Now, this is a fact that most movie-lovers would already know. Apart from its numerous nominations, awards, and its astounding twist, the film was also recognized for its all-so-realistic movie setting. And ‘steel’ was one important material that was shown in some delicate scenes. It can be found easily in equipment used on movie sets as well. Let’s take a look at the ‘steel’ hidden in movies.

l Parasite – the Significant “Maya”

▲ The living room of the Park family. (Source: CJ ENM & Barunson E&A)

Those who saw ‘Parasite’ might be familiar with this scene showing the house of the wealthy Park family. The sophisticated house itself portrays the status of the Parks, but the arts on the walls are also quite significant. One of the major pieces would be the black-and-white image in the Park’s living room. The image here isn’t a painting or a picture. It’s a piece depicting a forest made of stainless steel wire mesh.

This breathtaking forest image is an artwork of Seung-Mo Park and is one of the “Maya” series. The artwork is made up of 11 layers of stainless-steel wires placed on top of each other. Due to its many layers, the whole “forest” seems to be floating in mid-air. It even throws in a mysterious mood into the scene, giving it an impression that makes people think that the whole artwork might vanish into thin air. Steel is behind this stunning piece of art. The durability and the flexibility of steel could make possible the many layers and the delicate details needed.

Check out the past interview with Seung-Mo Park at POSCO Newsroom here

l The Magical Spot of La La Land

La La Land was another movie that was loved all around the world a couple of years ago. The film depicts a ‘realistic’ modern Hollywood style musical blending reality and fantasy together appropriately. The magnificent background of the film — Los Angeles — adds on to liven up the magical atmosphere throughout the movie.

When asked for the most memorable setting in La La Land, fans would definitely mention Griffith Observatory and its park. The most momentous scenes of the movie took place here. Then where would steel be hidden here? While steel was used in the ‘set’ of Parasite, steel became a ‘background’ in La La Land. It’s a known fact that most buildings use steel in the construction, and Griffith Observatory isn’t an exception.

▲ Griffith Observatory (1933), Los Angeles, California. (Source: Floyd B. Bariscale)

The three domes, which are the main features of Griffith Observatory, were first framed with steel and then wrapped with copper. The steel frame has kept the observatory safe and stable since it first opened in 1935. La La Land added to the popularity of Griffith Observatory, which was already a popular tourist attraction and has been one of the symbolic spots of LA.

In the movie scene, there is steel everywhere — both exposed and hidden. But that’s not all. Steel also helps in the movie-making process itself. They can be found easily in equipment used on movie sets.

The cameras that film the scenes, the durable rigs that support the cameras, and perfect lightings — all these equipment are what really make the movie industry possible, and they all share a common factor. Most of them are made of steel. With the help of steel, smoother scenes and better shooting environment have been facilitated. One could even say that the film industry relies on steel as its material-of-choice.

The role of steel in the movie industry — whether in the scenes itself or the equipment on sets — is irreplaceable. There can be no substitute for it.

Want to know other interesting steel stories? See more at POSCO Newsroom – [STEEL Talk]

Another man Mr. Byungwook Kim (25 years old at the time) was hit by careless driver in the road in 1998. As a consequence, his dream playing tennis in a national team simply disappeared.

Byungwook Kim, wear Work-on-suit in Cybathlon 2016 (Source: Professor Kong)

However, the miracle had happened to both of them due to the support of new advanced robotic technology called ‘wearable robot’. Now Mr. Kim is able to climb the stairs or even step the stones. Moreover, he won bronze Cybathlon 2016, the first Cyborg Olympic that competes robotic technologies for people with disabilities and Mr. Lee became the first person to deliver the torch in Pyeongchang Paralympic in 2018.

Wearable robots can be used in diverse sections such as protection in harsh condition (Source: Engineers Ireland)

Where we can find them?

