M.A.D

I felt the script of 'M.A.D' highlighted the futility of nuclear arms, and the danger of an autocratic and overbearing superior power being in control of those weapons. This is a theme that I consider relevant to the past, present, and future. Consequently, despite directly referencing a real-world past event, I wanted to create a liminal visual space that appeared both inside and outside of the script’s temporal setting. In attempting to achieve this I experimented with different ‘looks’, before settling on a part homage to Fritz Lang’s M (filmed itself only slightly prior to the despotic Nazi regime), filming in a ‘Movietone’ 1.19:1 aspect ratio and converting to black and white. These choices serve a dual purpose of engaging with pastiche aesthetics of postmodernist film, destabilising the film’s direct references to reality, whilst simultaneously serving their own narrative purpose; the square aspect ratio reflects the claustrophobia of the locus and the feeling of being helpless as an individual under state rule, and a desaturated colour palette creates a feeling ‘out of time’. A synth-feel soundtrack, however, references the 1980s historical period, whilst self-reflexive title cards have a modern feel, signifying modern works of popular culture. The film’s aesthetic intent is to simultaneously reject and embrace a master narrative of history, subsequently creating contradiction and instability, which in turn highlights its subject matter.