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Connection Lost

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Not to be confused with Lost Connections.

"Connection Lost"
Modern Family episode
Screenshot from "Connection Lost" showing a computer screen with three video call windows open. Claire Dunphy is interacting with a Jay, Gloria and Luke in one window; Mitchell and Cameron in another; and Phil in a third.
Claire Dunphy (Julie Bowen) communicates with her family over FaceTime
Episode no.Season 6
Episode 16
Directed bySteven Levitan
Written bySteven Levitan
Megan Ganz
Production code6ARG12
Original air dateFebruary 25, 2015 (2015-02-25)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
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Modern Family season 6
List of episodes

"Connection Lost" is the 16th episode of the 6th season of the American sitcom Modern Family and the series's 136th episode overall. It originally aired on ABC on February 25, 2015. The episode was written by Steven Levitan and Megan Ganz, with the former also directing. In the episode, Claire Dunphy waits for a flight while trying to contact her eldest daughter, Haley, after a fight. Unable to reach her, she asks her family where she might be. A series of revelations leads her to believe that Haley is married and pregnant.

"Connection Lost" presents the entire episode through Claire's laptop screen as she uses several applications, such as FaceTime. Levitan developed the concept during a FaceTime call with his daughter and drew inspiration from the short film Noah (2013). Apple Inc. provided the show with several devices, though the company gave no compensation for the use of its products. Filming took place in late 2014. Post-production took significantly longer than usual, requiring the editors and motion graphics producers to recreate a computer's entire interface.

"Connection Lost" received positive reviews from the critics, with praise for its concept, writing, and humor. It has been ranked among Modern Family's best episodes by many publications. The episode won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation and was nominated for the Writers Guild of America Award for Episodic Comedy.

Plot

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While waiting for her flight at O'Hare Airport, Claire Dunphy (Julie Bowen) attempts to contact her eldest daughter, Haley (Sarah Hyland), after a fight. She FaceTimes her husband, Phil (Ty Burrell), who says that Haley slept over at a friend's house. Meanwhile, Claire's younger daughter, Alex (Ariel Winter), sends her drafts of her college essay, but Claire ignores them. Still concerned, Claire FaceTimes her brother, Mitchell (Jesse Tyler Ferguson), and his husband, Cameron (Eric Stonestreet), to inquire about Haley's whereabouts, as she babysat their daughter, Lily (Aubrey Anderson-Emmons), the night before. They reveal Haley borrowed a suit, and Lily mentions that Dylan (Reid Ewing)—Haley's ex-boyfriend—had spoken with her, surprising Claire since she was unaware that the two of them were still in touch.

Claire uses a fake profile to check Haley's Facebook, where her relationship status reads "Married". Assuming Haley has married Dylan, she calls him, only to learn her fears are unfounded. Unable to reach Haley, Claire hacks her iCloud account to track her phone, despite Alex's disapproval. When Google Maps shows Haley's phone near a wedding chapel in Las Vegas, Claire further panics, having no idea who Haley could have married.

Claire learns Andy (Adam DeVine), a family friend, is also in Vegas for a wedding, leading her to conclude Haley has secretly married him. When a copy of What to Expect When You're Expecting arrives for Haley at the Dunphy household, Claire fears she is pregnant with Andy's baby. Overwhelmed, she opens a slideshow of Haley's childhood pictures, making her emotional, and FaceTimes her father, Jay (Ed O'Neill), apologizing for eloping at Haley's age. Jay reassures her by noting her own elopement led to a happy family.

Claire finally receives a call from Haley, who has just woken up at the Dunphy household. Haley clarifies that she is neither married nor pregnant, explaining that the suit was for a friend's wedding; she left her phone in Andy's car; her Facebook status was a joke about a "Cronut"; and the pregnancy book was for her boss's fashion line. When Haley questions how Claire accessed her Facebook and tracked her phone, Claire pretends to lose connection and ends the call.

Production

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Background and writing

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Steven Levitan smiling against a red background at the 69th Peabody Awards
Steven Levitan, the episode's director and co-writer, developed the concept while using various functions on his laptop simultaneously.

