The rectangular screen of a MacBook Pro is the setting for an upcoming episode of Modern Family.
A new episode of the hit ABC sitcom unfolds entirely on a Mac. The Verge, which caught the episode early, reports that the episode shows Claire Dunphy (Julie Bowen) using FaceTime and other Mac apps to stay in touch with her family as she is stranded at the airport. As Claire leaps between chats with various family members to locate her daughter, Haley, the camera never strays from the screen of her MacBook Pro. The Verge concluded that the show s clever writers managed to make the technique work, though the episode is one of the most glowing love letters to the Mac you ll see this this side of an Apple keynote.
Apple technology was also key behind the scenes. The episode, which will air Feb. 25, was filmed with the MacBook Pro, the iPhone 6 and the iPad, according to the Associated Press.
Modern Family co-creator and executive producer Steve Levitan said the inspiration for the episode came while he was using FaceTime to communicate with his daughter, the news agency reported.
I could not only see her, but I could see me, and there was something going on behind me, my wife or somebody, he said. I realized on that screen, you could tell so much about my life.
The Modern Family episode is one of the most extensive uses of a technique The Verge calls screen capture filmmaking, in which filmmakers use various activities on a computer screen to tell a story about the user. That leaves us wondering whether Modern Family might in turn inspire Apple, perhaps lending it a trick to try for one of its next ads.
Above: The MacBook Pro will be featured extensively in an upcoming episode of Modern Family (Getty Images).
