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The Canada National Post: "Transformers as the rock ‘n’ roll equivalent of heavy metal thunder."

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-06-18T04:57:46-04:00

Only Michael Bay would have the creative nerve to re-boot the animated Transformers as a live-action motion picture. Sure, Batman and Spidey have fanatic followers, too, but Transformers trippers are multi-generational compulsives. Even in their quietest moments, they have been making lots of noise about how this latest cinema makeover will ruin this and/or mess up that.

All this for a movie about a cartoon originally created to sell toys. Uh-huh. Toys.

Giant robots in disguise all right. Way back in 1984, a toy line was promoted in what amounted to narrative advertising through a Marvel Comics series and a TV show. The commercial cloaking device continued with an animated feature in 1986 which contained more of the same product placement.

Since that time, Transformers has gone through many incarnations, re-configurations and re-designs, making it one of the most enduring and most multi-layered U.S. and Japanese franchises in the history of pop culture. Enough said on that, because trying to sort them all out would be mind-numbing.

Let’s cut to the chase, and the Friday night preview screening I attended for Bay’s mega-budgeted Transformers at the Mann Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Bay even attended "to make sure the sound was loud enough." It was. And with his cinema wisdom, previously showcased in Armageddon and The Rock and Bad Boys, the director conjures up a revival of the Transformers brand.

In the hyper-kinetic flick, Shia LaBeouf plays Sam Witwicky, a young man who befriends the space travelling Autobots, robots who are pitted against their evil counterparts, the Decepticons. Both are usually waging war on the planet Cybertron, but this time Earth gets to be the battleground. The car-like Autobots, led by Optimus Prime, find a friend in Sam based on some previous history with Sam’s granddad. This leaves the Decepticons, led by Megatron, really angry. A worldly face off is to be expected. Bay gets into it with the same kind of macho menace you might expect.

And there are, indeed, some powerful, head-spinning confrontations surpassing special effects scenes he’s done previously, including The Island. And that’s saying a lot. Think of Transformers as the rock ‘n’ roll equivalent of heavy metal thunder.

What non-robot highlights can you look for? Megan Fox plays Mikaela, Sam’s girlfriend. Josh Duhamel is a special ops team leader and survivor of an attack by the Decepticon Blackout. Tyrese Gibson is an Air Force combat-trained warrior who teams up with Duhamel. Then there is John Turturro doing his villainous best to get some solid laughs as the wacky leader of a secret government group. Jon Voight portrays the U.S. Secretary of State in his stately way. And, of course, comic relief comes briefly, but effectively from Bernie Mac’s car salesman.

On the controversy front, no controversy at all: Hugo Weaving is just fine as the voice of Megatron replacing TV series voice actor Frank Welker. Peter Cullen returns as the voice of Optimus Prime as he is in most of the Transformers shows on TV. And let us not be too concerned about this either: The Autobot Bumblebee, formerly a VW Bug, has been upgraded to a Camaro. And yes, Autobots Ironhide and Ratchet and Decepticons Blackout, Brawl and Bonecrusher are all included.

The climatic showdown is everything Bay and Transformers freaks would want it to be.

On Saturday, the Transformers brigade gathered at the Beverly Hills Four Seasons Hotel to put their thoughts on the film into perspective. It even included a confession by Bay.
"I was not a Transformers fan," said the director who was brought in by executive producer Steven Spielberg to do the movie. Bay became a believer fast enough, especially after going to Transformers school.

Still, he knew that he was going to make "a more adult kind of live action movie." Bay also said he understood he would have to trim back the number of robot characters in the picture, and highlight the human sub-plots. Spielberg helped him with that by describing the movie as the story of "a boy and his first car."

"And the overall underlying theme is 'no sacrifice, no victory,' " said Bay, who also pointed out that he received complete cooperation from the U.S. Armed Forces, which provided jet fighters, attack helicopters and some special forces units. All that hardware and manpower aided the director in his quest to make the film seem "more accessible and more acceptable."
Generally, Bay was pleased with the result, which he believes re-fashions "a kids' story" into an adult action-adventure picture children can enjoy.

"I liked the challenge of doing something that hadn't been done and creating characters out of thin air," he said.

Later on, Bay refused to confirm that he might be doing the same thing with his next project: a movie version of the popular video game, Prince Of Persia. Meanwhile, LaBeouf, who begins filming the fourth installment of Indiana Jones on Monday, said he applauds Bay for making Transformers more than just a special effects action flick.

"There's a lot of heart in the movie," said LaBeouf, who admitted he was a Transformers comic book and cartoon series fanatic growing up.

So is the actor ready for the attention coming his way when the film opens July 3? "I live a regular life," he said. "I intend to keep it that way." The joker in LaBeouf couldn’t resist a bit of fun when he was asked what he might have kept from the Transformers movie as a memory? "It was a lock of Michael Bay's hair," he said smiling.

Like LaBeouf, Tyrese Gibson's a big Transformers follower. "Optimus Prime is my guy," he said. And sure he agreed, "Michael Bay is intense at times" but he thinks it was worth the hard work.

So does Bay, who said some fans were worried about the makeovers and alterations. But Bay said it all came together. So will he do a Transformers sequel? "There is no script right now," he said. "But I will leave that negotiation open."

Original article.

Transformers: Making the Movie

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-06-16T19:07:53-04:00

Click here to read the making of the Transformers movie. This is form the media press kit being given out to journalist and media outlets.

Transformers Asia Junket Heats Up Seoul

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-06-12T06:08:39-04:00

Transformers Asia Junket Heats Up Seoul

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

Director Michael Bay and rising star Megan Fox sizzled up Monday night's Asia junket for their mega-action robot film "Transformers,'' held at N Seoul Tower. The film's character model Bumblebee, revealing its looming yellow 5.2-meter, 3.7-ton figure for the first time, also heated up the show.

"Korea is a huge emerging world market (in cinema),'' the award-winning director told journalists that gathered from all over the world for the event. He was also "very happy'' the world premier for his movie would take place here on June 28 (opens July 4 in the United States).

It is the first time a major Hollywood film held its opening press event in Korea. Artist Choe So-ri inaugurated the program with a stunning drum performance using fire and water, symbolizing the film's dueling evil Decepticons and good Autobots, respectively.

Based on a popular American comic book and TV series of the same title, "Transformers'' is about alien robot races battling on Earth to locate their long lost energy source, to which a teenager named Sam (Shia LaBoeuf) obliviously holds the key. With the help of Mikaela (Megan Fox), Sam and others join forces to save the planet.

During the press talk, Bay, 42, exerted much confidence about his film and its extensive appeal to both fans and non-fans, international and domestic.

"I grew up a non-`Transformers' fan'' he said, "so when Steven Spielberg called me a year and a half ago to direct this movie, I thought ah, it'd be a silly toy movie, (I'm) not really interested, but since then I became a gigantic `Transformers' fan.'' Bay says his favorite character is Optimus Prime, the "really cool'' leader of the human-friendly Autobots.

The director explained that the film "has a kind of a universal appeal and it brings out the kid in you,'' and that "it's definitely something new and different you haven't seen this summer, and by using really groundbreaking visual effects,'' the film "appeals to a lot of different age ranges.''

Bay continued, "I like to do ideas that are big ideas that really travel around the world,'' yet this film "was challenging because it was a cartoon. My job was to make it real and bring it to life on-screen.'' He said it was tough working with 40 artists and developing the characters.

Bay is known for his visually stunning and star-making blockbuster movies: Ben Affleck and Owen Wilson rose to stardom through "Armageddon'' (1998), Nicolas Cage became a megastar with "The Rock'' (1996) and Josh Hartnett upgraded his heartthrob image with "Pearl Harbor'' (2001).