In fact, wearable robot is already introduced in various fields. Wearable robot is applied not only for people with disabilities (paralysis of the whole body or partially) but also protection for employees from harsh conditions or life support purpose for the elders. For instance, the Korean steel manufacturing company, POSCO has applied wearable robot to manage the refractory in furnace which gave the advantage of increasing productivity by 12.6 billion won (worth as approximately 12.9 million US dollars). (Source: “Current level of Korean wearable technology?” (2016). Donga Ilbo).

The technology has brought a great improvement in terms of efficiency, enabling to save 54 days to finish the process consequently saving 12.1 billion won (worth 121 million US dollars) and the less human resources are requited that worth saving 8 hundred million won (worth 100 thousand US dollars). Furthermore, wearable robot is introduced into diverse fields such as supporting fireman or VR (virtual gaming).

SEE ALSO: Will Artificial Intelligence Lead to Breakthroughs in the Steel Industry?

Scene from ‘Iron man 3’. Wearable robot may come sooner than you anticipate (Source: theHollywoodreporter)

Is it realistic?

You can imagine the world famous move ‘Iron man (2008)’. In the movie, when Tony Stark (main character in the movie) simply calls the Iron man suit, it comes to his body automatically. As the series goes on, the technology of the suit also dramatically developed. Recently, news from the movie ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ stimulate the curiosity of new advanced technology of the Iron man suit.

Wearable robots may promise better quality of life (Source: ZDNet)

What makes that wearable robot get close to our real life rapidly? Significant improvement of wearable robot compartment such as electric motors, battery, processors can be the reason. But most of all, innovative development of material is the key factor.

Light weight, flexibility and endurance are the fundamental elements

Why materials?

Since the wearable robot is designed to fit in human body, the light weight of the structure is fundamental. Recommended materials for designing wearable robot need to be reinforced plastic or even lighter and have more flexibility.

High impact is another factor that wearable robot need to endure. The physical force of walking is the same amount of force that can bend 5mm X 10mm thickness of aluminum stick. Therefore, structure of the wearable robot should have adequate strength to protect the people who wear them. This is the reason why most of the wearable robots are made of alloy materials.

Therefore, the fundamental element for the success of wearable robot will be application of light and high impact materials into wearable robot’s structure. One of the good examples is “GIGA Steel” that has been recently invented by POSCO providing significant impression to robotic scientists by showing advanced quality on both hard impact and workability. GIGA steel is also recommendable for custom manufacture.

SEE ALSO: Auto Industry Finds Steel Solution for Lightweighting

Advanced robotic technology can lead elevation of quality of human life (Source: SG Robotics)

Pack of robots working in the factory is not just all about 4th industrial revolution. Wearable robot may play in a crucial role in improving human quality of life. With wearable robot’s help, walking disability might be considered as little discomfort in near future. Korea is one of the leading countries in wearable robotic fields and POSCO’s advanced technology may influence huge impact on the wearable robotic fields.

POSCO started supporting the team last year after CEO Ohjoon Kwon watched the team take the bronze medal at the 2017 World Championships. As shown in the documentary, the athletes were playing on insufficient sledges that would often break down and cause injuries. Some players were fixing their own sledges between matches, others made do with what they had. CEO Kwon knew POSCO had the solutions for the team and started a project with sledge-maker Massive Blade to revamp the sledges for the team. Now, ahead of the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Paralympics, the team is equipped and ready with the world’s leading technology.

SEE ALSO: How POSCO’s Advanced Technology Gives Speed to Korea’s Para Ice Hockey Team

Parallel: A Documentary

Parallel was directed by Kyungman Kim in 2012. He wanted to make the movie to document the para ice hockey players’ endurance and grit in overcoming their physical limitations through the sport. “However, as I started editing the footage and putting it all together, I noticed how happy the players looked on the ice. That’s when I decided the documentary was going to be about happiness – what it really means to be happy. That’s what I want to share with viewers,” said director Kim.

