michael bay rss feed

Sydney Pollack: 1934 - 2008

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2008-05-27T19:50:17-07:00

LOS ANGELES — Sydney Pollack, a Hollywood mainstay as director, producer and sometime actor whose star-laden movies like “The Way We Were,” “Tootsie” and “Out of Africa” were among the most successful of the 1970s and ’80s, died Monday at home here. He was 73. The cause was cancer, said the publicist Leslee Dart, who spoke for his family. Mr. Pollack’s career defined an era in which big stars (Robert Redford, Barbra Streisand, Warren Beatty) and the filmmakers who knew how to wrangle them (Barry Levinson, Mike Nichols) retooled the Hollywood system. Savvy operators, they played studio against studio, staking their fortunes on pictures that served commerce without wholly abandoning art. Hollywood honored Mr. Pollack in return. His movies received multiple Academy Award nominations, and as a director he won an Oscar for his work on the 1985 film “Out of Africa” as well as nominations for directing “They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?” (1969) and “Tootsie” (1982). “Michael Clayton,” of which Mr. Pollack was a producer and a member of the cast, was nominated for a best picture Oscar earlier this year. He delivered a trademark performance as an old-bull lawyer who demands dark deeds from a subordinate, played by George Clooney. (“This is news? This case has reeked from Day 1!” snaps Mr. Pollack’s Marty Bach.) Most recently, Mr. Pollack portrayed the father of Patrick Dempsey’s character in “Made of Honor.” Mr. Pollack became a prolific producer of independent films in the latter part of his career. With a partner, the filmmaker Anthony Minghella, he ran Mirage Enterprises, a production company whose films included Mr. Minghella’s “Cold Mountain” and the documentary “Sketches of Frank Gehry,” released in 2006, the last film directed by Mr. Pollack. Source: NYTimes

Transformers 2 to pump $5 million into regional economy

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2008-05-17T19:35:29-07:00

From the Morning Call: Bay's last ''Transformers'' movie featured ''one heart-stopping scene after another,'' Callahan said. ''To have Bethlehem as a backdrop for all that is going to be spectacular.'' He also joked that he's lobbying to get into the film, even if that means playing a corpse in a crowd scene. Many members of the Lehigh Valley's filmmaking community are eager to see a Dreamworks movie set spring up in their backyard. ''It doesn't get any bigger than that,'' said Kathy McAuley of the Lehigh Valley Film Office. ''This is undoubtedly the biggest thrill that I've had, working to bring filmmakers here.'' ''Transformers 2,'' which is scheduled for a 2009 release, will also be filming in Philadelphia. The production is expected to spend more than $5 million between its operations in Philadelphia, the Lehigh Valley and New Jersey, Callahan said. Read the complete article here.

The Billion Dollar Club

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2008-05-09T09:43:03-07:00

There are only 13 directors in film history who's films have grossed more than $1 billion at the box office (domestically). Michael Bay did it in seven. So did James Cameron. The list follows: 1 Steven Spielberg $3,447.9 2 Robert Zemeckis $1,802.9 3 George Lucas $1,700.5 4 Ron Howard $1,606.3 5 Chris Columbus $1,567.9 6 Gore Verbinski $1,308.5 7 Tim Burton $1,289.3 8 Peter Jackson $1,271.7 9 Sam Raimi $1,249.7 10 James Cameron $1,146.9 11 Michael Bay $1,093.7 12 Clint Eastwood $1,002.4 13 Andrew Adamson $1,000.6 Stats courtesy of Boxofficemojo.com.

Indy 4 to really suck? ;)

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2008-05-08T00:44:45-07:00

SAG negotiations end with no deal

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2008-05-07T10:14:07-07:00

Nelson here... It appears that the SAG (Screen Actors Guild) negotiations with the AMPTP have resulted in no new contract. LOS ANGELES (AP) — Hollywood producers on Tuesday temporarily broke off contract talks with the Screen Actors Guild, calling its demands regarding DVD sales and online content "unreasonable." "With SAG's continued adherence to unreasonable demands in both new and traditional media, continuing negotiations at this time does not make sense," the producers said in a statement. The guild responded in a statement by saying the producers' decision to end talks after 18 days was unfortunate. Both sides have said they sought to avoid a repeat of the 100-day writers strike that ended in February. The union's contract for films and prime-time TV shows expires June 30. Bay weighs in: SAG wants more than Directors and Writers? That's a smart tactic I guess. When are people going to understand, most importantly actors - we are at war - we are facing a major recession - our country is in dire need of being fixed - our country also has no money because we have given trillions to the Iraq war and we have NOT even started to pay for it - it is just paid right now by printing more money on presses - China owns our ass in every way. Why not strike on a business in a down fall. Just like the writer's they made pennies on the four extra months striking - when you do the real math and they are paying the price for it still - so many writer's out of work still!!! I want this business to thrive - I know the studio heads and they will punish those that defy them. Okay, be an idealist - but you will never get a better deal then the writer's or directors - only the same - the studio's will never allow it, don't kid yourself. The working actors don't want a strike - they have said so. Too many non working actors have a say which is crazy - maybe there are just too many actors?? Gosh I'm even a member of SAG, but I don't feel I've earned the right to vote in this guild. One hunch, the leaders of these guilds seem to like the limelight they get in the press, it becomes more about the ego in the room rather than something smart. Striking is not smart. Through the history in America, strikes in businesses have only gained the union worker 6% at the max - so take the emotion out of it and go for the 6%. A path to strike is not smart for the the hundreds of thousands of people in this business. Sanity needs to prevail here - talk real and talk the same talk as your union brothers - not more!

Transformers principal photography set to begin June 2

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2008-04-25T17:14:47-07:00

Nelson here... Spoke to Michael today and I was informed that Transformers 2 is set to begin shooting principal photography on Wednesday, June 2, 2008. Enjoy the weekend!

Awesome extended

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2008-03-16T08:33:47-04:00

Happy birthday Michael Bay

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2008-02-17T08:06:54-05:00

Click here to wish Michael a happy birthday.

And the fat lady sings!

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2008-02-16T18:47:51-05:00

From the NYTimes: HD DVD, the beloved format of Toshiba and three Hollywood studios, died Friday after a brief illness. The cause of death was determined to be the decision by Wal-Mart to stock only high-definition DVDs and players using the Blu-ray format. The announcement by Wal-Mart Stores, the nation’s largest retailer of DVDs, that it would stop selling the discs and machines in June when supplies are depleted comes after decisions this week by Best Buy, the largest electronics retailer, to promote Blu-ray as its preferred format and Netflix, the DVD-rental service, to stock only Blu-ray movies, phasing out HD DVD by the end of this year. Last year, Target, one of the top sellers of electronics, discontinued selling HD DVD players in its stores, but continued to sell them online. “The fat lady has sung,” said Rob Enderle, a technology industry analyst in Silicon Valley. “Wal-Mart is the biggest player in the DVD market. If it says HD DVD is done, you can take that as a fact.” Michael at the beginning of this year: Blu ray is just better. HD will die a slow death. It's what I predicted a year ago. Now with Warner's down for the count with Blu Ray. That makes it easier for Wal-Mart to push Blu Ray. And whatever Wal-Mart pushes - wins.

Verizon FIOS: Awesome!

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2008-02-14T20:49:45-05:00

Check here to see if Verizon Fios is available in your area. View FIOS pricing here.

Mike speaks on Blu-ray

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2008-02-14T16:59:29-05:00

Michael Bay Relishes Blu-ray's Victories Author: FRED TOPEL TransformersWhen Paramount Home Entertainment decided to support HD DVD exclusively, Michael Bay was vocally opposed. Since the decision came just as his Transformers would debut on high-definition home video, Bay threatened to back out of the sequel. He took back his drastic comments and is hard at work developing Transformers 2, but now that Blu-ray is the format that is gaining momentum, Bay cannot help but remind us he told us so. “Blu-ray’s better, and I told everyone,” Bay said at the Visual Effects Society’s sixth annual award show, where he presented the award for animated character in a motion picture. “I was very vocal about it. I knew HD [DVD] was not going to make it.” With HD DVD being edged out of competition by sheer volume of product moving to Blu-ray, Bay is all but gloating. “Am I thrilled? It really wasn’t my fight, but remember what I said in the press? I was kind of saying HD [DVD]’s going to lose,” he said. “No one believed me.” Many of Bay’s films were produced by studios that have supported Blu-ray from the beginning. The Rock is already available on Blu-ray from Buena Vista Home Entertainment (now Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment), with Pearl Harbor and Armageddon possibly on the way. Sony’s Columbia owns the “Bad Boys” films. Bay personally supervises his Blu-ray transfers and says he loves his preferred format. “It’s just sharper,” he said. “It’s just [that] the tools are better. I just think it’s closer to what it should look like.” Should Armageddon make it to Blu-ray, there may be even more work in store. Original materials were destroyed. "Believe it or not, we have to remaster Armageddon,” he said. “The Armageddon [master] was burned in a fire apparently, so we’ve got to re-master the whole movie.” With many of Bay’s films 10 years old or more, it is possible that Blu-ray editions will reveal flaws just by bringing them into sharper focus. “I’m sure that’s going to be apparent, probably in Armageddon,” he said. The Rock, Bay’s second film after Bad Boys, was released in 1996. The Blu-ray edition appears grainy in certain shots, but Bay likes it that way. He uses it as an artistic choice, even in his more recent film. “Yeah, there’s some grain, pushing film, shooting at night,” he said. “There’s actually some grain in Transformers. We pushed it just a little too much. I don’t mind grain. Grain has a vibe.” Source: homemediamagazine.com

Verizon Taps High-Octane Filmmaker Michael Bay for New FiOS Advertising Campaign

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2008-02-14T17:00:42-05:00

NEW YORK, Feb. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Celebrated filmmaker Michael Bay will be the first celebrity featured in a new advertising campaign for Verizon FiOS TV and FiOS Internet services. Themed "This is FiOS; This is Big," the new campaign -- created for Verizon by McCann Erickson, New York -- showcases the groundbreaking services delivered over Verizon's advanced fiber-optic network straight to customers' homes. "Michael Bay is a larger-than-life figure because he's a powerful game-changer," said John Wimsatt, senior vice president of marketing for Verizon Telecom. "Verizon FiOS is the best and first choice for home entertainment because the power of our fiber-optic network delivers the best picture quality, fastest Internet and most-innovative interactive services. Michael Bay is the perfect choice to help portray the big, powerful experiences that FiOS creates in home entertainment and broadband." Bay -- who is famous for directing cutting-edge, high-octane blockbusters like "Transformers," "Pearl Harbor," "Bad Boys" and "Armageddon" -- stars in an action-packed, 30-second TV spot for Verizon FiOS Internet service that begins airing Sunday (Feb. 17). In the ad, Bay deftly spoofs his own super-charged Hollywood persona as he blows up things throughout a super-contemporary home to show how Verizon "blows away" cable Internet service with upload and download speeds that are up to 25 times faster. While a Verizon technician installs FiOS Internet service in the home, Bay uses a remote detonator to blow up a barbecue grill and swimming pool. He also shows off his pet cat -- a Bengal tiger -- and a 20-foot-tall Transformer to underscore how "awesome" -- a word he continuously repeats -- he finds the Verizon fiber-optic technology. Source: PRNewswire. View the ad here.