Actress Megan Fox, heroine of the action-packed science-fiction film "Transformers," poses in front of the robot character model Bumblebee, at the film's opening press event in Seoul, Monday. /Yonhap.
For "Transformers,'' newcomer Megan Fox beat the competition in nine auditions against some 600 other women from numerous countries. Although she hadn't seen the script upon joining the cast, she said "I knew that Michael (Bay) was directing it and I knew that Steven (Spielberg) was producing it, and that's all an actor needs to know to be excited to trying get involved in a project.

"I was looking for a job and ended up getting the best one,'' she said.

How? "Just look at her,'' Bay said.

The 21-year-old played a sexy and charismatic teenager on-screen, and told reporters that Bay wanted her to be stronger and tougher. Steering a truck at full speed with a super size robot trailing behind, the actress does define rough with a sexy touch.

Fox magnetized camera lenses as she posed for lengthy photo ops on the red carpet and onstage. Showing off her foxy grin and tattoos, including the one of Marilyn Monroe's face on her right forearm, the actress waved to the excited crowd.

Great news for worldwide "Transformers'' fans: Bay explained that the film's finale was left slightly open-ended because there might be " two, three, four and five and so on.

"But that all depends on you up there,'' he said to a crowd of Koreans gathered near the venue's terrace. Someone yelled "Hell yeah!'' and Bay smiled, "Alright, there you go.''

As for the possibility of real world robots in the near future, Bay laughed, saying that "there definitely will be a massive alien robot war in the future,'' in light of his own film. The alluring Ms. Fox added that artificial intelligence and the like "scare the crap out of me.''

Fox pleasantly surprised the local crowd by enthusiastically stating that "The Host'' (2006) was her "favorite film'' -- "after `Transformers,''' Bay insisted. The actress said the monster scared her enormously and that the fine acting in the Korean blockbuster was impressive.

About his second visit to Korea, Bay said the country has become "very big and crowded'' ever since his trip here with his mother 20 years ago. For Fox, it was her first time traveling outside of the U.S., and thought Korea seemed beautiful.

Bay and Fox continued onto Australia to promote "Transformers.'' The film recently won the American MTV award for "Best Summer Movie You Haven't Seen Yet.''

Original article.

South Korea Transformers press conference

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-06-11T21:33:29-04:00

Michael Bay and Megan Fox attend the press conference in South Korea.

AICN interview Peter Cullen

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-06-09T19:41:55-04:00

Quint over at AICN has interviewed the man behind Optimus Prime. Read the interview here. Among some of the things he said:

Peter Cullen: Yeah it’s better with Michael Bay, you know even just a couple of cars would be special… the guy is just brilliant. I mean, he really is brilliant and he’s got a vision. He had a marvelous vision for the entire beginning from conceptual… through the process. He’s responsible for so many great things, including giving Optimus Prime a sense of humor, which makes him more believable, working in the human relation situation along with the real people. Prime is actually charmingly funny. That’s a step in the right direction!

Variety: 'Transformers' aims for broad audience

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-06-09T08:04:31-04:00

'Transformers' aims for broad audience
Movie being sold as more than toy knockoff

By PAMELA MCCLINTOCK

"Transformers" conjures up images of kiddie playthings, ever-changing alien robots that first landed in toy boxes in the 1980s.

DreamWorks and Paramount think they have something more than a kiddie pic or a nostalgic tribute -- execs feel that the pic, which launches July 3, is a four-quadrant summer joyride. The question is how to market the film to those four groups.

As director Michael Bay deadpans, "I definitely didn't make a toy movie."

The PG-13 movie is this summer's only big-budget live-action pic that is not a sequel, and boasts the imprint of action-megapic director Bay and exec producer Steven Spielberg.

The studio marketing execs are selling the movie as much more than a toy knockoff, talking up spectacular special effects, a fast-moving plot and humor.

"The push has been to defy people's expectations," says Christine Birch, DreamWorks president of marketing. "When they hear 'Transformers,' they think 'toy movie.' They think little kids. The movie is family-friendly, but that doesn't make it juvenile."

One studio exec says: "You need to get young males, which Bay can. But you also need to get younger kids, which could be more Steven. The challenge comes in trying to tell parents it's OK to bring their younger children without alienating teenagers. It still needs a 'Terminator' toughness."

Rob Moore, Paramount's president of worldwide marketing and distribution, says the movie has just that. "It has signature Michael Bay action that is visually spectacular. But the movie also has a great sense of humor. You really have a combination."

In testing, DreamWorks and Par skedded two screenings: One for kids and parents, the other for all audiences. The scores were almost identical.

Starring Shia LaBeouf and Josh Duhamel, "Transformers" would give DreamWorks and Paramount a much-needed live-action franchise.

Even before Par acquired DreamWorks, the two entities agreed to collaborate on a "Transformers" project. It's said to be a passion project for Spielberg, who was intrigued by its alien themes, and he thought Bay would be perfect to direct.

After a string of box office hits, Bay stumbled with DreamWorks' "The Island" ($36 million domestically and $125 million overseas). If "Transformers" clicks, it will be a rebound for the director and the action is said to be quintessential Bay, mirroring such pics as "Armageddon," "The Rock" and "Bad Boys."

And, at least partly due to Spielberg's mark, it's being hyped as featuring the same kind of special effects that made "Jurassic Park" work in the 1990s.

Script was penned by the team of Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, who also wrote Par's upcoming "Star Trek" installment.

"Transformers" was produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Don Murphy and Tom DeSanto, who secured the film rights from Hasbro.

Article link.

Transformer's Press Kit Contest

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-06-08T21:05:09-04:00

Nelson here...one lucky fan will be receiving this Transformers mega-press kit.

So, what do you have to do to win this? SImple. Answer the following two (2) questions:

1. Who is your favorite Transformer
2. And why is it your favorite Transformer

E-mail your name, address, and answers to: contest@michaelbay.com

Here are the contest rules:

You must live in one of the following countries: US, UK, Canada, Australia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Israel, Italy, New Zealand, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, & Switzerland.

You will have to pay for shipping and insurance through Paypal.com. You have 24 hours to pay once you are contacted (if you do not respond, your prize is void).

The winner will be announced on this blog. You will be contacted with shipping and insurance rates info. If you are the winner and can't pay, the prize will be given to another contestant.

There are no returns, refunds and/or cash exchanges.

The contest ends on Friday, June 15, 2007.

The contents of the Transformers press kit are:

01.- Optimus Prime Voice Changer
02.- "Optimash Prime" Mr. Potato Head figure
03.- Deluxe Class Bonecrusher
04.- Deluxe Class Swindle
05.- Optimus Prime "Battle Rig Blaster"
06.- Robot Fighters game featuring Optimus Prime and Megatron
07.- "Transformers: Ghost of Yesterday" Prequel Novel by Alan Dean Foster
08.- T-Shirt featuring Barricade's police logo
09.- Small projector toy that shines an image of Optimus Prime
10.- Transformers press kit material and CD-rom
11.- Decepticon movie logo magnet
12.- Autobot movie logo magnet
13.- Leader Class Megatron action figure
14.- Transformers 3-D Battle-Card Game sample pack

Giant Fucking Robots Are Coming Shirts are here

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-06-06T20:56:55-04:00

>> Order here

Yahoo.com interview with Michael Bay

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-06-06T05:18:04-04:00

Michael answers some questions on Transformers.

Click to watch.

