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
Im at that point in my life where I definitely want to get married soon. Ive got my dogs as surrogates, but Im ready for kids.
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.
Directing is not a job. It's more like a career. Which is great!
We don't make movies for critics. I've done four movies; there's millions upon millions upon millions of people who've paid to see them. Somebody likes them. My greatest joy is to sit anonymously in a dark theater and watch it with an audience, a paying audience.
I don't change my style for anybody. Pussies do that.
Hollywood has to start finding more original stuff They've got to start by not depending on, 'What can we churn back out? How can we regurgitate this?' That's why I want to redo the feel of Transformers. That's why I wanted to start with a new cast. You want it to feel fresh, and you want to make it feel different than the other three.
Why isn't everything exploding?!
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.
Fast cars are my only vice.
Some nights I sleep like a baby. Other nights it's, Oh God, I just came up with a bomb shot.
Everybody knows about Pearl Harbor. The thing that really fascinated me is that through this tragedy there was this amazing American heroism.
I make movies for teenage boys. Oh, dear, what a crime.
I am very good at handling a huge movie, with a million things going on. I'm very decisive, clear in what I want. I'm very cost-conscious, in terms of how to get the big bang on the screen. I'm very good at making things happen very fast.
I don't see anything wrong with spending a lot of money to make big action movies to entertain people. Yet somehow, I come under special scrutiny. I mean, why don't people get upset if Dow spends $300 million to invent some new chemical? Audiences like popcorn movies. What's wrong with that?