Bay Hosts Transformers Tech Show

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2008-02-14T07:20:33-05:00

Transformers director Michael Bay returned to the scene of the crime Thursday night at the Cary Grant mixing stage at the Sony lot to revisit the Oscar-nominated achievements in VFX and sound. The place was packed with filmmaking geeks eager to hear and see the behind-the-scenes machinations that go into a formidable FX epic like Transformers. It was tough for Bay to go back, he admitted after the show, as he's already deep into pre-production on Transformers 2, which is set to start filming on June 2. ... Transformers 2 will deepen the different robot characters as well as the humor, he said. ... If there's an actors strike we'll just stop and start again. ...After The Rock, Armageddon, and Pearl Harbor, Bay is tight with the Pentagon and thinks nothing of picking up the phone to get them to reroute a C130 gunship with Seals in it for a few hours. ... I told them what was happening, and that's what they said. ...Bay, who has a reputation for being tough on crews, endured some good-humored riffing during the show-and-tell, from star Shia LaBeouf as well as his sound designers, editors, and mixers and special FX and ILM VFX artists. Bay was proud that he made Transformers "for a price" he said, in California and New Mexico. ...For Bay, sound is "50 % of the movie, while the visual effects are a whole other movie unto itself." He shot as much of the film as possible in real locations with live (often dangerous) on-camera stunts and real FX supervised by the legendary John Frazier. In stark contrast to a Star Wars episode which boasts mostly blue screen shots, Transformers had only two days of blue-screen shooting (when the young leads climbed on the shoulders of the robots). Even the famous shot of the bus that is split apart by a giant robot was a live-action bus blown in two going 60 mph on the freeway with a 30-foot CG robot added six months later. "There's one million details these guys put in the movie," said Frazier, who tried to keep enormous spaces open in the shots for the CG animators to work in. For LaBeouf and the other actors, "acting without anything there is hard," said Bay. "It's so different when you don't have any environment to react to." LaBeouf described a P.A. holding a long big stick with a green ball on top and shaking it. ... ILM VFX supervisor Scott Farrar showed the actors a pre-vis--"a cartoon of what's going on in the scene," said Bay, adding, "I always like to put my actors under duress." According to LaBeouf, hanging from a building 20 feet in the air to talk to Megatron or being surrounded by explosions while the cameras wore protective gear was the norm. On the VFX side, "it's lighting," said Bay. "Everyone looks at light every day and when something looks fake it's not lit well to your brain. We worked on the light, that's why the robots look so real, these things sit next to humans." Bay flew up to ILM in San Francisco frequently, and communicated via satellite link with a pen pointer. ... "It was painstaking, like Pixar cartoons," he said, "a pain in the ass." Scott Benza, the animation supervisor, was there to "bring life to the robots," he said. He worked with 30 animators on 16 characters and 47 transformations--each one unique. "It encompasses everything from subtle acting to a full on action scene with brutal robots fighting each other. ... All the pieces had 4 to 16 layers of information: details, scratches, and metal flake paint with a clear coat finish. The robots were heavy and massive and athletic and nimble, all at the same time, like Ninja fighters. "They had to have weight and mass and be very cool," said Farrar. ... It would take brute force on each shot until it worked." The robots also had to act--with complicated facial rigs for the eyes, nose, and mouth-- and each one was different. They rebuilt Bumblebee's eyes three times, making the iris go up and down, until one day in dailies "we saw his soul," said Farrar. The VFX team took the live-action shots and created CG environments to match them. Said Farrar, "it's about how to make the big guys who are not there look real. You have to go way beyond--the metals look metallic, they look like part of a scene, they fit in with buildings. We are there to put things in the movie that can't be photographed or are difficult or too dangerous to shoot." ..."We'd go back and recreate in the computer Scorpinox jumping out of the sand," he said. "We'd copy the scene and use a CG version to match." Adding reflections and highlights and shadow are a big part of making the robots' 20-foot height look real. ...Bay has worked with the same sound crew for 12 years. He affectionately razzed sound mixer Kevin O'Connell as "the biggest loser in Academy history." ...O'Connell, supervising sound editors Ethan Van Der Ryn and Mike Hopkins, sound rerecording mixer Greg P. Russell and sound mixer Peter Devlin explained how they capture all the distinct sounds on set (dialogue, planes, guns, ricochets, explosions, 9 sets of sounds specific to the robots) and collect it all for the sound mixers to file and manipulate, along with the music. "We take hundreds of sounds," said O'Connell, and try to focus the energy." The goal is to key the audience into what's important in a given scene, and not wind up with "a train wreck of sound." The sound designers had to come up with characteristic personalities for the different robots, and make the large robot sounds work--partly by throwing the sound to all the speakers in a theater, not just the "dialogue" speaker in the center of the screen. The sound of Optimus Prime, voiced by Peter Cullen, is about air. ... The sound crew brought a volunteer up to a mike to record sound for Bumble Bee as he groans on the battlefield. The audience listened to the actor live, then heard the sound integrated through the Bumble Bee sound matrix on screen.

Transformers wins 4 awards at the VES

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2008-02-11T19:54:07-05:00

Click here to view the complete list of winners at the Visual Effects Society awards. From the Hollywood Reporter: "Transformers" on Sunday won four Visual Effects Society Awards, including the top prize for outstanding visual effects in a visual effects-driven film. In addition to the top award, "Transformers" won trophies for single visual effect of the year, for its desert highway sequence; models and miniatures; and compositing. Collecting the top prize were Scott Farrar, Shari Hanson, Russell Earl and Scott Benza. Visual Effects in a Visual Effects Driven Motion Picture "Transformers" Scott Farrar Shari Hanson Russell Earl Scott Benza Best Single Visual Effect of the Year "Transformers" (Desert highway sequence) Scott Farrar Shari Hanson Shawn Kelly Michael Jamieson Models or Miniatures in a Motion Picture "Transformers" Dave Fogler Ron Woodall Alex Jaeger Brian Gernand Compositing in a Motion Picture "Transformers" Pat Tubach Beth D'Amato Todd Vaziri Mike Conte

Michael Bay speaks about Transformers 2

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2008-02-11T19:55:42-05:00

Video courtesy of ISB.net.

Michael Bay ad cameo

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2008-01-25T19:47:37-05:00

Transformers nominated for 3 Oscars

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2008-01-22T20:01:16-05:00

VISUAL EFFECTS "The Golden Compass" (New Line in association with Ingenious Film Partners) Michael Fink, Bill Westenhofer, Ben Morris and Trevor Wood "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End" (Walt Disney) John Knoll, Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson and John Frazier "Transformers" (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro) Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Russell Earl and John Frazier SOUND MIXING "The Bourne Ultimatum" (Universal) Scott Millan, David Parker and Kirk Francis "No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff and Peter Kurland "Ratatouille" (Walt Disney) Randy Thom, Michael Semanick and Doc Kane "3:10 to Yuma" (Lionsgate) Paul Massey, David Giammarco and Jim Stuebe "Transformers" (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro) Kevin O’Connell, Greg P. Russell and Peter J. Devlin SOUND EDITING "The Bourne Ultimatum" (Universal) Karen Baker Landers and Per Hallberg "No Country for Old Men" (Miramax and Paramount Vantage) Skip Lievsay "Ratatouille" (Walt Disney) Randy Thom and Michael Silvers "There Will Be Blood" (Paramount Vantage and Miramax) Matthew Wood "Transformers" (DreamWorks and Paramount in association with Hasbro) Ethan Van der Ryn and Mike Hopkins

Michael Bay talks about the the DGA, the WGA strike, and the future of Transformers

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2008-01-18T07:26:10-05:00

From Variety: Director Michael Bay said he was cautiously optimistic, but that he has been preparing to get a "Transformers" sequel into production, strike or no strike. "We knew from early on that the writers strike could get ugly, and this has got to bring a little sanity to the situation," Bay said. "I can't do the movie without my writers, but I have been prepping. I'm not in the guild, but I've been writing every day. This strike (is) insane, and a director's responsibility is to the 50 crew members who depend on you for their livelihoods. We've got battle plans ready for the possibility of an actors strike. Somehow, you've got to keep the ball rolling."

Official Directors Have A New Deal!

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2008-01-17T20:08:47-05:00

Great News!!! Michael ****** From Variety: The DGA’s reached a tentative three-year deal with the AMPTP with key advances in jurisdiction and payment for programming on the Internet. “Two words describe this agreement -- groundbreaking and substantial,” said Gil Cates, chair of the DGA’s Negotiations Committee. “The gains in this contract for directors and their teams are extraordinary -- and there are no rollbacks of any kind.” The was announced Thursday afternoon following six days of negotiations at AMPTP amid widespread expectations that the helmers would quickly reach an agreement with the majors. Deal, if ratified by the 13,500 DGA members, will take effect on July 1. DGA touted a trio of new-media gains: ▪ Establishing DGA jurisdiction over programs produced for distribution on the Internet; ▪ Boosting the residuals formula for paid Internet downloads (electronic sell-through) by double the current rate; ▪ And establishing residual rates for ad-supported streaming and use of clips on the Internet. Source: Variety

Transformers: The Top-Selling DVD of 2007

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2008-01-08T21:35:21-05:00

Top-selling DVDs of 2007 1. Transformers (Paramount/DreamWorks): 13.74 million units 2. Happy Feet (Warner): 13.48 3. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (Disney): 13.20 4. 300 (Warner): 12.91 5. Ratatouille (Disney): 12.06 6. Shrek the Third (Paramount/DreamWorks): 11.84 7. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Warner): 10.14 8. The Departed (Warner): 8.94 9. Night at the Museum (Fox): 8.66 10. The Bourne Ultimatum (Universal): 7.36 Source: Redhill group via USA Today

Blu-ray Bay

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2008-01-05T10:35:26-05:00

Nelson here...happy new year! And what a way to start the new year. It appears that Michael Bay was right. Variety reports the details on Warner Bros. decision to got Blu-ray exclusively. Warner Bros. will throw all its weight behind Blu-ray later this year, a decision that could serve as a death blow to the rival HD DVD format. Studio, which had hinted it might drop one format after the holidays, said it decided to back Blu-ray to try and reduce confusion brought on by the high-def format war and better drive mainstream adoption. Warner made the decision heading into the annual Consumer Electronics Show confab in Las Vegas, where it had been skedded to participate in activities promoting the rival HD DVD format on Sunday evening. Warner execs cited Blu-ray's domestic and international sales as the tipping point in its favor. From the start, the Sony developed format enjoys has had an advantage in greater studio support and the PlayStation 3 console, which plays high-def movies and, at least in the early going, was much more affordable than Blu-ray decks, which have tended to carry a higher price tag than HD DVD counterparts.

Happy New Year

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-12-31T18:38:37-05:00

I want to thank Nelson for running such a good site! For the millions of viewers that logged on this year I want to thank you for the support. Transformers 2 will be coming soon. The new robots are really really unique and there are a lot of them this time. I WANT EVERYONE TO HAVE A GREAT HAPPY HEALTHY NEW YEAR. Your friend, Michael

Transformers most popular trailer on Yahoo.com for 2007

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-12-29T10:53:58-05:00

http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/top10trailersof2007.html

Academy considers Transformers for Best VFX

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-12-17T19:19:23-05:00

From Variety: The Motion Picture Academy’s visual effects branch made an unprecedented statement in support of visual effects in animated films as it narrowed the contenders for the vfx Oscar to 15 films that will be considered for the January “bake-off.”

Michael Bay on AMC's Shootout (Part 1)

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-12-16T19:15:34-05:00

Nelson herre... Bay appeared today on AMC's Shootout with Peter Guber and Peter Bart. This clip, "Michael Bay on mentoring" refers to Mark Palansky, who use to work for Bay. IIRC, Palansky shot the Super 8 footage in Pearl Harbor. His first feature film is set to release on February 29th, 2008. It's called "Penelope" starring Christina Ricci. You can view the trailer in HD.

Transformers: Behind the scenes

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-12-15T08:53:32-05:00

Digital Domain Plans to Go Public

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-12-11T21:35:30-05:00

From the AP: Digital Domain, a visual effects and animation company affiliated with Hollywood film producer Michael Bay, said Tuesday it plans an initial public offering of its common stock, but did not disclose any terms.

Bay to receive award from the MPSE

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-12-01T09:10:28-05:00

From Variety: The Motion Picture Sound Editors will present Michael Bay with the Golden Reel Filmmaker Award at the 55th Motion Picture Sound Editors Awards to be held in February.