Director Kim couldn’t help but notice the smile on the players’ faces. (Source: Taehung Pictures Naver Post)

That’s exactly what the movie delivers. Of course, the players face challenges every day due to their injuries and physical conditions, but the interviews in the documentary reveal the players to be genuinely happy and grateful for their sport. Seunghwan Jung, one of the players, says, “I used to wish I had legs all the time, but when I started playing hockey, the thought just never crossed my mind. In a way, the sport has allowed me to accept myself… understand myself.”

One of the players take break from intense training. (Source: Taehung Pictures Naver Post)

For many of the players, playing para ice hockey has been a healing process, but it doesn’t end there. The team is as competitive as any other Olympic team, and even with a lack of spectators and interest in the sport, the national team has produced impressive results. In the 2010 Vancouver Winter Paralympics, the team placed 6th, and then 7th in Sochi in 2014. This is even more remarkable given the poor equipment, especially the sledges, they were using at the time.

POSCO Gives Ice Sledges a Technological Makeover

In order to qualify as a para ice hockey player, a person must have a physical impairment in the lower part of their body, but this can come in many different forms. As a result, one of the biggest challenges teams face is finding sledges that fit, protect and enhance each player. Before POSCO signed on as a sponsor, the Korean National Team relied on expensive imported sledges from Canada that were heavy and susceptible to structural damage from harsh contact. On average, 5 to 7 sledges required repair work during a single game. In an attempt to produce the first domestic sledge, POSCO’s researchers jumped on board to provide sledge-producer Massive Blade the materials for a lightweight, strong and corrosion resistant sledge.

Researchers at POSCO’s Research Institute of Industrial Science & Technology (RIST), came up with a way to use magnesium as the main material for the sledge frame. Magnesium is one of the lightest materials available as it is one third lighter than aluminum, but it is extremely hard to treat and bend into shape. RIST not only developed the technology to treat magnesium, but also applied it to sledges for the first time in history. POSCO also provided its advanced high-manganese anti-vibration steel and stainless steel to finish off the new sledges, fit for a national team.

RIST researchers developed a processing technology to increase the moldability of magnesium.

Outfitted with the new sledges, the team beat out strong European teams in the 2017 World Championships to place 3rd, and just last month, they won a four-nation friendly tournament in Japan. Now, they have their eyes on an Olympic medal in PyeongChang.

Regardless of the results, POSCO will continue to support the Korean National Para Ice Hockey Team so they can continue doing what makes them and others around them happy.

Cover photo courtesy of Hello PyeongChang.

Almost everyone can picture a sports stadium, an airport, or a bridge – we have all either been in, at or on one of them at one point in our lives. A huge football stadium that can close its roof, an airport by the sea that is impervious to corrosion, and a glass-bottomed bridge that allows only the most steel-hearted of pedestrians to look deep into one of the most famous canyons on earth – all made possible through innovations in steel.

Rolling Back the Roof at NRG Stadium

This year’s pro-football championship game between Atlanta and New England will be held at Houston’s NRG Stadium where hardcore Falcons and Patriots fans are rushing to get their hands on some of the few tickets left. Tickets are reselling for an average of $5,101, but if you want a view from the 50 yard-line it is going to set you back USD $11,000 to $12,000.

NRG Stadium, completed in 2002, is famous for being the first-ever NFL stadium with a retractable roof – allowing events to be held in open air or air-conditioned comfort.

The Houston Texans play at NRG Stadium (formerly Reliant), November 18, 2007. (Photo courtesy of Ed Schipul)

Designed to utilize the principles of kinetic architecture, the roof is able to open and close without reducing the overall structural integrity. The roof’s panels are 117m x 152m and supported by two sections of five trusses each that meet at the 50-yard line. These two sections are supported by two supertrusses that run for almost 300m each along the field’s sidelines. Along each supertruss is a wheel rail to guide the roof as it opens and closes, in as little as 10 minutes.

With so many moving parts, the retractable roof represents an amazing feat of engineering. The steel beams, trusses, and motors weigh thousands of pounds, but it is still able to zip open in a few minutes. Come rain or come shine, ticketholders will be able to stay dry until the winner raises the Lombardi Trophy at the big game on Monday.

