The majority of communication in a true "modern family" takes place through text messages, video chats and social media posts. ABC's "Modern Family" captures that not-so-personal connection in its next episode, "Connection Lost."
The whole Dunphy family gets pulled online to help Claire (Julie Bowen) track down her daughter Haley (Sarah Hyland) after the two have a fight. She will Facetime with each of her family members, but then resorts to Internet snooping which "inevitably becomes disturbing real quick," according to ABC.
Except for a few scenes filmed using a Mac Book Pro, "Modern Family" shot the entire episode using iPhone 6s and iPads, according to New York Daily News. Steve Levitan, series co-creator and executive producer, got the idea while working at his computer and chatting with his daughter on Facetime.
"I had emails open, some websites... then my daughter showed up," Levitan told reporters during a sneak peek of the episode on Tuesday. "I could not only see her, but I could see me, and there was something going on behind me, my wife or somebody... I realized on that screen, you could tell so much about my life."
Levitan found inspiration from a 17-minute short film called "Noah," that also plays out entirely on a computer. The film gave him "proof of concept" that such an approach could hold an audience's attention, according to the Daily News.
He invited the Canadian filmmakers of "Noah" to participate in the "Modern Family" episode, but they had to decline due to scheduling conflicts.
The all-digital episode of "Modern Family" will air on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 9 p.m. on ABC.