Transformers DVD and HD-DVD sales are top sellers this year

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-10-22T21:43:52-04:00

HOLLYWOOD--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The blockbuster hit from DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures, TRANSFORMERS, is the year’s top-selling week one DVD with North American sales reaching 8.3 million units since the title’s debut on October 16, it was announced today by Paramount Home Entertainment. The biggest original film of the year from director Michael Bay and executive producer Steven Spielberg, in association with Hasbro, Inc., is also the best-selling DVD day one for the year with over 4.5 million units sold on Tuesday. Additionally, the smash hit has exploded into the high definition market, selling over 100,000 HD DVDs its first day of release, rocketing past previous releases to become the best-selling day one high definition title on either format since their inceptions. TRANSFORMERS has sold over 190,000 HD DVDs in its first week making it the fastest and best-selling week one release on either high definition format as well as the best selling HD DVD ever. The TRANSFORMERS DVD is also the top-selling October DVD release in the history of the home entertainment industry. “The performance of the TRANSFORMERS DVD and HD DVD has demonstrated the phenomenal success of this global franchise,” said Kelley Avery, president, Worldwide Home Entertainment, Paramount Pictures. “We’re happy to be kicking off the fourth quarter with a title that clearly shows home entertainment releases are still an event that drives consumers into stores—which is a win for both content providers and retailers.” Earning over $700 million at the global box office, the live-action feature film TRANSFORMERS is the latest success in a worldwide franchise that has emerged as one of the most successful properties in action figure history, spawning numerous television series and comic books and a wealth of toys, games and other licensed merchandise. In 2007, TRANSFORMERS has become one of the hottest properties for boys in a variety of categories, including toys, publishing, video games, apparel and back-to-school. Hasbro’s licensing arm, HPG, has signed more than 250 licensees in 70 countries around the world. The first live-action film based on the enduringly popular “ROBOTS IN DISGUISE”, TRANSFORMERS features the ultimate battle between good and evil, as the peace-loving AUTOBOTS seek to protect humanity from the evil forces of the DECEPTICONS. The TRANSFORMERS Special Edition two-disc DVD and HD DVD sets provide an incredible experience with an arsenal of bonus material that delivers excitement and fun for long-time fans, as well as for viewers who are new to the TRANSFORMERS universe. Further, the HD DVD includes a host of highly advanced web-enabled features that will continue to roll-out through the rest of the year. Source: Businesswire

Bay: Transformers DVD could have been better...

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-10-22T21:41:55-04:00

By Mike Snider, USA TODAY Most directors diplomatically go to bat for DVDs of their films. Filmmaker Michael Bay (Armageddon, Bad Boys, The Rock) is just as likely to drop verbal bombs while talking about his DVDs as when he is directing. Bay's take on the new Transformers DVD, which has sold 8.3 million copies since its release last week: "It's a good DVD. But not as good as it could have been," he says. That sales total made Transformers the year's fastest-selling DVD in North America, according to Paramount Home Entertainment. Despite setting a record, Bay, 42, says a hectic studio schedule prevented him from being as personally involved in the DVD as he was back in the days of Pearl Harbor. His 2002 four-disc director's cut of that film set the standard for buffed-up special editions. "I was traveling promoting (Transformers) while they were doing the DVD," he says. "You try to guide people as to what to do (in making it), but ultimately if you rush your date, you are not going to get the DVD as good as it could be. … Studios want to pump this stuff out, and my job is to care about it and try to put the right people on it. They just see it as a show they are selling, and I see it as a movie. That's how your movie lives on, in the DVD format." An aspect of the DVD that Bay says he personally fought for was having the film be on a disc by itself, with just a commentary. He won that battle in the $20 single-disc version that hit shelves last week along with a deluxe, two-disc $40 version. Source: USA TODAY

Michael Bay Planet LA interview

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-10-16T06:29:51-04:00

This is one great interview in which Michael talks about the entertainmnet industry and the LA of yesterday.

'Transformers II' update

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-10-10T20:25:06-04:00

By Jay A. Fernandez, Special to The Times October 10, 2007 Well, DreamWorks and Paramount are finally moving forward with their inevitable "Transformers" sequel, and they've done it by putting an enormous down payment on a unique, blockbuster screenwriting crew. In a deal that could ultimately pay out more than $8 million, the studios have hired Ehren Kruger ("The Ring," "Scream 3") to write the film's screenplay with original "Transformers" scribes Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, whose four credited films have produced $1.4 billion in worldwide box office. DreamWorks' willingness to agree to a combined team of A-listers, especially at such lofty rates, speaks to the studio's faith in the writers' ability to deliver (it also, one insider notes, effectively discourages the studio from spending more money to hire someone to rewrite their work). Producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura and DreamWorks executives had been inviting writers to propose takes on the sequel as early as May, two months before the first film's Independence Day opening. The studio has been looking at the "Transformers" property as an extended saga, with an expansive mythology built into at least two more films. But Kurtzman and Orci have been jammed with high-profile writing and producing assignments ("Star Trek," "Eagle Eye") and originally passed on writing the sequel to avoid overextending themselves. With returning director Michael Bay looking to keep them involved and no killer pitches forthcoming, last month the studio finally persuaded them by suggesting they team with another writer (for the second film only; Bay has not committed to a third either.) As producers, Kurtzman and Orci had hired Kruger to pen another DreamWorks project, "Nightlife," and apparently enjoyed the relationship enough to collaborate with him as writers. (Kruger had recently adapted Stephen King's "The Talisman" for Steven Spielberg, a "Transformers" executive producer.) Even with the added partner, the logistics should prove complicated. The new "Star Trek," which Kurtzman and Orci are producing and writing for Paramount, and "Eagle Eye," which they're producing for DreamWorks, start shooting on the same day next month. And "Fringe," the sci-fi series Kurtzman and Orci sold to Fox TV last week, starts shooting by year's end. So Kurtzman and Orci will somehow be writing their part of the "Transformers" script while bouncing around three sets. (At least "Fringe" is co-written and co-executive-produced by "Trek" director J.J. Abrams, so lunch breaks on the "Trek" set should prove productive.) No deadline has been set for the screenplay, though the film does have a release date: June 26, 2009. So the hiring of several writers was less about trying to complete a script before the potential Writers Guild walkout on Nov. 1 than about having access to numerous voices to address the inevitable changes as this behemoth progresses through its years-long development and production process. Just the same, the three writers are already pooling their ideas to nail down the detailed story line while Bay has begun pulling together some digital pre-visualization robot designs that didn't make it into the first film. An added benefit lost on no one is that with a CGI-heavy film like this, the preliminary work provides an effective cushion if the writers (or directors and actors next summer) do strike -- effects crews can work ahead and compile action sequences during any stoppage. Source: LATimes

"Transformers 2" writers

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-10-04T06:58:01-04:00

By Borys Kit Scribe Ehren Kruger and the writing team of Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci are in negotiations to team to write the screenplay for DreamWorks/Paramount's "Transformers 2." Director Michael Bay, star Shia LaBeouf and producers Tom DeSanto, Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Don Murphy are back in their respective chairs, as is exec producer Steven Spielberg. The teaming of A-listers to write such a huge project might be an industry first and could have been necessary because Kurtzman and Orci -- who wrote the $315 million-grossing first "Transformers" movie -- also are busy writing J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek" movie for Paramount and producing "Eagle Eye" for DreamWorks. But the teaming will not be a case of complete strangers being thrust together, as the three writers are working together on "Nightlife," a DreamWorks serial-killer project that sees Kruger adapting a Thomas Perry novel, with Kurtzman and Orci producing along with Neal Moritz. Kruger also adapted the Stephen King tome "The Talisman," which Spielberg is exec producing for TNT. Sources are pegging the writing deal, which is not yet closed, in the $5 million-$7 million range, which also might be an industry high for a nonoriginal screenplay. Reflected in the price is the pressure to perform: With the studio hoping to make the movie before a potential talent strike, the writers are going to have to type fast. Kruger met with Bay and Hasbro president Brian Goldner and impressed the duo with his knowledge of the "Transformers" mythology. Kruger also has "Torso," a graphic novel adaptation that has David Fincher directing, set up at Paramount. He is repped by Paradigm and Sloane, Offer, Weber and Dern. Orci and Kurtzman are repped at CAA. Source: THR

Bay pumps news blood into "Friday the 13th"

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-10-02T05:28:52-04:00

By Borys Kit LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Transformers" director Michael Bay is reviving the "Friday the 13th" franchise through his low-budget production company. The remake of the original 1980 horror classic, which turned the villainous Jason into a cultural icon, is being produced for New Line Cinema by Bay's Platinum Dunes banner. Platinum Dunes was also behind the revival of "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "The Hitcher." In the original "Friday the 13th," the serial killer made only a brief appearance in the final frames and never killed anyone. Jason didn't even don the famous mask until the third movie. The remake, however, will focus on Jason -- who will wear the mask and kill -- and keep the famous setting of Crystal Lake. Damian Shannon and Mark Swift will write the script. They wrote 2003's "Freddy vs. Jason," the killer's last big-screen appearance. That film grossed more than $82 million domestically. Source: Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

Transformers behind the scenes DVD clip: Inside the Allspark

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-09-28T19:25:42-04:00

Check out the video clip.

Transformers 2 scheduled for summer 2009

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-09-21T22:09:24-04:00

Nelson here.... According to the LATimes, Transformers 2 is scheduled for the summer of 2009. ... He and director Michael Bay have signed on to make "Transformers 2," scheduled to hit theaters in the summer of 2009. Stay tuned for more details.

Transformers in IMAX!

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-09-21T07:18:58-04:00

Click here to purchase your Transformers IMAX tickets for this limited time engagement.

The NYTimes interviews Bay in 1996

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-09-20T07:39:19-04:00

Nelson here.... Now that the New York Times has opened their vault without charging, I found this little gem of an interview of Michael around the premeire of The Rock. It's an interesting piece. One of the quotes: "Optimism is what being a photographer is about," he said. "You look through the lens at the ugliness in this world, and there's always some beauty to find." Read the entire article here.

IMAX and the DVD

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-09-18T07:39:25-04:00

I saw the IMAX print and it is awesome! It is the future of cinema to see movies in this format. I'm going to see Tranformers one last time and get ready to gear up for Transformers 2. I added two minutes of stuff for IMAX that will never make into any DVD's. There will never be an extended edition. About the DVD. I like the two disc set. I has all the extras that the others don't have. It is the definitive edition of Transformers. It really breaks down how we made the movie. Anyway hope you like the IMAX print! Bay

Michael Bay on Japanese TV

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-09-10T20:20:23-04:00

Pre-order Transformers on HD-DVD

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-09-10T19:59:18-04:00

Pre-order the Transformers (Two-Disc Special Edition) [HD DVD]

Transformers IMAX release to include additional footage

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-09-05T15:10:55-04:00

Nelson here... I contacted Michael to verify if the IMAX release of Transformers will include additional footage not seen in the first theatrical release, and he has confirmed that there will be about 2 extra minutes.

