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Screenlife or computer screen film is a genre of
visual storytelling A visual narrative (also visual storytelling) is a story told primarily through the use of visual media. The story may be told using still photography, illustration, or video, and can be enhanced with graphics, music, voice and other audio. Overv ...
where all the events are shown on a computer, tablet or smartphone screen. It became popular in the 2010s with the growing impact of the
Internet The Internet (or internet) is the global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a '' network of networks'' that consists of private, pub ...
. According to
Timur Bekmambetov Timur Nuruakhitovich Bekmambetov (, ; ; born June 25, 1961) is a Russian-Kazakhstan, Kazakh film Film director, director, Film producer, producer, screenwriter, and tech entrepreneur. He is best known for the fantasy epic ''Night Watch (2004 fi ...
, the Russian-Kazakh director and producer, a computer screen film should take place on one specific screen, never move outside of the screen, the camerawork should resemble the behavior of the device's camera, all the action should take place in real time, without any visible transitions and all the sounds should originate from the computer. There have, however, also been movies that switch between screens and still categorized as screenlife. After producing one of the first mainstream feature-length computer screen films, ''
Unfriended ''Unfriended'' is a 2014 computer screen supernatural horror film directed by Levan Gabriadze and produced by Timur Bekmambetov. The first feature film to be entirely set on a computer screen, it is produced in the so-called Screenlife format. T ...
,'' in 2014, Bekmambetov popularized screenlife as a narrative device in film.


Features

Screenlife video displays only a desktop of a computer or smartphone and actions of the main character on this device: viewing files, surfing the Internet,
ZOOM Zoom may refer to: Technology Computing * Zoom (software), videoconferencing application * Page zooming, the ability to magnify or shrink a portion of a page on a computer display * Zooming user interface, a graphical interface allowing for image ...
or
Skype Skype () is a proprietary telecommunications application operated by Skype Technologies, a division of Microsoft, best known for VoIP-based videotelephony, videoconferencing and voice calls. It also has instant messaging, file transfer, deb ...
calls, texting in messengers. Screenlife movies are most often made using screen recording software and simulating the footage of webcams or phone cameras. Screenlife is not a genre of film, because screenlife movies can be made in different genres: horror, thriller,
comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...
, etc. It is mostly known as a new storytelling format because the computer or smartphone screen is used in journalism and advertising as a visual source.


