Black Mirror “Metalhead”

In the opening scene of the episode, a black and white filter is used; the coloring automatically makes the mood of the scene dreary and bleak. Some of the camera shots used seem to be shot by a drone overhead; the post apocalyptic setting adds to the desolated feel of the shot. The is also no music or added sounds at this point; the absence of sound makes the scene even more lonely than it already it. Close up shots of the peoples faces are constantly used to show the lonesome and desperation in their eyes. The long deserted road shows the long journey that they may be on just trying to survive. As the people start to search around an abandoned building suspenseful noises start to play as if something is coming for them; the noises become louder as time go’s on making the situation feel more and more dangerous. The The music suddenly comes to a halt when one of the men is murdered by a robot; the stop in the music creates a dramatic effect to make the viewer feel as if that may be the end of the danger. Close ups of the women’s face give the notion that she is still very much scared of the danger that she could still be in; the shot shows the viewer her trembling eyes and face as she winces in pain from being injured. There is a close up of the wound on her leg; the tracking devise inserted into her leg emphasizes the danger that she is still in. The blinking light of the tracker gives the scene the feeling that she is under a time limit and must get it out before she is found. The panning shot of the water bottle with the tracker inside to me shows her current danger being washed away and forgotten. The wall the women is hit with literally represents another obstacle that she has hit; there is not easily visible way in or over, under pressure she had to find a way to solve the current problem she now faces. Shots through the eyes of the ‘dog’ are used giving the viewer a look into both sides. The intense music starts back up foreshadowing the possible danger the women is now in because of this new building on the other side of the wall she is now searching. The absence of noise within the house puts me on edge as the viewer because it makes me think that something will pop up out of nowhere because there is no one present and moving around. She’s currently alone but is she ever really alone? The waver in the music creates a dangerous and suspenseful ambiance; there is a sense of danger that comes and go’s making the scene more interesting. In a camera shot on the women’s face, it shows very clearly her emotions, the music stops as the camera pans in on her face… but then, she winces in pain and nothing else happens. The director created this moment of suspense to keep the viewer intrigued, to keep them wondering what will soon happen to her, the stop in the music keeps the viewer anxiously waiting and glued to the screen. As she enters a room, the white noise from a tv is the only sound; tv static is usually associated with lonesome and maybe even isolation, for most of the episode the women has been alone trying to escape from the dog. There is no reply back on the radio as the women says her goodbyes, there is only static; the radio was the only way of communication, there was no one on the other side to help her. The static is loneliness that surrounds her as she accepts her fate. In the end the director adds a shot the of the warehouse where all three people had been searching. There on the floor lied a box of teddy bears; the women was had been looking for a “replacement”. It was never stated what for but in the end dialogue, the women is talking to children and says that she tried. The box of teddy bears was her whole reason for fighting so hard to survive.