Transformers DVD goes on sale October 16

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-09-05T13:29:37-04:00

From Director Michael Bay and Executive Producer Steven Spielberg Comes the BIGGEST Original Blockbuster of the Year, TRANSFORMERS $650+ Million Smash Hit from DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures Rolls out on DVD and HD DVD October 16 in Two-Disc Sets Bursting with a Universe of Bonus Features to Immerse Fans of All Ages in the World of the Legendary ROBOTS IN DISGUISE ...--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The armies of CYBERTRON invaded theaters with a juggernaut fury that shook the summer of 2007, but on October 16, 2007 fans of all ages will discover that there is far “More Than Meets The Eye” to the massive mechanical behemoths when TRANSFORMERS arrives on Earth in spectacular DVD and HD DVD two-disc Special Edition sets as well as on a single disc from DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures; distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment. Earning over $650 million at the global box office to date, the massive production exploded onto screens from the creative minds of director Michael Bay and executive producer Steven Spielberg, in association with Hasbro, taking audiences by storm and becoming the biggest original film of the year. The first live-action film based on the enduringly popular “robots in disguise”, TRANSFORMERS features the ultimate battle between good and evil, as the peace-loving AUTOBOTS seek to protect humanity from the evil forces of the DECEPTICONS. The action-packed film stars a hot young cast of up-and-coming actors including Shia LaBeouf (Disturbia), Josh Duhamel (Las Vegas), Tyrese Gibson (Four Brothers) and Megan Fox (Hope & Faith), as well as seasoned performers such as Jon Voight (National Treasure) and John Turturro (The Good Shepherd). But the biggest stars are the TRANSFORMERS robots themselves – including fan favorites OPTIMUS PRIME, MEGATRON, BUMBLEBEE, RATCHET, JAZZ and more – brought to life by revolutionary new VFX techniques developed by the innovative digital wizards at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). The TRANSFORMERS Special Edition two-disc sets provide an incredible experience with an arsenal of bonus material that delivers excitement and fun for long-time fans, as well as for viewers who are new to the TRANSFORMERS universe. The extensive special features include commentary by Michael Bay and two multi-part in-depth documentaries exploring the human elements of the film as well as the phenomenal robot stars. Presented in multiple parts, “Our World” and “Their War” include segments with Steven Spielberg discussing his love for the franchise and the early concept for the movie, the extensive casting process, the training, consultants and real-world weapons provided by the military to lend authenticity to the film, the evolution of the robots from Hasbro’s iconic toy line to big-screen stars, the unique vehicles created for the movie, a discussion with ILM’s legendary digital artists and much more. The discs go even further behind-the-scenes with early sketch concepts of the robots and an in-depth look at the making of the SKORPONOK attack from writing and conceptualization through the creation of the stunning visual effects. Out-Of-This World High-Def Content: In addition to superior picture and sound and all of the above bonus material presented in high definition, the HD DVD presentation provides consumers with a host of web-enabled features, which are accessible through all connected HD DVD players. The web-enabled features take advantage of technology that allows the studio to present the content in a new way. These cutting-edge, online features can be updated, providing consumers with an evolving entertainment experience months, or even years, after the disc is physically produced. Initial features include a TRANSFORMERS Intelligence Mode in which an on-screen dashboard over the film provides information about the robots and weapons, their strength levels, character updates and more. Plus, a GPS Locator that can access a map and GPS coordinates. Paramount’s TRANSFORMERS HD DVD connectivity capabilities will reveal additional HD DVD exclusive features at street date and at various time periods in the future. The HD DVD also includes a TRANSFORMERS H.U.D. (Heads Up Display) that lets viewers access running text commentary while watching the film and even view relevant behind-the-scenes footage in a picture-in-picture window. Additionally, viewers can explore the main robots’ individual details in high definition with the TRANSFORMERS Tech Inspector. ...The TRANSFORMERS DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 televisions with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround, French 5.1 Surround and Spanish 5.1 Surround with English, French and Spanish subtitles. ...TRANSFORMERS Special Edition DVD bonus features include: ... ▪ The Story Sparks - Steven Spielberg discusses his love for the franchise and early concept art for the film. Explores how the writers adapted the cartoon into a live action movie and why Michael Bay is the perfect director for the film. ▪ Human Allies - A look at how the actors were selected and their experiences on the set. ▪ Fight Giant Robots - An exploration of the military training that Josh Duhamel and Tyrese Gibson underwent for their roles and the various stunts that the actors were asked to perform. ▪ Battleground - A piece on the senior officials from the Department of Defense and Air Force who consulted on the film to give it authenticity and the key locations that the U.S. government provided access to. ... ▪ Rise of the Robots - Explores the interaction between Hasbro designers and Michael Bay to bring the toy line roaring to life. ▪ AUTOBOTS Roll Out - Michael Bay discusses working with Chevy and its designers and the modifications that were made to the cars seen in the film. ▪ DECEPTICONS Strike - The film's military advisors discuss the "toys" they allowed the production to borrow: F-22 Raptors, Ospreys and A-10 Warthogs. ▪ Inside the AllSpark - ILM's digital artists discuss the challenges of bringing the TRANSFORMERS to life. ... ▪ From Script to Sand: The SKORPONOK Desert Attack - An in-depth look at the making of this particularly epic and challenging scene from initial storyboarding through production and visual effects. ...The HD DVD is presented in 1080p High Definition with English, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital Plus and English, English SDH+, French, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese subtitles. In addition to the above features that will be presented in high definition, the TRANSFORMERS HD DVD will also offer the following exclusive content: ...(Heads Up Display)--In this mode, viewers can access running text-based behind-the-scenes background information on the production during the feature. Users can also watch relevant picture-in-picture b-roll and video with Bay, Spielberg and other filmmakers during select sequences. ... ▪ TRANSFORMERS Tech Inspector - Gives viewers an unprecedented look at the TRANSFORMERS robots through the exquisitely detailed models created by ILM artists. Users can zoom in on each detail for a closer examination and pause and change the rotation of the models. ...Paramount Home Entertainment will support the home video debut of TRANSFORMERS with one of the biggest media campaigns in the division’s history. The multi-million dollar blitz will include television, print, radio and online advertising reaching a four quadrant audience. The expansive campaign also will include a viral marketing program in which fans can go online to customize a message for their friends from OPTIMUS PRIME and send it via telephone or email. In addition, an array of high-impact displays will be deployed to retail locations across the country. Promotional partners including Chevrolet and Hostess will also extend the TRANSFORMERS message to millions of people. Each TRANSFORMERS DVD will include an insert alerting consumers to Chevrolet's "The Bumblebee Camaro Sweepstakes". Beginning October 17, 2007, fans can enter to win one of three customized Chevy Camaro cars styled after the TRANSFORMERS AUTOBOT BUMBLEBEE at chevy.com/camaro. The sweepstakes also will be promoted with a wide-reaching television, print and online advertising campaign that will further extend the DVD messaging and excitement. This October, Hostess, the maker of America’s most iconic snack cakes, will be launching a national consumer promotion on approximately 17 million TRANSFORMERS themed packages at convenience and grocery/mass merchandiser retail stores. Consumers will be directed via www.hostesscakes.com to a Hostess micro-site where they can play an instant-win game for a chance to win a 50” Plasma TV and Home Entertainment system, portable DVD players and other prizes. The HD DVD version and two-disc standard-def special edition will both be priced at $39.99, with the standard-def single-disc at $19.95 MAP.

Transformers score coming October 9, 2007

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-09-03T12:39:06-04:00

Pre-order the Transformers score CD at Amazon.com Track listing below. 1. Autobots 2. Decepticons 3. All Spark 4. Deciphering the Signal 5. Frenzy 6. Optimus 7. Bumblebee 8. Soccent Attack 9. Sam at the Lake 10. Skorpinok 11. Cybertron 12. Arrival to Earth 13. Whitwicky 14. Downtown Battle 15. Sector 7 16. Bumblebee Captured 17. You're a Soldier Now 18. Sam on the Roof 19. Optimus vs. Megatron 20. No Sacrifice, No Victory

Transformers IMAX poster

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-09-01T05:35:31-04:00

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New design and new forum

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-08-31T23:27:09-04:00

Nelson here... As you can see, we have a new look. If you catch any broken links or broken image links, please email me at webmaster@michaelbay.com. As for the forums, you will have to re-register. Once, you do, I will update your post count to match that of the old boards when they close (please register with your OLD USERNAME so I can easily track and assign you your correct post count).

Sacred Emotion

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-08-30T07:06:31-04:00

Back in 1988, Michael was given the opportunity to direct his first music video. It was a comeback song titled "Sacred Emotion" for Donny Osmond. Enjoy.

10 years and running...

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-08-30T07:07:21-04:00

Nelson here... Ten years ago I started this site using Adobe Pagemill 1.0 and a cracked version of Photoshop running on a Cyrix 286 system operated by Windows 95. The page had a image of Michael, a bio, and the list of his films (Bad Boys and The Rock). A lot has happened since then. On behalf of Michael, I would like to thank all of you who have visited and supported the site over the years. Thank you.

Transformers goes IMAX on September 21

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-08-21T19:50:07-04:00

One of the Biggest Movies of 2007 Gets Digitally Enhanced into The IMAX LOS ANGELES, Aug. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ - IMAX Corporation, DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures announced today that "TRANSFORMERS," one of the highest grossing movies of the year, will be digitally re-mastered into IMAX's immersive format and released to IMAX(R) theatres on September 21. The Michael Bay-directed movie, which has already generated $310 million in gross box office receipts domestically since its premiere in conventional theaters on July 3, will be enhanced into the unparalleled image and sound quality of The IMAX Experience(R) through IMAX's DMR(R) (Digital Re-Mastering) technology. "IMAX's all-encompassing format takes 'TRANSFORMERS' to a whole new level of detail and intensity," said Michael Bay, the film's director. "I am very excited to work with the team at IMAX to create this turbo-charged version." "As fans of 'TRANSFORMERS' await the release of the DVD in the fall, they will have a brand new way to experience the adventure -- as if they are actually part of the movie," said IMAX Co-Chairmen and Co-CEOs Richard L. Gelfond and Bradley J. Wechsler. "The images and sound in 'TRANSFORMERS' are perfectly suited to The IMAX Experience and we are very excited to share the IMAX version with the film's present and future fans." "When you combine Michael Bay's action packed brand of filmmaking with The IMAX Experience, you get a movie that plays to the elusive and extremely valuable tech-savvy demographic," added Greg Foster, Chairman and President of IMAX Filmed Entertainment. "We are very excited to offer moviegoers a chance to experience one of the highest grossing and most popular films of the year in a premium way that cannot be replicated anywhere else, and we are delighted to once again work with the talented team at Paramount Pictures to make this happen." Source: Imax

Michael Bay HD-DVD post

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-08-21T19:51:27-04:00

Last night at dinner I was having dinner with three Blu-Ray owners, they were pissed about no Transformers Blu-Ray and I drank the kool aid hook line and sinker. So at 1:30 in the morning I posted - nothing good ever comes out of early am posts mind you - I over reacted. I heard where Paramount is coming from and the future of HD and players that will be close to the $200 mark which is the magic number. I like what I heard. As a director, I'm all about people seeing films in the best quality possible, and I saw and heard firsthand people upset about a corporate decision. So today I saw 300 on HD-DVD, it rocks! So I think I might be back on to do Transformers 2! Michael Bay

Transformers to be released on standard definition DVD and HD-DVD only

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-08-20T15:57:40-04:00

Nelson here... It appears that Transformers will be released on on regular DVD & HD-DVD only and not Blu-Ray. Paramount/Dreamworks has decided to drop it's support for Blu-Ray. That means you must either own a Toshiba HD-DVD player or have the HD-DVD add-on for the xBox 360 to view Transformers in HD. LOS ANGELES, Aug. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Paramount Pictures, a unit of Viacom Inc. and DreamWorks Animation SKG , each announced today that they will exclusively support the next-generation HD DVD format on a worldwide basis. The exclusive HD DVD commitment will include all movies distributed by Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Nickelodeon Movies and MTV Films, as well as movies from DreamWorks Animation, which are distributed exclusively by Paramount Home Entertainment. The companies each said that the decision to distribute exclusively in the HD DVD format resulted from an extensive evaluation of current market offerings, which confirmed the clear benefits of HD DVD, particularly its market-ready technology and lower manufacturing costs. Paramount Home Entertainment will launch its exclusive HD DVD program with the release of the blockbuster comedy hit "Blades of Glory" on August 28th and follow with two of the biggest grossing movies of the year "Transformers" and "Shrek the Third". These three titles alone represent more than $1.5 billion in box office ticket sales worldwide. Source: CNN

Shortpacked....

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-08-18T06:38:30-04:00

Nelson here... Shortpacked had come up with another brilliant strip, enjoy!' You can visit their site here.

Giant Fuckin' Robots are Coming to IMAX!

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-08-18T06:39:01-04:00

Nelson here... I contacted Michael and he has confirmed that Transformers will be arriving on IMAX theaters. Stay tuned for details.

Michael interviewed at the NYSE

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-08-10T21:45:22-04:00

Nelson here... This interview took place back in June when Michael and Hasbro rang the opening bell at the NYSE.

