Mad Max: Fury Road is a 2015 action film set in a Dystopian
World. It is directed by George Miller who directed the other movies in the
franchise. The main characters Max and Furiosa are played by Tom Hardy and
Charlize Theron. This is one of my favourite movies because of the prominent
focus on female empowerment through the character “Imperator Furiosa”. Tom
Hardy is also one of my favourite actors.
*Sequence is embedded below the post*
The opening sequence for this film is a narrative opening
because it gives us information about the film and the context in which the
film is set in. The sequence gives the audience enough information so we are
aware as to what has happened to make the world as it is in the film.
Surprisingly, only 4 people/companies are accredited in the sequence.
The sequence starts off with a blank screen and we hear the
protagonist Max through a voiceover: “My name is Max. My world is fire and
blood” We then hear diegetic sounds of bullets and people shouting. This helps
the audience determine whose point of view they will be watching the film from
and who it is they should be following. The voiceover gives us a sort of
intimate feeling with the character. The shouting makes us wonder what could be
happening behind the blank screen and leaves us wanting more.
The next shot is the title “A Kennedy Miller Mitchell
Production” which is an Australian production company. The reason why this may
be one of the first things we see in this title sequence is because the Mad Max
franchise has always been well known for its Australian background. We then see
the names of the two actors; Tom Hardy & Charlize Theron on the same
screen. The Mad Max franchise was commonly advertised as a men’s movie when it
first came out, but the fact that Charlize Theron plays such an important role
in the film attracts more female audiences. The franchise is popular for the
name “Mad Max” but Theron’s role of Furiosa is very crucial in the movie which
is why she is seen as an equal to Tom Hardy. George Miller’s name then appears
on screen. 
The first scene we are shown is an extreme long shot of the
main character in his surroundings. This shot helps us see the condition of the
world: dry and empty. We also see extreme close-ups of the gadgets on his car.
This shows us the film is set in the future as the gadgets look very advanced.
Close-ups of his face show us how distressed he is as he runs away from the
antagonists. The title of the film appears as Max is dragged back by a group of
men and the screen fades to black.
The diegetic sound in the sequence mainly comes from the
mind of Max. But at the beginning we hear interference from news channels and
speakers who talk about wars that have taken place and the troubles of the
world. This helps give us an insight into what has happened and why Max is in
the position he is. The rest of the sequence is from Max’s point of view and we
hear him narrating his thoughts. The non-diegetic music is very intense as he runs
from the antagonists and this leaves the audience on edge and excited for what’s
to come.
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