Michael Bay
Michael Bay
Michael Benjamin Bay is an American filmmaker known for directing and producing big-budget action films characterized by fast cutting, stylistic visuals and extensive use of special effects, including frequent depiction of explosions. His films, which include Armageddon, Pearl Harborand the Transformers film series, have grossed over US$5 billion worldwide. He is co-founder of commercial production house The Institute, a.k.a. The Institute for the Development of Enhanced Perceptual Awareness. He is co-chair and part-owner of the digital effects house Digital Domain...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionDirector
Date of Birth17 February 1965
CityLos Angeles, CA
CountryUnited States of America
I don't ever want to do a movie where you shoot it on a motion capture stage. I just don't like taking the reality out of it. I like being on the set in real environments. I don't like shooting on green screen. I think it gives the actors so much more to play with when there's real stuff happening on the set.
Its... a hard thing for a director, to think you came up with a shot, something from your mind, and someone died while doing it. Its the worst thing youll ever have to live with. It was very hard for me to get back on the horse again.
I can be very reserved about things. My business side isn't shy. I can be like a general. But I've got a shy side. I'm also a lot deeper than people think, and a lot more sensitive. But I don't let people in too much.'
Do you know what directors go through? It's just hell. Like, why do I work so hard - to think I'm only going to see this movie five times and then never see it again 'cause I'm so sick of it? What is it worth, honestly?
Nobody in the world knew about Megan Fox until I found her and put her in 'Transformers.' I like to think that I've had some luck in building actors' careers with my films.
What I look for in a script is something that challenges me, something that breaks new ground, something that allows me to flex my director muscle. You have got to think fast in this business, youve got to keep reinventing yourself to stay on top.
People have a hard time believing I'd ever want to do a small movie, but I would love to do something funny and quirky.
Sometimes, we just laugh about it knowing that this is a scene they will talk about in 'Premiere' magazine because of its flaws in continuity. I think you have to make movies for the general public and not the details. When you get hung up on continuity, you can't keep the pace and price down. Most people simply consume a movie and they are not even aware of these errors.
I was hooked by the love story in Pearl Harbor. Believe it or not, I have a really soft heart and I can be sappy.
It's such a massive story to tell, it would have taken nine hours,
The psychological root behind this competitive streak is that I was an athlete when I was young and took sports really seriously. I look at directing as a sporting event. It's a race, a marathon. It's great when it clicks - which is why I push my crews so hard so we can excel.
When you're walking on the set, sometimes you are alone in the main cell block, and you're seeing Al Capone lived here, ... It's just bizarre.
I'm at that point in my life where I definitely want to get married soon. I've got my dogs as surrogates, but I'm ready for kids.
It's... a hard thing for a director, to think you came up with a shot, something from your mind, and someone died while doing it. It's the worst thing you'll ever have to live with. It was very hard for me to get back on the horse again.