Mad Max: Fury Road has completed principal photography after a six-month shoot in Namibia and South Africa.
It is the fourth film in the Mad Max series, which originally made Mel Gibson a star, and will attempt to revive the apocalyptic franchise after almost 30 years. Fury Road follows Mad Max (Tom Hardy), who is caught up with a group of people fleeing across the Wasteland in a war rig driven by Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron), according to a report by South Africa’s National Film & Video Foundation.
The film has had a long gestation and hit several stumbling blocks on its way to production. It was officially revived in October 2009 when director George Miller announced that pre-production was underway in New South Wales before the location was unexpectedly shifted to Namibia.
The production also suffered budget overruns and schedule delays, according The Hollywood Reporter, prompting producer Denise di Novi to supervise on-set. Prior to that, Warner Bros studio head Jeff Robinov had flown to the set to evaluate its progress.
The film was shot by John Seale ACS ASC (and David Burr ACS on second unit) using six ALEXA PLUS cameras and four ALEXA M cameras, as well as Canon 5Ds and Olympus OM-D E-M5s, according to the Australian Cinematographers Society (ACS), which initially reported the end of principal photography. (Initial plans to shoot in 3D were scrapped and the film is expected to be converted to 3D in the post-production process.)
Seale and Burr were supported by A camera focus-puller Ricky Schamburg and second AC/coordinator Michelle Pizanis, and a substantial international camera department that numbered 37, according to the ACS.
The bulk of the film was shot in the Namibian desert although production moved to the Cape Town Film Studios towards the end of the shoot. On November 30, the British Consul General in Cape Town, Chris Trott, posted a photo of himself at the studios with Tom Hardy.
It is understood that Deluxe Australia and its subsidiaries will now complete the bulk of the film’s substantial post-production and visual effects work.
Contact this reporter at bswift@www.if.com.au or on Twitter at @bcswift.