Debapriya Bhattacharya
Written and directed by Ann Deborah Fishman, Hulu’s ‘Swiped’ follows James Wilson Singer (Kendall Sanders), an introverted computer genius whose financial condition prevents him from getting into an Ivy League college. He begins school at Florida Atlantic University and becomes roommates with Lance Black (Noah Centineo), an extremely wealthy kid whose only interest is hooking up with girls. Realizing James’ potential, Lance asks him to develop an app that helps organize hookups for like-minded single people in exchange for funding his education in any institution of his choice. While James manages to get the platform up and running, he begins to have a moral dilemma about its application, which only multiplies as people close to him start signing up for the experience. The sprawling college campus becomes the center of the 2018 coming-of-age romantic comedy movie.
Swiped Filming Locations
‘Swiped’ was shot in multiple locations in Florida, reportedly between July 18, 2016, and August 8, 2016. The Sunshine State is known for its diverse landscape and sunny weather that facilitates outdoor filming nearly all year-round. From sprawling beaches to wetlands and wilderness, Florida has a lot to offer in terms of geography. Both rural and urban settlements provide variations for projects, with quaint little towns and cities with architectural marvels being a short drive away from each other. The state also offers excellent infrastructure for film production, including well-equipped studios such as Universal Studios Florida, as well as skilled personnel for working on sets. Thus, it became the location of choice for ‘Swiped.’
Palm Beach County, Florida
The production team lensed the scenes for ‘Swiped’ in multiple locations all over Palm Beach County in Florida. Considered a growing hub of filmmaking in the country, it offers a wide variety of backdrops for productions, from a coastline that runs for 47 miles to urban, luxury developments and the Everglades. The cost-effectiveness of the region, as compared to Los Angeles and New York, makes it further appealing for producers with a modest budget.
With the narrative centering around college students and their efforts in creating and running an app, the movie is filmed on location at Florida Atlantic University’s Boca Raton campus. Situated at 777 Glades Road, it is the first and largest campus of FAU, accommodating approximately 29,000 students taking classes every day. The sprawling campus with modern architecture is located only three miles from the Atlantic Ocean and the beaches of Boca Raton, making the outdoor setting further suited for filming.
In an interview with the University Press, Ann opened up about her decision to shoot ‘Swiped’ at the FAU. “I was impressed by the beautiful campus (at FAU). I contacted Diego Meeroff (marketing director of FAU from 2013-2019), and he and FAU were very gracious and accommodating,” she stated. “We were given free rein at one of the freshman dorms for (about) 7 days (at FAU), which is where we filmed all of the dorm scenes and most of the exterior campus scenes.” Before zeroing in on the location, Ann reportedly considered Massachusetts to be the primary filming destination because of the large number of college campuses in the state. However, she ultimately went with Palm Beach County, where she and her crew resided.
A number of scenes for ‘Swiped’ were also captured at Palm Beach State College, where Anna attended the Motion Picture Post-Production Technology college credit certificate program in 2015. It was while studying here that she apparently got the idea for the film. Shooting took place on the Palm Beach Gardens campus, and the production utilized PBSC Film department alumni and students as part of the crew. Palm Beach County is no stranger when it comes to film and television productions. Apart from ‘Swiped,’ it has served as a production location for ‘Where the Boys Are,’ ‘The Whoopee Boys,’ ‘The Comedian,’ ‘Hardly Working,’ and ‘Marriage Material.’ Some of the small-screen projects that have been filmed in the area are ‘Day Tripping in the Palm Beaches,’ ‘Makin’ Waves,’ and ‘Boca Witches.’
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