Stainless Steel at Incheon International Airport
With over 49 million passengers each year, Incheon International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the world, and consistently ranked as one of the best. Internationally praised for its remarkable facilities and services, which include a spa, golf course, movie theater, museum, and ice skating rink; the airport also prides itself on its efficient design.

A bird’s-eye view of the second passenger terminal at Incheon International Airport. Because of its non-corrosive properties and stylish appearance, POSCO’s 446M steel will be used as an exterior material.

When the first passenger terminal was built in 2001, they decided to use POSCO’s 446M stainless steel. The 446M steel contains high amounts of chromium (26%) and molybdenum (2%), which gives it superior corrosion resistance – excellent for use in exterior construction near coastal areas, like Incheon.

Seventeen years after the construction of the first terminal, there have been little signs of corrosion. So, as preparations began for a new second terminal, the airport decided to use the same type of stainless steel. Also, a bead blast process will be applied to the steel that will give it a rough texture to lower the reflectivity rate for aircraft pilots during take-offs and landings.

Despite being located on a small island in the Yellow Sea, the stainless steel used at Incheon Airport has been almost completely unaffected by corrosion. Already in its 17^th year of operation, the stainless steel exterior will ensure that it lasts much longer.

Seeing Deep into the Canyons at Zhangjiajie, China

The majestic Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, located in the western part of Hunan Province, is one of the most beautiful sites in China. Made famous in the Western world when James Cameron used it as inspiration for the landscapes in his film Avatar (2009), it is best seen atop the world’s highest and longest bridge.

Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge view from west side of gorge. (Photo courtesy of HighestBridges)

Sitting 300m over the canyon, the Zhangjiajie glass bridge gives visitors a breathtaking, and terrifying, view of the park. The bridge is supported by 4 support towers and a steel frame with over 120 glass panels set into its walkway. The towers are installed directly into the canyon sandstone and each panel of glass is layered, so that even if one layer cracks, the others will hold.

Those with stomachs of steel can enjoy the bridge while experiencing one of the most beautiful parts of the world. The glass floor may seem fragile, but the steel frame holds it together to create one of the most amazing yet vertigo-inducing views.

If we look around, we will see that steel is everywhere. For something that seems so ordinary, it can also change the way we see buildings, and even change the way we see the world.

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To make a decent film, directors and producers must use the best techniques to procure a sense of authenticity that can convince an audience that what they are watching is realistic.

Set designs, camera and lighting equipment, and other heavy machinery are needed to achieve this effect. Camera equipment makers, set builders and gaffers rely on one particular metal day in and day out for the durability needed in getting the perfect shot – steel.

Hollywood’s Amazing Sets

Acting and directing can only take a film so far, so the rest of the way needs to be paved by the setting and the environment. Often, filmmakers must build their sets to accurately represent the story’s true environment, with some set designs requiring much of the film’s total budget to construct.

The 1995 action movie, Waterworld, led by Kevin Costner, had one of the most famous movie sets ever constructed. The movie’s biggest expense did not come from paying the actors’ high salaries, but from having to build a giant atoll off the coast of Hawaii for the movie’s setting. With a circumference of a quarter mile, the set demanded so much material to build that it created a steel shortage in Hawaii, with the remainder of the steel shipped in from California. The total cost to develop Waterworld’s set skyrocketed into the tens of millions of dollars.

James Cameron’s epic, Titanic, is another prime example of a movie set that was built to mimic reality as closely as possible. A 90% to-scale replica of the actual Titanic was assembled in Rosarito Beach, Mexico, using a steel frame and plywood shell. In addition to the massive Titanic rebuild, the movie also called for 2 enormous tanks that held 20 million gallons of water, and several steel cranes were needed for capturing overhead shots.

