May 19, 2011 by Brian Gallagher

Transformers: Dark of the Moon Footage Screened!

Michael Bay screens Transformers: Dark of the Moon footage at Paramount
Michael Bay screens Transformers: Dark of the Moon footage at Paramount
Director Michael Bay took a break from his extremely busy schedule of putting the finishing touches on Transformers: Dark of the Moon, to show off some never-before-seen footage of the robots-in-disguise sequel to a very lucky audience at the Paramount Pictures lot in Hollywood tonight. I was one of the lucky audience members in attendance who got to see this fantastic footage, but that was only part of the allure behind tonight's event. Michael Bay was also joined by 3D pioneer James Cameron to discuss the ever-evolving state of 3D in cinema. It was truly a once-in-a-lifetime event, but, before I get to Michael Bay and James Cameron's interactions, I have to tell you that I was incredibly impressed by the Transformers: Dark of the Moon footage shown tonight.

We saw the first five minutes of the movie, followed by a slick sizzle reel montage, and concluding with the theatrical trailer... although it was all in 3D. After the slick 3D rendition of the Paramount Pictures logo, the movie starts off with some narration by Optimus Prime, describing the war between the Autobots and Decepticons, all set to some wonderful battle shots depicting this epic war. Optimus goes on to explain that, as the Autobots were sure the war was lost, a lone ship was dispatched, carrying some precious cargo, which we discover actually crash landed on the moon. We cut to Earth, 1961, and see footage of military personnel scrambling about, trying to determine how to react to this mysterious crash landing. After we see some Forrest Gump-esque footage of John F. Kennedy speaking as if this moon crash happened on his watch, it seems that this movie (if not the whole franchise), is set in some sort of alternate universe... although maybe they're just playing with history a bit. They still call this first moon mission Apollo 11, as JFK is determined to beat the Russians to the moon, even though, in reality, Apollo 11 was launched in 1969. While this whole history "lesson" was a bit baffling to me at first, it didn't matter much once they actually got to the moon... because then it gets really interesting. As we saw in the first trailer, Transformers: Dark of the Moon uses the actual mystery behind the loss of transmission during Apollo 11 for its own end, in quite a nice way. While the nation is celebrating our first trip to the moon, it's all just a cover story to see what actually landed on the moon, which they discover is not of this earth. We see a NASA official terminate the transmission himself, telling the two astronauts they have 21 minutes. We cut back to the astronauts' triumphant return, the celebrations that follow, and then we see the money shot, what they actually found on the moon.... Sentinel Prime.

Bumblebee in Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Bumblebee in Transformers: Dark of the Moon
After that full opening sequence, we cut into a montage of interesting shots compiled from Transformers: Dark of the Moon. We start out with a few brief glimpses at Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky, and the lovely newcomer Rosie Huntington-Whiteley as Sam's new squeeze, Carly. They also showed us an interesting sequence involving soldiers using these "glider suits," these full body suits that almost resemble webbed feet, which allows skydivers to actually glide/fly through the air before they deploy their chutes. Michael Bay later revealed he wrote this action scene specifically for divers like this, after seeing a demonstration of what they can do in the air. This reel also included an interesting Reservoir Dogs-like standoff between a few of the robots, our first real glimpse at a wheelchair-bound John Turturro, and an awesome shot featuring the incomparable Ken Jeong, which had the whole audience in stitches. There was also more footage of this weird pterodactyl-like transformer, which is seen briefly in the latest trailer, but there is one shot that truly sold me on Transformers: Dark of the Moon. This shot features Sam riding with Bumblebee when he transforms out of the Camaro, throws Sam into the air, swipes aside any debris coming Sam's way, and then catches him, transforms back to the car, and has Sam back in his regular seat like nothing ever happened. It was truly a jaw-dropping shot and, even if that is the best shot of the movie, I truly can't wait to see it again.

All in all, I am fully sold on Transformers: Dark of the Moon after the footage I saw tonight. However, if that wasn't enough for one night, we were treated to some wonderful banter between Michael Bay and James Cameron. One of the more impressive things about the footage is the 3D looked quite masterful, which is somewhat ironic coming from a director like Michael Bay, who had once spoken out against 3D in the past. They also showed a rather ironic clip of Michael Bay speaking at the ShoWest convention in 2009, where he expressed doubt that 3D would be here to stay. Oh how times do change, and it seems that it was James Cameron himself that helped sway Michael Bay towards shooting in 3D.

"When I heard you were considering 3D, I knew I had to talk you into it," said James Cameron, who extended an invitation for Michael Bay to visit the set of Avatar, even shutting production down for hours while he showed Michael Bay around. Michael Bay also admitted it was quite a challenge to shoot in 3D, given the pace at which he shoots.

"It was a huge challenge. We used the Avatar crew and they tried to scare us. They said, 'You can only do 10 shots a day.' I normally do 60 shots a day."