Michael Bay to appear "On the Lot"

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-06-05T06:04:44-04:00

"TRANSFORMERS" STAR SHIA LABEOUF AND DIRECTOR MICHAEL BAY TO SERVE AS GUEST JUDGES "ON THE LOT"

TUESDAY, JUNE 5, ON FOX

Moviemaking competition series ON THE LOT will air its weekly "Film Premiere" episode this Tuesday June 5 8/7c on FOX, with "Transformers" star Shia LaBeouf ("Disturbia," "Surf's Up") and director Michael Bay ("Armageddon," "Bad Boys") serving as guest judges along with regulars Carrie Fisher and Garry Marshall.

The remaining 15 director finalists have been divided into three groups of five, and the first group - Sam Friedlander, Hilary Graham, Trever James, Shalini Kantayya and Adam Stein - will premiere their personal submission films and receive the judges' critiques. Viewers will vote for their favorite films after the show.

ON THE LOT is produced by Mark Burnett Productions, DreamWorks Television and Amblin Television. Mark Burnett and Steven Spielberg are creators and executive producers. David Goffin serves as executive producer with Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey and Conrad Riggs co-executive producers.

Link.

Bay's Transformers wins MTV award

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-06-04T07:12:41-04:00

Transformers won the MTV movie awards for "Best Summer Movie You haven't Seen Yet."

Click to see Michael accept the award .

Tranformers to hit US theaters on night of July 2

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-06-02T17:30:31-04:00

Nelson here.

Just spoke to Michael and he confirmed that Transformers will open in theaters on July 3 with a special showing on the night of July 2.

Transformers international press tour

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-06-02T06:25:34-04:00

Nelson here...Shia & Megan have begun the international press tour for Transformers. Michael Bay begins his tour this following week.

View a snippet of the Tokyo press conference.

Transformers "Freakout" Tv ad

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-06-01T19:22:44-04:00

This is the ad that premiered on Nickelodeon. Enjoy!

View in Quicktime HD

Mirror # 1

Mirror # 2

Behind the scenes of the Transformers score

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-05-29T15:46:43-04:00

Nelson here...thanks to Adam Lloyd for the heads up on the Steve Jablonsky Transformers scoring sessions .

Click to read the complete article via SoundtrackNet.

New photographs

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-05-29T08:37:32-04:00

Nelson here...we got some new photographs of Michael Bay on the set of Transformers. Click here to view.

Do not repost photos without expressed permission of michaelbay.com.

Pepsi One ad behind the scenes

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-05-20T08:41:25-04:00

This is one of two ads Michael shot for the Pepsi One campaign.

Note from Bay

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-05-18T06:07:30-04:00

Hey, I want to thank everyone for the kind words on the trailer. I'm so used to seeing robots I kind of got bored with the trailer. I forget you have not seen them. When they put the piece together I kept wanting to show our truly awesome shots - but we didn't. I can without a doubt, say we have just teased you on this trailer. We have so many huge shots that will never be in our ads. I bet this will be one of the rare trailers that does not show you the true money shots of the movie.

I would also like fans opinion on opening on July 3rd instead of the 4th. The studio kind of sort of is thinking about which might mean "no". If you spread the word on the Net - everywhere - they might listen. The 3rd everyone is off from work, I say "what the fuck" play the movie - "give'em giant fucking robots early"!!!

Michael

Low and behold the Transformers theatrical trailer

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-05-17T19:44:59-04:00

View it in high definition here.

View the international trailer here.

New Transformer trailer today at Yahoo

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-05-17T05:23:12-04:00

Be sure to watch!

http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/transformers.html

New Transformers TV ad

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-05-17T05:21:44-04:00

Jazz in Maxim

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-05-16T06:24:07-04:00

Michael Bay producing a videogame

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-05-14T06:55:11-04:00

A while ago I spoke to Michael and he indicated he was in the process of writing the script for a video game.

Now, the LATimes reports Digital Domain and Bay are producing a video game with a $25 million budget. Read the article below.

Special-effects house aims to make video games more cinematic

With a movie director as co-chairman, Digital Domain is poised to accelerate the blurring of the two media.
By Richard Verrier

Times Staff Writer

May 14, 2007

A budget of about $25 million may not be much for director Michael Bay, maker of such mega-budget movies as "Armageddon" and "Pearl Harbor."

But it's enough to get him launched on a new passion: creating a video game that matches the quality of a feature film.

Bay's first-person shooter game is part of a larger strategy to transform Digital Domain Inc., where he is now co-chairman, from one of Hollywood's elite special-effects houses into a full-blown production studio, capitalizing on the convergence between games and feature films.

That was a key inducement for Bay in leading a Florida-based investment group, Wyndcrest Holdings, last May in its $35-million purchase of the Venice company.

"I make world-class images," Bay said. "Why not put those images into a game?"

Over 13 years, Digital Domain made its name with computer wizardry that created memorable scenes for "Titanic," "The Day After Tomorrow" and "Flags of Our Fathers."

But differences among the former owners, and a lack of investment capital, hampered the company in recent years. That allowed rivals such as Sony Pictures ImageWorks, Rhythm & Hues and Peter Jackson's Weta to cut into Digital Domain's core effects business.

Compounding matters, Digital Domain and other U.S. visual-effects houses have been squeezed by rising labor costs and competition from rivals in Europe and Asia that are able to produce effects at a fraction of the cost.

Enter Bay and Wyndcrest Holdings. The partnership bought out owners that included IBM Corp., Cox Enterprises Inc. and the company founders — director James Cameron, effects legend Stan Winston and then-Chief Executive Scott Ross.

Former veteran Microsoft Corp. executive Carl Stork, a principal of Wyndcrest, was tapped to lead the turnaround. He hired three top executives from George Lucas' Industrial Light & Magic.

"We see ourselves being the next-generation digital-content studio," Stork said. "It's like we're a new, start-up company."

Beyond fixing leaky roofs and buying ergonomic chairs for the company's 500 workers, the new owners bought a new computer network. They've also worked to improve Digital's relations with major studios, building up feature effects work that helped return the company to the black last year after a loss in 2005.

Company executives won't disclose finances but say Digital Domain will post a double-digit increase in revenue this year, helped by a thriving business working on commercials. Profit, however, will be flat as Wyndcrest pumps up to $100 million over the next three years into equipment purchases, acquisitions and about 100 hires, many of them video-game programmers, Stork said.

Digital Domain plans to develop four or five games over the next two years, tapping into a lucrative industry whose sales in the U.S. climbed 19% to a record $12.5 billion last year, according to research firm NPD Group. As video entertainment becomes more sophisticated, the line between video games and movies is blurring.

Mindful of that trend, Digital Domain is building its own games unit and plans to acquire one or more game firms this year. The games would mostly be tied to Digital Domain's visual-effects projects, appealing to a range of styles and genres.

"We're not just talking about the convergence of film and video games," said Ed Ulbrich, president of Digital Domain's commercial division. "It's no longer a theory."

The video game industry, however, is fiercely competitive, dominated by such established players as Activision, Electronic Arts and THQ Inc.

"It's going to be very difficult" for Digital Domain, said Michael Pachter, an analyst with Wedbush Morgan Securities. "The skill set of a game maker is very different from the skill set of a graphic artist."

Nonetheless, company executives say they have a competitive advantage: a network of A-list directors that includes David Fincher ("Fight Club"), Rob Cohen ("The Fast and the Furious") and, of course, Bay, whose latest movie, "Transformers," is one of the summer's most anticipated releases.

Most film-based games are developed through third parties, and filmmakers often have little or no creative control. By contrast, Digital would let filmmakers direct their own games.

Beyond video games, Digital Domain also wants to make computer-animated feature films, following a path of other effects houses such as rivals Rhythm & Hues of Los Angeles and Sony ImageWorks. ImageWorks helped spawn a new animation division last year at Sony Pictures, which releases "Surf's Up" next month.

Unlike Sony, however, Digital Domain won't compete in the crowded family market but will make animated films targeted to teenagers and young adults that cost $30 million to $50 million.

