BLACK MIRROR PRODUCTION
BRIGHT LIGHTS The tech was updated for USS Callister: Into Infinity, with an LED wall replacing the original green-screen window
O ver the course of its 33-episode run, Black Mirror has consistently managed to rattle us with bleak visions of technology run amok. The show has become so synonymous with our fears around tech that it’s now a byword for them: call something ‘a bit black mirror’ and most people will know exactly what you’re getting at. By and large in the Black Mirror universe – and increasing Easter eggs and crossovers imply that it is indeed a single universe – technology is advancing at a pace we can’t keep up with. It infiltrates all corners of our lives and gallops out of control, with unintended (and often horrific) consequences. It has always been an unsettling watch, but in 2025 – as AI runs wild, deepfakes flood our feeds and we doomscroll ourselves to oblivion – its tech-fuelled, near-future fables are cutting closer to the bone than ever. “We can’t run away from it; it’s our world now,” agrees Stephan Pehrsson, who’s served as DOP on iconic episodes including USS Callister (parts one and two). “Charlie is so smart, so ahead of the curve. He sees trends before anyone else does – and then manages to create this fantastic drama out of them. “He keeps sort of managing to predict the future, and he’s got this way of pointing out to you things that were hidden before. It’s amazing the way that Black Mirror has even become part of our vocabulary. I play such a tiny part in it, but I’m excited that they keep wanting me around and asking me back.” Pehrsson originally got the gig through Toby Haynes, a regular director on the series, who he had struck up a friendship with at film school and has continued to collaborate with since. The first episode the pair worked on together was back in 2017 and, after binging the episodes in the first three seasons ahead of the shoot, Pehrsson could tell that the pressure was on. “I saw how high the bar was and my main feeling was ‘I can’t fuck it up!’” he laughs.
23
DEFINITIONMAGS
Powered by FlippingBook