Furiosa A Mad Max Saga is a mega-budget project directed by George Miller (79) and shot for the IMAX by cinematographer Simon Duggan ASC, ACS on a combination of ARRI ALEXA 65, RED V-Raptor, and Komodo.
Furiosa A Mad Max Saga
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (or simply Furiosa) is a 2024 Australian post-apocalyptic action film directed and produced by George Miller (79) and shot by cinematographer Simon Duggan ASC, ACS. It is the fifth installment in the Mad Max franchise, serving as a prequel and spin-off to Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), and focuses on the Fury Road character Imperator Furiosa. The film stars Anya Taylor-Joy and Alyla Browne as younger versions of Furiosa (originally portrayed by Charlize Theron), alongside Chris Hemsworth and Tom Burke. Set 15 to 20 years before the events of Fury Road, in a desert wasteland where warlords fight over the last remaining sources of water, food, weapons, and gasoline, Furiosa traces the young title character’s life from her kidnapping by the forces of warlord Dementus (Hemsworth) to her revenge on the warlord for the loss of her mother. For over a decade, she struggles to survive as a slave and, eventually, a trusted lieutenant of the Citadel’s cult leader, Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme), and his military commander Praetorian Jack (Burke). Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga premiered at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on 15 May 2024. It was released in theatres in Australia by Warner Bros. on 23 May 2024 and in the United States the following day. Check out the #1 trailer below:
The most expensive film in Australian history
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Furiosa was the most expensive film in Australian history, with a budget of AU$333.2 million. Over 3,000 people worked on the film, including ex-convicts hired as supporting artists. The film was awarded an AU$175 million filming incentive from the New South Wales government and various “offsets from the federal government”. Principal photography began on 1 June 2022. The action sequence where the raiders attacked the War Rig took 78 days to shoot; nearly 200 stunt performers worked on it daily.
Filmed for IMAX on certified cameras
Furiosa was shot on an interesting combination of ARRI ALEXA 65 as the main camera, with some scenes shot on RED V-Raptor and Komodo. After watching numerous BTS videos, we haven’t found those RED cameras on set. Nevertheless, we’re pretty sure they were utilized during these high-octane insane action shots as B and C cams. It’s interesting to note the shift Miller made from film cameras to shooting on pure digital certified IMAX cameras. Miller, 79, said that it’s a joy to continue directing, as new technologies allow him to achieve impossible things even while shooting Fury Road, let alone his debut feature, the first Mad Max (1979). “I’m so grateful that at my age we’re still making movies because the toolset has just changed so radically from when we started with classic celluloid. The cameras are much more agile. The digital age just transformed cinema. And we can do things that we could never have dreamed of back then” he added. We watched the movie in an IMAX theater, and we think this is not only the best way to watch it, but the only way to watch it. Hence for Furiosa, GO IMAX OR GO HOME!