Stepping back in time, the 2013 World War II epic, Stalingrad, mesmerized audiences and critics alike with its ultra-realistic settings that perfectly depicted the once war-torn city. Almost a sixth of the movie’s budget, amounting to around five million dollars, was needed to build the buildings, destroy them and to purchase the steel tanks and planes that were scattered across the set.

Moving Cameras and Setting Lights

Maneuverability, for cameras and actors, is crucial for directors needing to capture the perfect shot. Large steel rigs mounted on moving cars, steel camera tacks, similar to train tracks, and other heavy-duty equipment make filming scenes possible.

Stunt rigging, including ratchets, air rams, traveling rigs, camera tracking rigs, descenders and other types of rigging are made from steel to ensure durability while filming and the safety of the actor or stuntman. Stunt rigs are used to drop, crash, fly and pull actors in and out of the lens, creating an exciting action sequence.

Camera dolly systems that look much like train tracks running through sets, are used to run camera operators alongside moving actors, or for capturing a moving shot. Camera tracks provide fluidity and stability to a camera, making for beautiful imagery. Dolly tracks made for larger production cameras depend on steel tracks and straighter paths for heavy use.

Hollywood Depends on Steel

With new technology, computer graphics and camera capabilities, audiences and critics are both demanding and expecting movies to be more elaborate – especially when spending ten dollars on a ticket.

Magnificent set designs and construction, extensive camera reach and the perfect lighting will all continue to rely on steel as cinema’s material-of-choice. Steel allows set designs to create not only movie sets, but environments that capture the imaginations of viewers. It also enables camera operators to mount their cameras on durable rigs and to film scenes smoothly.

The next time you are watching a movie, consider the amount of work and steel it took to entertain you for those engaging 2 hours.

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With the emergence of fighting robots taking center stage in the beginning of the seventies, special effects, animation and overall excitement grew around giant machines battling in epic melees of iron and steel.

From the Drawing Board to the Big Screen

Early on, Japan and South Korea released animations featuring large robots, “Gundam”, “Mazinger Z” and “Robot Taekwon V”, forged from super strong alloys. The machines were built as weapons against forces of evil, and over the course of several seasons, had many successful campaigns against evil-doers.

Popularity for enormous robots built for combat took off not only in Asia, but also in the US, where different adaptions were created. While Voltar the Invincible, Iron Man and other man-made machines kept the world in check, dramatic clashes between Transformers’ Autobots and Decepticons were leaving cities in ruins.

During that same time, robots were being incorporated into Hollywood’s sci-fi and futuristic movie plots more often. The Star Wars saga, Robocop and Blade Runner, all had robots that were built for one purpose – to destroy.

Steel Warriors

Entering in the new millennium, fighting robots continued to thrive. Robots were not only fighting in fiction, but also in reality. The hit 2000 TV show, “Battle Bots”, had engineers from around the world designing and building real-life robots to ravage their competition.

In 2007, director Michael Bay completely reimagined and reinvented the Transformers series into a larger-than-life action-packed film – winning global acclaim and nominated for three academy awards, including best visual effects.

In Roger Ebert’s review of “Transformers”, he says that “the robots, created by Industrial Light and Magic, are indeed delightful creatures; you can look hard and see the truck windshields, hubcaps and junkyard stuff they’re made of. And their movements are ingenious, especially the scorpion-like robot in the desert.”

Building on the momentum of the Transformers series, the 2007 movie, “Real Steel”, soon took the spotlight for sparring robots. In the future, human boxers have been replaced by robots, who just like the Ali’s and Sugar Rays of our time, duck and jab at each other with their human operators, controlling their movements.

The heroic protagonist of “Real Steel”, is not only the former boxer-turned robot operator, but also the almost-forgotten steel robot itself which became a winning success in the underdog story.

Machine’s Last Stand

Giant, earth-saving robots piloted by humans more recently took their stand against even larger prehistoric-looking alien invaders in Academy Award-winning director, Guillermo del Toro’s “Pacific Rim”.