"Connection Lost" is presented through Claire's laptop screen as she uses FaceTime, iMessage, and other social networking services to communicate with her family.[1] This approach departs from Modern Family's typical mockumentary format.[2] For Modern Family's sixth season, co-creator Steve Levitan stated that the writing team focused on maintaining audience satisfaction while seeking ways to revitalize the series, including experimentation with narrative structure and format.[3] Levitan noted that communication via digital devices had become commonplace at the time, adding that his own family frequently used such technology.[4] He developed the concept while simultaneously using his laptop to FaceTime his daughter, browse websites, and check his email. She later sent him the short film Noah (2013),[5][6] which takes place on the computer screen of a teenage boy who experiences a breakup through message apps.[2][7] The film provided him with the "proof of concept" that such an approach could maintain an audience's attention and would permit a complicated narrative.[8]

Levitan co-wrote "Connection Lost" with Megan Ganz.[8] The writing team needed a storyline that would justify the screen-based format while involving the main cast.[9] Levitan "half expected it to fail" since they struggled to find a sustainable narrative.[10] The episode was ultimately set with Claire at the airport just before her flight to create a sense of urgency and opportunities for humor.[9] Ganz stated that the new format allowed for different comedy styles.[8] Claire's laptop includes many inside jokes and Easter eggs,[11] including Croctopus 4, a reference to a fictional film that appears in the season two episode "Our Children, Ourselves".[4][12] To provide an authentic atmosphere, every element, including articles and emails, was created from scratch. For Alex's college essay, Ganz wrote a "satire version" that "tr[ies] to say the least amount of information in the most amount of words".[9] "Connection Lost" took certain artistic liberties with the technology. Claire calls several people simultaneously on FaceTime and accesses Google Street View using Apple Maps—both of which were not possible at the time.[13] Due to the unconventional format, editor Tony Orcena and motion graphics producer John Brown were involved earlier than usual during the pre-production process. They needed to plan all visual content based on the editing that would occur later. Orcena stated: "You're on that desktop for seven straight minutes without a single cut, so a lot of the challenge was to do that without it being jarring, so what you do in the first seconds has to make sense seven minutes later."[14]

Levitan contacted Noah creators Patrick Cederberg and Walter Woodman for assistance, but they were unavailable due to their involvement on another project. The producers decided to use Apple products due to their familiarity and recognizability to audiences.[13] Apple, a company with which Modern Family had maintained a relationship,[5] provided the show with iPhones, iPads, MacBook Pros, and a 12-core Mac Pro after the producers notified the company of their plans.[15] The show's team did not receive payment for their use of the products, with Levitan saying: "There's no product placement or anything. This just came from life, and it made sense."[5] Prior to filming, extensive run-throughs were conducted with crew members to develop a proof of concept. During this period, they also troubleshooted and eliminated ways of capturing the ceiling or air as "dead time".[16]

Filming and post-production

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"Connection Lost" was filmed in late 2014.[1] Levitan, who directed, called it Modern Family's "most labor-intensive" episode to date.[5] To allow sufficient time for post-production, Levitan and his crew had to accelerate their filming schedule.[9] They shot 95 percent of the episode within two days.[5] The producers intended to shoot the episode as a screen recording on the Mac, but the quality was insufficient when it was displayed on a high-definition TV.[13] Instead, it was filmed with iPhone 6s, iPads, and MacBook Pros, because the creators believed it looked more realistic than recording and later modifying higher-quality footage.[5] Although FaceTime calls use the front cameras, producers opted to film with the iPhone's superior back cameras.[13] The episode was shot in the Advanced Video Coding video compression standard.[1]

Julie Bowen smiling towards her left at the 25th Annual "A Time for Heroes" celebration
Julie Bowen, who portrays Claire, filmed the episode alone.

During filming, the actors were supposed to hold the recording devices by themselves. However, to avoid recording the ceiling and other surrounding objects, the camera operators held the devices while the actors positioned their hands beside the camera operators', creating the appearance of a selfie.[4] Claire's computer displays three separate calls occasionally; to give the impression that the characters were all communicating on FaceTime, those scenes were filmed all at once, with up to three sets operating simultaneously.[7] Bowen filmed the episode alone in a curtained-off section of the sound stage against a green screen.[1][17] As she could not see the other actors, she used monitors and tape to inform her eyeline.[18] An iPhone positioned atop the Mac's camera was used to record shots of Bowen facing the computer. This resulted in a more even eyeline for Bowen as well as clearer footage.[13] Bowen had to be careful when moving her eyes due to her close proximity to the camera. She used an earpiece to hear the other actors.[17]

The post-production process took four months, quadruple its usual length.[17] The team used the applications Media Composer and Adobe After Effects. The footage was uploaded directly into Media Composer. However, when transferred to After Effects, the compression format caused synchronization issues. Thus, the crew used Media Composer to encode the material into the Apple ProRes compression format, which was then imported into After Effects. The standard color grading procedure was eschewed, and only greenscreen shots of Bowen were graded.[1] Initially, Brown combined the footage into a preliminary mock-up of Claire's computer screen, planning to use screen capture software to create the final episode. However, the image would become blurry when zooming in on specific elements. Consequently, Brown had to reproduce and animate the whole Mac interface at a resolution of up to four times the standard one.[6]

