Tonight's episode of Modern Family was entirely shot on an Apple iPhone 6 and Apple iPad Air 2

Tonight's Episode of Modern Family focuses on mobile communications and viewers will see the episode viewed through an Apple MacBook. That is certainly unusual. But what really makes this episode of the popular show stand out is that it was filmed completely on an Apple iPhone 6 and Apple iPad Air 2. The iPhones were kept in holsters by the cameramen, and the actors were told to have their arms touch the cameraman's arm during the shooting of each scene. This way, it would appear as though the actors were holding the handset.

The episode, called "Connection Lost," is actually a series of FaceTime chats between Claire and her family in various Los Angeles locations. Although it wasn't the first time over its six seasons that an iPhone was used to shoot scenes for the show, it is the first time that an entire episode relied on the rear camera of a smartphone. According to executive producer Steve Levitan, one scene from a past episode was supposed to take place at a basketball game. Instead of re-creating the action on the court (paying actors to portray the players and the crowd), Levitan used an iPhone to shoot his son's game at school. A green screen was then employed to insert a character from the show (Manny) into the scene. 

Television executives are pretty obsessed about the quality of what is shown on their network. Using footage shot by an iPhone in lieu of an expensive broadcast quality camera speaks volumes about the rear snapper on Apple's iconic smartphone. Check it out for yourself when the episode in question airs tonight at 9pm EST on ABC.



source: BuzzFeed, the EllenShow via MacRumors