Screenlife or computer screen film is a form of visual storytelling in which events are shown entirely on a computer, tablet, or smartphone screen. It became popular in the 2010s owing to the growing impact of the Internet and mobile devices. Within a video essay, the format is often called desktop documentary.
Self-imposed limitations
editAccording to Timur Bekmambetov, the Russian-Kazakh producer of the film Searching, 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.[1][2][3] There have, however, also been movies that switch between screens and are still categorized as screenlife.[citation needed]
Features
editScreenlife footage can be displayed such on devices a computer, smartphone, smart TV or tablet and show actions of the main character on the device, such as web browsing, online chatting and video calling.[citation needed]
Screenlife film can be made in different genres, horror, thriller, comedy. It was originally regarded as a new storytelling format because the computer or smartphone screen is used in journalism and advertising as a visual source.[4][5][6][7] Screenlife takes elements from the pseudo-documentary and found footage formats (e.g. The Blair Witch Project, Paranormal Activity).[8]
The earliest experimentations of a combination of a classic film format and the use of computer screens were made in the 2000s such as the drama Thomas in Love and the horror film The Collingswood Story shows everything through the web cameras of the main characters.[citation needed]
In 2014, the full-length screenlife film Unfriended by Levan Gabriadze was released. It earned $64 million at the box office on a budget of $1 million, and spawned a sequel called Unfriended: Dark Web in 2018.
One of the first successful screenlife films is the 2018 thriller Searching, directed by Aneesh Chaganty. The main roles were played by John Cho and Debra Messing. The film received the Alfred P. Sloan Prize at the Sundance Film Festival[9] and collected in world box office over $75 million with a budget of about $700,000[10][11][12] and received a sequel, Missing, in 2023.
Format
editIn the screenlife format the movement of the cursor is sometimes important because the viewer's attention is concentrated on it.[13]
Screencasting software is usually used to decorate the device screen, and a GoPro camera is used for shooting. The cast members often need to be the camerapeople to bring life to the film.[14]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "Тимур Бекмамбетов: Люди хотят смотреть фильмы "скринлайф" | DW | 25.02.2018". DW.COM (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-08-12.
- ^ "Тимур Бекмамбетов снимет пять screenlife-фильмов для компании Universal". Российская газета (in Russian). 9 June 2020. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
- ^ Timur Bekmambetov (22 April 2015). "Rules of the Screenmovie: The Unfriended Manifesto for the Digital Age". MovieMaker.
- ^ Булгаков, Александр (2020-03-16). "Скринлайф: честная история создания одного ролика — Маркетинг на vc.ru". vc.ru. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
- ^ Frater, Patrick (2021-06-15). "Screenlife Thriller 'The Pilot' Leads the Way for All Rights Entertainment". Variety. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
- ^ "The History of Screenlife Films: 10 Key Movies in An Exciting New Genre". GQ. 2021-06-25. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
- ^ Мамедов, Джейхун. ""Иди туда, где трава зеленая". Интервью с Тимуром Бекмамбетовым, предпринимателем" (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-08-12.
- ^ "Что такое скринлайф, и как его снять". blog.kino.school. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
- ^ Unlocking a Sundance Success: Why 'Searching' Was the Biggest Acquisition of 2018|IndieWire
- ^ Searching (2018), retrieved 2021-08-12
- ^ Grater, Tom (2020-02-13). "'Searching' Producer Timur Bekmambetov To Shoot World's First Vertical Format Blockbuster". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
- ^ "Семейные ценности 2.0: что ищет Бекмамбетов в "Поиске"". Газета.Ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-08-12.
- ^ "Жизнь за экраном. Что такое Screen Life и чем так хорош новый киноязык?". kanobu.ru. 18 June 2019. Retrieved 2021-08-12.
- ^ Bekmambetov, Timur (2015-04-22). "Rules of the Screenmovie: The Unfriended Manifesto for the Digital Age". MovieMaker Magazine. Retrieved 2021-08-12.