Black and White Filmmaking Explained

From the Lumière Brothers to Hollywood's golden age, early cinema was defined by a black-and-white palette, a visual hallmark now representative of that era.

It took nearly three decades to develop a way to capture motion pictures in color, and even then, it wasn’t until 1967 that the number of color films released surpassed that of black-and-white. At one point, black and white was synonymous with cinema. 

These days, it’s a different story. Black-and-white films are rarely produced (around 15 over the last several years), and when black and white is used, it’s primarily used for short sequences with artistic intent or to create a specific effect. In this article, we'll explore some of the techniques for filming in black and white, along with modern methods you can apply to achieve beautiful results with this timeless style.

The timeless appeal and evolving role of black-and-white cinematography

Ah, black and white films. Is there anything more timeless? They capture an era long past and in a way, can feel more fantastical than fantasy films themselves.

Forced perspective, as the name suggests, is a technique that allows filmmakers to manipulate the scale of objects, making them appear larger or smaller than they actually are without the use of digital effects.  

This is achieved by carefully positioning actors or objects in relation to one another, skewing the audience's perception of their true scale. Essentially, the filmmaker 'forces a perspective' onto the audience through an optical illusion.

In the still below from “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring,” a series that consistently employs forced perspective, both characters are adults and are also played by adults. However, the character Gandalf is twice his size in all proportions.

Image via Warner Bros

Unlike color film or digital color sensors, black-and-white film differs in how it captures light. Black-and-white film captures the luminance values of the light hitting the film, giving the shadows, mid-tones, and highlights a distinctive presence. 

Explaining the scientific differences between black-and-white and color film can be challenging. However, by looking at digital sensors, we can simplify the concept. Most cameras use a Bayer filter over the sensor, where individual pixels are covered by red, green, or blue filters. This arrangement allows the sensor to capture color information by interpolating data from nearby pixels. As a result, each pixel — technically called a photosite — gathers information about a single color channel (red, green, or blue), commonly referred to as RGB.

With a monochrome sensor, this bayer filter is removed, and each pixel on the sensor captures the full luminance of the scene without having to split the light into different color channels. This leads to much higher detail and sharpness. Most importantly, without the color filter, the camera achieves better dynamic range, allowing it to capture deeper shadows and more vivid highlights. 

Although the process slightly differs with black-and-white celluloid, the notion remains the same. We are presented with a tonal range of values from black to white, with every shade in between. As such, filmmakers had to make the most of light and shadow to tell their stories. Mix this with incandescent and arc lights (hard light sources), and the medium was filled with very contrasty images. It’s easy to see why black-and-white images are often moodier and more textured.

Image via TCM

Today, it's rare for modern films to be entirely shot in black and white. Instead, filmmakers often use black and white selectively, such as for flashbacks, dream sequences, or specific stylistic effects. For example, in “Dune: Part 2,” black and white was used to illustrate the effects of the alien sun on their world.

It can also often be difficult for filmmakers to secure funding and approval to shoot an entire film in black and white, even when the story calls for it. A notable example is Steven Spielberg's “Schindler’s List.” 

Given the period and subject matter, Spielberg felt black and white was thematically appropriate for Schindler’s List, saying, “It’s entirely appropriate because I’ve only experienced the Holocaust through other people’s testimonies and through archival footage, which is, of course, all in black and white.”

Despite Spielberg’s success throughout the 90s, the studio initially opposed using black-and-white for the film. Fortunately, Spielberg and his cinematographer managed to win them over. 

In the film, there's a famous instance of individual color used effectively. At one point, we see a young girl in a red coat; the only character in the film with any color. Though she's just a background character, the symbolism is present. She moves through the war-torn streets with a child-like innocence, it’s color in a dark and brutal world. A possible beacon of hope?

However, she doesn’t survive, and that touch of color becomes a harsh reminder that during this period, there was no hope, and all color would ultimately fade. A powerful statement that wouldn’t have been as striking if the film were in full color.

Are you ready to make your black-and-white film? Let’s look at some of the techniques involved. 

Techniques used in black-and-white filmmaking

Lighting

During Hollywood's golden age, high-intensity lights like arc lights were commonly used. Arc lights, produced by electrical arcs between carbon electrodes, created a unique quality of light rarely seen today. The video below shows just how intense these lights are.

While you won’t be working with an arc light, you’ll want to incorporate a very specific lighting style to complement the use of black and white. Today’s digital sensors capture light differently, and with the rise of LED technology, filmmakers now use softer lights.

To achieve a classic black-and-white look, though, you’ll want to avoid soft or high-key lighting (you can read about the differences between hard and soft light here). Instead, use hard light, which creates strong, sharp-edged shadows and high contrast. This type of light comes from a source with a small surface area. 