To keep costs down, the animation will be created using video game software in real time, rather than the slower frame-by-frame technique. Creating digital characters used in both a movie and a video game also would reduce costs.

A recent TV ad that Digital Domain made for "Gears of War," the popular Microsoft science-fiction game for Xbox 360, showed off the new direction.

Instead of relying on conventional software, Digital Domain's visual-effects artists created the 60-second spot using the same software that the game runs on. The commercial featured realistic effects and took only five weeks to make, about half the regular time, said Jay Wilbur, vice president of business development at Epic Games Inc., developer of "Gears of War."

"It was a massively successful campaign for us," he said.

Transformers behind the scenes featurette

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-05-11T07:38:58-04:00

A response to Bruce Willis

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-05-10T19:57:23-04:00

Hard to believe it really is Bruce saying that stuff on AICN. I loved working with Bruce. He gave me a big hug one month ago at the GM party and we talked for 20 minutes. We even talked about working together again! I mean it would be sad if he felt this way - he's never one to hide his feelings - I say sad, in that he wouldn't be man enough to say it to my face. But truly sad that such a big time actor would have to hide on a little talk back section. So I really don't believe this story.

I find it also totally odd that my agents at William Morris got the call from Bruce's people to inquire if I would like to helm Die Hard 4, but I was already on Transformers.

Michael

Transformers high res pix

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-05-10T05:59:11-04:00

Click on the thumbnails to view larger versions.

View the robots

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-05-09T20:09:24-04:00

View the Transformer robots and read in amazing interview with ILM.

Link.

Michael Bay and Cisco

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-05-08T07:27:47-04:00

Join Michael Bay, a panel of Cisco and other entertainment industry executives in an interactive discussion about the impact the digital video revolution has had on the entertainment industry. Hear how digital video technology has influenced the film-making process. Get a behind-the-scenes glimpse into how some of the world's biggest brands are connecting themselves to entertainment, and learn how companies like Cisco are using this connection to redefine how they reach their target audiences. See how Cisco's enterprise video solution is changing the way people communicate with one another and view their entertainment content.

The Digital Video Revolution and the Empowered Consumer
Wednesday, July 25
8:15 a.m.–9:30 a.m.

For more information, read the complete details.

Sunday post

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-05-06T20:47:49-04:00

Nelson here.

It's with great pleasure that I announce Bonecrusher Bay. Bonecrusher is Michael's new mastiff.

Sadly Mason passed away 6 weeks ago. He had been around a while and had parts in Pearl Harbor and Bad Boys 2. He will be missed.

*****

In other news, there have been a couple folks in MySpace that have been pretending to be Michael. Like this loser here.

Michael's true MySpace placeholder page can be found here. Sadly, www.myspace.com/michaelbay is owned by someone else.

Hence I've set a page at the VIRB online community. You can find it at http://www.virb.com/michaelbay.

VIRB is what Myspace would be if they cared about design and layout. VIRB is fresh and small as we speak. I expect it to be popular but niche online community. We'll see.

New Transformers trailer info

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-05-04T21:20:32-04:00

Nelson here.

A little update: I just spoke to Bay and he's just putting the finishing touches of the new Transformers theatrical trailer.

It will be attached to Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End.

LATimes article: He's not toying around

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-05-04T06:30:46-04:00

A very good article about Bay and the production of Transformers.

Read the entire article.

Original source: LATimes.

Transformer Screenings

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-04-27T19:07:57-04:00

We had two screenings tonight. 850 people. Highest test scores in my career. Blew Armageddon away which was a 92.

Go Figure.

-Michael

Transform your summer

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-04-22T12:21:55-04:00

Michael has been working on a Pepsi ad that will promote the Transformers movie this summer.

Check out the site:

http://pepsi.yahoo.com/transformyoursummer/

Spoke to Michael

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-04-22T00:14:12-04:00

Nelson here,

I spoke to Mike today...

>> He's been super busy editing the movie and in the process shooting the ads that will accompany the release of Transformers. He's doing ads that involve GM and Pepsi.

>> The unreleased ad (Prime speaks) that was posted on youtube was a test that European were making with the ads. The clip where OP was "speaking," lets just say that it wasn't OP or Cullen speaking. It was something the European studios added on their own. In fact, it was a test shot.

>> As reported by Slate, Spielberg and Bay are not at odds. Where do they come up with this?

>> As reported by naysayers and haters, Bay never said "the cartoons were amatuer and our movie is spectacular" in Empire magazine. He was referring to the animation and complexity of the transformation of the cartoon robots themselves and not the cartoons as a whole.

Shoot for the Edit

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-04-21T16:05:41-04:00

Nelson, here.

I've gotten lots of e-mails of people asking me what does "shoot for the edit" mean or where did the phrase come from.

From the book "Visons of Armageddon," Michael states:

"Coming out of music videos and commercials, I learned how to shoot very quickly and also make something look good. One of my knacks is shooting for the edit, basically editing things in my mind."

So there you have it.

BTW, here's the picture that accompanies the article.

Michael driving around...

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-04-12T09:11:34-04:00

Nelson here.

I once had the chance to see Mike's Ferrari up-close at his office. Very nice car.

Here is MIke waiting at a light in Beverly Hills.

Video link.

Ask Michael Bay

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-04-12T08:59:04-04:00

E-mail Michael your question which might be used in a video interview.

Send your questions to askmichaelbay@yahoo.com

Transformer TV ads

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-03-30T21:06:26-04:00

Enjoy!

:)

Ad #1

Ad #2

Transformers USAToday article

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-03-27T06:57:27-04:00

Read "Transformers: Good Knight vs Bad.

'Transformers': Good knight vs. bad

By Anthony Breznican, USA TODAY

The writers of the new Transformers movie thought of the shape-shifting robot characters as giant, mechanical knights.

So it's fitting the first images of Optimus Prime and Megatron — the posters go online Wednesday — reveal armor and faceplates that look medieval by way of Star Wars.

"We always modeled Optimus Prime after King Arthur," says Alex Kurtzman, who co-wrote the film with Roberto Orci. "His design (from the '80s toys and cartoon) was so iconic we couldn't make too many changes."

Transformers opens July 4, a release date generally set aside for movies expected to be summer blockbusters.

Kurtzman and Orci worked on TV's Alias, Mission: Impossible III and the upcoming Star Trek remake directed by J.J. Abrams.

While doing an uncredited rewrite on Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds, the director, who is executive producer of Transformers, talked them into crafting the script for the warring-robots adventure by Michael Bay.

The writers said the concept of alien robots who are able to change into ordinary-looking Earth vehicles was an intriguing premise. A darker parallel to contemporary times: The robots destroyed their home planet in a war over energy.

"The Transformers as a race are sentient emotional beings, and they share our characteristics," Orci says. "They arrived on our planet when we face similar kinds of wars and are able to say, 'We are not that different from the humans.' "

Prime (voiced in the movie by original cartoon actor Peter Cullen) is the leader of the Autobots, protector robots from the alien planet Cybertron, where mechanisms evolved into living beings.

On Earth, Prime changes from a robot into a thundering big rig to disguise his identity. The smooth curves of his red, white and blue façade suggest a kind of solid comfort.

In contrast, his nemesis Megatron — a fascist politician on his home world whose motto was "Peace through tyranny" — has a jagged, colorless metal face with a covering that suggests the exposed jaw of a skull or insectlike pincers.

The Matrix's Hugo Weaving will voice Megatron.

"He's very dangerous-looking," says Kurtzman, noting the character had a more humanoid face in the cartoon.

The writers don't want to reveal yet what machine Megatron becomes.