History

Cinematographers first used the screenlife format in 2010 after the new era of computers and the Internet. Screenlife is based on the immersive cinema and
pseudo-documentary A pseudo-documentary or fake documentary is a film or video production that takes the form or style of a documentary film but does not portray real events. Rather, scripted and fictional elements are used to tell the story. The pseudo-documentary, ...
of found footage formats (''
The Blair Witch Project ''The Blair Witch Project'' is a 1999 American supernatural horror film written, directed and edited by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez (director), Eduardo Sánchez. It is a fictional story of three student filmmakers—Heather Donahue, Mic ...
'') and
mockumentary A mockumentary (a blend of ''mock'' and ''documentary''), fake documentary or docu-comedy is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events but presented as a documentary. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on c ...
(''
Paranormal Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Nota ...
''). However, the first trials of a combination of a classic film format and demonstration of desktops with interfaces were made in the 2000s. For example, the horror movie ''
The Collingswood Story ''The Collingswood Story'' is a 2002 American Screenlife (film format), computer screen supernatural horror film written and directed by Mike Costanza, Michael Costanza, and starring Stephanie Dees, Johnny Burton, Grant Edmonds, and Diane Behrens. ...
'' shows everything through the web cameras of the main characters. Some elements of the screenlife were recognised in the '' Night Watch'' and '' Day Watch'' movies by Timur Bekmambetov. 2013 horror film ''
The Den The Den (previously The New Den) is a football stadium in New Cross, south-east London, and the home of Millwall Football Club. The Den is adjacent to the South London railway originating at , and a quarter of a mile from the Old Den, which it ...
'' by American director Zachary Donohue is considered to be the first modern feature-length film using computer screens as a medium to depict the events happening in the film. In 2014 Russian director and producer Timur Bekmambetov made the full-length screenlife film ''Unfriended'' in 2014. Bekmambetov was the one who coined the term "screenlife". The film ''Unfriended'' earned $64 million at the box office on a budget of $1 million. The most successful screenlife movie by Bekmambetov is the thriller ''
Searching Searching or search may refer to: Computing technology * Search algorithm, including keyword search ** :Search algorithms * Search and optimization for problem solving in artificial intelligence * Search engine technology, software for findi ...
'', directed by Aneesh Chaganty The main roles were played by American
John Cho John Cho (born Cho Yo-Han; June 16, 1972) is an American actor known for his roles as Harold Lee in the ''Harold & Kumar'' films, and Hikaru Sulu in the ''Star Trek'' rebooted film series. Early in his career, Cho also starred in the Asian Ame ...
and
Debra Messing Debra Lynn Messing (born August 15, 1968) is an American actress. After graduating from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Messing received short-lived roles on television series such as ''Ned and Stacey'' on Fox (1995–1997) and ...
. The film received an Audience Choice Award at the
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...
and collected in world box office over $75 million with a budget of about $700,000. In the same year another notable screenlife film '' Open Windows'' by Spanish director
Nacho Vigalondo Ignacio Vigalondo Palacios (born 6 April 1977), better known as Nacho Vigalondo, is a Spanish filmmaker. Career Vigalondo's first film was the 2003 Spanish-language short film '' 7:35 in the Morning'', about a suicide bomber who terrorizes a ca ...
was released. In 2018, Bekmambetov first was the director of the screenlife film ''
Profile Profile or profiles may refer to: Art, entertainment and media Music * ''Profile'' (Jan Akkerman album), 1973 * ''Profile'' (Githead album), 2005 * ''Profile'' (Pat Donohue album), 2005 * ''Profile'' (Duke Pearson album), 1959 * '' ''Profi ...
'' (in all previous projects, he performed as a producer). ''Profile'' is a
political thriller A political thriller is a thriller that is set against the backdrop of a political power struggle, high stakes and suspense is the core of the story. The genre often forces the audiences to consider and understand the importance of politics. The ...
about the online recruitment of a British journalist by an Islamic terrorist. The film received the Audience Choice Award in the Panorama program of the
Berlin Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (german: Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin), usually called the Berlinale (), is a major international film festival held annually in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festi ...
and the SXSW Festival in the United States. In 2019, the first TV series about the
zombie apocalypse Zombie apocalypse is a genre of fiction in which society collapses due to overwhelming swarms of zombies. Typically only a few individuals or small bands of survivors are left living. In some versions, the reason the dead rise and attack hum ...
called ''
Dead Of Night ''Dead of Night'' is a 1945 black and white British anthology horror film, made by Ealing Studios. The individual segments were directed by Alberto Cavalcanti, Charles Crichton, Basil Dearden and Robert Hamer. It stars Mervyn Johns, Googie Wi ...
'' in screenlife format was released. The movie was produced by Timur Bekmambetov. It was available to view on smartphones in the
Snapchat Snapchat is an American multimedia instant messaging app and service developed by Snap Inc., originally Snapchat Inc. One of the principal features of Snapchat is that pictures and messages are usually only available for a short time before the ...
application. In 2020, the second season was released. In June 2020, Timur Bekmambetov signed an agreement with
Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
for the production of five films in screenlife format. In October 2020, the media reported that Bekmambetov was producing a new blockbuster in the screenlife format, starring American actors
Eva Longoria Eva Jacqueline Longoria Bastón ( Longoria; March 15, 1975) is an American actress, producer, and director. After a number of guest roles on several television series, she was recognized for her portrayal of Isabella Braña on the CBS daytime ...
and
Ice Cube An ice cube is a small piece of ice, which is typically rectangular as viewed from above and trapezoidal as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical refrigeration and are usually produced to cool beverages. They may be produc ...
. In 2021, Timur Bekmambetov and Igor Tsai presented their new screenlife project '' R#J'' at the Sundance Film Festival. It was an experimental romantic drama that adapts the love story of Romeo and Juliet to the modern world. ''R#J'' was also presented at the SXSW Film Festival, where it won an Adobe Editing Award. In March 2021, Timur Bekmambetov's
Bazelevs Bazelevs is a US-based production company founded by Hollywood director and producer Timur Bekmambetov. The company has been producing films such as ''Night Watch'', '' Day Watch'', ''Wanted'', ''The Darkest Hour'', '' Abraham Lincoln: Vampire ...
studio was included in the list of the most innovative companies in the world according to the American edition of
Fast Company ''Fast Company'' is a monthly American business magazine published in print and online that focuses on technology, business, and design. It publishes six print issues per year. History ''Fast Company'' was launched in November 1995 by Alan Web ...
for the use of shooting technologies in the screenlife format. In 2021, SXSW also presented a vertical miniseries ''iBible: Swipe Righteous'' as a modern retelling of
Bible stories The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
on a smartphone screen. In March 2021, the media reported on the filming of the screenlife comedy ''#fbf'' with
Ashley Judd Ashley Judd (born Ashley Tyler Ciminella; April 19, 1968) is an American actress. She grew up in a family of performing artists: she is the daughter of the late country music singer Naomi Judd and the half-sister of country music singer Wynonna ...
. In June 2021, the media reported about the filming of the new
Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...
screenlife thriller ''Resurrected'' (directed by
Egor Baranov Egor Baranov (russian: Егор Баранов; born December 3, 1988 in Yekaterinburg) is a Russian film director. In 2006, he entered the All-Russian State Institute of Cinematography for directing faculty, studied in the studio of Sergei Solo ...
) with Dave Davis (''Dybbuk'') in the leading role. The action of the film will occur in the near future, in which the
Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...
has learned to resurrect people.


