The ARRI Alexa and that Movie Called Mad Max: Fury Road

Chalk one more for the ARRI Alexa for its unfaltering performance during the production stage in the latest installment  of George Miller’s Mad Max franchise, Mad Max: Fury Road. As with all Mad Max releases, Fury Road is still set in a cyberpunk, dystopian, and rather violent, arid desert world. Shot in the rugged deserts of Namibia using a fleet of 10 ARRI Alexa cameras, cinematographer John Seale knew the cameras would not fail him despite the harsh desert conditions.

The latest Alexa XT’s  capable of in-camera ARRIRAW recording were unavailable at the time, so the production team decided to use four Alexa M’s and six ALEXA Plus cameras all geared up with Onboard Codex CDX 3010 recorders.

Michelle Pizanis, coordinating camera assistant, explains two Alexa Plus cameras were mounted on two Steadicam rigs, rolling at the same time; another two of the Alexa Plus on each of the two Edge vehicles.

The four Alexa M’s were in handheld configuration; 3 cameras with wide-angle lenses were designated to the main unit and were used on the huge battle truck where about 97% of the action happens. The other 3 Alexa M’s were dedicated to the action unit. For the most part, Michelle says 3 to 5 cameras were rolling each setup.

When asked what conditions they had to deal with while shooting in the desert for five months, David Burr, 2nd unit cinematographer was quick to point out the dust and the sand. He adds that even with the best protection they have the cameras covered with, sand and dust particles will still find a way in.

David recalled several occasions when sandstorms would hit and majority of the production crew would scamper for safety, there are a few that would stay and shoot through the it all. As they get blasted by the storm, they would even wonder why they chose to stay and keep everything running. Witnessing the end result of the scene, David exclaims, was all well worth the trouble.

Aimimage is proud to offer the ARRI Alexa, ready to hire for your next production. If you have any questions, please feel free to call us at 020 7391 2650. We look forward to hearing from you.