But the gun that Megatron used to transform into had to go. Says Orci, "That would be the equivalent of Darth Vader turning into his own lightsaber and someone else swinging him around."

Transformers posters

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-03-27T06:31:49-04:00

Download the hi-res file here (1.4MB).

Tranformers on MySpace

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-03-27T06:25:15-04:00

Transformers joins MySpace. Check it out.

Hugo Weaving/Megatron

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-03-24T08:51:35-04:00

Sector 7's (password: NBETWO) Counter Information Campaign is reporting that "Operation Hungry Dragon 2 continues. As of today agent H. Weaving has officially convinced S.S., M.B., R.D and A.K. to oversee the Megaman issue. The recording will commence immediately."

Agent H. Weaving= Hugo Weaving.

S.S. = Steven Spielberg
M.B.= Michael Bay
R.O.= Roberto Orci
A.K.= Alex Kurtzman

Click here to view a larger version of the screen capture below:

102 DAYS left...SHIT!!!

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-03-23T19:33:02-04:00

Almost a 100 days left.

I guess I should start posting every week?

I've been working my ass off - the cut is really coming along -the shots ---awesome. Some of the most difficult renders in ILM history. Sometimes up to 38 hours per frame. The Show West thing was fun to see the scenes play in a 1000 person house. But they just saw 25 minutes so it is hard to feel engaged because they are not seeing the full run of a movie. Harry called me to tell me how he loved it. I see all the dickwad talk back people who claim they have read a finished script. Impossible - I kept the only draft for the last two months before shooting. That's where did major retooling to the script - yes the scene beats are similar but a very different script.

We are still writing the robot voices. They talk about just 20 minutes of action at the end - yeah right. This is by far the most action I have ever put into a movie - I have 12 huge set pieces. Boy I get tired of these lame cry babies on the net.

-Michael Bay

2012

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-03-19T07:55:27-04:00

Trio sees '2012' future

Bay, Orci, Kurtzman adapt book

By Borys Kit
March 19, 2007

Director Michael Bay and writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman -- the creative team behind the summer's "Transformers" -- are reuniting to bring sci-fi author's Whitley Strieber forthcoming novel "2012: The War for Souls" to the big screen for Warner Bros. Pictures.

Talks are in the preliminary stages, but it is known that Bay intends to direct, while Orci and Kurtzman will produce via their company Kurtzman/Orci.

Strieber's story centers on an academic researcher who discovers that multiple versions of Earth co-exist in different dimensions, but all are threatened by an apocalypse to occur in 2012 prophesied by the ancient Mayans. By opening a portal into a parallel universe, he makes contact with his double to stop the prophecy from being fulfilled. The book is due in the fall by St. Martin imprint Tor.

A search for a writer to adapt is under way.

"We've been looking for a way to have the kinds of thrillers that we are interested in that still take into account the latest theories and discoveries in Egyptology and in quantum mechanics and all those things that Mr. Strieber is so knowledge about," Orci said.

"The idea of a man teaming up with himself to solve a cosmic mystery was way too good for us to pass up," Kurtzman said.

Kurtzman/Orci execs Steven Puri and Mandy Safavi brought the book into the company at the same time as Bay's producing partners Andrew Form and Brad Fuller got it via their exec Matt Smith. When Bay heard that the scribes had it, he called them up and suggested a team-up.

"2012" will be the third teaming for the trio, who first got together when the writers came on board to rewrite Bay's "The Island."

"It's been a great partnership," Kurtzman said. "I think we trust each other for what we all bring to the table. No one is better visually than Michael; the way he blocks out action is like no other director out there, and I think he trusts our story sense."

Greg Silverman oversees the project for the studio.

Strieber is known for such novels as "The Wolfen" and "Communion." His most recent novel, "The Grays," is being adapted by Ken Nolan for Sony, while "The Hunger" is in development at Warners. He is repped by Innovative Artists, Paul Canterna and attorney Lawrence Rose.

Bay is repped by WMA.

Kurtzman and Orci are repped by CAA.

Article via THR.

MTV interviews Michael Bay

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-02-15T22:07:01-05:00

A lot of cool Transformers stuff plus a little something on Bad Boys 3.

View clip.

Read it here.

Bay pic sneak: Nothing to toy with

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-02-14T07:05:45-05:00

****Beware: SPOILERS AHEAD****

From Variety:

Bay pic sneak: Nothing to toy with

Toy Fair screens 25 minutes of 'Transformers'

By DADE HAYES

The invitation at first sounded too wacky to be believed. At Lincoln Center's Walter Reade Theater, hallowed province of Fassbinder and Truffaut, footage from Paramount and DreamWorks' Michael Bay pic "Transformers" would be shown to a crowd of toy enthusiasts.

But so it went Tuesday night for an audience stocked with consumer-product execs, toy collectors and general robot evangelists in Gotham for the American Intl. Toy Fair. The footage totaled 25 minutes from the film based on Hasbro's revived 1980s toy line -- "not necessarily the best scenes, but some of the scenes that were finished," cautioned Bay.

Ecstatic applause greeted each of the four long sequences.

The last time Bay took a high-octane passion project into a high-end setting, he presided over a similar screening for "The Island" at the Academy theater in Beverly Hills. That spring 2005 event began an anxious couple of months leading to one of the most troubled releases of recent summers.

This time, Bay seemed gratified to be playing to an inherently more sympathetic crowd. "You guys aren't really the target audience," he joked.

The footage contained plenty of what producer Jerry Bruckheimer has termed "Bay-os" -- automatic weapon fire, rumbling car engines, sweaty military dialogue ("Bogey in the weeds and he's not squawking!"). But the scenes were spiked with wit and exuberant popcorn energy. In one scene, John Turturro, appearing as a mysterious, "Men in Black"-esque agent, savors the line "Bingo! Take him and bake him!"

A brief panel session preceded the footage. Bay was joined by DreamWorks production chief Adam Goodman and Brian Goldner, chief operating officer of Hasbro and an exec producer on the pic. "It reminds me of 'Back to the Future' or 'Close Encounters' -- real Amblin film from back in the day," Goodman said.

Beyond the trio onstage Tuesday, the film is exec produced by Steven Spielberg and produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Don Murphy. None of the latter three was in Gotham for Tuesday's event.

But another producer who did attend, Tom DeSanto, compared the experience to the way "X-Men," which he exec produced, first snuck up on audiences in 2000. "People were really going to give that one the smell test," he said. "And it was a real surprise."

Michael Bay's Transformers Sneak Peak

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-02-14T06:58:23-05:00

****Beware: SPOILERS AHEAD****

From MTV.com:

This is my superhero movie," Michael Bay says to MTV News moments after screening 25 minutes of nearly complete footage from his summer blockbuster "Transformers."

Bay, the director of bombastic popcorn cinema like "Armageddon" and "Bad Boys," sat down with MTV News to discuss the footage that every fanboy or fangirl would die to see. "I've done action my whole life. I don't get excited about action, but I'm excited about this," Bay says. And judging from the scenes he screened, this isn't hyperbole.

Four scenes are shown in all, and each ups the ante immediately on what audience members can expect from their summer entertainment from now on. Sporting a temp score and incomplete effects, one could forgive the film for seeming halfway there, but the DreamWorks exec — who warns that there are still 140 days until release to finalize it all — needn't worry. The scenes impress.

As the lights dim, the setting is Qatar. Some soldiers are lamenting what they're missing back home. Josh Duhamel is talking to his sweetheart back home via video phone — yes, the woman says their kid has his laugh. What do you want? It's Michael Bay — when all hell breaks loose. And for a change, this cliché is apt. An unidentified helicopter has landed, and the soldiers have their guns drawn. The stakes change completely when the helicopter reveals its true form. Or should we say his true form, because this is Blackout. The Decepticon is about to lay waste to everything in his path.

