Sequential Imagery: Mad Max Fury Road and Point of Focus Directing

Mad Max Fury Road is a unique specimen in the realm of action movies. Built from the ground up from concept art and storyboards from renowned 2000AD artist Brendan Mccarthy, the film is very visually driven and arguably (and in my opinion) a masterpiece in the realm of visual storytelling. Director George Miller has stated in interviews that he set out to create a film where 'people wouldn't have to read the subtitles in Japan'.

Part of what makes the film so easy to follow compared to other action films is the way it directs the viewer. Every camera angle, camera movement and compositional decision made on the part of director George Miller is made with the purpose of directing the viewer's line of vision to the action on screen. The point of focus in a scene, 90% of the time is the centre of frame during the action scenes in Fury Road. This means the viewer doesn't have to adjust their focus on the frame, making for a more coherent scene. For example, in the scene where Max confronts Furiosa, the camera remains centred on the punches that are thrown and the points of movement on screen. This allows for the editor to make lots of different cuts to different camera angles to suit the pace/ flow of the scene without losing the attention of the viewer. This technique is a welcome change from the usual way Hollywood directors approach these close quarters skirmishes between characters, without the close up shaky cam that usually burdens the viewers experience with it's incoherency.

This point of focus directing is not only limited to static scenes however. Much of the film takes place on the move in extended car chases with hundreds of cars moving across the Namibian desert in pursuit of Furiosa's war rig, so to keep the action chase sequences coherent Miller incorporates this point of focus directing. For example, cuts between shots of vehicles moving almost always follow a single movement across the screen. This means a movement in one shot carries over to the next in subtle ways in a way that is coherent to the viewer. The point of focus in one shot is often the focal point for a movement in the following shot. An example of this would be when Max shoots out the window at a motorcyclist mid jump. The point of focus in the first shot is the end of Max's gun while the focal point of the following shot, where the motorcycle is in mid air above the war rig, is the starting point for the next motion, linking the two cuts together while creating a straightforward motion that is coherent to the viewer.