{{Short description|Film subgenre where events are shown on a screen of a device}} '''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== According 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.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Welle (www.dw.com)|first=Deutsche|title=Тимур Бекмамбетов: Люди хотят смотреть фильмы "скринлайф" {{!}} DW {{!}} 25.02.2018|url=https://www.dw.com/ru/%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BC%D1%83%D1%80-%D0%B1%D0%B5%D0%BA%D0%BC%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%B1%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%BE%D0%B2-%D0%BB%D1%8E%D0%B4%D0%B8-%D1%85%D0%BE%D1%82%D1%8F%D1%82-%D1%81%D0%BC%D0%BE%D1%82%D1%80%D0%B5%D1%82%D1%8C-%D1%84%D0%B8%D0%BB%D1%8C%D0%BC%D1%8B-%D1%81%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%B9%D1%84/a-42737369|access-date=2021-08-12|website=DW.COM|language=ru-RU}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Тимур Бекмамбетов снимет пять screenlife-фильмов для компании Universal|url=https://rg.ru/2020/06/09/timur-bekmambetov-snimet-piat-screenlife-filmov-dlia-kompanii-universal.html|access-date=2021-08-12|website=Российская газета|date=9 June 2020 |language=ru}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.moviemaker.com/archives/moviemaking/directing/unfriended-rules-of-the-screenmovie-a-manifesto-for-the-digital-age/|title= Rules of the Screenmovie: The Unfriended Manifesto for the Digital Age|website= MovieMaker|author= Timur Bekmambetov|date= 22 April 2015}}</ref> There have, however, also been movies that switch between screens and are still categorized as screenlife. Most notably, ''Searching'' ends with a few scenes that look as if they were television broadcasts.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioltTjLHzNc |title=Searching (2018) - Ending Scene (1080p) |date=2018-11-13 |last=LUCÄS RENTØN |access-date=2026-06-01 |via=YouTube}}</ref>
==Features== {{Further|Category:Screenlife films}} Screenlife 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|date=November 2025}}
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.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Булгаков|first=Александр|date=2020-03-16|title=Скринлайф: честная история создания одного ролика — Маркетинг на vc.ru|url=https://vc.ru/marketing/112613-skrinlayf-chestnaya-istoriya-sozdaniya-odnogo-rolika|access-date=2021-08-12|website=vc.ru}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Frater|first=Patrick|date=2021-06-15|title=Screenlife Thriller 'The Pilot' Leads the Way for All Rights Entertainment|url=https://variety.com/2021/film/asia/screenlife-pilot-all-rights-entertainment-cannes-market-1234996530/|access-date=2021-08-12|website=Variety|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-06-25|title=The History of Screenlife Films: 10 Key Movies in An Exciting New Genre|url=https://www.gq.com/story/history-of-screenfilms-searching-host-unfriended|access-date=2021-08-12|website=GQ|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Мамедов|first=Джейхун|title="Иди туда, где трава зеленая". Интервью с Тимуром Бекмамбетовым, предпринимателем|url=https://incrussia.ru/fly/bekmambetov/|access-date=2021-08-12|language=ru-RU}}</ref> Screenlife takes elements from the pseudo-documentary and found footage formats (e.g. ''The Blair Witch Project'', ''Paranormal Activity'').<ref>{{Cite web|title=Что такое скринлайф, и как его снять|url=http://blog.kino.school/screenlife|access-date=2021-08-12|website=blog.kino.school}}</ref>
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|date=November 2025}}
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<ref>[https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/sundance-film-festival-john-cho-searching-biggest-acquisition-2018-1202023734/ Unlocking a Sundance Success: Why 'Searching' Was the Biggest Acquisition of 2018|IndieWire]</ref> and collected in world box office over $75 million with a budget of about $700,000<ref>{{Citation|title=Searching (2018)|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/searching_2018|language=en|access-date=2021-08-12}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Grater|first=Tom|date=2020-02-13|title='Searching' Producer Timur Bekmambetov To Shoot World's First Vertical Format Blockbuster|url=https://deadline.com/2020/02/searching-timur-bekmambetov-worlds-first-vertical-blockbuster-1202859091/|access-date=2021-08-12|website=Deadline|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Семейные ценности 2.0: что ищет Бекмамбетов в "Поиске"|url=https://www.gazeta.ru/culture/2018/09/26/a_11998657.shtml|access-date=2021-08-12|website=Газета.Ru|language=ru}}</ref> and received a sequel, ''Missing'', in 2023.
==Format== In the screenlife format the movement of the cursor is sometimes important because the viewer's attention is concentrated on it.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Жизнь за экраном. Что такое Screen Life и чем так хорош новый киноязык?|url=https://kanobu.ru/articles/zhizn-zaekranom-chto-takoe-screen-life-ichem-tak-horosh-novyij-kinoyazyik-373965/|access-date=2021-08-12|website=kanobu.ru|date=18 June 2019 |language=en}}</ref>
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.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Bekmambetov|first=Timur|date=2015-04-22|title=Rules of the Screenmovie: The Unfriended Manifesto for the Digital Age|url=https://www.moviemaker.com/unfriended-rules-of-the-screenmovie-a-manifesto-for-the-digital-age/|access-date=2021-08-12|website=MovieMaker Magazine|language=en-US}}</ref>
==See also== * Found footage * Real time * Screencast * Films about computers
==References== {{reflist}}
{{Film genres}}
Category:Screenlife films Category:2000s in film Category:2010s in film Category:2020s in film Category:Cinematic techniques Category:Film genres