MIs-En-Scene: DP - Mad Max: Fury Road

The first chase scene from Mad Max: Fury Road is only 3 minutes in length but contains nearly 90 different shot changes made up of around 15 different shots divided up and put together in post. Mad Max was filmed with up to six cameras at a time rolling on the same scene. What is unique about this film is that it was not laid out in a screenplay but was set up with over 3,500 storyboards. While a lot of action was done in post as well as adding in more vehicles, many of the stunts were done on camera on location. It is difficult on screen to tell which shots were shot while moving and which shots were edited in post to add in the moving effect but in this case of the scene nearly every shot was filmed while moving using a moving crane attached to a vehicle that was matching the speed of the vehicles used in the shot, this allowed for panning and close ups while they continued to drive through the desert.

Shot 1: Ext. Mid- Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Wide
Shot 2: Ext. High- Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Close Up to Normal - Follow Pan
Shot 3: Ext. Low- Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Normal - Pull Out
Shot 4: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Normal - Pan Up to Subject
Shot 5: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Wide - Follow Pan - Pull out to Wide
Shot 6: Ext. Mid- Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Wide to Close Up
Shot 7: Ext. Mid- Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Close Up
Shot 8: Ext. Mid- Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Close Up
Shot 9: Ext. Mid- Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Close Up
Shot 10: Ext. Mid- Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Close Up (Pull tighter in Post)
Shot 11: Ext. Mid- Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Close Up
Shot 12: Int. Hood/Dash Mount Cam - Close Up
Shot 13: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Mid-Close
Shot 14: Int. Hood/Dash Mount Cam - Close Up
Shot 15: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Close Up
Shot 16: Int. Hood/Dash Mount Cam - Close Up
Shot 17: Int. Handheld Camera - Close Up on HAND
Shot 18: Int. Hood/Dash Mount Cam - Close Up
Shot 19: Int. Handheld Camera - Close Up on FOOT
Shot 20. Ext. Low - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Normal
Shot 21: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Close Up
Shot 22: Int. Hood/Dash Mount Cam - Close Up
Shot 23: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Close Up
Shot 24: Int. Hood/Dash Mount Cam - Close Up
Shot 25: Ext. High - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Wide
Shot 26: Int. Hood/Dash Mount Cam - Close Up
Shot 27: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Close Up
Shot 28: Ext. High - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Wide pan to Normal move through
Shot 29: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Close Up
Shot 30: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Normal Pull back
Shot 31: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Semi-Close Pan Up
Shot 32: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Normal to Close (Zoom in Post)
Shot 33: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Close Up
Shot 34: Ext. Low-Mid  - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Cue Pyrotechnics
Shot 35: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Close Up
Shot 36: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Close Up
Shot 37: Int. Dashboard Cam Looking Out - Focus on BOBBLEHEAD
Shot 38: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Close Up

Shot 39: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Close Up

Shot 40: Int. Handheld Cam - Looking out windshield and then window.

Shot 41: Ext. High - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Normal

Shot 42: Ext. Underneath - Handheld - Semi-Close

Shot 43: Ext. High - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Normal with slight Zoom in

Shot 44: Ext. Normal - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Normal small pan forward

Shot 45: Ext. High - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Close Up on foreground subject and focus on background as well.

Shot 46: Ext. Low-Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Normal

Shot 47: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Close Up

Shot 48: Ext. Low - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Normal

Shot 49: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Normal (Slow Pan fast action movement)

Shot 50: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Close Up

Shot 51: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Normal (Subject moves into camera)

Shot 52: Ext. Low - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Normal

Shot 53: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Close Up

Shot 54: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Close Up

Shot 55: Ext. Low - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Normal pan with debris

Shot 56: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Close Up

Shot 57: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Close Up

Shot 58: Ext. (Still Shot) Low - Camera on Ground - Normal

Shot 59: Ext. High - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Close to Subject focus on background as well

Shot 60: Ext. High - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Normal

Shot 61: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount(Possible Still shot) - Mid-Close

Shot 62: Ext. High - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Close to Subject focus on background as well

Shot 63: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Close Up

Shot 64: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Close Up

Shot 65: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Mid- Close (Possible Still shot)

Shot 66: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Close Up

Shot 67: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Mid-Close (Possible still shot)

Shot 68: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Mid-Close

Shot 69: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Close Up (Effects done in Post)

Shot 70: Ext. Mid-Low - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Mid-Close

Shot 71: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Close Up (Effects done in Post)

Shot 72: Ext. Low - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Mid-Close

Shot 73: Ext. High - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Normal

Shot 74: Ext. Low - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Mid- Close

Shot 75: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Close Up Pan

Shot 76: Ext. Low - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Mid- Close

Shot 77: Ext. Mid-Low - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Wide

Shot 78: Ext. High - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Normal

Shot 79: Ext. Mid-Low - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Wide

Shot 80: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Close Up(Effects in Post)

Shot 81: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Close Up(Effects in Post)

Shot 82: Int. Handheld - Close Up

Shot 83: Ext. Low - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Mid-Close

Shot 84: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Mid-Close

Shot 85: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Close Up(Background in Post)

Shot 86: Ext. Mid - Crane Cam Vehicle Mount - Mid-Close Up Pan/Zoom In

There are many basic principles of design brought into setting up these shots as a DP. A major aspect of design used in these shots is vectors, each vehicle acts as a vector pointing the audience's eyes to the vast emptiness of the horizon. The law of proxemics groups all of the vehicles together to symbolize the unity of the forces until they are broken up by enemy vehicles. From a distance before the action begins you would think that all the vehicles are part of the same group because of the law of proxemics but the law of similarity helps to distinguish between each side of the battle with the vehicles and the costumes of each character. A lot of the contrast of the shot comes from the background foreground relationship of the vehicles and the desert. The saturation of the colors gives the shot the feel of the post-apocolyptic society along with the costume design.