If you are a design beat reporter who has been assigned a task to interview Colin Gibson, you might hesitate for a moment. The man smokes sarcasm as efficiently as he blows gas guzzlers; his smirk is as wicked as the laugh of Immortal Joe, and his jokes are as dark and dusty as the cinematography of Mad Max. On top of that the Australian production designer slanders you in a very Aussie manner, you won’t even realize that you have been trolled.
Yet, despite his sharp tongue and quick wit, there’s something undeniably compelling about Colin Gibson. It’s his modesty to attribute the success of Mad Max: Fury Road to George Miller (Director), despite him being the mastermind behind the creation of gas-guzzling beasts that were apparently the real stars of the film. His humility is further evident in his willingness to grant me an interview, even though he roasted me for straight one hour.
He is such a likable man that you may even find yourself considering taking him on a journey through a post-apocalyptic desert wasteland where petrol and water are precious commodities. After all, even if you die from thirst, at least you’ll have someone cracking a joke about why whiskey tastes better than water.
Recently, I caught up with the man some herald as the architect of Mad Max: Fury Road, the blockbuster film starring Tom Hardy and Charlize Theron, released nearly a decade ago. The purpose of the interview was to gain insights into the production design of Furiosa: Mad Max Saga, a prequel to the 2015 blockbuster, slated to release this summer. However, much to my delight, I not only received an unfiltered perspective on Furiosa’s world but also gained a deeper understanding of why Colin Ginson is the way he is.
Born in 1956 in Australia, Gibson’s life was marked by constant movement, relocating from place to place due to his father’s delinquent lifestyle. “We moved fairly regularly, mostly because my beloved father was either running from the police or was in jail. When he was in jail, at least we stayed in one spot for a little while,” he adds with a wry smile.
When I tried to get privy about the reasons for his father’s frequent detentions, Gibson chuckled and said, “He had the same habits I do of lying and fraud. Unfortunately, he was in used car selling, and I can put my talents for lying and fraud to much better use in the film.” From these early hardships and humble beginnings emerged a man whose creativity knew no bounds.
We saw a glimpse of his artistry and imagination when he designed a full fleet of insane, high-octane machines for Mad Max Universe, including the likes of ‘War Rig’ and ‘Giga Horse,’ which commanded attention with their sheer size and ferocity. The production designer also brought to life the iconic ‘Doof Wagon,’ which many called Immortal Joe’s morale machine, designed to send an adrenaline rush to his militia party with its colossal speakers and electrifying guitarist.
However, Gibson’s evolution as a production designer can be traced back to his salad days as a struggling actor, where he found himself grappling with the demands of feeding a family. “Before I was a production designer, I was a failed actor,” he confesses. “But then I got married, I had children, and they began to scream for sandwiches and school.” Gibson’s dry humor caught me off guard many times. It was a surprise that he didn’t even spare his kids, yet beneath the sarcasm, I could see a father’s genuine love for his children.
He was at last a poppa who was facing the practicalities of parenthood and sought out a more stable livelihood. This eventually led him to find his calling in the realm of production design.
“Most of the theater shows and things that I’d done, I’d always ended up taking over some part of the production, either lighting or building the sets, painting scenic backgrounds, I liked doing everything. I was a standby props guy for a very long time,” he recalls.
Speaking on raising his children, he says, “I tried my very best to be cruel to my tiny tots, to beat them, to give them no self-esteem, hoping that they would grow into well-rounded individuals, but they’re both doing remarkably well. One of them does podcasting and helps run theatre companies, and the other is doing some humanitarian work in Bangladesh, so I’m depending on her karma to help me survive into the next incarnation because I’ve made such terrible films sometimes, that I’ll be back as a cockroach otherwise.”
It was time I got to the business, so I finally asked him the inception story of Mad Max Universe and what to expect from Furiosa. “George showed me the storyboards. I think he had planned that right from 1987. Despite numerous setbacks and obstacles, including production delays and geopolitical turmoil, Miller’s vision persisted. I was lucky because I was there,” Gibson states, with his tone tinged with gratitude.
By incorporating recognizable objects as seen in Mad Max: Fury Road with new context and purpose, Gibson invites viewers to reconsider their perceptions and embrace the unexpected, when they enter the theatres in May to watch Furiosa. “We’ve finished shooting. George is deep in the editing process now, and it’s due out in May. This part is more oriented to her backstory and her growth,” he explains, referring to Charlize Theron’s iconic character, Furiosa.
“The film tracks the journey of a girl to becoming a woman, and most importantly a warrior, so to describe that journey we had new areas to flesh out,” Gibson reveals, hinting at the expansion of the film’s universe beyond the familiar landscapes to Bullet Farm, Gastown and Green Place. He then delves into the production design elements that distinguish Furiosa from Fury Road. The production designer also highlights the shift from gigantic vehicles to motorbikes and smaller engine objects, reflecting the evolving dynamics of this dystopian world. “That obviously takes you down a whole other line of attack,” Gibson remarks, leaving the depth and complexity of the film’s visual aesthetic open-ended.
“You are quite a blunt guy for someone who has to survive in the industry. Does this sarcasm often offend people?” I ask him, before concluding the interview. “You did quite well, and didn’t leave the room,” he teases me, acknowledging my resilience. “But you’ll notice on my CV, it does cut down the number of American jobs I can do, because sarcasm and irony are not their strong suit,” he adds with a twinkle in his eye.
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