The 'Biggest Anxiety' That Loomed Over Mad Max: Fury Road's Set Every Single Day
04 -03-2024
The film "Mad Max Fury Road" was a true miracle. George Miller's magnum operandi defies logic and studio cowardice. It delivers an explosion of action and chaos in a wasteland post-apocalyptic. In spite of years of financial and natural setbacks the film was made and is now considered one of the greatest studio blockbusters ever. It also won a number of Oscars.
The action scenes of "Fury Road", including the one where someone drove a War Rig, were shot in real life and they looked great. It's not a new thing for this franchise. In "Mad Max 2", a stuntman broke a leg in the film.
George Miller stated in an article for "Blood, Sweat & Chrome" that the greatest concern during the production of the film was safety. "I was wondering: What can we do to not kill anyone today?" The director replied.
Scotty Gregory who was involved in the stunt work for this film said, "It seems that someone is always at risk."
Miller did not aim for risk and danger, but that isn't to say he was. The opposite is true. In the past, "Happy Feet's" Oscar-winning Director talked about how he rejected some concept works because they "just defied physics or couldn't figure out exactly how to get from today through all of the apocalyptic happenings into a future world fifty years in advance."
George Miller did not want any one to risk their lives on Mad Max Fury Road
Iain Smith, the producer, said that Miller was very cautious when it came to stunts. This is in part because he lost his partner Byron Kennedy to a helicopter crash. Smith stated that Miller was "very, very strict" with his crew about not taking risks. He also said that everything must be carefully planned and that if anything was not right, everyone should raise their hands and shout. Production would then stop immediately. This saved some dangerous situations.
Accidents still occur. A stuntwoman who was working on the "Furiosa", a prequel to the film, suffered a severe head injury that required lifesaving surgery. The fans jumped on the opportunity to assist and raised money for her treatment. They were able to pay for both the rehabilitation and the medical care.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recently announced that it will be adding a new Oscar category -- the best casting. It is unfortunate that the Oscars do not recognize the importance of stuntwork. The film would certainly have won the Oscar if that category was present when the movie "Fury Road", which opened in cinemas in 2013, had it been available.