Alongside hard lighting, a low-key lighting style is often used in black-and-white films. Low-key lighting is predominantly dark, with more shadow than light and often no fill light, allowing one side of the face to fall into shadow. This approach was frequently used in older black-and-white films. Take Alfred Hitchcock’s “Psycho” (1960), for example, where Janet Leigh is often enveloped in shadows, with black and white film enhancing the contrast between bright areas and deep shadows. 

Image via TCM

Filters

In classic black-and-white films, there’s often a soft, radiant haze around the main starlet, giving the image a romantic quality. Historically, this effect was created by placing a specific fishnet material between the lens and the film to diffuse light. 

Image via Warner Bros

Today, diffusion filters achieve this look, scattering light slightly to produce a dreamy glow around bright objects. While not all black-and-white films use this effect, adding it can give your imagery an instant vintage feel.

Inserting a diffusion filter into the camera's matte box.

Deep depth of field 

Here’s something beyond just black and white itself, focusing instead on the properties of the camera and lens you’re using. In Hollywood’s early days, films had a theatrical quality — actors were overly dramatic, costumes were elaborate, and set designs were grand and meticulously detailed. Since most films were shot on studio sets rather than in real locations, there was a strong desire to showcase every detail of these sets, ensuring all the stars in a scene were visible.

Image via Universal Pictures

So many black-and-white films used deep focus, where both the foreground and background remained sharp. In contrast, modern films often use shallow depth of field to blur the background. If you’re creating black-and-white media with a vintage feel, consider using deep focus to evoke the classic style of early cinema. Interestingly, this look was replicated in Netflix’s “Mank” as an ode to classic cinema.

Image via Netflix

Two big advantages of black and white filmmaking

1. Ability to create a timeless and classic aesthetic

Black-and-white imagery has become a genre convention associated with classic films. Just as tumbleweed signals a Western, black-and-white suggests a story set in the past.

If certain key elements are missing from your production, like period-appropriate decor or furniture, black-and-white can evoke a timeless feel. It helps transport viewers to an earlier era, even if not all the physical elements align perfectly with the time.

2. Allows for creative storytelling through lighting and shadows

Black-and-white filmmaking is somewhat like an acoustic or unplugged version of a song, it’s just the raw artistry on display; no additional processing. Stripping away color lets the artist focus purely on form and composition, heightening other visual elements. Without relying on color theory, you're left with art in its rawest form.

It’s easy to get caught up in Gear Acquisition Syndrome, or GAS, feeling you need the latest gear to compete with other filmmakers. But often, what’s missing is compelling visual storytelling. Filming in black and white can push you to focus on framing and blocking without depending on the extra tools that come with color. If your films or images don’t feel quite right, switching to black and white might reveal where tonal regions fall flat in your mise-en-scène.

Notable black-and-white films

Looking for inspiration? Here are various black-and-white films to study, from Hollywood classics to indie legends. These works offer a range of lighting styles and cinematography worth exploring.

• A Trip to the Moon (1902), Directed by Georges Méliès
• Psycho (1960), Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
• Night of the Living Dead (1968), Directed by George A. Romero
• Some Like It Hot (1959), Directed by Billy Wilder
• Casablanca (1942), Directed by Michael Curtiz
• All Quiet on the Western Front (1930) - Directed by Lewis Milestone
• Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964), Directed by Stanley Kubrick
• On the Waterfront (1954), Directed by Elia Kazan
• Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), Directed by Michael Curtiz
• Citizen Kane (1941), Directed by Orson Welles
• The Dam Busters (1955), Directed by Michael Anderson
• The Big Sleep (1946), Directed by Howard Hawks

Modern films that have successfully utilized black-and-white cinematography

It’s fair to say that modern cinema-goers often associate black and white with evoking a bygone era. So, you can understand why filmmakers might lean toward black and white to evoke that feeling. But, sometimes, it's used for narrative purposes as well.

A prime example is “Oppenheimer” (2023), where black-and-white scenes represent objectivity (key moments grounded in historical fact). In contrast, color sequences show Oppenheimer’s personal perspective, drawing us into his inner turmoil.

Below is a great video from cinematography legend Hoyte van Hoytema, breaking down his process on filming the black and white scenes in Oppenheimer.

Christopher Nolan also creatively used black-and-white in “Memento” to distinguish different timelines, ensuring viewers could follow the film’s multi-layered narrative. This shows that black-and-white can serve as a powerful narrative tool, not just a historical reference.

And as mentioned earlier, “Dune 2” put black and white to great use for the planet of Giedi Prime.

