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The interactive Netflix film Black Mirror: Bandersnatch has many points where the user has to choose the path the story will take.

Some of these choices make little difference to the overall path but still require different versions of the following scene to be shot. Others create extra complexity in the future by modifying future choices. Some seem to allow a very large number of viewer choices (one scene involves choosing a multi-digit (5 or 6 digits?) phone number which implies a very large number of choices and scenes to be shot.)

The combinations seem to create a large space of possible events with many possible outcomes. This implies a large number of scenes needed to be shot even if we ignore the choices where little is changed by the choice.

So, how much footage is there? How many possible paths exist? Will we ever find them all?

Napoleon Wilson
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matt_black
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    Downvotes are fine, but it is always helpful to know why. And for those voting to close because it is "opinion based", how so? This is quite like asking about the alternative versions of, say, Blade Runner: it isn't about opinion, it is about concrete material that exists and can be discovered. – matt_black Jan 03 '19 at 15:26
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    I absolutely don't see why this gets downvoted and even less how it could remotely be seen as "primarily opinion-based". The amount of footage shot and number of possible paths is a straight fact, no matter if people uninvolved in the production will have a hard time finding out. The nature of this question isn't in any way different from the ones asking what ending is "canon" or how to achieve the "best" ending (which if anything seems more opinion-based than this one). I feel like I'm really missing something here, so maybe the close-voters could enlighten me what's wrong with it. – Napoleon Wilson Jan 03 '19 at 15:26
  • This already has a flowchart at https://movies.stackexchange.com/questions/95986/how-do-i-get-a-happy-ending-in-bandersnatch – Jason P Sallinger Jan 03 '19 at 16:37
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    @JasonPSallinger Yes there is. But it is clearly incomplete; it doesn't represent the complex way past choices influence future options and their content; and doesn't tell us anything about the total amount of content available. – matt_black Jan 03 '19 at 16:42
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    There are several flowcharts already published - this terrible british sensationalist ;) newspaper, the Daily Mail links to several – Tetsujin Jan 03 '19 at 16:42
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    @Tetsujin And having been through the programme with the best of those flowcharts, I know even it is far from being complete. – matt_black Jan 03 '19 at 16:44
  • @matt_black - I don't have a device to watch it on, so I guess I'll never know. As a huge Black Mirror fan since s01e01 call me 'miffed'. – Tetsujin Jan 03 '19 at 16:54
  • Possible duplicate of How do I get a happy ending in Bandersnatch? – Canadian Luke Jan 03 '19 at 21:32
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    @CanadianLuke I don't see how. It's related, though. – Napoleon Wilson Jan 04 '19 at 12:13

2 Answers2

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"So, how much footage is there? How many possible paths exist? Will we ever find them all?"

"I don’t know how many endings there actually are — I think I’ve forgotten,” Brooker, the creator and writer of the Emmy-winning series, tells The Hollywood Reporter. When his producing partner, Annabel Jones, suggests to THR there are five “definitive” ends, Brooker interrupts: “No. There are more than that.”...

Even Netflix says that while there are five “main” endings, there are multiple variants on each that they are daring viewers to uncover. And Brooker and Jones are clear as to not “prescribe” one ending over the others, especially because they couldn’t agree on what exactly defines one.

This seems exceedingly hard to determine since everyone who worked on the project doesn't seem to agree or even know! Creator & writer Charles Brooker and Netflix claim there are about 5 definite endings, but producer Russell McLean says there are 10-12 endings, because some are less definite. Director David Slade mentions that we may never see every ending, because there are "golden eggs" that seemingly have yet to be "unlocked"

If you ask producer Russell McLean, there are 10 to 12 endings because some are less definitive. And director David Slade says there are even “golden eggs” that are so difficult to reach, they may never be unlocked. “There are scenes that some people just will never see and we had to make sure that we were OK with that. We actually shot a scene that we can’t access,” Slade said when the team introduced the episode to a group of reporters, including THR's, at Netflix’s headquarters in Los Gatos, California.

But in terms of actual footage shot, there is seemingly 150 minutes of "unique footage" divided into 250 segments. Some stories are as short as 40 minutes, while the average run time is 90 minutes, however at least one story goes for 2 and half hours!

Bandersantch is presented as an interactive film. A brief tutorial, specific to the device being streamed on, explains to the viewer how to make choices. They have ten seconds to make choices, or a default decision is made. Once a playthrough ends, the viewer is given an option of going back and making a different choice. The average viewing is 90 minutes, though the quickest path ends after 40 minutes, and at least one path results in a 2.5-hour viewing experience. There are 150 minutes of unique footage divided into 250 segments. IGN reports that according to Netflix, there are five "main" endings, with variants within each ending; such endings may be intercut with credits, similar to other Black Mirror episodes. Producer Russell McLean said there are between ten and twelve endings, some of which are more vague as endings compared to others, and according to director David Slade, there are a few "golden eggs" endings that may take a long time before viewers figure out how to achieve them. No ending is considered "prescribed" over any other, according to executive producers Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones, particularly as they felt some endings were not truly endings in the traditional sense.

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Darth Locke
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The makers decline to offer specifics:

If you ask producer Russell McLean, there are 10 to 12 endings because some are less definitive. And director David Slade says there are even “golden eggs” that are so difficult to reach, they may never be unlocked. “There are scenes that some people just will never see and we had to make sure that we were OK with that. We actually shot a scene that we can’t access,” Slade said when the team introduced the episode to a group of reporters, including THR's, at Netflix’s headquarters in Los Gatos, California.

Even Netflix says that while there are five “main” endings, there are multiple variants on each that they are daring viewers to uncover. And Brooker and Jones are clear as to not “prescribe” one ending over the others, especially because they couldn’t agree on what exactly defines one.

“There were quite heated debates about what constitutes an 'ending,'” says Brooker. “There’s a school of thought that says any time it stops and you go back, that’s an ending. In Bandersnatch, there are endings that are really abrupt that are still endings, in my mind.”

Besides, Jones points out: “In a world of parallel realities, maybe there is no ending?”

iO9 adds:

While this might be frustrating, it doesn’t seem surprising. The episode reportedly has about five hours of prepared footage. I played through the entire thing, including all of these endings, to the best of my ability and capped out around four hours. There are several places where other Easter eggs could come into the picture, like with Stefan’s dad’s locked box, or the phone number used to call the therapist. Plus, some fan sleuths have pointed out behind the scenes footage that could point to other scenes we haven’t even seen yet.

And for anyone looking to have all the answers handed to them at some point, I’ve got some bad news: Showrunner Charlie Brooker confirmed to THR that they will not be releasing a linear version of Black Mirror: Bandersnatch. What we see now is all we’re going to get.

BCdotWEB
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