'Transformers' beats 'Harry' in Japan

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-08-09T06:46:24-04:00

Bay film takes in $5.35 million By MARK SCHILLING Opening Saturday on 617 screens, helmer Michael Bay's "Transformers" jumped straight to the top of the Japanese weekend box office with a two-day total of ¥631.3 million ($5.35 million). That spelled more than "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," which took in $4.04 million over the weekend, for second place. The "Transformers" figure is 16% better than the $4.6 million opening weekend for "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" (Japan cume $57.5 million), which bowed on 370 screens, and 6% better than the $5.07 million of "Mission: Impossible III" (Japan cume $43.4 million), which debuted on 800 screens. Both were released in summer, like "Transformers." "Transformers" compares favorably with Bay's previous smash, "Armageddon," which opened in Japan with $5.87 million and went on to make $114 million in 1998 when the Japanese exhibition circuit was considerably smaller than today. Looking at the strong early numbers, and the higher-than-expected female auds, distributor United Intl. Pictures is predicting a $59 million final tally for "Transformers." Source: Variety

Michael Bay takes the witness stand

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-08-07T07:17:56-04:00

In the end, there are no fireworks, no explosions and no Aerosmith...nevertheless, there’s a ripple of excitement in the courtroom as director Michael Bay states and spells his name. Juror 6, a film industry executive, sits up in his chair, smiles and shakes his head. On direct examination, Bay first appears a little nervous. Listing his blockbusters for the jury, he misses “Bad Boys II,” something Deputy District Attorney Alan Jackson quickly points out. “Oh, yes,” he says. Quickly though, he seems relaxed and confident, and he says exactly what prosecutors have called him to the stand to say. He knew Lana Clarkson, he liked Lana Clarkson and he never dissed Lana Clarkson. He was at the party in question, he acknowledges, but he never saw the actress. On cross, things get a little testy. Defense attorney Bradley Brunon suggests that if he liked Lana so much he would have offered her one of the many parts available in the blockbusters he has made over the years. “Uh, no, but I never offered Tom Hanks a part either,” Bay shoots back. There are a few chuckles. And Brunon mutters, “We’re not talking about Tom Hanks. He may not have accepted.” It’s all over in 25 minutes. (That’s 14 percent of Pearl Harbor’s running time.) Outside court, Bay is similarly brief. How was it to not be directing the action? “It was good,” he says with a smile. “It got repetitive.” On the way to the elevator bank, he adds, “It’s so irrelevant.” Source: CourtTV * * * * * The Associated Press Monday, August 6, 2007 LOS ANGELES: The director of this summer's blockbuster "Transformers" was called by prosecutors as a rebuttal witness at Phil Spector's murder trial on Monday. A defense witness had testified earlier in the trial actress Lana Clarkson was distraught over an encounter with director Michael Bay at a party about 10 days before she died in Spector's home in 2003. Spector's attorneys contend it was another sign that Clarkson was suicidal and may have shot herself. Bay testified he remembered Clarkson from a time he cast her for a small role in a car commercial in 1998, but denied ever seeing her among the 350 to 400 other people at the Hollywood Hills party in late January 2003. "If I disrespected her she probably would have slapped me," Bay said. "She was just that saucy." Clarkson's friend Punkin Pie Laughlin testified last month that she accompanied Clarkson to the party. She said Clarkson, who found modest fame as the star of a cult movie, "Barbarian Queen," in the 1980s, tried to talk to Bay but returned in tears, saying he didn't acknowledge her. Laughlin suggested the incident the party contributed to Clarkson's depression and was a turning point. The prosecution contends Spector, 67, who gained fame with his "Wall of Sound" music recording technique, killed Clarkson when she tried to leave his home after coming there for a drink. Under questioning by prosecutor Alan Jackson, Bay said he scoured his memory after he read of Clarkson's death, trying to figure out when he last saw her. He said he thought it was eight or nine months before she died but he could not remember the circumstances. Defense attorney Brad Brunon noted that Bay did several movies after he first met Clarkson. Asked whether he ever offered her a role in one of his movies, Bay snapped, "No. But I never offered Tom Hanks a part either." Bay recalled that at Christmas 2002, he received a gift of chocolates from Clarkson along with a copy of a one-woman video she had produced to promote her career. Asked by Brunon whether he gave the video any consideration, he said, "I didn't even look at it." Source: The AP via IHT

Court TV: Michael Bay to take the stand

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-08-02T21:14:07-04:00

Nelson here... Court TV reports that MIchael Bay is set to take the stand in the Phil Spector trial. "The prosecution unveils a list of 13 rebuttal witnesses, and one name is a blockbuster... Michael Bay, director of "Transformers," will take the stand and say that Punkin Pie was lying when she testified that he snubbed a teetering-on-the-brink-of-sanity Clarkson at a party a few weeks before her death, prosecutor Jackson says." To read Michael's post concerning the trial, click here. Stay tuned for more details. Update: Michael will be taking the stand on Monday, August 6. The case will be televised on Court TV.

A trip down memory lane

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-08-01T10:50:41-04:00

Nelson here... Michael's second movie "The Rock" came out more than 10 years ago. Doesn't seem that long ago, no? Anyway, here is a behind the scenes video clip. Enjoy!

New photographs

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-07-29T12:34:47-04:00

Nelson here.... These photos appeared on the UK Telegraph newspaper and where taken by Spencer Murphy. You can check out his web site at http://www.spencermurphy.co.uk These are posted with permission. Please do not repost.

U.S. Servicemembers reaction of ‘Transformers’

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-07-25T17:03:57-04:00

By John J. Kruzel/American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, June 29, 2007 – Under the cover of darkness in the nation’s capital last night, servicemembers from all branches deployed into theater -- the movie theater. About 600 military personnel and family members attended a sneak preview of “Transformers,” the summer science fiction action-adventure film set for national release July 3. Audience members cheered as virtuous Autobot transformers fought in concert with their U.S. military allies against the depraved Decepticons, while the clash between good and evil played out in stunning images and bone-rattling sound. “That was without a doubt the best movie I have ever seen,” Army Staff Sgt. Mario Youngblood, dressed in his combat uniform, said as he emerged wide-eyed from the theater. The soldier, who grew up watching the early animated version, said the film did justice to the “Generation 1” Transformers of his youth. “Transformers” features servicemembers from various branches fighting side-by-side in the thick of the action, depicting joint military operations. “Obviously, the military has never fought giant robots, and hopefully we never will. But the way this film is structured, if we ever had to do it, this is probably how we would do it,” said Army Lt. Col Paul Sinor, a public affairs officer with that service’s Office of the Chief of Public Affairs. During one battle scene, members of a joint special operations force are attacked by a Decepticon in the desert of a Middle Eastern country. Using a common cellular phone, the Army commander on the ground dials the Pentagon and tosses the phone to his Air Force combat controller, who directs an Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft to their position. Operators on the AWACS then call in AC-130 Spectres and A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft for air support. “Go, Air Force!” an audience member yelled when an AC-130 began firing on enemies with its side-mounted artillery guns. “Yeah, Navy!” belts out a sailor upon seeing a team of destroyers cutting across the shining sea. This battle scene illustrates “netcentric warfare,” the modern military strategy aimed at connecting command centers to airborne control systems to warfighters around the globe. Liaison officers like Sinor worked with director Michael Bay to ensure the U.S. military’s portrayal -- its core values in addition to its tactics, dialogue and uniforms -- looks and feels authentic. As a testament to the military’s fondness for technical titles, servicemembers refer to the transformer robots as Non-Biological Extraterrestrials, or NBEs. “Try to keep up with the acronyms,” one of the film’s characters says during an intelligence briefing. The resolute secretary of defense, played by Jon Voight, gives a nonverbal plug during the film to America Supports You, a Defense Department program that connects military members to a civilian support network. The lapel of the Defense Secretary’s suit jacket is affixed with a pin bearing the ASY logo. “(Bay) did the Hollywood part of the film, we did the military part, and it was a very cohesive, very easy way of doing things,” said Sinor, who has worked with Bay previously on films that include “The Rock” and “Armageddon.” Defense Department officials allowed Paramount Pictures to film at Air Force bases in New Mexico and California, and to rent military equipment such as the CV-22 Osprey and F-22 Raptor, which made their big-screen debuts in “Transformers.” F-22s run about $25,000 per hour, according to the rental scale established by the department. “You can’t go to Tanks R’ Us and rent a tank or a destroyer,” Sinor said. “If you need that in the movie, you have to come to the military.” The film promoters, who last night treated guests to free popcorn and soda, stood outside the theater doors after the film, asking for audience members’ reactions in an exit poll fashion. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, and one servicemember remarked about the Hollywood’s portrayal of the military, “This is the first time they got it right.” “The special effects are definitely going to draw the younger crowd, and then they’ll be able to see just how the Air Force operates,” said Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Mike Gasparetto after the film. Gasparetto, a career field manager for Air Force Recruiting Service, said moviegoers will get a chance to see some of his service’s more exciting missions. “I think it will be a great branding tool for the Air Force, to let the folks know that the Air Force does more than just move people around in aircraft,” he said. Hundreds of airmen appear in the film as extras, and nearly a dozen others have speaking roles. “The military cooperating with the entertainment industry puts a more personal side on what the military does,” he said. “We’re not just about protecting the nation, although that is our primary job. This film shows that we have a human side to us while we are there to protect and help wherever needed.” Source: USDOD/defenselink.mil

That Phil Spector Freak

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-07-18T02:04:57-04:00

What a friggin circus in that Phil Spector murder trial. Some whack job witness who say's she is a friend of the poor murdered girl Lana Clarkson say's she ended it (meaning suicide) because I did not recognize Lana at a party. Can you believe this dumb story? First of all Phil Spector looks like a creepy murderer. No girl would sit in a foyer of a house with a purse on her shoulder, and borrow some guys gun, and say I'm gonna end it here, oh and I'm gonna blow my teeth out and wreck my face while I'm doing it. According to national suicide experts, people - especially women, never hurt their face in the process of suicide. So this is the Spector creep's only alibi - she committed suicide - come on. I knew Lana. She worked with me on two commercials. I liked her energy - she had a great personality. I would never forget her face. It would be a big event in someone's life If you saw a woman you knew at a party on Saturday night and she was dead two days later, don't you think? I never saw Lana at this party. This Punkin, witness lady is a liar! According to reports, Punkin has a book deal about being Lana's friend. She wants to make money off of her so called 'friend'. What a disgusting piece of shit that Pumkin lady is!!! Michael Bay

China, meet Michael Bay

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-07-20T21:59:30-04:00

I am really excited about this partnership with Mtime and the exposure of my work and thoughts to Chinese movie fans, for whom I have great respect, as I celebrate the release of "Transformers" with them. -Michael Bay If you read Mandarin--or not--check out the site at http://michaelbay.mtime.com/

Transformers DVD

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-07-20T13:17:43-04:00

Nelson here... The Transformers DVD...when does it come out you ask. What's it gonna have? What I can tell you is this: there will be 2 versions: 1- A regular version with no extras (just a director commentary). 2. - A multi-disc version with the movie w/ director's commentary and additional disc(s) with tons of extra stuff. Transformers will also be available on HD-DVD and Blu-ray formats.

Meet Bonecrusher Bay

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-07-20T07:20:57-04:00

Nelson here... I met with Mike this past Wednesday, and I managed to get a shot of Michael's new Mastiff: Bonecrusher.

Broken records

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-07-20T06:35:19-04:00

Nelson here... Transformers has broken the box office record in China.... Transformers hit 100M Yuan. Transformers breaks South Korean box office record....6 million viewers.

Editing with Michael Bay

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-07-13T07:48:15-04:00

Nelson here... If you're interested on what went on behind-the-scenes with Transformers, click here to read this great article. Source: FXGuide.com

Michael Bay's Transformers: $246.1 million worldwide

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-07-08T16:52:45-04:00

▪ Biggest first-week gross ever for a non-sequel (beating Spider-Man's $151.6 mil) ▪ A global box office total of $246.1 mil, when you add in the $93.6 mil Transformers earned in 23 other countries ▪ Biggest Tuesday gross ever ($27.9 mil), as well as the third-best Wednesday ($29.1 mil) and fifth-best Thursday ($19.2 mil) ▪ A super-solid $16,854 per-theater average in 4,011 venues ▪ A resounding CinemaScore rave of A from an audience that was two-thirds male but evenly split between young folk and old ▪ A 93% positive rating at the exit polls

Michael Bay: 1, haters: 0 (part 3)

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-07-08T16:23:19-04:00

'Transformers' morphs into money machine Sci-fi saga makes $67.6 million debut Associated Press July 9, 2007 The shape-shifting robots of "Transformers" have taken on a new form: Huge piles of cash. The sci-fi saga "Transformers," DreamWorks and Paramount's big-screen take on the Hasbro toys, debuted with $67.6 million in ticket sales in its first weekend, according to studio estimates Sunday. That gave it $152.5 million since opening with preview screenings Monday night. If the weekend figures hold when final numbers are released Monday, that would give "Transformers" the biggest first week revenues ever for a non-sequel, surpassing the $151.6 million of 2002's "Spider-Man." But factoring in today's higher ticket prices, "Spider-Man" drew more people in its first week, about 26.1 million, compared to 22.5 million for "Transformers." "Transformers," was directed by Michael Bay and features a cast led by Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox, who are among the humans hurled into the action when two races of warring robots bring their feud to Earth. The movie's striking visual effects and the Transformers brand -- which debuted in the 1980s with toys, a TV show and an animated movie -- proved irresistible for audiences, said Rob Moore, Paramount's head of worldwide marketing and distribution. "Michael Bay created something visually that people hadn't seen before," Moore said. "When you look at a jet plane flying under a bridge then flipping and turning into a robot, those kinds of images people found incredibly unique and compelling." "Transformers" also took in $93.6 million in 23 other countries where it has opened since June 28. Source: THR

