Black and white cinematography used to be the only ways to capture moving images for film. In contemporary filmmaking, it is now only rarely used as an intentional choice by the filmmaker to capture a specific tone, setting, or atmosphere for a story. We discuss two films, Frances Ha and A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, to examine the strategy of black and white imagery in a modern lens.


The Rolling Tape is a multimedia film and entertainment outlet for podcasts, online publications, and film production. The podcast is a TRT production covering weekly film reviews, industry updates, and awards season news.

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Films mentioned:
Letterboxd list

Resources:
Frances Ha: black-and-white cinema is dead
‘Frances Ha’ Q & A: Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach on Collaborating, Shooting Black-and-White in NY (TRAILER)

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Credits:

  • Theme music by Eugene Rocco Utley
  • Artwork by Danny Jarabek
  • Edited by Danny Jarabek