In the film, the gargantuan robots, called Jaegers, were built by the world’s military and are piloted by an elite group of individuals that must connect not only with their partner, but also the machine to defeat their enemy.

Each Jaeger is built differently, and each has a unique ability that will help it bring down the giant alien monsters. After several Jaegers are destroyed in hard-fought battles, the remaining two are victorious against the enemy – with their steel structures largely to thank.

Stories films involving colossal fighting robots will most likely continue to entertain us for some time to come. With space exploration and technology being the main theme around much of the movies that are coming out, there will always be space in the script for an epic giant robot battle.

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The tradition began when a Parsi banker wanted to have home cooked food regularly delivered to his office and gave the responsibility to the first ever dabbawala. It soon caught on among others and the demand for the meals-on-wheels service soared. 

Steel, the Preferred Metal for Your Meal

While the wala, or carrier, is no doubt the driving force behind the system, the dabba, or lunchbox, is a central component of India’s meal delivery culture. Widely used throughout the subcontinent, these multi-tiered “tiffin” (Indian English for a light midday meal) carriers are generally made from stainless steel and can keep food warm for up to three hours.

In addition to the tiffin boxes’ warming properties, the fact that they are made of steel means they offer plenty of other benefits, too. For one, they don’t leach toxins like plastic, ensuring food is safer, and they’re also more hygienic and easier to clean than those made of other materials—a big plus when it comes to rinsing off curry, vegetable and dal residue. Furthermore, the containers are durable and sustainable, meaning they don’t damage easily and can virtually last a lifetime.

Similar types of lunchboxes are also commonly used in other parts of the world, such as Southwest Asia and Northeast Africa, as well as parts of South America and Europe. Like India, the boxes in these containers hold much more than just food. They often contain mementos—a flower, a movie ticket, an apology note—and more importantly, love from the cooks, who are usually hardworking housewives. But the journey these steel boxes must undergo is a lengthy one—one that takes a dabbawala an entire day to complete. 

A Day in the Life of the Dabbawala

By 9 o’clock every morning, the dabbawala has hit the streets, pedaling his bicycle—one designed with extra iron to withstand a heavier load—through the congested Mumbai traffic to his assigned area. As many older buildings are not equipped with elevators, the dabba climbs up and down the towering residences to collect the tiffin boxes from homes.

By the time he completes the collection, it’s already about 10:30am. He now carries the 30-40 lunchboxes he has accumulated on his bike, undeterred by the poor road conditions, mud, traffic and merciless Mumbai monsoons that plague the region every summer.

He then reaches the nearest railway station where fellow dabbawalas gather and sort the tiffins by destination utilizing a simple but seemingly flawless coding system. By now, most of his tiffins are handed over to other teams dispersing to various parts of the city. He joins one of them, and with his teammates, transfers different tiffin boxes in crates and hastily transports them to the railway platforms on his head.

If a tiffin is on a complex route, it is further sorted on the railway platform where even more dabbawala teams work together to move the wooden crates into the trains. With the boxes put away in the luggage compartments, the men can take a short break before arriving at their assigned stations around noon.

Racing against the clock, the wala rushes out of the station with the lunchboxes atop his head and once again disperses them among other teams. Joining yet a different group, he and the men place the boxes in trollies and dash toward the business centers, the final destinations for the tiffin boxes.

As they do, pedestrians make way for the shouting, pushing dabbawalas, knowing well that they don’t stop for anyone. Each man then takes the responsibility of delivering the lunches to separate buildings, moving up and down the elevators. By 1pm, all are delivered, but the dabbawala’s job is not over yet. After a brief lunch, the dabbawala takes the empty tiffin boxes from the offices and repeats the process until all of the dabbas are returned to their respected homes before 6pm.

The century-old Indian meal delivery system that is powered by teamwork and steel remains incredibly efficient, even in an age where just about everything else is operated using the latest technology. Time will only tell how the process may evolve in the future (registration has recently gone virtual), but it is certain it will continue to serve as a model of service excellence for the entire world.

