Mad Max : Fury Road – Cinematic Colour Grading Project

The Cinematic Colour Grading Project is a digital art project exploring the fascinating world of cinematic colour palettes. I will discuss how strong colour grading, lighting and environmental effects are used to convey mood in key scenes from iconic movies. These techniques will then be applied to photographs of abandoned buildings, to produce a digital art piece.

Welcome to the second instalment of my Cinematic Colour Grading Project. This digital art project will explore the fascinating world of movie colour palettes. It offers me a chance to talk about some of my favourite movies, as I am a bit of a horror and sci-fi film fanatic! I will be applying these colour schemes to my own photographs, as I explore the world of movie colours.

Without further delay, I will delve into a modern classic, Mad Max : Fury Road.

Other Cinematic Colour Grading entries include : Bladerunner.

About the movie Mad Max : Fury Road

Mad Max : Fury Road is a post-apocalyptic action film. George Miller directed this instalment. The movie premiered in 2015. Interestingly the entire film was planned with a storyboard, rather than a script. This process took two years to complete. Subsequently, filming immediately began.

This movie is the fourth in the Max Max series of films, which were released between 1979 and 1985. The series centres on our rugged “hero” (or, anti-hero) Max Rockatansky. Max is a former police officer, who now wanders the wasteland alone as a drifter.

In the world Mad Max : Fury Road, the world has become a desert wasteland. Certainly, this is a result of a worldwide nuclear war. Now water is a scarce commodity. All traces of former society have collapsed and fractured. Humanity is now feral and tribal, dominated by nomadic tribes and cults. In addition to these marauders, there are small pockets of “civilisation”. Chiefly these are ramshackle and make-shift cities which lay within protected walls.

Significantly one thing has survived unscathed. That is mankind’s addiction to fossil fuels. The more nomadic factions search for gasoline. Stealing and murdering with impunity. Moreover, he who controls the water and gasoline, commands the largest army. The villain of the movie is Immortal Joe, leader of the Wild Boys tribe. Joe enslaves apocalypse survivors, brainwashing them to become crazed zealots. He is therefore back by a horde of loyal minions. In addition to his control of the water/gasoline supply makes him a dangerous adversary.

Recurring visual effects and features of Mad Max : Fury Road

• The digital film has been re-coloured to resemble rich/vibrant 1980s movie palettes.
• Reds and yellows emphasise the harshness of the desert environment.
• Desert skies are blue or blue/pink in colour, and are often vibrant
• Areas of interest are sharpened, and have more grit than the rest of the frame. This draws the focus onto the subject.
• Rapid transition/cutting between scenes. Specifically, this emphasizes the chaotic and “ever-moving” nature of the world.
• Generally, the subject is centre frame. Due to the rapid cutting between scenes, this enables the viewer to remain focused on the main subject(s).

Key reference scenes for the post-apocalyptic wasteland colour palette

• The first scenes of the film, we see Max and his iconic vehicle
• We first see Furiosa driving War Rig, escaping Immortal Joe
• The first major road battle, where Max and Furioisa become allied
• The subject is typically center frame. Due to the rapid cutting between scenes, this enables the viewer to remain focused on the main subject(s).

Photoshop colour grading of an abandoned American Junkyard car

With this in mind, I decided this colour grading would require a prominent vehicle. Something to match Mad Max’s V8 Interceptor. I settled upon a 1970’s Green Mercury Cougar, a photo I took in 2018 in an American junkyard. It even has a “shiny and chrome” hub cap, befitting a popular catchphrase of the movie.

Key features from Mad Max : Fury Road I have attempted to replicate;

• Replicating the colour scheme of Mad Max’s V8 Interceptor; black paint job with rest rust.
• Orange-red desert sands.
• Bold sky, gradient from light pink to a deep aquamarine.
• Sharpened subject, with a gritty texture.

Comparison – from American Junkyard to a post-apocalyptic desert wasteland

Suggest a movie (or video game) for my Cinematic Colour Grading Project

I thoroughly enjoyed this project. In addition, I have many inspirational movie colour palettes I would like to explore.

If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment below or Contact Me. I would love to hear your ideas!