To simulate a computer screen with up to nine open windows, editors and motion graphics producers had to combine the footage with visual effects;[4] they also needed to recreate the interface of the operating system OS X Yosemite.[5] Brown and Orcena knew of the visual techniques required from working on Google campaigns, but employing them in a 22-minute television episode could become "very cumbersome and time-consuming", as well as chaotic.[17] Orcena used the Mac Pro to edit, as the bins on his Avid computer were so large that they broke the autosave feature.[15] Each act was designed to appear as a single continuous shot with no visible cuts. The team was required to conceal editing and cuts within a scene. One way they accomplished this was by simulating connection issues, which allowed them to switch between takes.[14] Other methods included moving the camera and morphing from one shot into another.[1] To make sure the episode remained up-to-date, the crew had to keep up with modifications to Yosemite, which Brown said was "frustrating".[19]

Reception

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Ratings

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In the United States, "Connection Lost" aired on February 25, 2015, on ABC.[12] In its original American broadcast, the episode was watched by 9.32 million viewers and received a 3.4 rating[a] among adults aged 18–49. It placed second in its time slot, behind Empire.[20] After factoring in seven-day DVR viewership, the episode gained 5 million viewers and 2.1 rating points, for a total of 14.3 million viewers and a 5.5 rating in the 18–49 demographic.[21]

Reviews

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"Connection Lost" received positive reviews from television critics, many of whom praised the concept, writing, and humor. The Motion Picture Association described it as "one of the most discussed comedy episodes of 2015".[14] Gwen Ihnat of The A.V. Club called it "one of the most entertaining episodes in recent memory" and gave it a "B" grade. She opined that the episode restored the show's chemistry by featuring the entirety of its main cast.[22] Vulture writer Daniel Kurland described it as "without a doubt the most ambitious and stylistic the series has ever gotten".[16] Vox's Brandon Ambrosino and Quartz's Jason Lynch stated that "Connection Lost" represented the creative risks Modern Family was taking during its sixth season.[2][23]

Reviewers also remarked that the digital medium complemented the narrative and humor. Writing for Slate, Jay Deshpande commended the use of multitasking as a unique narrative device,[24] while Anick Jesdanun of the Associated Press said that the episode's storytelling benefited from jokes and plot twists with the digital format, setting it apart from Modern Family's typical mockumentary-style humor.[13] The writing received praise as well, with Ambrosino describing the script as "a knockout" and asserting that it sustained action an audience engagement. He and Kurland also praised the attention to character development.[2][16]

The integration of Apple products in "Connection Lost" drew mixed opinions. While Ihnat criticized the episode as resembling a "giant infomercial",[22] other critics opined that the product placement was well incorporated into the narrative. Lynch described the product integration as "truly organic", saying it contrasted with promotional stunts often seen in television.[23] Kurland commented that the use of technology occasionally felt heavy-handed, such as a scene where Claire nostalgically views baby pictures on iTunes. However, he also argued that the devices served as "astute reflections of the characters", enhancing the authenticity of their interactions.[16] Jesdanun remarked that any initial skepticism about the Apple-centric concept "quickly dissipated" due to the episode's strong execution.[13]

According to Vulture, "Connection Lost" is often considered Modern Family's best episode.[16] It has topped rankings by /Film and Rolling Stone Brasil,[25][26] as well as appearing on top-episode lists by Entertainment Weekly (2nd),[27] The Mary Sue (9th),[28] the Chicago Sun-Times (10th),[29] and The Indian Express (10th).[30]

Awards and nominations

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At the 67th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, "Connection Lost" won Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation,[31] marking Modern Family's third win—after "En Garde" and "Dude Ranch"—and sixth nomination in the category.[32] It also received the Cinema Audio Society Award for Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Series – Half Hour and was nominated for the Writers Guild of America Award for Episodic Comedy.[33][34]

