Mis-en-scene Everything in a frame tells the story. Mad Max Fury Road is a post apocalyptic story about one basic instinct, survival. Most sequences on the film are reflected in either red or blue. Although the red and blue mirror the harsh elements, red sand and blue skies of the barren desert in which the film takes place, they also represent the key elements of the movie: fire, blood and water.
Mad Max Fury Road Cinematographer or Director or photography- John Seale
Trailer:
I have chosen to discuss the role of the Cinematography or the director of photography (DoP)- John Seale in the following sequence;
Red Sequence:
Red Scenes:
The red symbolizes fire and blood. Red scenes are usually fast and violent, incorporating either by fighting, fire or the storm. There is so much that goes into the role for the director of photography (DoP). In this case, filming is done almost always while in moving vehicles with dust and smoke rolling in almost every direction! One sequence in this film took 138 days to film! Multiple cameras were mounted on moving cars, gliding down wire cables. Cameras filmed racing cars, balancing sets with background, suspended actors, actors shooting fire and smoke, motorcycles jumping over moving trucks, actors climbing, fighting and hanging off of moving vehicles. The director of photography job includes controlling natural lighting. The DoP must make sure the scenes are balanced, taking into consideration foreground and background, and that lighting is perfect, and that the scenes have proper contrast. Many scenes in this movie are visually harmonious. John Seale shot scenes in similar coloring: red, blue, and beige. Lighting and color were adjustments and amplified with filters or computers to reflect the mood of the scene. Computer animation added effects to scenes to include the storm, lightening, explosions, flying bodies, and cars. The DoP is responsible for balancing and organizing all of these factors to give the film a unique visual identity, or look.
Blue Scenes:
Other beautiful, balanced and harmonious shots:
If you want to watch more behind the scenes making of Mad Max Fury Road;
I think this was one of the most bazaar yet fascinating films ever made. The director, and everyone included, did a phenomenal job with production design. The fact that there was so much open space/nature during most of the scenes really created opportunities for them to get the bazaar message across. Because the story line was so interesting, it made the surroundings that much cooler.
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