Format

In the screenlife format, the film set is the desktop of the computer, and the files, folders and screen wallpapers are the decorations. The movement of the cursor is important because the viewer's attention is concentrated on it. The main difference between the
post-production Post-production is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording individual program segments. The ...
of traditional and screenlife films is the time required for editing. On average, editing screenlife movies takes 6–9 months. The post-production time is compensated for by a shorter production period compared to the traditional cinema (for example, ''Searching'' was filmed in 13 days).
Screencasting software A screencast is a digital recording of computer screen output, also known as a video screen capture or a screen recording, often containing audio narration. The term ''screencast'' compares with the related term '' screenshot''; whereas screensh ...
is usually used to decorate the device screen, and a GoPro camera is used for shooting. Actors often need to be the cameraman to bring life to the film.


Examples


Feature films

* '' Thomas in Love'' (2000) * ''
The Collingswood Story ''The Collingswood Story'' is a 2002 American Screenlife (film format), computer screen supernatural horror film written and directed by Mike Costanza, Michael Costanza, and starring Stephanie Dees, Johnny Burton, Grant Edmonds, and Diane Behrens. ...
'' (2005) * ''Skydiver'' (2010) * ''
Megan Is Missing ''Megan Is Missing'' is a 2011 American found footage (film technique), found footage psychological horror film written, directed, edited, and co-produced by Michael Goi. The film revolves around the days leading up to the disappearance of Mega ...
'' (2011) * ''
V/H/S ''V/H/S'' is a 2012 American found footage horror anthology film and the first installment in the ''V/H/S'' franchise created by Brad Miska and Bloody Disgusting and produced by Miska and Roxanne Benjamin. It features a series of found foota ...
'' (2012) * ''
The Den The Den (previously The New Den) is a football stadium in New Cross, south-east London, and the home of Millwall Football Club. The Den is adjacent to the South London railway originating at , and a quarter of a mile from the Old Den, which it ...
'' (2013) * ''
Unfriended ''Unfriended'' is a 2014 computer screen supernatural horror film directed by Levan Gabriadze and produced by Timur Bekmambetov. The first feature film to be entirely set on a computer screen, it is produced in the so-called Screenlife format. T ...
'' (2014) ** '' Unfriended: Dark Web'' (2018), sequel to ''Unfriended'' * '' Open Windows'' (2014) * ''
Ratter A rat-catcher is a person who kills or captures rats as a professional form of pest control. Keeping the rat population under control was practiced in Europe to prevent the spread of diseases, most notoriously the Black Death, and to prevent d ...
'' (2015) * '' Face 2 Face'' (2016) * ''
Searching Searching or search may refer to: Computing technology * Search algorithm, including keyword search ** :Search algorithms * Search and optimization for problem solving in artificial intelligence * Search engine technology, software for findi ...
'' (2018) ** ''
Missing Missing or The Missing may refer to: Film * ''Missing'' (1918 film), an American silent drama directed by James Young * ''Missing'' (1982 film), an American historical drama directed by Costa-Gavras * ''Missing'' (2007 film) (''Vermist''), a Bel ...
'' (2023), sequel to ''Searching'' * ''
Profile Profile or profiles may refer to: Art, entertainment and media Music * ''Profile'' (Jan Akkerman album), 1973 * ''Profile'' (Githead album), 2005 * ''Profile'' (Pat Donohue album), 2005 * ''Profile'' (Duke Pearson album), 1959 * '' ''Profi ...
'' (2018) * ''
Host A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it. Host may also refer to: Places * Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County People *Jim Host (born 1937), American businessman * Michel Host ...
'' (2020) * ''
C U Soon ''C U Soon'' is an Indian Malayalam-language mystery thriller computer screen film written and directed by Mahesh Narayanan. The film is set in computer screen and stars Fahadh Faasil, Roshan Mathew and Darshana Rajendran, with Saiju Kurup, ...
'' (2020) * ''
Spree Spree may refer to: Geography * Spree (river), river in Germany Film and television * ''The Spree'', a 1998 American television film directed by Tommy Lee Wallace * ''Spree'' (film), a 2020 American film starring Joe Keery * "Spree" (''Numbers' ...
'' (2020) * ''Dashcam'' (2021) * ''
Safer At Home ''Safer at Home'' is a 2021 American thriller film written by Will Wernick and Lia Bozonelis, and directed by Wernick. The film stars Jocelyn Hudon, Emma Lahana, Alisa Allapach, Adwin Brown and Dan J. Johnson. Plot Set in the fall of 2022, after ...
'' (2021) * '' Untitled Horror Movie'' (2021) * ''Insiders'' (TBA) * '' R#J'' (2021) * ''#Blue_Whale'' (2021) * '' Deadware'' (2021)