Image via Warner Bros

In speaking to Inverse magazine, director Denis Villeneuve and cinematographer Greig Fraser said: 

“The idea that the sunlight, instead of revealing colors, will kill colors; that their own world will be seen in a daylight as a bleak black-and-white world, will tell us a lot about their psychology,” Villeneuve says. “And Greig Fraser had the brilliant idea to bring the black and white to infrared, which is a black-and-white that is more eerie and unique, and it gives almost like an old footage from World War II feeling.”

The moment you can start using visual tools for narrative purposes rather than simply because they look nice in black and white is when you start elevating your craft. 

Black-and-white re-releases 

What do “Mad Max: Fury Road”, “Parasite”, “Mother”, “The Mist”, “Godzilla Minus 1”, “Logan”, “Zack Snyder's Justice League”, and “Nightmare Alley” all have in common? They were all filmed, produced, and initially released in color but later received a special black-and-white edition through a limited theatrical release or as a streaming option. And the results of these have been…mixed. 

Some viewers embrace these new black-and-white re-releases, while others feel they’re just a gimmick for extra ticket or DVD sales. This sentiment often stems from everything we’ve discussed; true black-and-white filmmaking requires a different approach than altering the color settings later. The lighting, intensity, composition, framing without the reliance on color, and costumes harmonizing with the set design all play crucial roles in black-and-white. 

It's important to note that these films aren’t simply run through post-production with the saturation turned to zero. For example, a comparison video of Mad Max: Fury Road shows the original film, a version with zero saturation, and the professionally graded Mad Max: Fury Road Chrome Edition, highlighting the differences between a basic desaturation and a fully regraded monochrome aesthetic.

On the other hand, a video essay on Parasite (2019’s Oscar winner) explores how, while certain scenes translate well into black and white, other parts ultimately lose impact in monochrome. This illustrates that a true black-and-white adaptation involves more than just removing color—it’s a detailed, intentional process that doesn’t always work for every film.

When filmmakers re-release a color film in black and white, claiming it was always intended this way, it can sometimes feel disingenuous to audiences. In contrast, take Mank, David Fincher’s black-and-white film for Netflix. Fincher collaborated with RED to develop a custom monochrome camera, capturing only black-and-white imagery.  

Challenges of filming in black-and-white 

Audience interest 

One of the challenges of black-and-white films is the lack of audience interest. Black-and-white often carries a stigma, much like classical music, some viewers see it as old or outdated and prefer modern color films. While black and white can be evocative and artistic, it can also alienate viewers. So, it’s worth asking: is black and white truly the best choice for your film? If you’re trying to build your reputation, consider whether it might turn away viewers who could help boost your reach.

Lack of happy accidents 

Black-and-white cinematography demands careful planning to ensure that tonal ranges and shadows bring your shot to life. Unlike shooting in color, you’re less likely to encounter happy accidents. For instance, during golden hour, color can add warmth and beauty to a scene almost effortlessly. In black and white, however, you don’t have vibrant hues to enhance the mood. Instead, every element depends on framing, acting, blocking, and direction.

Must have post-production skills

Creating black-and-white content isn’t as simple as lowering the saturation slider in your color grading software. One common mistake is assuming that desaturating an image will achieve the same effect as a true black-and-white film.

Lowering saturation essentially removes color, but this doesn’t replicate the way black-and-white film captures light and luminance. Desaturated images often appear as a range of gray tones, lacking the high contrast and clear luminance range seen in true black-and-white films, which emphasize deep shadows and bright highlights.

As seen in the example video with the “Mad Max: Fury Road” chrome edition, a lot of work went into ensuring that the black and white version was visually appealing. 

Adding black-and-white in the WeVideo editor

With all this information at your fingertips, creating black-and-white content or a narrative short film in the WeVideo Editor is simpler than ever. Once your timeline is ready, select a video clip, hover over the Filters button, and choose "Mono."

You’ll find a range of black-and-white filters, each with varying strengths and specific preferences for color channels. Take some time to experiment and find the one that best enhances your clip and aligns with the aesthetic you’re aiming for.

We recommend adding a film overlay to heighten the timeless black-and-white look further. First, press Add Track, select Video, then go to Extras and apply one of the film overlays to this new track. Subtlety is essential here, so select the video grain overlay, then press Edit (or hit E on the keyboard) to bring up the editing options. Lower the opacity to around 8-10% for a subtle, cinematic texture that enhances your footage without overwhelming it.

Conclusion 

So, what is black-and-white filmmaking? It’s more than just removing color; it’s an entirely different visual language. It’s a language of light, shadow, and texture. Whether you’re using it to evoke a timeless aesthetic or to enhance a narrative sequence, the unique challenges of black-and-white filmmaking will undoubtedly make you a better filmmaker. As you explore this classic medium, remember that every choice is meaningful.