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If a film has excessive explosions, and generally chaotic energy in every character and event, chances are it is a Michael Bay film. TheTransformersdirector has made a career out of creating blockbusters that are built around action set-pieces, with each film outdoing the last in terms of ridiculous and over-the-top action.
He has made landmark films such asBad Boys, The Rock, Transformers, Armageddon,and more. While talking about his recent film with Jake Gyllenhaal,Ambulance,Bay spoke about the various obstacles he faced while making his debut film, the Will Smith starrerBad Boys.
Also read:“I want you to cry”: Michael Bay Had a Bizarre Request for Actor to Prove His Worth After Ben Affleck Dismissed Him While Working in $553M Bruce Willis Movie
Michael Bay’s Unorthodox Shooting Style onBad Boys
Before he became known as the master of mayhem,Michael Baywas directing commercials and music videos for David Fincher’s production company Propaganda Films. He had made commercials for Nike, Coca-Cola, and the Red Cross before he was selected to make his feature film debut by producer Jerry Bruckheimer.
Bay made his feature film debut with the action buddy cop filmBad Boys. The film starredWill Smithand Martin Lawrence and was considered to be the former’s breakthrough role in films as he was still starring on the TV showThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Bay reportedly hated the script ofBad Boysand allegedly improvised with the actors to create new scenes and lines of dialogue.
Also read:“I remember I was down on my knees”: James Bond Star Sean Connery’s Terrifying Presence Petrified ‘Explosive’ Michael Bay as He Failed to Give Direction Out of Fear
Talking about the iconic revolving shot that became a must-have in Bay’s filmography, he said, in an interview withCollider,
“I’ll tell you one moment. We’re driving to another location…and I’m like, ‘Stop the van. Stop the van. Stop the van.’ And I saw this sign, and I just saw a light. And I came up with this shot. I said, ‘Get the circle track. Get the circle track.’ My line producer comes out. ‘What are you doing, Michael? We’re going to be late…’ I said, ‘This is going to be a trailer shot.’ I come up with shots very fast. I put the circle track, and I said, ‘Guys, I just want you to bend down and rise up, and I’m going to come around you.’ Boom. There we go, huh? You know the shot.”
Bad Boyswas a commercial success, earning over $141 million against a budget of $19 million, and spawned two sequels.Bad Boys IIwas also directed by Michael Bay. The original cemented Will Smith as an action star along with his appearance on Roland Emmerich’sIndependence Day.
Also read:“I know I will never work with him again”: Before Megan Fox, Bruce Willis Vowed To Never Work With Steven Spielberg’s Protégé In Humiliating Public Post After Their $553M Movie
Sony Pictures Allegedly Caused Multiple Obstacles While FilmingBad Boys
ThoughBad Boysended up being a huge success, Michael Bay revealed that the production studio Columbia Pictures, or Sony, did not believe in the film. They were reported to be skeptical about the casting as, according to Bay, there were no films with Black protagonists that had succeeded in the overseas market.
Bay mentioned that Sony Pictures did not have faith in him as he was young at the time and it was his debut film. He mentioned toCollider, that they had a very rude line producer who used to stop working the moment his twelve hours were up. He said,
“It’s like, Sony had no faith in the movie, because two black stars never worked, until that movie, overseas. That’s the first movie that broke the whole mold…There were times when there was a line producer who was very mean to us. I mean, Will Smith was acting, and literally, the lights would just shut off in the middle of a take because it was 12 hours. The crew…they were not allowing me to hire any of my crew. And they were like, ‘That’s not going to cut. That’s not going to work. That’s not going to work.’”
Bay mentioned that he had to constantly convince the team to follow his instructions as they were reportedly discouraging towards his creative decisions, such as the pace of the editing and the humor of the film. However, Michael Bay, along with his producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, got the film made and it was released to a resounding success, thus cementing their position in the industry.
Also read:“It wasn’t as bad as people said”: Ben Affleck Defended Michael Bay’s Worst Ever Movie That Won an Oscar Despite Claiming it Made Him Extremely Miserable
Source:Collider
Nishanth A
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2419
Nishanth A is a Senior Entertainment Writer at FandomWire, majorly focusing on TV shows with over 2,000 articles published. He has been an entertainment journalist for the past two years and a scriptwriter at various corporations before that, working on educational content. With a Communications, English Literature, and Psychology triple major, Nishanth usually covers news and analyses on Star Trek, particularly Strange New Worlds and The Next Generation; Doctor Who, the DCU, and more.A Nolan fan, Nishanth spends his time exploring the filmographies of various directors with an auteurial style or can be found making short movies of his own. He has also contributed as a feature writer for Film Companion, focusing on the South division.
