The upcoming feature film Mank directed by David Fincher is being shot by RED specially made black and white camera — The RED Monstro Monochrome (Monstrochrome). 

The Monstrochrome: A mysterious black and white RED camera

This unique RED camera was announced back in September 2018. Till now, we haven’t heard about it and even haven’t seen any sample footage. RED has released nothing regarding the Monstrochrome. BTW, feel free to correct me on this, as we’d love to explore some sample shots from this black and white beast. Anyway, it seems that Fincher has taken up the gauntlet and shooting a new black and white feature film called Mank entirely with this camera.

Mank is an American biographical film about screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz and his battles with director Orson Welles over screenplay credit for Citizen Kane (1941). The shooting of Mank began in November 2019, and Netflix will distribute it. The film will be screened in black and white, and thus where the Monstrochrome comes in.

8K large format black and white camera

The Monstrochrome captures black and white imagery with more precise resolution and enhanced light sensitivity. According to RED, the sensitivity doubles compared to the normal Monstro. That is the same sensor as in the Monstro 8K but without the color filter (Bayer Pattern). This design allows the sensor to be exposed to more light and thus perform better in low light environments. Furthermore, lacking the Bayer Pattern allows the privilege of getting the raw resolution of the pixel array. Thus capturing monochrome natively is better than shooting in color and then eliminating the saturation in post. What you will get is a real, pure, stunning, accurate black, and white artistic image.

Capturing monochrome natively is better than shooting in color and then eliminating the saturation in post. What you will get is a real, pure, stunning, accurate black, and white artistic image

By the way, according to IMDB’s Tech Spec, the glass being used with the Monstrochrome is Leica Summilux-C.

Wrapping up

There is something powerful about black and white. We all remember Schindler’s List and the tremendous impact derived from the black and white imagery. RED knows that. Although it’s not the first time RED designs dedicated cameras to shoot black and white, this is the first time this technology trick is being used in a feature film. However, in the era of color grading as a significant process in filmmaking, creating a black and white feature is a step that demands a lot of creative courage and out of the box thinking. Nevertheless, I’m pretty sure it will be executed well by Fincher. I can’t wait to see the final result. Mank is in the production stage, so I believe it’ll take some time until we see some Monstrochrome footage, unless RED will release some.