Notes

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  1. ^ The rating of a program is the estimated portion of the specified group watching the program, expressed as a percentage.[20]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Giardina, Carolyn (February 25, 2015). "Modern Family Editor on Crafting iPhone Episode and Its 'Hail Mary' Play". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d Ambrosino, Brandon (February 26, 2015). "Modern Family's Latest Episode, Filmed on Smartphones, Highlights Modern Connection – or Lack Thereof". Vox. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  3. ^ Huver, Scott (May 19, 2015). "Modern Family Cast Reflects on 'Reinvigorated' Season Six, Haley and Andy's Maybe-Romance". Variety. Archived from the original on August 19, 2022. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d Keveney, Bill (February 23, 2015). "Apples of Their Eye: A Truly Modern Family Episode". USA Today. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Sandberg, Bryn (February 17, 2015). "The Next Episode of Modern Family Takes Place Entirely Inside Apple Products". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on November 12, 2024. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Bishop, Bryan (February 17, 2015). "Modern Family's New Episode Never Leaves the Screen of a MacBook Pro". The Verge. Archived from the original on April 23, 2015. Retrieved April 30, 2015.
  7. ^ a b Bilton, Nick (February 17, 2015). "Modern Family to Air Episode Shot on iPhones". The New York Times. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  8. ^ a b c Elber, Lynn (February 17, 2015). "Entire Modern Family Episode Takes Place Online". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 9, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d Hod, Itay (February 17, 2015). "'Modern Family Boss on Episode Playing Out Entirely on Apple MacBook, FaceTime: It's How Families Communicate". TheWrap. Archived from the original on November 9, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  10. ^ Beachum, Chris (June 16, 2015). "Modern Family Co-Creator Steven Levitan on Possibility of Setting Emmy Record [Exclusive Video]". GoldDerby. Archived from the original on November 9, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  11. ^ Lowry, Brian (February 17, 2015). "Modern Family Episode Employs Modern Twist". Variety. Archived from the original on November 9, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  12. ^ a b Knolle, Sharon (April 6, 2015). "6 Easter Eggs in the 'Connection Lost' Episode". American Broadcasting Company. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g Jesdanun, Anick (February 24, 2015). "Feb. 25's Apple-Centric Modern Family Not a Gimmick". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 9, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  14. ^ a b c Abrams, Bryan (July 1, 2015). "Modern Family Editor Tony Orcena on the Show's Trickiest Episode". Motion Picture Association. Archived from the original on November 9, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  15. ^ a b Mallenbaum, Carly (February 25, 2015). "Why Apple Sent Modern Family Producers a Brand-new Mac". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 9, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  16. ^ a b c d e Kurland, Daniel (February 23, 2016). "Modern Family Was at Its Best When It Went Inside the Machine and Stayed There". Vulture. Archived from the original on November 11, 2024. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  17. ^ a b c d Keveney, Bill (February 23, 2015). "Modern Family Takes a High-Tech Digital Leap". USA Today. Archived from the original on November 10, 2024. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  18. ^ Galvan, Ralph (May 25, 2015). "Modern Family Exclusive Video: Julie Bowen on Challenges of Filming 'Connection Lost'". GoldDerby. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  19. ^ Watercutter, Angela (February 17, 2015). "Modern Family's New Episode on a Laptop Hints at TV's Future". Wired. Archived from the original on November 9, 2024. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  20. ^ a b Kondolojy, Amanda (February 26, 2015). "Wednesday Final Ratings: Empire, American Idol, Suvivor & Arrow Adjusted Up; The 100, black-ish & Nashville Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 27, 2015. Retrieved February 28, 2015.
  21. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (March 15, 2015). "The Big Bang Theory Leads Adults 18-49 Gains + Glee Tops Percentage Increases, The Blacklist Wins in Viewer Growth in Live +7 Ratings for Week 23 Ending March 1". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 18, 2015. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  22. ^ a b Ihnat, Gwen (February 26, 2015). "Modern Family: 'Connection Lost'". The A.V. Club. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  23. ^ a b Lynch, Jason (February 25, 2015). "Modern Family's Apple-Centric Episode Is Product Integration at Its Best—and Great TV". Quartz. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  24. ^ Deshpande, Jay (February 26, 2015). "Modern Family's iPhone Episode Was a Feat of Storytelling". Slate. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
  25. ^ Murray, Russell (April 9, 2025). "15 Best Modern Family Episodes Ranked". /Film. Retrieved April 14, 2025.
  26. ^ "Modern Family: Os 8 Melhores Episódios para Maratonar Antes da Série Deixar Netflix [Lista]" [Modern Family: The 8 Best Episodes to Binge Before the Series Leaves Netflix [List]]. Rolling Stone Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). December 2, 2021. Retrieved November 9, 2024.
  27. ^ Melendez, Tanya (September 29, 2024). "The 20 Best Episodes of Modern Family, Ranked". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on October 9, 2024. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  28. ^ Barrett, Sarah (August 29, 2024). "10 Best Modern Family Episodes, Ranked". The Mary Sue. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  29. ^ Roeper, Richard (April 6, 2020). "Modern Family's Best Episodes: 10 High Points of a Sitcom Classic". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on September 13, 2024. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  30. ^ Sharma, Sampada (May 14, 2020). "Top 10 Modern Family Episodes". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on September 27, 2022. Retrieved November 8, 2024.
  31. ^ "Creative Arts Emmys 2015: Full Winners List". Variety. September 12, 2015. Archived from the original on September 13, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  32. ^ "Modern Family". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  33. ^ Lincoln, Ross A. (January 12, 2016). "Hateful Eight, Revenant, Star Wars, Mad Max Among Cinema Audio Society Nominees". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 10, 2021. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  34. ^ Roots, Kimberly (December 3, 2015). "Thrones, Mr. Robot, Kimmy Schmidt, Last Man Among 2016 WGA Nominees". TVLine. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
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