Barcelona, September 27, 2019 – For the first time, the program leaves the restaurant and embarks on a cruise ship to facilitate encounters between people looking for love and to go beyond their first date.
Carlos Sobera and the staff , along with the ship's captain and the rest of the crew, will become hosts to the 100 singles who will participate in the various episodes of the program.
The technical setup for the recording includes 11 ENG teams, 59 robotic cameras, 8 tons of equipment and 16,000 meters of cable.
What better setting than a cruise ship to open the doors to love and spend a few days dedicated to finding a partner while enjoying a peaceful voyage? About to reach its 1,000th episode and having facilitated nearly 5,000 dates through its daily format, 'First Dates' is taking a new direction with the new specials it has begun filming under the title 'First Dates Cruise': for the first time, the Cuatro dating show leaves the restaurant and embarks on a cruise ship, the MSC Bellissima, to bring together people looking for love and, if sparks fly, go beyond their first date and see how their budding relationship unfolds.
In 'First Dates Cruise', which the network produces in collaboration with Warner Bros. ITVP Spain, Carlos Sobera and the staff - made up of Matías Roure, Lidia Torrent, Yulia Demoss and the twins Marisa and Cristina Zapata - along with the ship's captain and the rest of the crew, will become hosts to the 100 daters who will participate in the different installments of the program so that their dates take place in the most pleasant conditions and achieve their goal: that love triumphs.
'First Dates Cruise', an unforgettable journey in search of love
In 'First Dates Cruise,' viewers will get a complete view of all the participants, seeing them in various situations and on their dates: from pre-date jitters, expectations, and preparations for their first encounter… to everything that happens afterward. Because if their first date in the ship's restaurant ends with a "yes," the singles can continue getting to know each other in a second meeting that takes place in a fun and relaxed atmosphere: from an excursion at one of the ports of call on the Mediterranean cruise (Barcelona, Marseille, Genoa, Naples, Messina, and Malta) to a relaxing moment by the pool, an activity in one of the ship's luxurious facilities, or even inside their cabins, including a duplex with a jacuzzi on the private balcony.
Robotic cameras installed throughout the cruise ship for the recording of the program will capture the singles' stay from beginning to end: from their arrival on board, their initial expectations, their interactions with other people and the development of their first date; to their impressions after the encounter, their first night on board, their second meeting if the spark of love arises… and all the fun, touching and exciting moments that arise when two strangers who are attracted to each other begin to get to know one another.
Technical deployment: 11 ENG teams, 59 robotic cameras, 8 tons of equipment and 16,000 meters of cable
'First Dates Cruise' has been a challenge for the technical team due to the particular conditions involved in filming on board a ship: the production has had to adapt to safety protocols and for this it has had the help and advice of the engineers of MSC Cruises in a process that has lasted more than three months of planning and execution; all the material being used in the recordings - such as wiring, decorative objects, makeup and work tools - is fireproof; and the planning has had to be very rigorous in the setup in order to be able to reconcile it with the ship's schedules and the rest hours of the rest of the passengers.
The technical deployment includes 16,000 meters of cable and 8 tons of technical material that had to be transported from Madrid to Barcelona in 2 trailers, each 10 meters long.
The program has installed 59 robotic cameras: 11 cameras in the Horizon Pool, the pool at the stern with the cities where the ship docks as a natural backdrop; 21 in the L'Atelier Bistro restaurant; 13 in the cabins; and 14 in the duplex, a two-story room with a jacuzzi where the singles can indulge their passion. It also has 11 ENG (Electronic News Gathering) units and 4 production control rooms (interestingly, one of them, the one in the duplex, has been installed in a dressing room).
