Modern Family will air episode shot entirely with iPhones and iPads

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Modern Family. Source: Twentieth Century Fox
A preview of the next Modern Family episode. Photo: Twentieth Century Fox

MacBooks and iPhones have been no strangers on Modern Family but in an upcoming episode, Apple’s mobile devices are also taking over filming duties.

Modern Family plans to be the first major TV show to air an episode shot almost entirely with the iPhone 6, iPad Air 2 and MacBook FaceTime cameras. The episode, titled “Connection Lost,” airs February 25 on ABC, but the sitcom’s creator, Steve Levitan, says filming a TV show with the iPhone was even more difficult than anticipated.

“Everything was shot on the iPhone 6 or new iPads,” Levitan told The New York Times. “With one or two small scenes shot using MacBook Pros.”

At first, actors filmed scenes themselves while also dishing out lines. The shots ended up being horrible, though, so the team solved it by using professional camera operators. The actors grabbed the operators’ arms so it looked like the character was in control of the iPhone.

Levitan says “Connection Lost” was inspired partly by the short film Noah, which is set entirely on a computer screen as the main character goes through a breakup on Facebook. Modern Family’s iPhone episode starts with Claire Dunphy sitting in an airport waiting for her flight when it becomes apparent she’s struggling to find Haley after a flight. In seconds, her screen fills up with texts, emails and FaceTime chats, making “Connection Lost” perhaps the most modern Modern Family episode ever.

Source: The New York Times

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