Michael Bay: 1, haters: 0 (part 2)

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-07-08T16:23:13-04:00

'Transformers' dominates box office Robust robots squash 'Spider-Man' record By PAMELA MCCLINTOCK With moviegoers transforming the July 4th holiday box office into non-stop fireworks, DreamWorks and Paramount's "Transformers" scored the highest seven-day performance for a non-sequel in history, clobbering previous record-holder "Spider-Man." Pic closed out its 6 1/2 day opening at an estimated $152.5 million from 4,011 screens, including an estimated weekend take of $67.6 million. "Spider-Man" made $151.6 million during its first seven days. "Transformers" and other films benefited from an unusually hectic July 4th holiday week at theaters, bookended by two lucrative weekends. Source: Variety

Michael Bay: 1, haters: 0 (part 1)

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-07-08T14:46:08-04:00

Nelson here.... This is for all the losers (haters) that said this movie would tank. From deadlinehollywood: SUNDAY AM: Paramount says PG-13 Transformers officially made $22.7 million Friday and $25.9 million Saturday and a projected $18.9 million Sunday from 4,011 North American theaters. After a record breaking Fourth Of July mid week opening, I'm told the DreamWorks battle of the bots hauled in a hefty $67.6 million this weekend for a 6 1/2 day cume of $152.5 million. So, in even less time, Transformers now has scored the biggest 7-day opening of all time for a non-sequel, passing Spider-Man 1 ($151.6M), The Passion Of The Christ ($144.6M) and Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone ($129.4). In addition, Transformers has grossed $93.6 million in 23 overseas markets representing 40% of the international business. Paramount estimates the global box office by end of day Sunday at $246.1 mil.

Transformers Crushes Fandango's July 4th Ticketing Record

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-07-06T17:57:41-04:00

In a recent online survey on Fandango, several thousand moviegoers responded with the top reasons they are seeing Transformers. The results are as follows: -- 75% were fans of the Transformers cartoons when they were kids; -- 65% had played with the Transformers toys; -- 24% had read the comic books; -- 16% are fans of director Michael Bay. Source: PRNewswire

EW: When Robots Attack article

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-07-06T16:11:18-04:00

Some think ''Transformers'' represents the future of the blockbuster -- and some are afraid they're right. Inside the megahit's explosive blend of action and advertising by Josh Rottenberg Read the entire article.

Transformers Box Office numbers

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-07-05T14:13:48-04:00

The DreamWorks Pictures/Paramount Pictures co-production TRANSFORMERS pulled in an unheard of 4.3% increase from Tuesday 7/3 to Wednesday 7/4. In 4,011 theatres, we are estimating $29,100,000 for Wednesday 7/4/07. We also have a revised final number for Tuesday 7/3/07 of $27,900,000. Our cumulative estimated box office to date is $65,700,00. This is the biggest July 4th gross in history, beating SPIDERMAN 2 ($21,955,000 on 7/4/04) and the biggest Wednesday non-sequel of all time (beating THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST with $26,556,000 on Wednesday 2/25/04). This represents the biggest box office in history for a movie on a Tuesday, beating PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST at $15,731,919.

EW: Optimus Prime Time

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-07-05T07:24:42-04:00

''Transformers'' director Michael Bay opens up about working with Steven Spielberg, the art of the action film, and the possibility of a sequel. ...'I've thought more about robots in a year and a half than probably anybody,'' sighs Michael Bay. Slouched in his chair, a gentle breeze wafting through his surprisingly zen Santa Monica, Calif., office, he's still hung over from the previous evening's mega-premiere of his latest summer-action extravaganza, Transformers — the movie adaptation of the 1980s cartoon TV series and Hasbro toy line about a race of alien machines who bring their war to Earth. (He may be doing more celebrating after seeing the estimated $36.3 million in box-office revenue from the movie's first 36 hours in theatres, including $27.5 million on July 3, its first full day of release, a new record for a Tuesday opening.) Over the course of the next hour, Bay talked to EW.com about his working relationship with exec producer Steven Spielberg, what helped him get over the notion of directing just ''a toy movie,'' and how he feels about being, you know, Michael Bay. ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: I have to tell you, as a Transformers fan since childhood, the special effects were pretty darn cool. ...Why did you want to go in that route and not more — ...It's got to withstand, you know, a 40-foot screen — you just need a lot of detail and a lot of things moving just to keep your eye dazzled by these complex machines. ... We all know something in our brain is telling us it's not lit right — that's what makes you say it looks like a cartoon. ...The story is true: I hung up [after we talked] and went ''I'm not doing that silly movie because it sounds like a toy movie.'' ... And I said okay, you know, [I'll] just go to Hasbro [for] this thing called Transformer School. ... There were some images in the room; I kept looking at one and I'm like, you know, if I make it real and edgy, it might be something really interesting. So I was a non-Transformer fan, but that's good because I think it makes it more accessible for people that are non-Transformer fans. ...My understanding is that Spielberg really was the guy that roped you into directing this film. ...When I was 27, I did a whole string of commercials that were pretty famous, the type of commercial where people go to a bar [and say], ''Did you see that commercial?'' ... A true story — I said, ''You know, when I was 15, I worked at Lucasfilm and I filed your Raiders of the Lost Ark storyboards. I saw the entire movie [in storyboard form] and I honestly thought it was going to suck.'' ... And I said, ''When I went to the Grauman's Chinese [Theater] with my parents and saw it, I went 'Oh my God, I've got to do this.''' ...MICHAEL BAY: What was fun working with him, we would sit in my war room and [I'd say], ''Oh, Steven, I got this scene and I want to do it like this and shoot like that.'' ... But you can see when I'm showing him stuff that his gears are ticking for Indiana Jones 4. ...I'm told he worked a lot with the Transformers' screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci to bring a certain innocent tone to the film. ...I specifically shot this a little bit more suburbia, meaning, like, I would never put actors at a Burger King, but it's what people do, you know what I mean? ...I just thought it would be from kids to, you know, to 20-something whatever. The first day on the set I'm working with all these guys in the military and I was apologizing for the movie. ... I was like, ''Okay guys, I know this sounds really stupid, but there's a 40-foot-tall robot over here and it's going to flip and land right here.'' ... I'm like, how do these guys know that? ...What do you want and expect out of them when you are on the set? ...I am there with my kneepads on, right next to you, and I'm there because I'm trying to instill the adrenaline. ...You made certain changes to the Transformers from the '80s series to update them and make them cinematic — like giving Optimus Prime a long-nose truck cab instead of a flat-front. ...[Laughs] But honestly, they remember the cartoons greater than what they really are if you look at them. ...I watched the 1986 Transformers animated movie the night before seeing your film, and it was, um, kinda not so good. Yeah, I saw 15 minutes of that movie and I wanted to put a gun to my head. ... I have to go into my own head about what this movie [I'm making] is.'' [Laughs] So yeah, you take the heat, but they weren't seeing [the robots] in a 3-D world. ...I did not want a Volkswagen [like in the original cartoon series] — it's the Herbie Love Bug to me. I've had a relationship with GM, so they took me to where they do these cool concept cars. I saw this picture of that Camaro [used in the film], and I'm like, That's the car. ... I don't think you are whoring out the movie, because I think each car kind of fits the character. ... Jazz is the one thing which I was like, ehhh, I wish he was a different car, personally. ...Was there any concern that you were also serving Hasbro, making sure that you are true to the toys and original characters? ...You might not like everything, but I'm going to do it my way or I'm not going to do it.'' ...There was a poem that leaked on the Internet this spring, seemingly written by someone within production, that blamed DreamWorks for giving you too much creative control over the movie. ...Like, a nice woman from the Hollywood Foreign Press, she [asks me], ''Wouldn't you want to do more of an art movie, like something that's hard to do?'' ... It is so much harder to do, these type of [big action] movies, than a little art movie in the south of France. I mean, if you can take something that doesn't exist and make it look like it's got a soul, that's art. ...There's a lot of really cool, big robot stuff that I had in my head that we didn't do. ... But it's kind of like you have your baby and you don't want someone else to take it. So, hypothetically, if you were to take on a Transformers sequel, would it be your next film? ...A couple things are on the horizon, but [maybe] I'll do my little movie that I can knock out, because we all think we're going to have a strike. ...The whole point is no one's happy with what they've got.

$28 million on July 3

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-07-04T14:27:39-04:00

Nelson here... I just spoke to Michael and he informed me that Transformers raked in $28 million yesterday, Tuesday. Biggest amount ever for a Tuesday.

Happy Independence Day!

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-07-04T10:58:16-04:00

We're taking the day off to hang out with family and friends, watch Transformers, watch fireworks, and celebrate Independence Day (United States). If you're celebrating today, too, we wish you a happy and safe Fourth! To everyone else, we thank you for visiting Michael Bay dot com!

'Transformers' grabs $8.8 mil at box office

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-07-03T21:03:01-04:00

By Gregg Kilday "Transformers," director Michael Bay's screen interpretation of the Hasbro toy line, rolled into theaters Monday and quickly amassed $8.8 million in North America. Those returns came from showings that ran from 8 p.m. on in 3,050 theaters. Although the Paramount Pictures' release of the DreamWorks film only played evening performances, its Monday number topped that of the day's number two film, Buena Vista's "Ratatouille," by more than $1 million and more than doubled the day's grosses for 20th Century Fox's competing action movie "Live Free or Die Hard." Figures for "Transformers" first full day of performances on Tuesday, when the film rolls into more than 4,000 theaters, will be released on Wednesday. Source: THR

Bad toys, bad toys, whatcha gonna do...

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-07-03T06:47:05-04:00

"Talk about getting your money's worth. There is so much action packed into every second of "Transformers" that by the time it's over, you may be tempted to go outside and give the box office another 10 bucks." - NY Dailynews.com "Transformers has some of the best action sequences you'll see all summer." - Washington Post "You'll find yourself rooting for computer-generated robots that magically transform into cars, trucks and fighter planes. It's selling the movie short to say the special effects are amazing -- they are out of this world." - Arizona Republic "The most surprising thing about Michael Bay's much-anticipated, blockbuster-bound Transformers is how funny the movie is." - Miami Herald "It's the transformation of robots that will blow your mind ... Add that to the eye-popping robot smackdowns and good old fashioned car chases, and you have a movie that is going to get your blood pumping and your heartbeat racing..." - Wafflemovies.com "... The acting is sharp, and it features some of the most spectacular action and effects sequences of any movie of its kind." - USA Today "If it's true that there's an 8-year-old boy inside every man, Transformers is just the ticket to bring the kid out." - Variety "Bay and an army of visual designers have successfully re-imagined a photorealistic world in which these Titans can believably clash." - The Hollywood Reporter

Ebert: Bay rocks 'em and socks 'em

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-07-02T07:17:48-04:00

Roger Ebert gives it 3 out of 4 stars. Read his review.

Chud.com

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-06-29T16:10:03-04:00

Nick Nunziata, founder and owner of Chud.com says: "I had a blast. A really entertaining flick. A summer movie that finally delivers." Chud's Jeremy Smith reviews Transformers and has this to say: Granted, "value" is a debased term in the middle of the summer movie season - especially this summer, which has thus far been a steady succession of high-profile disappointments. But Transformers is the event moviegoers have been waiting for. It's got giant fucking robots doing huge fucking damage to a lot of fucking expensive hardware and property. Expecting much more than that out of a picture like this is to be an idiot.

The Hollywood Reporter: Sci-fi action that is both smart and funny.

