FilmKode capability
Phone Screen Playback for Film & TV
When the script calls for a phone, a tablet, or a desk full of screens to actually do something on camera, FilmKode builds the system that runs it. Live playback, frame-accurate timing, full crew control during the take.
What "playback" actually means on set
Phone playback is when a hero device shows real, scripted content during a take — messages arriving in order, a video call connecting, an app responding to a tap, a notification banner dropping at the precise beat the scene needs. The screen has to read on camera, match the actor's movement, and be controllable beat-by-beat so the AD can call cues that match the scripted action.
How FilmKode delivers it
Every show is bespoke. We work with the script, the director, the prop master, and the editor to design a playback rig that survives the realities of a film set: long takes, last-minute changes, multiple device-units in different sizes for stunt + insert.
- Custom iOS, Android, macOS or Windows builds — whichever the scene calls for, with the right OS chrome and visual fidelity for the year/setting
- Floor-controllable: triggers from an iPad or laptop run by your script supervisor, AD, or 1st AC
- Frame-accurate: timed against playback or wallclock so multi-cam coverage cuts cleanly
- Failover: backup devices pre-loaded and pre-paired so a dropped take doesn't kill the schedule
- On-set crew: a FilmKode IT technician on the floor for the shoot week, not a remote handover
When productions hire us for playback
Almost any modern drama or feature with significant phone or device usage. We've done extensive playback work across thriller, drama, comedy, period (with era-correct iOS/Android skins) and live broadcast formats.
Selected work
- Departure (2019)
- Scoop (2024)
- Code of Silence (2025)
- The Marlow Murder Club (2024)
- Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- How long do you need before the shoot to build a phone playback system?
- For a one-scene insert with a few messages, a couple of days. For a recurring hero phone with multiple custom apps, 2-4 weeks of prep is comfortable. Faster is possible — tell us the brief and we'll quote honest lead times.
- Can the content change between takes?
- Yes. The whole point of our system is that the floor can adjust content live — re-trigger a message thread, swap a video file, change a name on a contact, advance a notification timeline — without a reset between takes.
- Do you provide the phone hardware too, or just the software?
- Both. Our standard package is a curated kit of iPhones, Pixels, iPads and broadcast monitors set up specifically for camera (low-glare protection, correct OS versions, charging rigs). If the production has its own hardware preferences, we work with those instead.
- How do you handle older eras (period drama)?
- We build period-accurate skins for iOS / Android / Windows / classic Nokia / BlackBerry — whatever the year demands. Battery icons, fonts, app chrome, notification styles all match the era so the screen survives close-up shots without anachronism.
- Are you UK-only?
- We're UK-based but we travel. Most of our work is UK productions; we've also supported European and US shoots with on-set crew.
Bring this to your production
Get in touch via our contact form with the production name, your role, the brief, and a rough shoot window. We reply within one working day to UK production enquiries.