After Blackout's seamless transformation, the soldiers are suddenly overmatched. Tanks are hurled like washrags as this relentless killing machine makes like Godzilla, terrorizing soldiers and civilians alike. Perhaps you've spent many a day dreaming of what a Transformer would look like in our world. Perhaps not. Nothing can prepare you for what this is. Imagine Godzilla crossed with a Velociraptor, mechanize the beast and maybe, just maybe you have an idea of the world of Michael Bay's "Transformers."

It's clear from seeing the next scene — of a teenage underdog, Sam (Shia LaBeouf), pining for the hot girl in a park — that Bay loves his Americana. Say what you will about the director (style over substance, too many cuts, etc.), but he knows how to paint a picture. You could say Bay paints Norman Rockwell paintings — except that his art has Aerosmith ballads and giant robots fighting each other in the foreground.

But back to that scene in the park. Sam picks up his would-be paramour in a beat-up, yellow camaro. You don't have to be a fanboy to know from the first instant that this is Bumblebee — and if you're slow on the uptake, there's the air freshener hanging in front that says "Bee-otch" — and that a transformation is close at hand.

This summer, no film has as much baggage as "Transformers." Based on the beloved toys and cartoon that originated 23 years ago, it's a film that has been speculated and argued about for years. Once Bay — a director with nearly as many critics as fans — signed on, the message boards lit up. Bay says he's been listening all along. "They all think I wasn't listening, but I was. I didn't want to make the boxy characters. I was listening to the fans. I know they hated the Optimus paint job with the stripes," he says, referring to the slightly altered look of his hero Autobot. "That caused a lot of grief," he laughs. He seems to still be steeling himself for more criticism.

The screen fades to black and we are in another scene. Now we are in Suburbia, USA, on a street that seems to have been borrowed from a Spielberg film of old (is this the same block that a T-Rex traversed in "The Lost World"?). In fact, "Transformers" is produced by Spielberg. Its advertising campaign, Bay explains, will follow the classic Spielberg law of never showing too much. That means no full views of the characters, no transformations, just glimpses. You'll have to buy your ticket for the full show.

Meanwhile in Suburbia, we're in the home of Sam's parents as our hero tries to sneak back to retrieve something seemingly very important to the Transformers. Oh, and he's brought along three Autobots who are less than inconspicuous. If your geek goosebumps don't activate the moment you see Optimus Prime driving down the street commanding, in full robot mode, "Autobots fall back," you need to check yourself. The voice is familiar for a reason — it belongs to the longtime voice of Optimus, Peter Cullen. Bay says the other voices are all temporary and casting is still in progress.

One more scene (a Decepticon attack in the desert, courtesy of Scorponok), and it's over. It's a mind-blowing experience, as Bay promised, to see childhood fantasies brought to life, and he says it's just the tip of the iceberg. He tells MTV News that there are no less than 14 set pieces in the film. There is a twinkle in his eye as he flashes a grin. "You can do a lot with 30- and 40-foot robots."

Transformers Writers Interview

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-01-14T13:18:30-05:00

You can read an interview conducted by Toyfare Magazine in which Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci explain the process of writing the story and characters.

Page 1 / Page 2 / Page 3 / Page 4

Japanese Transformers Trailer

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-01-08T20:59:40-05:00

The link below shows us a slightly different cut of the Transformers teaser trailer with an intro by Bay and Spielberg.

Click to watch.

Transformers Teaser now available.

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-12-20T20:26:33-05:00

You can view the TF teaser in HD at Yahoo Movies.

Also check out Sector 7. Password can be found in the teaser trailer.

Transformers Teaser on Yahoo.com on 12/20

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-12-18T21:49:14-05:00

Be sure to watch the new Transformers teaser on Yahoo.com starting December 20th.

The teaser will be attached to Ben Stiller's new movie "Night at the Museum" which hits theaters December 22nd.

New Teaser/Note from Michael

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-12-14T18:37:05-05:00

It has been awhile since I've posted.

Finished shooting end of Sept., on budget, just came under $300,000. I beat Pearl by a $100,000. I had a great time making this movie, the cast and crew were amazing.

Today I just finished the new teaser for Christmas and I think it's AWESOME! The trailer mixing Guru who does all the big summer movies turned to me and said with a little more ump - it was "fucking awesome."

I think some of my films have had good teasers but this one is just makes a statement. It's hard edged to show we are not a silly "toy" movie. We show just hints of robots - and almost none of our epic shots are in this teaser, but the movie just looks big. I had a room full of 20 Tranformers adult geeks, and they all applauded at the end.

It comes out the 22nd - see it in the theater!

Let me know what you think.

Michael Bay

2007 Transformers Sneak Peek

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-11-16T21:23:30-05:00

Watch a sneak peek of the 20007 Transformers movie from the Transformers 25th Anniversary Special Edition DVD. Click in the image below.

Enter to win a TF 20th Anniversary Special Edition DVD

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-10-31T21:18:19-05:00

Nelson here.

A couple of Transformers 20th Anniversary Special Edition DVDs will be given to some lucky TF fans.*

For your chance to win, submit your name, and a small one-paragraph essay on why you're looking forward to seeing the 2007 live-action Transformers movie to nelson@michaelbay.com.

Contest ends November 6, 2006.

*Contest only open to U.S. residents only.

Transformers 20th Anniversary Special Edition DVD

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-10-29T20:13:36-05:00

Nelson here...I will be giving away a few Transformers 20th Anniversary Special Edition DVDs to some lucky TF fans. Stay tuned for more info.

For now, you can visit the official site or preorder it at amazon.com. Or check out some movie clips here, here, and here.

Michael Bay at the TCM: TB Premiere

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-10-06T20:49:02-04:00

Watch Michael being interview by Melodie courtesy of IESB.net.

View Quicktime (28.3MB).

"Giant Fucking Robots are Coming" shirts will be available soon.

Detroit Article & Photos

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-10-04T20:51:25-04:00

Depot in disguise

Amy Lee / The Detroit News / Photos by Brandy Baker

DETROIT -- The hulking mass of the abandoned Michigan Central Station in southwest Detroit will splash across the big screen -- again -- when robots come to life next summer in the big-budget film "Transformers: The Movie."

Director Michael Bay and the crew working on the $100 million-plus production of "Transformers" shot scenes with actor Shia LaBeouf inside the decaying station Tuesday. The crew also shot a car chase scene late Tuesday afternoon on Fort Street, and curious Detroiters lined the streets to watch the action. Shooting continues today on Fort Street, but filming in Detroit should wrap up by early evening, said Gabriela Gutentag, publicist for Bay Films.

About 100 Michigan residents, about half from Metro Detroit, will serve as extras on the film, which is slated to open in theaters on July 4, 2007. One of those extras, Todd Walsh, 32, of East Lansing, hung around the corner of Fort and Shelby streets Tuesday afternoon waiting to film his scene.

Walsh was dressed as a road construction worker and wore his own dirty jeans with a wardrobe-issued orange and yellow reflective jacket, brown boots and white hard hat. He is one of eight extras who will scurry when a massive evil Transformer makes its way down a street in the movie.

Extras are paid about $50 a day and get free food for the shoot.

Tuesday's shooting marks the second time Bay has filmed at the Michigan Central Station, also known as Michigan Central Depot. He also used it briefly in his 2005 film, "The Island."

"The train depot looks remarkably similar to when we were last here, which is good for us because it's one of the main reasons we came back," said producer Ian Bryce, who also has produced "Spider-Man" and "Almost Famous." Steven Spielberg is the executive producer on "Transformers."

"(The depot) is a sort of beat up but beautiful structure and such a reminder of bygone days."

