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
Maybe I have just a younger voice than many other directors.
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.
I make movies that audiences like, that I'd want to see. That's all.
I love doing big movies. It's awesome! You have all these toys. The thing I like about this movie is, like they always say, directors have the biggest train sets! Don't tell anyone, but I'd do this for free.
I'm done with effects movies for now. When you do a movie like 'Transformers,' it can feel like you're doing three movies at once - which is tiring.
I'm one of the few directors that actually shoots a lot in camera.
The press don't like to say nice things because nice is boring. It's much better to label me the devil. What we do is not brain surgery. We are entertainers, plain and simple, and we're responsible to bring that money back, to make a profit.
A lot of directors don't want the pressure of a movie the size of Pearl Harbor. But I love it. I thrive on it.
There are things that I invented - the creaky geriatric robot that is always grumpy, for example, or the little wheelie guy, he's not in the Hasbro lore. But kids love that stuff - this little guy as a pet on a chain. They gravitate towards it.
I go out there to win. People don't care if you die in this business. The only way I get back is with success.
You get the most 3D effect when it starts about three to four seconds, that's when it starts feeling 3D. And then what you do, quick shots are always flat.
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.
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.