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Movies

Edward Scissorhands

Directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder, Edward Scissorhands is an American cult classic. This was the beginning of a long cinematic career together for Burton and Depp. The main character has steel claws instead of hands, and grows up isolated from the world. A modern Frankenstein story, Edward Scissorhands deals with themes of exclusion, coming of age and love. (image: http://bit.ly/1NuLPx7)

Steel Magnolias

Steel Magnolias is an American comedic drama, adapted from a play for the big screen. The play writer chose a title that juxtaposes the tenacity and fragility of the main characters; tough as steel, delicate as a flower. The movie stars some of the biggest names in Hollywood history, including Sally Field, Dolly Parton, Shirley MacLaine, Daryl Hannah, Olympia Dukakis, Julia Roberts, Tom Skerritt and Dylan McDermott. Steel Magnolias touches on the themes of life and death, family and the bond between a groups of friends. (image: http://bit.ly/1NuLUkm)

Terminator

The Terminator franchise began in 1984 and continues today. Arnold Schwarzenegger depicts the original terminator model, created to wipe out the human race. The story has been told in comics, movies, television, video games and books. The futuristic science-fiction story encompasses themes of military intelligence, artificial intelligence and genocide. The quotes, “I’ll be back” and “Hasta la vista, baby” are widely recognized everywhere. (image: http://onforb.es/1U8EGSg)

Titanic

The first film to gross over one billion dollars, Titanic is historical fiction based on the real-life sinking of the RMS Titanic. Written, directed, co-produced and co-edited by James Cameron, the film stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. The film centers on the love story of the two characters from different social classes, using the historical event as the setting. The film was well-received by critics and audiences alike and was nominated for fourteen Academy Awards. (image: http://bit.ly/1MHMCt7)

Kill Bill

Kill Bill is an American martial arts film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It was split into two parts due to its long running time. The two-part series stars Uma Thurman, Daryl Hannah, Lucy Liu, Vivica A. Fox and David Carradine. The traditionally made Japanese blade, the katana sword, has a major role in the films, and Tarantino creates a character out of the fictional legend of the katana blade, made from repeatedly folded steel. (image: http://bit.ly/1MNgXId)

Music

Lykke Li, Heart of Steel

Lykke Li is a Swedish indie singer-songwriter who became a widely recognized recording artist following the release of her first album, Youth Novels. Her second and third albums were also met with critical and popular acclaim. She lends her voice to numerous collaborative efforts, writes music for movie soundtracks and is a successful fashion model. Her third album, released in 2014, featured the track, Heart of Steel. The moody melody and haunting lyrics include the refrain, “Oh heart of steel, you reel me in. Oh heart of steel, I can’t let you win.” (Image: http://bit.ly/1Lo4pqr)

Frank Ocean, Bricks and Steel

American singer-songwriter, Frank Ocean got his start as a ghostwriter for influential recording artists, such as Justin Bieber, John Legend and Brandy. He released his first mixtape in 2011, followed by his first full-length album in 2013. Both were received with critical acclaim. His debut album features a song titled Bricks and Steel, which compares a past partner as having had a relationship with a pile of bricks and steel. (image: http://bit.ly/1TX9nyP)

John Lennon, Steel and Glass

Most well-known as part of the phenomenon that was the Beatles, John Lennon is a well-respected solo artist. He is well-known as a musician and a political activist as many of his peers were. He recorded the tune, Steel and Glass, written a mystery man, sometimes believed to be his business manager. Lennon cryptically explained that the song was not about any one person, but many people. (image: http://bit.ly/1TX9pqv)

Tina Turner, Steel Claw

Tina Turner was born American, but now holds Swiss citizenship. Her infamous relationship with Ike Turner caused a stir following the publication of her autobiography, I, Tina. In addition to her relationship with Ike Turner, she is known as the Queen of Rock and Roll and is one of the world’s best-selling music artists of all time. She is a true example of an all-around entertainer; her talents include singing, dancing, acting and writing. Her career has spanned more than half a century. Her song, Steel Claw, addresses social and class issues of life in the U.S. (image: http://bit.ly/1Kz8IJI)