Detroit is reveling in the exposure created when famous directors like Bay choose to shoot in the city, said Al Fields, who works in the mayor's office and is the spokesman for the Detroit Film Office.

"We're trying to become a Midwest destination for films," Fields said. "We try to be as easy to work with as possible for things like closing down streets so we become known as being a great place for films to be made."

"Transformers: The Movie" is based on the successful comic book, cartoon and Hasbro action figures that were hugely popular in the 1980s. Transformers are robots from the planet Cybertron that can disguise themselves by turning into cars, trucks, planes, construction equipment and even dinosaurs.

The "good" Transformers, the Autobots, will again face the "bad" Transformers, the Decepticons, in the second big-screen movie to grow from the franchise. "Transformers: The Movie" is expected to garner a PG-13 rating.

Tuesday's shots at the train station featured LaBeouf running into the depot, through its crumbling lobby and up some stairs. That shot, which ends the movie, was captured around 4:15 p.m. at the depot.

"Shia is trying to get to a rooftop that we shot in Los Angeles that had a style of architecture that was beat up, so we needed to establish Shia into a similar type of environment," Bryce said. In other words, the actor will run into one of Detroit's landmarks and emerge on a rooftop in Los Angeles when the movie is pieced together.

LaBeouf, clad in a ripped brown sweatshirt with a dirty and blood-spattered neck, immediately posed for photos with brothers Jack and Max Sydorchuk, ages 7 and 11, respectively, after the shoot. Their father, Jeff, snapped a few cell phone photos, and Max said he couldn't wait to show the picture to his friends at Divine Child Elementary School in Dearborn today.

"That was the coolest thing in the world," Max said.

Unlike the animated "Transformers" movie that came out in 1987, the new Transformers movie will feature live actors, including LaBeouf, Jon Voight and Bernie Mac, as well as computer-generated robots.

"It's very family-oriented, with a lot of heart and a lot of humanity and a good deal of action," Bryce said.

More D.C. Set Photos

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-10-02T10:07:20-04:00

Michael Bay

http://www.michaelbay.com/images/tf/web/IMG_4464.jpg

http://www.michaelbay.com/images/tf/web/IMG_4473.jpg

http://www.michaelbay.com/images/tf/web/IMG_4181.jpg

Director of Photography Mitch Admundsen

http://www.michaelbay.com/images/tf/web/IMG_4475.jpg

Production Sound Mixer Peter Devlin

http://www.michaelbay.com/images/tf/web/IMG_4415.jpg

DP Mitch Admundsen and gaffer Andy Ryan

http://www.michaelbay.com/images/tf/web/IMG_4134.jpg

Washington D.C. Set Photos

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-10-01T19:02:56-04:00

Enjoy. Do not use without permission.

Michael Bay

http://www.michaelbay.com/images/tf/web/IMG_4335.jpg

Rachael Taylor

http://www.michaelbay.com/images/tf/web/IMG_4371_color.jpg

Ian Bryce, Michael Bay, & Lorenzo DiBoneventura

http://www.michaelbay.com/images/tf/web/IMG_4175.jpg

http://www.michaelbay.com/images/tf/web/IMG_4408.jpg

Michael Bay

http://www.michaelbay.com/images/tf/web/IMG_4445.jpg

Detroit Casting Information

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-09-27T20:15:05-04:00

http://www.clickondetroit.com/seenon4/9929357/detail.html

Paid extras needed for major motion picture "Transformers".

The movie is directed by Michael Bay with Steven Spielberg acting as executive producer.

Extras 16 years of age & older are needed to work outside for the 2-day scene currently scheduled for the first week of Oct. 2006. If you are interested in possibly working as a paid extra in the film, please send information immediately.

Mail To: Wendy Washbrook/Extra Casting
"Transformers"
5600 Campus Center Drive
Bungalow 1
Playa Vista, CA 90094

Or Email Photo and Info To: Wendy Washbrook/Extra Casting: wwashbrook@verizon.net

No phone calls. Photos will not be returned.

Transformer tidbits from Michael Bay

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-08-18T19:47:10-04:00

Nelson here...

I just barely caught Michael in between takes. Among the things he mentioned:

1- They will be releasing more teaser posters in the coming months.

2- Paramount made studies and concluded that the TF "ANNOUNCEMENT" was the 2nd highest rated "teaser" this summer.

3.- They just finished shooting a lot of Pentagon interiors on a soundstage in scenes that involved many Chiefs of staff in their huge war room.

4.- Shia just was recently suspended over the edge of a 20 story building in a very dynamic and intense scene.

5.- The average transformation time from normal mode to alt mode and vice versa is about 3 to 4 seconds.

6.- The leaked pictures are legit (although a somewhat early rendering).

7.- Filming of massive chase scenes will begin in the following weeks.

8.- The CGI transformations by ILM are looking wicked and nastier every single day.

9.- Part 1 will be about why the transformers came to earth.

10.- This movie will be a new start for the live action franchise that will not be based on any particular TF TV series and/or comic book.

And last but certainly not least, the Autobots are:

Optimus Prime: idealistic view of humanity.
Bumblebee: underdog, spy, most "connected" to humans
Jazz: style, loyal, eager, contemporary
Ratchet: new form, medical officer, science officer. Emergency vehicle.
Ironhide: tough, tough stare, first in battle, classic cowboy, gritty. Optimus' oldest friend.

Decepticons are:

Megatron: survival of the fittest, social darwinism, less idealistic view of humanity. Sees himself as advanced, sees humans as lower.
Starscream: seems faithful but plotting, "we will see a lot of that dynamic," explains why he does not push it, waits for his opportunity.
Brawl: eager for battle, jumps in. From non-G1 character, experimental, but will be in sequels. First disguised non-flyer.
Bonecrusher: closest to constructicon but not giving away mode. Hates other cons except Megatron. Doesn't want friends.
Barricade: scout, hunter, lures into trap.
Scorponok: closest to Beast Wars, fitted to environment.
Frenzy: "had some evolution for us," started off as Soundwave but had contradictions and changed to stay truer to G1. Smaller, able to infiltrate. Stealth spy, can hide anywhere.
Blackout: comes in, takes out fighting ability, sends EMP, first-tier attack, transporter, biggest vehicle.

Discuss here.

Michael Bay & Transformers on MTV

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-08-08T19:22:26-04:00

Thanks to Andreas.

View clip.

More Michael Bay on Access Hollywood...

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-08-07T20:49:59-04:00

http://video.accesshollywood.com/v/?linkId=25436

Michael Bay on Access Hollywood

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-08-05T11:41:34-04:00

View an Access Hollywood clip about Michael Bay's Transformers.

Thanks to "JesterJJZ" for encoding the clip.

Desktop Backgrounds

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-07-12T09:11:32-04:00

Download desktops backgrounds of the Transformer logos.

Behind the scenes footage at Holloman AFB

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-07-12T08:45:07-04:00

Check out an article, great photos, and a behind the scenes video of Michael's crew shooting at Holloman AFB.

Read article.

Titles In Transformers Teaser

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-07-04T09:02:15-04:00

Happy 4th of July.

We have a great article courtesy of VFXtalk.com regarding the Transformers announcement titles.

Read the article.

Visit the Imaginary Forces site.

Transformers announcement teaser stuff...

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-07-01T15:19:14-04:00

BTW, for those of you asking:

1- None of the Mars story, launch footage, and rover footage is going to be in the movie.

2.- Yes, Bay did shoot the rover footage.

Forums are down

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-06-30T17:17:39-04:00

The shootfortheedit.com forums are down for the time being due to insane traffic and server capacity. We are currently working on getting the forums back up and runing.

[update: 2:26PM EST] forums back up.

