Summary

Furiosa
features a standout sequence in which the War Rig is assaulted by flying enemies.
This sequence was partially planned using a tool called Proxy, which allowed George Miller and action designer Guy Norris to plan action beats out before filming them for real.
The Stowaway sequence was largely accomplished using real stunts and practical effects, and is reminiscent of action sequences from
Mad Max: Fury Road.

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga director George Miller and action designer Guy Norris break down the practical methods used to film one of the movie’s biggest set pieces. Serving as a prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road, the latest installment in Miller’s popular apocalyptic franchise serves as an origin story for the character of Furiosa, who is played this time by Anya Taylor-Joy. Like it’s predecessor, Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga has earned glowing reviews and features a handful of jaw-dropping action sequences, including one in which Furiosa helps fend off an assault on the War Rig.

In a recent interview with Men’s Health, Miller and Norris explain how Furiosa’s “Stowaway” action sequence with the War Rig came together and why it’s important for Taylor-Joy’s character. The sequence was designed with a tool called Proxy, which allowed Miller and Norris to plan things digitally before then filming them in camera. Norris’ son, Harlan, was a key stunt performer involved in bringing the whole thing to life, especially the scenes involving sand skiing and parachutes. Check out comments from Miller and both Norris family members below:

George Miller: “Basically, it’s a crash course in being a road warrior. She has to learn on the run. She has no time to think — she’s got to improvise her way through it, and we see what she’s made of.
“These are films where we don’t defy the laws of physics. There are no flying humans or flying vehicles. The physics of bodies, and vehicles, is much more convincing when we render it realistically.
“There’s no question — the biggest anxiety I have on a movie is everybody’s safety. When you’re doing an action movie, particularly on a remote location with lots of people, when there are big stunts most days, it’s ‘preparation, preparation, preparation.’ And then making sure you’re several degrees removed from catastrophic error.”
Guy Norris: “[Proxy] was like a digital sandbox. We could bring in all of the vehicles, cars, and people, and we could design all the action live, in real time, inside this digital 3D world.
“When it was time to fly, they would pop him off the bike, he’d be skiing, and when he went up in the air and pulled his chute, that was all in-camera. Then, they would be able to pick him up in the air and take him over to the tanker. It was all a big choreographed sequence.”
Harlan Norris: “My performance was only a small cog to the workings of successfully executing the stunt. All credit goes to the talented stunt rigging department, and Tik-Tok [a polecat operated by six riggers] driver and operators who are responsible for my safety, and the stunt taking flight. Any marginal error would cause a ripple effect throughout the working elements, causing the action to fall apart.”

Furiosa’s Stowaway Sequence Was Its Most Fury Road Set Piece
The War Rig Plays A Crucial Role In The Film

Warning! Minor spoilers ahead for Furiosa.

Mad Max: Fury Road is widely regarded as one of the best action movies of the last few decades, and the film essentially plays out like one long car chase. The War Rig is really the central vehicle throughout the story, and it’s what Furiosa uses to smuggle Immortan Joe’s wives out of the Citadel. Throughout the film, the War Rig is besieged not just by Immortan Joe’s forces, but also by bandits of the Wasteland. The War Rig becomes this massive rolling fortress that both Charlize Theron’s Furiosa and Tom Hardy’s Max must protect at all costs.

Mad Max: Fury Road
is currently available to stream on Max.

Fury Road and Furiosa feature a number of storytelling differences, with the latter being more of an odyssey instead of a chase film, but the War Rig does ultimately become a crucial vehicle in the prequel. As Miller alludes to, the first major War Rig sequence is where audiences really get to see Furiosa in action for the first time. She proves herself a capable warrior as she scrambles in, over, under, and around the formidable rig defending it.

This sequence doesn’t just evoke memories of Fury Road because of its focus on the War Rig or its impressive propulsiveness and practical effects, but it’s also where Furiosa bonds with Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke). Jack is undeniably a Max-like figure, and the bonding between these two characters mirrors the respect that Furiosa and Max develop for one another in Fury Road under similar circumstances. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga is packed with impressive action, but the Stowaway sequence remains a particular highlight.

Source: Men’s Health

Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga A prequel to Mad Max: Fury Road, Furiosa is an action-adventure film that tells the origin story of the headstrong and fearless Furiosa. Set shortly after the beginning of the “end of the world,” Furiosa is kidnapped and brought before a powerful warlord, now forced to work for him. To find her way back home, Furiosa will adapt to the new harsh and arid world as she grows into the Furiosa she becomes known to be. Director George Miller Release Date May 24, 2024 Studio(s) Warner Bros. Pictures Distributor(s) Warner Bros. Pictures Writers George Miller , Nick Lathouris Runtime 148 minutes Budget 168 million Expand