrayal when the mysterious Cupid’s Matchmaking Service contacts her to let her know she’s been matched with the one and only Cupid (which is in fact not a good thing).
Cupid’s Match stars General Hospital's Robert Palmer Watkins, along with Michel Janse and Dane Oliver. Click the image below to watch the pilot on CW Seed and then come back here for our Q&A with Tongal Filmmakers, KR Squared Productions!
M: Based on the photos and videos I’ve seen, it looks like the cast and crew were having a great time during production. Where did you shoot and what was your favorite day on set?
KR Squared Productions: We shot at Big Door Studios, Kate’s home, and at a high school. But... hands down our favorite day on set was at the school. We had most of the cast and numerous extras that were super excited about the pilot. When we shot the hallway scene, the extras didn’t hold back. They gave us one hundred percent, which was absolutely awesome. We believe that everyone on set is a vital and integral part of a project, and to these extras we say, “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”
M: This book has a huge following on Wattpad and has been read by more than 35 million people! From casting to the script, how much pressure did you feel to get the pilot right?
KRSP: The built-in audience is one of the reasons this project has been so much fun. Fans of the book have reached out to us via social media providing us incredible encouragement. Their support has fed our enthusiasm and drive because we don’t want to let them down. In other words, the pressure’s been an overall positive.
M: You’ve had a lot of success on Tongal doing commercial work. Do you find that narrative film projects like the Cupid’s Match pilot require a different approach or are they much the same?
KRSP: Actually, most of our commercial work has a narrative structure. It’s what we do and what we love. However, working with Tongal has really helped us hone our storytelling since many times the ask is :15 or :30 seconds. As writers, we now look at our scripts with a more critical eye, constantly asking ourselves if each line is integral to pushing plot.
M: As a mother-daughter team, how does your relationship inform and impact the work you do together?
KRSP: Our workflow is pretty darn seamless. Kate directs, Katy takes the lead with scripts, and we tag team in production. Being a mother/daughter team, we have complete trust in one another and share similar perspectives. We also have this innate sense of knowing what the other person is thinking, which is a huge asset when decisions have to be made in a quick and timely manner.
M: Being from different generations, do your unique perspectives affect the way you tell a story and approach the characters within it, especially in regards to a female-driven story like this?
KRSP: The irony is... Kate, the daughter, is an old soul, and Katy, the mom, is 50 growing on 15. So yes, our perspectives are unique but not in the way people assume. But... our perspective on strong female characters is incredibly similar. Myra Peel, our grandmother/great-grandmother respectively was one of the strongest women you could ever meet. So our mantra when creating a strong female character is “What would Myra do?”
M: What equipment did you shoot on and how did those tools help you bring the story to life?
KRSP: We shot on an Arri Alexa Mini using a full range of camera support: a Dana Dolly, Easyrig, tripod, and Gimbal System. Simply stated, our goal was to capture the right visual emotion for each scene. Working with our cinematographer, Shan Liljestrand, we formulated a shot design that created different levels of movement according to characters. In other words, if Cupid, the original... most powerful of them all was on screen, we went BIG and shot the scene with the most movement.
M: By the time this interview is published, the pilot will be complete and available for fans to watch on the CW Seed. What’s something you’d like to remind your future self to always remember about this experience?
KRSP: This is easy... always have fun! After all, we get to play pretend for a living. How cool is that? In addition, we are so fortunate to work with stellar and talented individuals who always have our back. Being surrounded by this unique work family is always an honor.
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What did you think of the Cupid’s Match Pilot on CW Seed? Let us know in the comments.
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