Outkast, Wheelz of Steel

Outkast is one of the first hip hop acts to gain both critical and commercial acclaim. Influenced by funk, soul, psychedelic, electronic, gospel and jazz, the duo helped popularize the “Dirty South” style of rap music. They are responsible for the soundtrack for the movie, Idlewild, in which they both starred. Outkast is the first and only hip hop group to ever win the Grammy Album of the Year award (2004, Speakerboxxx/The Love Below). In total, Outkast has won six Grammy awards and is one of the most successful hip hop acts of all time. Wheelz of Steel is featured on 1996’s ATLiens, and describes life in urban Atlanta, Georgia.  (image: http://bit.ly/1Jnxr7m)

It is perhaps the latter element that is the most essential in this epic car chase of a movie. The film’s footage embellishes an exceedingly creative procession of real steel automobiles tearing through the desert at rip-roaring speeds, symbols of power and objects of worship in a desperate time when even humans have been reduced to commodities valued only for their utility. (Source: Warner Bros. via http://bit.ly/1JhMUa0)

Behind the Design

Because the vehicles play such an important role in Mad Max, their designs were not taken lightly. Envisioned by production designer Colin Gibson, under the direction of George Miller, one of the film industry’s most innovative visionaries, the creation of the movie’s iconic automobiles began in 2003, when the project was slated to be filmed in South Africa.

Considering the setting of the movie—a post-apocalyptic wasteland—Gibson built the cars by repurposing found objects, the way that they would most likely be built after the collapse of civilization. He spent years scouring the junk yards of Australia and Nambia, searching for vintage pieces and parts that possessed the same personality attributes of the characters that would be driving the titanic vehicles.

The automobiles were built in a workshop next to the art department and set decoration so that a team of creatives, artists, mechanics and even a steel department could easily collaborate and collectively bring them to life. In the end, 88 cars were used in the movie, but 150 were made in total. Of these, half were blown up, flipped or split in half during filming. (Source: Warner Bros. via http://bit.ly/1Ll2Sjk) 

Putting the Pieces Together

Despite the large number of vehicles created, careful attention was paid and much consideration was given to each model. For example, for the War Rig, the most important and central vehicle of the bunch, Gibson generated 41 drawings of the colossal truck, working alongside Mark Gatt, Steel Department Supervisor. The steelwork required fabricating, rolling, welding and cutting to modify and build the beast, which incorporated spikes, vents and lighting panels in its inventive design.

The Doof Wagon, which leads Immortan Joe’s troops to battle, and transports the Doof Warrior, a flame throwing guitarist, and his band of drummers, steals the show. The vehicle, seemingly straight out of a heavy metal concert, was constructed from a stripped down eight-wheel-drive rocket launcher truck, and utilizes a supercharged V8 engine, a wall of speakers and steel air-conditioning ducts from the insides of a number of large buildings as drums. (Source: Warner Bros. via http://bit.ly/1CrGLjO )

Yet the most terrifying looking vehicles of Mad Max belong to the Buzzards, a scrap merchant tribe that seeks to consume the remains of the old world, and are encapsulated in a rusty shell of metal spikes. One of these vehicles, the Buzzard Excavator is a MAN 6×6 tractor covered in 1,757 steel spikes hand-fabricated from old car panels. Coincidentally, this just so happens to be the same number of quills on the Australian anteater, an animal native to the area where the movie was shot.

As simple and as fundamental as steel is, it’s certain that Mad Max: Fury Road would not be the cinematic masterpiece it is without the metal. Furthermore, the film’s impressive cars are also a testament to the power and importance of steel in a time when nothing else exists. And while Earth may not experience an apocalypse anytime soon, in the case that one does happen, we can rest assured knowing steel will still be as reliable as ever. (Source: Warner Bros. via http://bloom.bg/1zXlvqD )