Why is the episode "Metalhead" of Black Mirror in black & white?

Why is the episode "Metalhead" of Black Mirror in black & white? - Girl in Bedroom Sitting in Chair with Legs on Backrest

Metalhead is the fifth episode of the fourth series of anthology series Black Mirror.

Why is it in black and white?



Best Answer

Director David Slade suggested Charlie Brooker to shoot the episode in Black and White and he agreed with it. They initially did some tests and then decided to shoot it in B&W.

Director David Slade explained it in an interview.

I found Charlie to be incredibly open?—?very, very trusting from the get-go. I quickly signed up, and within a month, I was there with them. I kind of waited until I was in England before I was like, “Look, let’s shoot some black and white.” They responded very favorably to that. They did some tests, and eventually we were like, “OK, we’re gonna commit to black and white.” Again, the location photographs I was taking as I was going around, the one thing I kept coming back to was the oppressive nature of the story. So we shot it on a native black-and-white camera. Once we made that decision, everything switched to black and white. My memory of the entire thing is in black and white!

Also from the interview with Charlie Brooker

Why did you shoot black and white? Was it just to be evocative? Or did it also save on CG costs to render the dog?

That was the director, David Slade. He wanted it to be black and white. Like you say it does put you in mind of old horror movies and it fit with the sparse, pared-back nature of the story. I don’t think it saved money on CG. It felt like something I hadn’t seen before — doing lots of CG in black and white.




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Why is the episode "Metalhead" of Black Mirror in black & white? - Design of modern loft bedroom with white brick walls and unmade bed with laptop near window
Why is the episode "Metalhead" of Black Mirror in black & white? - Top view of young gentle Asian female in black apparel with closed eyes lying on bed and reflecting in mirror
Why is the episode "Metalhead" of Black Mirror in black & white? - Modern bathroom with shower cabin



Why is Black Mirror episode in black and white?

It was filmed in black and white, a style which had been considered for Black Mirror before but not previously used. The idea was suggested by the director David Slade to bring to mind old horror films and to match the "oppressive nature" of the episode.

Why is the Black Mirror episode Metalhead in black and white?

As such, anytime we see something shot in "black and white" during the episode, it's not for the aesthetic, but because that's exactly what the dogs would see. The reason we never break into color is because the characters are never safe (and they never were).

What is the weirdest episode of Black Mirror?

Black Mirror Episodes With the Most Shocking Twists
  • 7 Crocodile.
  • 6 Shut Up And Dance.
  • 5 White Bear.
  • 4 White Christmas.
  • 3 Black Museum.
  • 2 Hated In The Nation.
  • 1 The National Anthem.


Why does that song repeat in Black Mirror?

Brooker's co-showrunner Annabel Jones says he \u201chas loved [the song] for a long time\u201d and they keep bringing it back because Brooker \u201cliked the idea of nesting all the episodes together in an artistic universe of sorts.\u201d



The Ending Of Metalhead Explained | Black Mirror Season 4 Explained




More answers regarding why is the episode "Metalhead" of Black Mirror in black & white?

Answer 2

I have a personal interpretation of why the episode was shot in black and white. The story line is set in a post-apocalyptic world where intelligent machine dogs attack and kill humans. Now the black and white could be because of the fact that dogs themselves are colour-blind. Thus, it can be shown that the rogue dogs are ruling the world. Or maybe I'm just reading into it a lot.

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