The costume designer, film and sound editors, production designers and makeup and hair team who scored Oscars for their work on “Mad Max: Fury Road” had high praise for director George Miller backstage Sunday night at the Dolby Theatre.
“George Miller’s mind is just so extraordinary,” costume designer Jenny Beavan raved.
Miller, who also co-wrote the scripts for the series of Mad Max films, always told the costume designer the film wasn’t a sequel.
“It was another Mad Max film,” Beavan said Miller told her, which gave her the freedom to do what she liked.
The costumer picked up her Oscar wearing a faux leather biker jacket and a long striped scarf that she said she wished were an oily rag, a la Mad Max. She told reporters, “I simply don’t do heels,” adding that she looks ridiculous in a gown and “I just like feeling comfortable.”
It was not comfortable shooting on location on Namibia, though the desert provided amazing visuals, the crew said.
“Namibia is a fantastic country,” said production designer Colin Gibson, who shared his award with colleague Lisa Thompson.
Gibson is heading back to the African country on vacation, but Lesley Vanderwalt, one of the trio of winners for makeup and hair on the apocalyptic film, said the location was “a challenge.”
The makeup team also had to climb up and down ladders to reach actors in the film’s big, futuristic vehicles, which were welded together from scrap metal and junk, and spend up to five hours making up a single performer.
“It wasn’t easy,” Vanderwalt said.
But she said everyone was excited about bringing the 71-year-old director’s vision to life.
“It’s George’s vision, we just helped him realize it, create it,” said Vanderwalt, who won alongside Elka Wardega and Damian Martin.
“Around such an amazing guy, everyone rises to the occasion,” said David White, who shared the sound editing award with Mark Mangini, who called Miller “one of the world’s greatest collaborators.”
Many of those who helped make the film joked that they’d love their next project to be something that could be shot in a matter of weeks and cut in a few days.
“Mad Max: Fury Road” was in development for years — the last Mad Max film was released in 1985 — and an earlier attempt to shoot it was derailed by the Sept. 11 terrrorist attacks.
The cast and crew spent six months on location in the desert shooting the film.
“But you can’t be scared of something that’s going to be difficult,” said sound mixer Ben Osmo, who shared his win with Chris Jenkins and Gregg Rudloff.
Film editor Margaret Sixel, a first-time nominee and winner, was asked about women in editing.
“I think there is some prejudice that women can’t cut action, but I’m hoping that will change with the ‘Star Wars’ girls and me,” she said. “I think things are already changing.”
Costume designer Beavan said she didn’t realize how powerful the message of “Mad Max: Fury Road” was until she saw it in full at a press screening in Berlin.
“If we don’t stop filling the ocean and land with toxic waste, that could be horribly real,” Beavan said.
–City News Service