Searching — Reformatting a Thriller

From the first frame of Searching to the last, everything the audience sees happens on a computer or phone screen. While the plot of Searching is fairly conventional, this storytelling approach is used to enhance the mystery and elevates the film to a nail-biting thriller. This video dissects how the screenwriters made the film emotionally compelling by ensuring the designing principle, theme, and story were perfectly in sync. It investigates how they adjusted traditional screenplay format to convey a plot that takes place entirely on screens. And explores how they took something as simple as typing a text message and used it to reveal character.

[Fuyuunoko]

I'm surprised this movie didn't blow up so much. This had the perfect usage of social media as a suspense tool without making it seem boring or dragging.
It was amazing.

[ArthurCrane]

This movie was top to bottom terrific. It goes all-in with its gimmick and pays off very well. John Cho has great dramatic chops. Also, isn't it cool that we get a movie about technology that's actually pro-technology and shows the benefits off it to either bring people together or create meaningful memories/relationships as opposed to some cautionary tale about how we spend too much time looking at screens or something? I haven't seen a movie that capture the "language" and emotions of online communication quite as good as this.

[leonardorobles]

Loved this movie. Not sure if anyone noticed but fairly early into the film we see David casually browsing through news articles when he has some idle time. The first headline he sees says trapped hiker survives a week somewhere. Its super in your face but it happens so early in the movie that you dismiss it. This was a brilliant use of foreshadowing.

[ariasscreen]

Loved when characters wrote something out only to delete it, as well! Only through text can you achieve that feeling of almost saying something to say something else. I can imagine a lot of stuttering if you applied that outside of text.

[SuchSimpleSimplicity]

I simply ADORED "Searching"! This movie was very original and full with love - you could see from the beginning (the amazing soundtrack got me teary-eyed) to the end that everyone involved liked the project. For me, "Searching" was the best movie of 2018 and unfortunately very overlooked. Thank you for this great video about this great movie! Love from Brazil!

[notarealperson]

No hyperbole this time, I love this channel. It's of the only channels I have on notifications. You and other channels have pioneered in cementing a new genre in YouTube videos. These smart, well written, well thought out, provocative video essays are single handedly responsible for awakening my new found appreciation for good storytelling. Something we all witness almsot daily and all take for granted.
I thoroughly enjoy learning from you and Ive been quietly watching since your channel had like 3 videos. Thank you for these videos and never lose the level of quality these videos never fail to meet

[IamXhedo]

This movie was such a great surprise and John Cho's performance felt like a constant gut punch. I adored it and, since i work at a movie theater, im glad so many people came to watch it. Great film.

[incredibilistic]

By far one of the most underrated movies of 2018 that should've received more recognition by HFPA and SAG for not only being an unconventional film with (literally) edge-of-your-seat thrills and suspense but also for featuring an Asian protagonist. John Cho is absolutely amazing in the movie with a performance that's (and this is gonna sound totally cliche) gripping, tense, and commanding but also extremely vulnerable.

I also think this is a movie every parent and child should watch together to help them understand the trappings of internet relationships and not keeping (too many) secrets from your parents.

Oh yeah, great video as always! I love this channel.

Cheers!

[thewildokinawan]

This was one of my favorite films of the last few years.

[RemixedVoice]

Apparently the budget for this movie was 1 million... That's insanely low!

[staceyc]

The comparison of the ending with the beginning really hugged my heart too, when he decides to send that "Mom would be too", when Kim texted him first and when she changed her background signifying that she's finally moved on and reconnected with her dad - ugh it just really gets me

[andrehall]

Searching was one of my favorite movies of last year.

[TimeandMonotony]

Yes! I'm so glad you made a video about Searching, it was such a great movie, one of my favorites of 2018!
It did a really great job of not only taking a concept that could easily have come off as gimmicky and making it seem authentic, but incorporating it so well into the story that, while it was in the back of my head while watching it that it must have taken a lot of effort, the "entirely on screens" thing never detracted from the experience of just watching a movie. By which I mean, I wasn't thinking about the screen thing the whole time the movie was on; I was mostly concentrating on the story.

*edit* I also loved how personal and real the relationships felt. I lost a parent to cancer when I was about the same age Margot was, and they nailed what that was like.

[LessonsfromtheScreenplay]

LFTS is launching a podcast! Listen to the first three episodes of “Beyond the Screenplay”

[Screened]

Loved this movie! I saw it at a festival and it played very well with the crowd 👍 Good luck on the new podcast!

[xingcat]

This is fabulous! A great companion piece to this is "This Guy Edits, " where he talks to the editors of "Searching" about putting together the actual screens. They had to reconstruct every single element (including all the characters that are "typed") in Illustrator so it could be blown up enough to actually film. Fabulous stuff. Going to download the podcast now!

[Karne]

Love the why how they recognised that our personal laptop or phone screens could depict who we are and what we think. Screens have become such a personal thing, only for the fact that most of the interaction done with the phone is done in private. It really reflects our personality. The director caught that and made a movie. Got to respect him for the perfect creativity for this generation

[staceyc]

I loved that the *way* that the computer and sites were used were so important to what character was using it as well. like when the father (spoiler) was trying to look for the photo of Hannah to compare with the one from MemorialOne, he kind of sifted thru different places first before finding YourCast (which the audience probably already figured out by then) to show that it was a *father* trying to remember where it was.
Or when it showed the audience the full length of trying to hack into her facebook (going thru other accounts for the password).

Just little details like this really made the movie.

[a.t.]

The more I think about this movie, the more I love it. This deserved a best director nom at the oscars.

[hyeyunhan]

This film is everything!! Experimental, great acting, great screenplay, and I also love how the characters aren’t stereotyped. Most films and dramas stereotype their Asian or colored characters. Whereas in this film, the characters are portrayed as a normal father and daughter. A normal father wanting to find his daughter. And the editing made me speechless. One the best films of 2018.