Half-Assed Internet Research
Pre-production began as early as 1997 and 2001 and 2003 shoots were delayed by September 11th and the Iraq War; Miller briefly considered a computer-animated version in 2007; iOTA's guitar weighed 132 pounds and shot real flames; the film was shot in sequence; a 120-day shoot in Namibia and Western Sydney wrapped 17 December 2012; Miller demanded colourful cinematography and beautiful art direction; John Seale came out of retirement; Eve Ensler consulted on the female characters
In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 00:40:42Read transcript
- Fury Road sat in development hell with pre-production as early as 1997; attempts to shoot in 2001 and 2003 were delayed by the September 11th attacks and the Iraq War; Miller returned to it in 2007 after Happy Feet, briefly considered a computer-animated film, then went live action, which everyone agrees was the right choice; his filmography of Happy Feet, Babe, Babe Pig in the City and Lorenzo's Oil is called incredible, one of the most fascinating in movies.
- iOTA, the Australian artist whose real name is given as Sean Hape, told Vice the guitar weighed 132 pounds and shot real gas-powered flames controlled by the whammy bar, which the hosts half doubt was verified; the movie was shot in sequence, from page one straight through, surprising given the complexity, and Charlize appears 15 or 20 minutes in after Max is captured and escapes.
- Principal photography began on 26 June in Namibia, with work at Potts Hill and Penrith Lakes in Western Sydney; in October 2012 The Hollywood Reporter reported that Warner Brothers sent an executive to keep the production on track, and filming wrapped on 17 December 2012 after 120 days, a long shoot.
- Miller's two stipulations were cinematography as colourful as possible to set the film apart from desaturated post-apocalyptic movies, after producers talked him out of an initial black-and-white concept, and art direction as beautiful as possible; the hosts doubt the second was achieved, calling it not a beautiful movie nor one rich in interior design, with only the 'Rose of Cabbage' (as transcribed) and the stilt-walkers at the now-defunct Green Place standing out.
- The untreated YouTube clips of the car sequences show overcast days, off-white skies and light-brown rocks in shabby deserts, with the computer grade supplying the contrast; John Seale, who shot many of Miller's films plus The English Patient and The Talented Mr. Ripley, came out of retirement in his 70s at Miller's behest; and Eve Ensler, creator of The Vagina Monologues, was consulted to enhance the portrayal of the female characters.