Short films

* ''TAUCHER'' (alternative title: ''David (41) and Karla (38)''), a segment of ''Abschiede'' (2009) *''Internet Story (2011)'' *'' The Sick Thing That Happened to Emily When She Was Younger'', a segment of ''V/H/S'' (2012) * ''Noah'' (2013) *''GOBLIN.exe'' (2020) * ''2088 (2021)'' *''Love in Isolation'' (2021) *''Filtered'' (2021) *''AzulScuro'' (2021)


Documentaries

* ''Transformers: The Premake'' (2014) * Albert Figur
''Desktop Horror / a video essay''
(2016) *''Future History: 1968'' (2018) * Chloé Galibert-Lainé ''Watching the pain of the others'' (2018) * Gabrielle Stemmer ''Clean with me (After Dark)'' (2019) *''The Invention of Chris Marker'' (2020) *''iBible: Swipe Righteous'' (2021) * Robert Kocsis ''Morning routine'' (2022)


Web series


United States

* '' The Scene'' (2004) *''
Web Therapy ''Web Therapy'' is an improvised online series starring Lisa Kudrow as Fiona Wallice, a therapist who has conceived of a new form of therapy, the titular "web therapy". The series debuted on LStudio.com on September 22, 2008. Synopsis Fiona Wal ...
(2011)'' *''Dead of Night'' (2019-2020), 2 seasons * ''
Gameboys ''Gameboys'' is a 2020 Philippine boys' love web series directed by Ivan Andrew Payawal and written by Ash M. Malanum, with Perci Intalan and Jun Lana serving as executive producers under the creative production outfit, The IdeaFirst Company. P ...
'' (2020)


Russia

* ''Sveta from Another World'' (Russian: ''Света с того света'' (2018) * ''Feat'' (Russian: ''Подвиг'' (2019) * ''Nagiyev on quarantine'' (Russian: ''Нагиев на карантине'' (2020) * ''#SittingAtHome'' (Russian: ''#СидЯдома'' (2020) * ''Madness'' (Russian: ''Беезумие'' (2020) * ''Together'' (Russian: ''Все вместе'' (2020) * ''Safe Connections'' (Russian: ''Безопасные связи'' (2020) * ''Isolation'' (Russian: ''Изоляция'' (2020) * ''Picky Days'' (Russian: ''Окаянные дни'' (2020) * ''#InMaskShow'' (Russian: ''#вмаскешоу'' (2020) * ''Locked'' (Russian: ''Взаперти'' (2020) * ''Alice'' (Russian: ''Алиса'' (2020) * ''Sveta from Another World'' 2 (Russian: ''Света с того света 2'' (2021) * ''Quarantine Stories'' (Russian: ''Истории карантина'' (2021)


Television

* ''
Connection Lost "Connection Lost" is the sixteenth episode of the sixth season of the American sitcom ''Modern Family'', and the series' 136th episode overall. It originally aired on February 25, 2015. The episode was written by Steven Levitan & Megan Ganz, an ...
'' (2015), episode 16 from the sixth season of ''
Modern Family ''Modern Family'' is an American family sitcom television series created by Christopher Lloyd and Steven Levitan for the American Broadcasting Company. It ran for 11 seasons, from September 23, 2009, to April 8, 2020. It follows the lives of thr ...
''


Awards

* 2014: ''Unfriended'' — Most Innovative Film According to Fantasia Film Festival * 2018: ''Searching'' — 2018 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award (NEXT Program) and Alfred Sloan Award * 2018: ''Profile'' — Audience Award of the Berlin Film Festival (Panorama Program) * 2018: ''Profile'' — SXSW Film Festival Audience Award * 2020: ''R#J'' — SXSW Film Festival Special Adobe Editing Award * 2021: ''AzulScuro'' — Fantaspoa International Film Festival: Best Short Film (Audience Award)


See also

* Found footage * Real time *
Screencast A screencast is a digital recording of computer screen output, also known as a video screen capture or a screen recording, often containing audio narration. The term ''screencast'' compares with the related term ''screenshot''; whereas screenshot ...
* Films about computers


References

{{Film genres Cinematic techniques Film genres