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-06-29T16:02:39-04:00

Transformers Bottom Line: Sci-fi action that is both smart and funny. By Kirk Honeycutt Jun 29, 2007 This is noisy fun with characters and plot lines kept simple and flashes of comedy that hit home more often than not. "Transformers" is a wet dream for fanboys, with vehicles that whiz and whir into alien robots, spectacular sci-fi stunt chases, glistening military hardware, overheated computer software and brainy, hot girls who love Popular Mechanics. It's a Michael Bay movie based on a Hasbro line of toys that perfectly captures adolescent fascination with mechanical things you can take apart and put back together. The movie is noisy fun, with characters and plot lines kept simple and flashes of comedy that hit home more often than not. Most importantly, the filmmakers have shrewdly selected their young cast. Shia LaBeouf is one of the hottest young actors on the planet at the moment, with the surprise hit thriller "Disturbia" and excellent lead vocal performance in the animated comedy "Surf's Up" already behind him this year. Megan Fox and Rachael Taylor add terrific sex appeal in roles designed to emphasize female capability and intelligence. And singer-actor Tyrese Gibson and Josh Duhamel are the smart-looking military dudes who take on the aliens at street level. The movie's appeal definitely will expand beyond fanboys and sci-fi addicts to include older "kids" who grew up with the Transformers toys and comic books. DreamWorks and Paramount should be well-rewarded for their deep-pocketed faith in this potential franchise with a global hit. This is not the first cinematic outing for the mechanical warriors. A 1986 animated movie was based on the original "Transformers" television show, which was based, of course, on the popular multiform robot toy line. It didn't go over well at the boxoffice. (That tooner, incidentally, was set in 2005.) But now Bay and an army of visual designers have successfully re-imagined a photorealistic world in which these Titans can believably clash. The best thing in the script by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (from a story by Orci, Kurtzman and John Rogers) is how a teen plot line gets tied into the fate of the world. Young Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf), who's nerdy but funny and sort of cool, gets a mysterious car from his dad, a banged-up '76 Chevy Camaro that he only later discovers is an alien robot. Now that's a way to get a girl's attention! That girl, with the arresting name of Mikaela (Fox), has been in school with him for years but never really noticed him. One day she accepts a ride from him and finds herself caught up in a war of the worlds. Seems an ancestor of Sam made a discovery in the Arctic Circle that prompts the bad guys -- sorry, robots -- to target Sam, who unknowingly holds the key to mankind's survival -- if he hasn't already sold it on eBay. Two robotic races -- the evil Decepticons and the heroic Autobots -- hide out on Earth as cars, trucks, 18-wheeler tractors, Hummers, jets or even a boom box before grinding and expanding into their robotic essence. These are CGI-errific moments, courtesy of Industrial Light + Magic, that will have fanboys leaping from their seats. All these techno creatures have feelings and emotions, you understand, which leads to the film's most amusing moment, when Sam's Camaro performs wheelies after his girlfriend "insults" the car. Its radio also plays tunes that fit the mood. The filmmakers create three other sets of characters: A group of computer hackers headed by Taylor and Anthony Anderson, who no less than the U.S. Secretary of Defense (Jon Voight) desperately appoints as his "advisers"; surviving military members of an alien attack on a U.S. base in the Middle East, led by Duhamel and Gibson, who somehow wind up duking it out with the aliens in downtown Los Angeles; and shadowy anti-alien agents led by John Turturro. The snarl of action and story lines is sometimes awkward, but at least the audience can identify with characters wherever the robots choose to rumble. No faceless multitudes screaming and fleeing here as in the Godzilla movies of old. Clearly, none of this would work if Bay had not adroitly coordinated the stunts, animation and characters, both real and mechanical. Thanks goes to a team of editors, who have made good sense of all the action. On the debit side, sound levels are all too high, and the score pushes harder than necessary. While he has long been a master of mayhem, on this occasion Bay weds his visual dazzle to material that carries the action smoothly. This is an extravaganza rather than overwrought excess. As one young boy exclaims upon seeing his first robot, "This is 10 times cooler than 'Armageddon'!" Source: THR.

Transformers Rotten Tomatoes meter!

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-06-29T14:15:55-04:00

It's at 100%!

...He bites back

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-06-28T12:12:52-04:00

The director of Pearl Harbor, Bad Boys II and now Transformers defends his art, writes Jim Schembri. THE easiest way to start an argument among cinema lovers is to state categorically that Michael Bay is an artist. ...Maybe it helps to think about it this way: the hallmark of any artist is to author a signature style. In this sense, love them or hate them, everybody knows a Michael Bay film when they see one. ...Of course, run the idea of cinematic artistry past Michael Bay and you'll get no argument. As the lithe 42-year-old settles into the couch opposite for our interview, he may - with $3 billion in box office earnings under his belt - qualify as a Hollywood heavy hitter, but he doesn't speak like one. ...I use a lot of very talented people, but it is art if you can get people to applaud or laugh in that theatre, so you're creating some sort of emotional response. ...Bay is referring to his new art film, Transformers, a live-action film based on the popular series of toys from the 1980s where various ordinary-looking vehicles turn - or "transform" - into giant warring robots. ...Ever since re-creating the attack on Pearl Harbour with the aid of CGI, Bay has become a wizard at harnessing digital technology for action. ... Curiously, however, one of his favourite moments in the film involves the staging of a 1970s-style car stunt where a Camaro balances on two wheels. ...That was the most patient I've ever been in my entire film career. It took three hours for that guy to get up, and it was all real. ... I broke a record for being the most patient I have ever been because I like real. ...Despite his box-office success - or, he suspects, because of it - Bay has become the punching bag of choice for critics the world over. ... Bay suspects it has something to do with "fear of the new". ... "If you look at action nowadays, it's changed more to my style," he says. ..."First of all, there are too many critics and it all just turns into white noise. ... Roger Ebert (of the Chicago Sun-Times) once commented (negatively) on one scene in Bad Boys II and I'm like, 'Wait a minute. I've seen this movie with 10 paying audiences and they were laughing so loud they couldn't hear the dialogue. Didn't he see what was going on in the theatre?' ...The "star" car is courtesy of General Motors, and toy giant Hasbro is expecting the film to act as a global promotional showreel for its new line of Transformer toys. ...That's not a lot for this type of movie, and when I (was looking for) that car, I went to GM and they took me through their concept cars and I went, 'That's it!' ...They gave me $3 million worth of cars, which cuts $3 million out of my budget, which means I can put more up on the screen. So I don't think it's whoring out the movie. ..."Listen, I didn't care that this is associated with a toy," he insists. ..."Listen, I didn't grow up with the toy, I didn't grow up with the cartoon, so I'm trying to do my own thing with it." Bay has made most of his films for uber-producer Jerry Bruckheimer, with whom he is planning his next epic. For Transformers, however, Bay's new patron is the one producer considered more "uber" than Bruckheimer - Steven Spielberg. Indeed, it was Spielberg's idea to have Bay direct the film. "You know," says Bay, "he always says 'I wanna be your new Jerry Bruckheimer'. ...He said to me, 'Michael, I think you've got one of the finest eyes in Hollywood.' ...It takes a few solid minutes of prodding, but Bay eventually concedes that Transformers is a return to safer cinematic territory after the box-office flop of his previous film, The Island. ...This film is still a big risk, but I'm more comfortable in this realm." ...The Island was not only plagued with production problems, but with an ill-conceived marketing strategy that Bay hated. ...Like, they can't do a f---ing thing without me looking at every detail!" One cannot interview Michael Bay and not seize the opportunity to raise a central criticism of his kinetic style. As fun and enthralling as Transformers is, its massive action sequences share the same irritating qualities as those in his other films. ... It's as though Bay is trying to cram too much into the frame. ...You know, as I go on with movies, I think I do slow down a little bit." The time has come in Michael Bay's career to fulfil everyone's fantasy by making a small-scale film with no explosions or giant killer robots or machine-guns, where it's just people relating. ...This is good because Bay has an underappreciated gift for comedy, which he has sprinkled generously throughout his films. He considers Armageddon a comedy about the world being saved by a bunch of average Joes, and the hilarious opening reel of Transformers plays like an unofficial remake of Herbie, the Love Bug. ..."I've got this great pulp fictiony true story called Pain and Gain that I've been working on. It's fun dialogue and it's true and it's these people looking for the American dream in the wrong way. ...The chancy masturbation joke in Transformers, he says, was done on the spot, and he loved it. "We made this funny scene because I had these great actors to work with, but the studio kept saying, 'What are you doing? ... I shoot a lot of jokes, and some of them will live and some of them are going to die, but these are the things that will bring the house down. ...Bay's next film will be another Bruckheimer biggie, but he is hungry for change. ...Bad Boys II was fun, and it's funny, but it's no great shakes . . . I'm worried that big movies are going to go away, so I figure I'd better direct (some) while they're still here."

Transformers: HBO First Look

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-06-27T20:57:32-04:00

HBO's "First Look" features a 25 minute behind the scenes featurette on the making of Transformers. Check the HBO schedule.

Metal Machine Musings

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-06-27T06:04:08-04:00

He’s everything film critics hate about Hollywood but still delivers hit after hit. After redefining the action movie for the MTV generation, what would Michael Bay want with the world’s biggest toy franchise? DREW TURNEY was at the recent Transformers press conference in Sydney. The room was full of movie reporters and everybody was talking about the franchise, the fanboys and the stunts and effects when the question nobody wanted to ask but everyone was thinking finally came up. Why do so many people hate Michael Bay? “When I did Bad Boys I used a style of very quick editing,” Bay explains. “Partially because I didn’t have a lot of money for art direction so we had to disguise things. I was competing against True Lies, which had all the money and effects in the world. So that became my style and it kind of hooked into young kids. “So yeah, I did get the whipping boy thing and a very esteemed film professor told me that in Hollywood they’ll always go after someone who changes something. They don’t like change, and if you look at action movies these days they’re all fast cut now, and I don’t know if I’m somewhat responsible for that.” Bay’s long been a favourite target of the critical establishment who bemoan the death of cinema quality on the altar of lucrative sequel rights and tie-in merchandising lines, but it’s easy to forget how good he is at what he does. Like the Star Wars prequels, if you watch a Michael Bay film but fast-forward through the drama and exposition you’ll think you’re in the hands of a master. That hatred was joined by the chorus of howls from long-time Transformers devotees who came out of the woodwork to leave death threats on his blog and make 39,000 attempted hacks onto the servers of Industrial Light And Magic – the Lucas-owned company responsible for the movie’s effects. But with Steven Spielberg’s influence and money behind him, Bay forged ahead and has delivered one of the better films in his canon, certainly the biggest. You have to feel for the guy and wonder if all the scorn is worth it. “You’re never going to make everyone happy and I knew that going into this, but you’ve got to respect the fanbase,” he states. “You can’t change Spider-Man’s outfit too much. When they put nipples on Batman, you saw that. You have to be respectful to certain arguments but you’ve got to make your own choices as a filmmaker. Many fans who saw clips really gave it their stamp of approval and they were only seeing 2-D images.” In agreeing to do the film, Bay wanted to do it as realistically as he could. The result is slightly at odds with the cartoonish origins of the franchise, but as a film branded with Bay’s name, it’s going to be full of large-scale destruction, destruction of buildings and transport machinery and huge explosions. To achieve real-looking robots causing all that mayhem was no small task, as the director explains. “I’m very into lighting and how real these things had to look. A lot of CG just doesn’t look real, all of us have something in our brain that says when the light isn’t right, so we (Bay and ILM) worked extensively on lighting. “Optimus Prime had 10,108 parts that all had to move and interact. They had to reflect certain kinds of light. When you look at a car you’ve got soft light and little hard pings everywhere and that’s a hard thing to do in the digital world.” Even more important to the goal of creating digital characters seem real however is giving us something to love, hate and react to. In a lot of ways, the magic of movies in the digital age is making us feel for something or someone that doesn’t exist except in a computer program – even something as inexpressive as a robot. The screening Bay attended with fans and the press was the first time he’d seen it with audience, and he says the reaction to his digital creations blew even him away. “My favourite was Bumblebee. You just get a lot of emotion out of him. I just finished (the film) literally last Friday and when you step back it’s so weird that there was nothing there and now you’ve got something. “I heard the audience last night applauding when a truck came in and skidded in – they’re finding emotion in a truck! I really liked it that we created characters out of thin air you can feel something for.” With a single frame of film taking 38 hours to render, it was a big investment of time and energy in a project Bay initially dismissed out of hand. “Steven (Spielberg) told me about this movie called Transformers. He said there wasn’t much of an idea but it’s about this boy who buys his first car and it’s an alien robot. After I hung up I said ‘I’m never doing that stupid movie’. “But I thought about it and went to Hasbro and met the CEO. He took me through the whole Transformers lore and something just kind of clicked. I thought if I could make this really real and edgy I think I could do something very cool with it.” Edgy? Could it be Michael Bay’s entering his long-awaited arthouse period? If you hate him, no such luck. If you love him, he’s on course for more thrills, kills and spills than ever… Source: Xpressmag.com

