The Use of Mise-en-scène in The Movie Mad Max: Fury Road

Mad Max: Fury Road is a brilliant and well-made movie that, in my opinion, was created in order to grab and secure a viewer’s gaze for the entire length of the motion picture, which is 120 minutes long. The movie was put together in such a way that everything instantly makes sense, and every moment of the movie provides a detail that fits exactly into the story and setting of the film.

Furthermore, Mad Max: Fury Road demonstrates excellent use of mise-en-scène, design, and kinesis, all throughout the movie, which is why it was, and still is, an excellent and well-made movie. First of all, Mad Max: Fury Road uses mise-en-scène to create the look and feel of the movie, and also uses it to create the visuals, sounds, and the overall experience that the viewer feels during the movie (Barsam & Monahan, 2016, p. 164).

Furthermore, mise-en-scène is a French phrase that means “staging or putting on an action or scene” (Barsam & Monahan, 2016, p. 165). There are several shots and scenes within this movie that are visually and acoustically rewarding, which has to do with the mise-en-scène of the movie. One shot that is visually rewarding is when Immortan Joe’s mountain is shown, and water is seen showering down. Immediately after this, there are a couple shots that show the people of The Citadel playing and rejoicing in the water.

In continuation, this scene is a great example of mise-en-scène because these shots show the viewers the look and feel of Mad Max: Fury Road and Immortan Joe’s Citadel. Another example of mise-en-scène that is depicted in the movie is when Immortan Joe’s army is chasing Imperator Furiosa’s war rig and out of nowhere, the viewer begins to hear the pounding of drums and the screeching of a guitar. When this is heard, the viewer can hypothesize that the antagonist, Immortan Joe, is not too far behind, or that something is about to happen in the film, which contributes to the acoustic experience of mise-en-scène. Another component of mise-en-scène that is used in Mad Max: Fury Road is design. The design component of mise-en-scène is described as the “process by which the look of the settings, props, lighting, and actors is determined” (Barsam & Monahan, 2016, p. 173). Mad Max: Fury Road uses several factors of design to create certain settings within the movie.

Furthermore, the directors of Mad Max: Fury Road use costumes, makeup, and hairstyles in order to create characters and settings within the movie. A great example of the post-apocalyptic costumes in the movie would be how Furiosa is dressed. When viewers first see Furiosa, the first thing that is noticed is the mechanical arm and the clothes that she is wearing. Both of these features on Furiosa’s costume create the idea that this movie takes place in a post-apocalyptic setting. Furiosa’s costume makes viewers feel as if she is a strong and warrior-like person, which is the effect of many of the costumes in the movie. The reason the filmmakers make the costumes raggedy and tattered is because the movie is supposed to be in a post-apocalyptic setting and is also supposed to produce a feeling that the world is rundown and almost not survivable. Furthermore, all of these things together create the feeling and excitement that each viewer feels while watching Mad Max: Fury Road. Finally, the component of mise-en-scène that is used especially well in Mad Max: Fury Road is kinesis. Kinesis is the movement that takes place on screen within a movie (Barsam & Monahan, 2016, p. 196). Mad Max: Fury Road uses kinesis in order to create the effect of movement.

There are several shots within this movie that use kinesis. One part that uses kinesis is when Immortan Joe’s big truck is being lowered from his Citadel down to the ground. The reason I believe that this is a good example of kinesis is because at the beginning of the shot, the bottom of the elevator is shown and then continues lowering all the way to the point where the top of the truck and elevator is shown. As the elevator moved from top to bottom, it created the perception that the elevator was moving from the Citadel to the ground. Kinesis is used a lot in Mad Max: Fury Road because there are a lot of scenes that take place that display moving from one side of a frame to another that creates the perception of movement. In conclusion, Mad Max: Fury Road is an excellent movie and really uses mise-en-scène to the maximum. This movie creates a feeling of excitement and suspense through the characters, settings, and the mise-en-scène, which is great for a post-apocalyptic film. Furthermore, this movie is an amazing example of all the components of mise-en-scène, especially when it comes to the design of the film and the kinesis of the film.