The popular U.S. television series Modern Family followed a growing trend in the film world by utilizing iPhones and iPads to film the majority of tonight's episode.
The show took a unique approach to filming with mobile devices, as the device screens actually became the medium through which the episode unfolds.
The episode centers around the character of Claire Dunphy (Julie Bowen), the 'Modern Mom' of the series, while she is waiting for a flight and trying to find her daughter, following a fight between the two. What ensues is a series of online interactions via FaceTime and social media as she and her family interact utilizing "Modern Technology" just like the "Modern Family" they are.
Steve Levitan, the show's executive producer and co-creator, explained that inspiration for the unique filming of the episode came from his own life.
"One day I was on my computer, and I had some emails open, and some websites, and then my daughter showed up. But I couldn’t only see her, but I could see me,” he said. Having two daughters in college, Levitan also said that he does quite a bit of FaceTiming.
"At certain points in the episode there are three different screens open on Claire’s computer — one shows her sitting in the airport, while the others show various family members in their respective homes," Levitan said. "To create a sense that the actors were all actually communicating on FaceTime, the scenes were all recorded simultaneously, sometimes with as many as three sets rolling at the same time."
Initially while recording, the actors utilized the mobile devices as they would in real life by holding them while they acted and said their lines. This however provided too much footage of ceilings and floors as holding the device and acting proved somewhat challenging for the show's characters. Cameramen were instead used and the actors would grab on to the cameramen's arm to appear as if they were actually holding the devices.
It seems almost too appropriate that a show claiming to represent a "Modern Family" would be one of the first to utilize modern filming techniques in such a unique way.
Utilizing the iPhone/iPad screen to tell the story of the episode seems quite relevant to many people in society as these mobile technologies become more-and-more integrated into daily life.