HUNDREDS of bad dating experiences are being played out by puppets in a television series by former Presbyterian Ladies’ College student Emma Watts.
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No Strings Attached is a mashup of comedy, documentary and puppet TV and has just launched on ABC after it won awards at festivals across the globe.
Director and producer Emma Watts said she chose to use puppets to recreate the dates because it added a level of anonymity.
“Early on chatting to people about their dating app experience I realised that normal people do not want to talk about their sex and dating life on camera,” she said.
“It was really important for us that the interviews were honest and real, so we decided to hide our subjects identity by having puppets recreate the dates.”
A friend of Ms Watt’s was a professional puppeteer and threw himself into the project and Ms Watts said it was the first time she had ever worked with puppets.
“Often I would have three grown puppeteers hiding under one single bed and this created many awkward, hilarious and occasionally terrifying moments,” she said.
Ms Watts interviewed hundreds of people about their dating experiences to find material and said she was shocked.
“You really don’t have to look too far to find some very strange people online,” she said.
“But I feel I must mention the fact that we found many heartwarming stories where dating apps had helped people finally find the one they wanted to spend the rest of their life with.”
In her time at PLC Ms Watts was heavily involved in drama.
“Many of the girls from my year have gone on to be incredibly successful journalists and writers,” she said.
“I think that’s a result of having really fabulous English teachers who introduced us to a world of literature and also fostered our own creativity in this area.”
Ms Watts now lives in New York City and works for a documentary company.
“I’d love to come home to Australia and make a follow up series to No Strings Attached,” she said.
“Fingers crossed as there are plenty more weird and wonderful stories to tell.”