An upcoming episode of ABC’s award-winning comedy “Modern Family” has been shot entirely using Apple’s iPhone 6 and iPad Air 2 devices, Re/Code is reporting. The episode titled “Connection Lost”, revolves around Claire Dunphy, a working mother of three, who is stuck in an airport and desperate to reach her daughter Haley. According to Steven Levitan, the co-creator and executive producer of the show, the story was drawn from his own life, reflecting how he and his two daughters communicate while they’re away at college.
“We all had that reference in our heads — this is how families are communicating today,” Levitan said. “How do we use this to tell a story?”
After Levitan saw “Noah,” a 17-minute short that takes place entirely on a computer screen, he knew the same concept could be used for an entire episode. As with the “Modern Family” episode, the short, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival’s student showcase in 2013, uses Facebook, instant messages, iTunes and iPhones to capture the teen’s angst.
The story plays out on Claire’s Macbook, as she employs all the forms of modern communication at her disposal, from email to FaceTime to Facebook, in an attempt to locate her eldest child. Attentive viewers will be rewarded with Easter Eggs, as with the Yahoo News page ad for “Croctopus 4”, a reference to an episode from the show’s second season.
Levitan also revealed that Apple furnished iPhones for the episode, though the company did not pay for product placement. “We called them and informed them what we were doing”, he said. “They loved the idea. They provided the iPhones for us”.
The Modern Family episode will air on Feb. 25 on ABC.