"Transformers" director firing on all cylinders

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-06-27T06:05:34-04:00

NEW YORK -- Director Michael Bay, Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks might be hoping to transform the boxoffice when their "Transformers" movie opens Tuesday, but starring roles in the film for General Motors and eBay, an unprecedented takeover of eBay's home page and Bay's decision to direct spots for three tie-in partners might help transform the Hollywood promotions business as well. GM has four of its vehicles -- the Chevy Camaro, the Pontiac Solstice, the Hummer H2 and the GMC Topkick -- playing four of "Transformers' " Autobot heroes: Bumblebee, Jazz, Ratchet and Ironhide. It's the type of starring role that every advertiser strives for but rarely achieves, especially in a big-budget summer tentpole film. "I think this is a once-in-a-motion-picture-history-type opportunity for an automotive company where you have a film that actually incorporates multiple cars that are actually characters in the film," said LeeAnne Stables, senior vp worldwide marketing partnerships at Paramount. Added Dino Bernacchi, associate director of marketing alliances and branded entertainment at GM: "We try to find properties where the cars are the stars, and literally our cars are the stars of this movie. You don't get any more heroic than the roles that our four vehicles play." Often roles this big require brands to spend millions of dollars in integration fees in addition to millions in TV ads and other cross-promotional activity, but GM only had to supply two vehicles for each brand starring in the movie, though it did spend millions in promotions. It also built two Camaros especially for the film since the vehicle is not for sale yet and is based on a concept car Bay saw last year at an auto show. GM provided dozens of other vehicles for background use in the movie. "Michael saw the new Camaro at the 2006 auto show and immediately fell in love with it and wanted it for Bumblebee," Bernacchi said. Bay's long-standing relationship with GM also led to the car manufacturer's role in the movie's spotlight. GM has supplied vehicles for several of Bay's movies, including about 80 for "Bad Boys II," and Bay directed spots for Chevy earlier in his career. Bernacchi said that whatever GM spent on the promotions and the vehicles "pales in comparison" to the benefits GM is getting, not just from being featured in a blockbuster film but also in the "Transformers" video game and appearing as toys from Hasbro as well as in all ancillary marketing surrounding the movie. "Whatever the cost was, it was a small investment for the big exposure and opportunity we're embarking upon right now," Bernacchi said. "This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity." EBay also plays a role in the film's story line when a key item goes up for sale on the auction Web site. Additionally, eBay is integrating "Transformers" into its home page for two days in its biggest movie tie-in. Although eBay has featured rich media ads on its home page, it never has changed its home page as part of a cross-promotional deal with a Hollywood studio or any other third party. "This is unprecedented," said Kimi Kokka, director of marketing partnerships and promotions at eBay. "We've never integrated content into our home page before. We're changing the look and feel of the home page and the technology around it for those two days." She said the "Transformers" takeover scheduled for Thursday and Friday was not based on an ad buy but was part of eBay's promotional partnership with Paramount. "EBay has never done a movie promotion like this," Stables said. "They're doing things for us that money can't buy." The site also will auction off key props and memorabilia related to the movie, starting Thursday. In addition, it has created a special "Transformers"-themed microsite that links to all "Transformers" merchandise for sale on eBay. Kokka said that eBay decided to embark on the promotional partnership mostly because of the organic integration of eBay in the film. "It started with the creative integration in the story line, and from there we just built upon it to see how we could make it come to life on eBay as well as on the big screen. Opportunities like this just don't come along, which is why we're doing such a deep marketing partnership with Paramount." In another rare move by Paramount, Bay directed commercials for tie-in partners GM, Burger King and PepsiCo's Mountain Dew. There appears to be an increasing willingness among top film directors to helm tie-in partners' spots and a growing push by studios to encourage them to do so, but it still is rare to see a top Hollywood director helm spots for advertisers let alone for three different tie-in partners on one movie. For GM alone, Bay directed five different commercials. "Having the director of the film involved in the production of the partners' promotional spots ensured the spots were in sync with the tone of the film," Stables said. "No one could possibly know the flavor of the movie better than the director himself, so it was a perfect match." Stables said the Mountain Dew promotion also is significant, with "Transformers" graphics and logos plastered on 850 million packages of Mountain Dew, Pepsi, Diet Pepsi and other PepsiCo beverage brands and a custom TV spot that Bay shot and directed. "I just think this is a huge promotion for Pepsi," she said. "This is probably one of the biggest if not the biggest beverage promotion for any film this summer." Mountain Dew also has a minor placement in the movie, which features a shot of a Mountain Dew vending machine. The placement and promotion stemmed from Pepsi's placement and entertainment marketing agency Davie-Brown Entertainment providing product for the crew and set, Stables said. Source: THR.

The Rebirth of Optimus Prime: Behind the Scenes with Director Michael Bay

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-06-25T22:48:23-04:00

Nelson here... I mentioned this a couple days ago. Click here to read the article. Original link.

Michael Bay rings NYSE opening bell

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-06-25T17:38:00-04:00

Michael and Hasbro rang the opening bell. http://www.nyse.com/events/1182162037532.html Watch the streaming video here. Download the QuickTime video here. Ctrl-Click and 'Download Linked File' (Mac) or Rt-Click and 'Save Target As' (PC) the link above.

“Transformers” via Satellite to 4,000 Viewers

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-06-25T17:03:54-04:00

Raleigh, NC and Hollywood, CA – L.A. Film Festival – June 25, 2007 – Microspace Communications Corporation (Microspace), the leading distributor of digital cinema via satellite, today announced that it will deliver the North American premiere of DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures’ release of “TRANSFORMERS” to the L.A. Film Festival on June 27, 2007. The exclusive pre-release screening of “TRANSFORMERS” will represent the first time a motion picture has been delivered via satellite to the L.A. Film Festival. The distribution will be one of the largest film premieres in history and will be screened simultaneously to thousands of viewers. “Digital delivery is a key element in the change to digital cinema,” said Jim Tharp, president, domestic distribution for Paramount Pictures. “We are so pleased to partner with Microspace for satellite delivery of TRANSFORMERS at the LA Film Festival.” “Satellite delivery of motion pictures continues to gain significant traction among studios and exhibitors as return-on-investment is realized,” said Curt Tilly, manager of digital cinema distribution at Microspace. “The quality and reliability that digital delivery yields, enables both studios and exhibitors to feature the highest quality presentation the first time and every time.” Microspace collaborates with studios, content preparation companies and exhibitors to utilize satellite distribution and its benefits. The proven workflow and electronic delivery of Microspace’s satellite distribution provides the industry with a turn-key solution for content delivery and minimizes the potential issues and costs associated with physical delivery. Through the use of two discrete satellite systems, movies and keys are delivered on-time, every-time at Microspace connected theatres. The North American premiere will be open to 4,000 people across four theaters in Westwood Village where they will view the Autobots® and Decepticons® battle it out. The premiere will take place on June 27, 2007 at 8:15 p.m. “TRANSFORMERS” will open in theaters nationwide on July 3, 2007. Read the rest.

Michael Bay 2nd Life interview

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-06-23T21:58:16-04:00

Click here to listen to the Second Life interview Michael Bay and Lorenzo Di Bonaventura.

Wire Magazine: 'subgenre known simply as "Michael Bay"'

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-06-22T19:31:54-04:00

Nelson here... The July 2007 Wired Magazine feature Optimus Prime on the cover and an article on the Transformers film. It's a very good and entertaining read. Among the quotes: "I knew there were fans.... I didn't know there were people who'd hunt you down. I urge them to watch the 1986 animated movie, go watch the cartoon. You'll want to shoot yourself." "Then there's the matter of matter. Bays says that weight-mass orthodoxy informed the decision to make Prime a hog-nosed semi instead of the flat-front model from the cartoon, which he says, would have yielded only a 23 feet of robot height. (He wanted Prime to stand at least 30 feet tall.)" "Physics also informed the decision to make Megatron, originally a pistol, into a jet..." "But other alterations were simply Bay's prerogative. Optimus Prime now boast bright orange cholo flames and--much to fans' horror--lips. 'I'm the director. I make my own decisions. I like to paint the house green, even when everyone says it's got to be white."

'Transformers' steals spotlight at Taormina

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-06-22T09:52:16-04:00

'Transformers' steals spotlight at Taormina By Eric J. Lyman June 22, 2007 TAORMINA, Sicily -- DreamWorks/Paramount's "Transformers," the mega-budget summer film based on the 1980s animated series, launched the summer season Thursday at the 53rd annual Taormina Film Festival with the festival's most enthusiastic response and extra-tight anti-piracy measures. The crowds at Taormina's famous 5,000-seat cliffside Greek Theatre were enthusiastic, gathering more than two hours before the film started and screaming and clapping as a specially made short film and laser light show marked the start of the evening's events. "This is an awesome place for a film like this," said 18-year-old Michael Formis, on vacation from Winter Park, Fla. "The setting and the atmosphere is just unreal." Although screenings earlier in the week in South Korea and Australia and a European premiere in Spain the night before meant the Taormina showing was technically an Italian premiere, Paramount made it clear that Thursday night's screening was the official world launch for the film. "This is a worldwide film, and with its dates and its reputation, Taormina was a perfect springboard for us," producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura said. Lucia Puenzo, the Argentinean director of "XXY" -- the provocative story of a teenage hermaphrodite that premiered here Wednesday -- officially welcomed director Michael Bay and the "Transformers" cast to a packed house at the 2,300-year-old venue, presenting Bay with a Harry Winston watch as the recipient of a Taormina Arte Award. At a question-and-answer session earlier in the day, Taormina artistic director Deborah Young said the onstage juxtaposition of the directors of a blockbuster like "Transformers" and an art house film like "XXY" was a good metaphor for the 53-year-old Taormina event. "This festival is all about bringing different cultures and perspectives together," Young said. "You couldn't ask for a better example than that." For the briefing, Paramount decked out a large conference room at the Grand Hotel Timeo to fit the futuristic feel of the film, with director Bay, di Bonaventura and the film's star, Shia LaBeouf, on hand for a lighthearted exchange with a standing-room-only crowd of journalists. LaBeouf stole the show with his enthusiasm. "No doubt, this film is a really big deal back where I come from," the 21-year-old said, shaking his head. "Shia, it's a big deal all over the world," Bay corrected him. "Well, I haven't been anywhere before this," LaBeouf said, laughing. "I don't know what's going on all over the world." Paramount took extra steps to prevent pirating of the film, with tight security at the gates of the Greek Theatre and proctors roaming the seats to prevent illegal filming of the event. Although the "Transformers" premiere dominated the day at the festival, several other films had their moment on one of Taormina's silver screens, including screenings of Aleksei Mizgiryov's Russian crime drama "Kremen" (Hard-Hearted); "13m2," a thriller from France's Barthelemy Grossman; and 1999 coming-of-age story "El Medina" (The City), the last film in the Egyptian tribute series. "XXY" also unspooled in a reprise screening. Original link.

Access Hollywood interviews MIchael Bay

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-06-20T21:24:01-04:00

Check out this Access Hollywood interview with Michael. View it here.

MoviesOnline interviews Bay

webmaster@michaelbay.com — 2007-06-19T12:17:47-04:00

Nelson here... This is by far one of the best interviews I've read in a long time. Some of the gems. In regards to the screening: "A lot of the older ladies, like 35, 40, they are like, ‘I didn’t want to come here. I didn’t want to see this. I was dragged here.’ It’s true! This one lady goes, ‘This kinds of reinvents super heroes.’ She said this great line. She goes, ‘We’re tired of the suits and the whatever. This is totally new and different.’ In regards to some of his favorite directors: "Raising Arizona was such an instrumental movie in how I’ve done some of my commercials. Just that comic timing. A lot of people didn’t get that movie when it came out." Read the entire interview here.

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. ...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." ... 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. ... 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. ... Think of Transformers as the rock ‘n’ roll equivalent of heavy metal thunder. ...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. ... 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? ... 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. ... 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. ... "There is no script right now," he said.

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

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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

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. ...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. ... 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

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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.