Loading....
x
Michael Bay, right, gives direction on the set of the upcoming film Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.
Michael Bay is adamant about one thing: There’s nothing he hates more in the movie business than waste.
“Hollywood is so rife with waste,” he says, sneering. As an example, he cites directors who building “elaborate, million-dollar sets” then decide not to shoot on them. “That would never happen on one of my shows.”
Instead of building million-dollar sets, Bay got to take the $200 million US production of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen to Egypt to film on the pyramids, something most filmmakers can only dream of.
And it was all thanks to Zahi] Hawass, the Secretary General of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities. “Dr. Hawass was a big fan of Transformers. That’s why he let us shoot there.”
Bay’s “it’s got to be loud” philosophy has led to bombastic hits like The Rock, Bad Boys and Armageddon. But it’s also led to lemons like The Island and Pearl Harbor. Naturally, he doesn’t think his latest giant robot opus will fall into the latter category.
Strapping in for the roller-coaster this time around — along with returning stars Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox — is Ramon Rodriguez, a young actor with a season of The Wire and this summer’s The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 under his belt.
Bay sees Ramon’s role as an extension of the audience. “He’s never seen any of these things. So that adds for comedy,” Bay explains. “And Ramon’s quite funny.”
“I end up getting sucked up into this world of robots and my world is completely flipped,” adds Rodriguez.
For Rodriguez, working for the notorious task-master was more than a little intimidating, but he found his feet quickly thanks to a particularly exhausting audition.
“For an hour and a half, he had me running jumping and diving all around his furniture, acting like I was running from robots. And I left the room completely sweaty and drenched.”
All the sweat paid off, but the 29-year-old, who was raised in New York and Puerto Rico, didn’t realize that was just the beginning. For one shot, Rodriguez found himself holding tight to a pole while Bay pointed two fans blowing 100 mile-per-hour wind.
“While the fans are going, he had two guys pulling my legs with these wires,” he remembers. “It’s 100-plus degrees, my shoulder pops out because the guys were pulling me. I have dirt and soot going into my eyes, I can’t see anything.
“All I can hear is Michael saying, ‘Open your eyes! I need this shot!’” It took a good 45 minutes for Rodriguez to rinse all the debris from his eyes. “I thought I’d lost my eyesight,” he says. “But it’s a cool shot.”
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen opens in theatres this Wednesday.
“Hollywood is so rife with waste,” he says, sneering. As an example, he cites directors who building “elaborate, million-dollar sets” then decide not to shoot on them. “That would never happen on one of my shows.”
Instead of building million-dollar sets, Bay got to take the $200 million US production of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen to Egypt to film on the pyramids, something most filmmakers can only dream of.
And it was all thanks to Zahi] Hawass, the Secretary General of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities. “Dr. Hawass was a big fan of Transformers. That’s why he let us shoot there.”
Bay’s “it’s got to be loud” philosophy has led to bombastic hits like The Rock, Bad Boys and Armageddon. But it’s also led to lemons like The Island and Pearl Harbor. Naturally, he doesn’t think his latest giant robot opus will fall into the latter category.
Strapping in for the roller-coaster this time around — along with returning stars Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox — is Ramon Rodriguez, a young actor with a season of The Wire and this summer’s The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3 under his belt.
Bay sees Ramon’s role as an extension of the audience. “He’s never seen any of these things. So that adds for comedy,” Bay explains. “And Ramon’s quite funny.”
“I end up getting sucked up into this world of robots and my world is completely flipped,” adds Rodriguez.
For Rodriguez, working for the notorious task-master was more than a little intimidating, but he found his feet quickly thanks to a particularly exhausting audition.
“For an hour and a half, he had me running jumping and diving all around his furniture, acting like I was running from robots. And I left the room completely sweaty and drenched.”
All the sweat paid off, but the 29-year-old, who was raised in New York and Puerto Rico, didn’t realize that was just the beginning. For one shot, Rodriguez found himself holding tight to a pole while Bay pointed two fans blowing 100 mile-per-hour wind.
“While the fans are going, he had two guys pulling my legs with these wires,” he remembers. “It’s 100-plus degrees, my shoulder pops out because the guys were pulling me. I have dirt and soot going into my eyes, I can’t see anything.
“All I can hear is Michael saying, ‘Open your eyes! I need this shot!’” It took a good 45 minutes for Rodriguez to rinse all the debris from his eyes. “I thought I’d lost my eyesight,” he says. “But it’s a cool shot.”
• Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen opens in theatres this Wednesday.
more entertainment stories
On The Road to apocalypse
Under normal circumstances, adapting a best-selling Pulitzer Prize-winning novel for the big-screen might be an unnerving prospect but when it came to making The Road, director John Hillcoat had an ace in his pocket.
Hedley preaches on worshiping false Idols
In Hedley’s early days, lead singer Jacob Hoggard spent a lot of energy trying to make people forget that he ever appeared on Canadian Idol.
Top dancer begins touring
Since winning top honours on So You Think You Can Dance-Canada in October, Tara-Jean Popowich has been on quite a wild ride.
Oprah's departure from broadcast TV leaves huge void for network affiliates
CHICAGO - For more than two decades, Oprah Winfrey has been the inspirational, change-your-life champion who reigned over daytime television much like Johnny Carson once ruled late night.
Britney Spears' ex sentenced to jail
LOS ANGELES - Britney Spears' ex-boyfriend Adnan Ghalib is being sent to jail for 45 days for leaving the scene of an accident.
editor's picks
Nearly a third of the members of Parliament are on Twitter bandwagon
OTTAWA - Members of Parliament are scrambling to climb aboard the Twitter bandwagon - and getting elbowed by controversial, satirical and even phoney postings.
U.S. volunteers strive to save Santa letter service after Postal Service puts it on ice
ANCHORAGE, Alaska - A group of volunteer Santa Claus "elves" in Alaska's frigid interior is determined to save a popular holiday letter service featuring the North Pole's most beloved icon.
Egypt, Algeria in a growing diplomatic row caused by their bitter soccer rivalry
CAIRO, Egypt - Egypt on Thursday recalled its ambassador to Algeria for consultations as part of a growing diplomatic row caused by a bitter soccer rivalry between the two Arab nations that has sparked violence among fans.
EU heads into new era with unknowns named to new president, foreign policy jobs
BRUSSELS - The EU says it has solved an old problem for Washington.
Finance minister proposes code of conduct for credit-and debit-card companies
OTTAWA - Finance Minister Jim Flaherty is proposing a voluntary code of conduct for credit-and debit-card companies that he says will "level the playing field" for consumers and small businesses alike.
Copyright 2001-2009, Free Daily News Group Inc.