Welcome back to Unsung Hero, a feature dedicated to bringing attention to actors, directors and other folks behind our favorite films who might not be in the spotlight as much as they deserve. This edition is going to Unfriended cinematographer and co-producer Adam Sidman.
We’ve seen our fair share of computer use, social media and video calls on the big screen, but nothing compared to what Sidman was challenged to do in Unfriended. The movie takes place entirely on one character’s computer screen. She starts up a Skype call with her friends, plays some music on Spotify, sends a few instant messages, but then notices that there’s an unknown Skype user on the call with them, someone claiming to be Laura Barns, a girl from their high school who committed suicide a year ago. There’s panic, screaming, black outs, violence and gore, and all of it is captured right there on the Skype call.
If you’ve been skeptical about Unfriended, it’s totally fair. This isn’t an easy thing to pull off, but the scenario actually plays exceptionally well and it’s in large part due to Sidman and the camera system he created.