PRODUCTION BLACK MIRROR
CINEMATOGRAPHY CHAMELEON As seen in Bête Noire (this image) vs USS Callister, Pehrsson uses the flexibility of the anthology series to its full potential in terms of his filming style
They didn’t. The resulting episode, USS Callister , was a huge hit with the fandom, and so beloved by Brooker himself that it’s the only Black Mirror story ever to get the full sequel treatment. Right from the start, something Pehrsson enjoyed most about the show was the creative freedom it affords the teams working on different episodes. A self-described cinematography ‘chameleon’, the anthology format works perfectly for the DOP, giving him the chance to create a new visual world for every script, without worrying about the usual restrictions of a long-running series. “It’s really the closest you’ll get to working on features – you’re telling one stand-alone story, and it doesn’t need to fit in with anything else. What Charlie and Annabel Jones – producer – and everyone else wants is for you to interpret it and make it your own: to put your own vision on Charlie’s words. That’s why they bring in different director-DOP teams, so every episode feels distinct.” BÊTE NOIRE The second episode in the seventh season, Bête Noire is a classic Black Mirror sci-fi romp. It centres around Maria, a product developer at a confectionery company, whose grip on reality starts
HE’S GOT THIS WAY OF pointing out THINGS THAT WERE hidden ”
slipping when an old schoolmate called Verity comes back into her life. At first, it seems like the mysterious Verity is merely expertly gaslighting and isolating Maria, but as the plot thickens, it becomes clear that she’s relying on more than her powers of manipulation to alter Maria’s past and present. As the episode draws on, it’s revealed that Verity has created a vast quantum computing set-up in her home that allows her to rewrite reality, remotely, at the touch of her pendant necklace. Pehrsson, who says this is his ‘secret favourite’ episode of the whole show, particularly enjoyed figuring out how to build the anxiety and tension as Verity’s grip on Maria’s world tightens. “We landed on using zoom lenses,” he explains, “because we wanted to give that impression of observing from a little further back. We found that zooming in
on those moments when the tension rises – rather than tracking in – gave it a different feel; like the camera was pointing something out to you.” The team chose not to focus on Verity’s pendant, which she wears throughout the episode, until the penny drops that it’s the source of her power. “We made sure the shots were wide at the beginning – but then we want you to see it, so we pan to it, revealing it to the audience. And then it all clicks.” Mostly, though, this episode was a case of ‘playing it straight’. “We wanted to present it like an average drama, so you wouldn’t question it too much, but then towards the end we let it go handheld and vibrant as the plot goes crazy.” THE RETURN TO USS CALLISTER The other episode from the new season Pehrsson worked on was USS Callister :
24
DEFINITIONMAGAZINE.COM
Powered by FlippingBook