Transformers Teaser

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-06-29T19:31:10-04:00

Enjoy...

Link

Transformers Casting Call

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-06-24T17:50:00-04:00

LOS ANGELES, June 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Central Casting is holding an open call for 16 & 17 year olds and 18-23 year olds that look like High School students for the new Michael Bay feature film, "Transformers." We need SAG Members and Non-Union. The scheduled work dates are July 10-12, 2006. Dates are subject to change. The open call will be held at Central Casting in Burbank, CA. Anyone interested in attending should call 818-503-3329 for more information.

The Open Call will be held:
Date: Thursday, June 29, 2006
Time: 5PM - 8PM
Location: Central Casting
220 South Flower Street
Burbank, CA 91502

Central Casting is the largest extras casting company in the world and has been in business since 1925. The company casts extras for film, television, and commercials. Central Casting is a division of Entertainment Partners.

Transformers Teaser Score

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-06-18T00:59:56-04:00

Steve Jablonsky (The Island, Tears of the Sun) has scored the 90-second teaser score for The Transformers.

Check it out at Soundtrack.net.

Michael Bay in Holloman AFB

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-06-14T20:37:26-04:00

Check out this article at the US Air Force's site.

Michael Bay on location

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-06-09T20:25:48-04:00

Transformers web site

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-06-08T19:19:06-04:00

It appears they liked the timer from michaelbay.com.

Go and check it out!

Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning Trailer

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-06-08T09:06:36-04:00

Check out the trailer for Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning trailer.

You can also view it in high-defenition.

Michael Bay - 5/28/06 update

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-05-28T01:38:03-04:00

We finished our first week. One of the best first weeks on a movie I've ever experienced. We shot over 250 set ups.

I'm working on the military aspects of the film right now in New Mexico at Hollaman Air Force base and the Army's White Sands missile base. The military has been stellar with us. This is the largest military cooperation since Pearl Harbor and Black Hawk Down.

Friday we shot two CV-22's (Ospreys). They fly like aliens dropping out of the sky. We also shot stealth fighters and low attack missile runs (50 feet off the deck) A10 Warthogs. They look so deadly and mean.

We also shot in an army tank grave yard, that has more tanks in it then all of Iraq. The military cast Josh and Tyrese are surrounded with top notch Seal Team members.

I almost dropped from heat stroke on Wednesday in the 118 degree heat. Several crew went down in the heat on these dunes. It is amazing how quickly it can come on - I now see how some of those football players drop dead from heat stroke.

The script reviews -- I've seen, have been great but - I know they read a 112 page draft that was on record of four months old, but the dates they have given are wrong. We have done so much work since then.

I just hope people don't spoil it for people hearing everything in the movie before they see the movie - that's so lame.

I've anticipated leaks for months so I keep the only shooting script in my computer. Nobody has it, not even actors get a full script. Steven Spielberg taught me this trick.

I must say I'm very excited about this movie, we have shot some awesome shots!!!

And it's hard to get me excited.

All the best,

Michael Bay

Holloman Air Force Base provides sneak peek of film location

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-05-21T20:49:22-04:00

Read this good article providing an behind the scenes peek at the filming of Transformers at HAFB. Read it here.

Check out the HAFB web site.

And then there was one...

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-05-16T07:11:10-04:00

...that is, one major film release left for release on 7/4/7.

Remember this?

Michael Bay Acquires Digital Domain

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-05-16T06:53:20-04:00

Read the press release.

Transformers Teaser Date

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-05-13T17:45:01-04:00

The teaser and poster for the Transformers film will be out July 4, 2006.

A little secret from Michael Bay

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-05-11T20:17:09-04:00

It's a bit tiresome to watch all the supposed script leaks on Don Murphy's site.

There's been a lot of chatter about character names and what "things" may be called in the script. I'm going to let everyone in on a little secret. Something that the writers don't know, nor my crew, or Steven Spielberg, or the presidents of Paramount and Dreamworks. Not even Don Murphy who is not involved on the day to day with this movie.

Many of the names in the script are aliases.

The only people that know the real names of many of these characters are the COO of Hasbro, their corporate lawyer and myself. I think this is two less people that knew the secret recipe for Coca-Cola.

On my directing contract I had to sign all these non-disclosure agreements just on this character name point. These names will not be revealed until the toy boxes are printed.

The writers had to construct the script where no actor needed to verbally refer to a character by name other than the main few.

So rest asured A.K.A Devastator, is not really Devastator.

Michael

Bay directs GMC Yukon ads

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-04-22T11:00:04-04:00

From MediaDaily News:

"...Director Michael Bay directed two GM commercials, both similar in tone to the "CSI" shows. One is a 30-second spot introducing the Yukon as the all-new MAU. The other is a 60-second spot featuring executive producer Jerry Bruckheimer, who talks about the donation of two 2007 GMC Yukon trucks to the cities of Los Angeles and Las Vegas for use by real-life criminal analysis departments."

The ads will be up soon in the ads section.

Bay in the Windy City

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-04-16T18:23:32-04:00

Below are three photos of Michael shooting the AT&T ad "Spread the Word" in Chicago, Il. Photos courtesy and property of Mark Saunders and Jai Girard.

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

"Got Milk" and Alpha Projects ads

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-02-28T21:11:40-05:00

We got three more ads for you. One is from the "Got Milk?" trilogy, and the other two are from the Nike Alpha Project series that debuted in the winter of 98-99. Visit the ads page to view them.

Note from Michael Bay

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-02-17T19:23:55-05:00

The prep for the movie is going well. The military looks like it is going to support the film which is a big deal in giving the movie scope and credibility. The Pentagon has always been great with me because I make our military look good.

All the posts and talk about the original voices --- could we just let it rest for a while? I heard everyone, I'm thinking about it. We are reinventing how the robots look, transform and move - Remember these are the most realistic Transformers you will have ever seen. They have to fit completely into the human world to make this live action film credible. I have shown the animatics and some of the hundreds of drawings - TO THE MOST RELIGIOUS OF FANS - they tell me they are "mind-blowing" and "take it to a level they never considered" - I guess that's good? Time will tell.

Believe me I respect the fans. But I just want you to give me a chance because I'm working with some really talented artists to create this vision. But it is a vision that allows for growth, change, improvement and surprises. Looking back at the history of Transformers, remember there has been tons of change and improvements over the years.

I'm working on third act action, and if you could - what would you imagine for great robot action?

Talk to you soon,

All the best, Michael

Michael Bay ads now available on iTunes

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-02-05T02:16:12-05:00

Most of Michael's ads are now available on iTunes podcast section, ready and formatted to be loaded onto your video iPod. Click on the link below to go to the iTunes store (the ads are free, and you must have iTunes installed on your computer BTW).

July 4, 2007

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-02-04T19:26:03-05:00

Shooting for Transformers begins on the end of May for a release date of July 4, 2007.

Michael's posted a Transformers update in the forums

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-02-02T22:06:13-05:00

Check it out!

Added video RSS/XML feed

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-02-02T21:32:16-05:00

I've set up an RSS/XML feed for the ads section. In a couple of days you will be able to load Bay's ads through iTunes and put them on your video iPods.

For now, click on the orange/grey button to your left.

Forums

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-01-30T12:00:52-05:00

If you click to go to the forums and get a header with a blank page that says "blah, blah server...," just clear your cookies and cache and you should be set.

FYI

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-01-29T13:05:44-05:00

As you can tell, we're in the process of redesigning the site. Thanks for your patience as more stuff is added.

Welcome to the new redesigned michaelbay.com

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2006-01-28T22:39:35-05:00

Hi guys and gals. Once again, thanks again for hanging in all these years. Stay tuned for more additions to this site.