Despite those setbacks - and losing the entire first day of production - shooting in 3D did not add any extra days to the already-massive shooting schedule on Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Michael Bay also admitted that he, "actually had a wonderful time doing 3D," and James Cameron also enjoyed the Transformers: Dark of the Moon 3D footage.

"I like the depth and that you're using 3D aggressively, not that you don't do anything aggressively."


While it seems James Cameron has made a 3D convert out of Michael Bay, there is one thing he could not fully sell him on: going completely digital. Here's what Michael Bay had to say, about the unique ratio he used between digital and film.

"I don't like digital at all. We shot 60% on negative, 15% completely digital, and the rest were conversion shots."


Michael Bay on the set of Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Michael Bay on the set of Transformers: Dark of the Moon
James Cameron also addressed the trend of rapid post-production 3D conversions by studios looking to capitalize on the success of 3D.

"We have a way to get people back in theaters, but some are abusing it."


Michael Bay also added that 3D adds $30 million to a film budget, if done properly, and it seems that every penny spent was well worth it in Transformers: Dark of the Moon. I have been discouraged by the use of 3D in the past (See: Alice in Wonderland, Clash of the Titans), mainly because of the gimmicky way it was presented. While I haven't seen the full movie, it surely looks like Michael Bay has eschewed such tactics and created an enjoyable, immersive experience with Transformers: Dark of the Moon, which is quite a feat in itself for a director who wasn't even sure about the format to begin with.

That about wraps it up from my night at the Paramount Pictures lot for Transformers: Dark of the Moon, which arrives in 2D and 3D theaters nationwide on July 1. Be sure to stay tuned for any and all Transformers: Dark of the Moon news as we near its release date.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon was released June 29th, 2011 and stars Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Julie White, Kevin Dunn, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, Alan Tudyk, John Malkovich. The film is directed by Michael Bay.


Sources: Brian Gallagher

Do you like this story?


RELATED STORIES

Comments (33)

  1. K-Man

    I'm glad to hear that most people who have seen footage from the film is loving what they are seeing! Thats good to hear after the last installment.

    1 year agoby @k-manFlag

  2. bud2fresh

    @red What i would give for Cap to take in more money than TDOM :) @Zany lol sure

    1 year agoby @bud2freshFlag

  3. kingbrady

    @jonspidey07 looks like you will be waiting even longer after its release to see it now

    1 year agoby @kingbradyFlag

  4. JonSpidey07

    @kingbrady
    I live in NY
    the film opens on a friday but I celebrate every 4th of July now seeing a movie then going to fireworks after

    1 year agoby @jonspidey07Flag

  5. Ryan Moran

    cool

    1 year agoby @nightwing18Flag

  6. MovieWiz001

    Way to go Mike!

    1 year agoby @moviewiz001Flag

  7. CUPID

    CANT WAIT!!!!!!!!!!

    1 year agoby @cupidFlag

  8. Brian Gallagher

    @daveactor7 Yes, it was, and I was rather surprised by it. I think everyone still has the bad taste of Rise of the Fallen lingering, me included, but this looks tons better.

    1 year agoby @gallagherFlag

  9. Mutant

    I would like to see this in order like in the animated series. From the beginning to what we have now, but from a realistic point of view.
    Each a trilogy on it's own.

    1 year agoby @zenderFlag

  10. ZanyZap

    @jptheredskull: ... and because it's Michael Bay and he can do as he pleases. :P But thanks for the info!

    1 year agoby @zanyzapFlag

  11. J.P.

    @zanyzap Nah. Captain America changed its release date twice. It was supposed to come out this month with The Avengers in July; Thor was supposed to release last year with ,Matthew Vaughn as its director, instead of Iron Man 2. It then changed its release date to May 2012, again before the Avengers. They then decided on a July 2011 release date follwing a couple months after Thor. However, the ideal release date, July 1st, was already occupied my Captain America's now biggest competition, Transformers Dark of the Moon.

    1 year agoby @jptheredskullFlag

  12. ZanyZap

    @bud2fresh: Because it's Michael Bay, that's why.

    1 year agoby @zanyzapFlag

  13. J.P.

    @bud2fresh DOTM had a set release date before CA: TFA.

    1 year agoby @jptheredskullFlag

  14. Major Tom

    I'm even more excited now! Knowing that people are liking what they are seeing is really easing the qualms I had, courtesy of ROTF.

    1 year agoby @movie-nutFlag

  15. The Movie Ghost

    Sounds promising, as ever. I just hope to God this doesn't turn out to be a complete and utter sh*t-fest that was RotF.

    1 year agoby @thejoker-16Flag

  16. bud2fresh

    How did Transformers beat out Captain America for the July !st slot!?!

    1 year agoby @bud2freshFlag

  17. kingbrady

    @jonspidey07 July 4th??? where u living bro? July 1 for us Canadians...July 4 is a Monday what movie is released on a Monday?

    1 year agoby @kingbradyFlag

  18. Daveactor7

    Awesome. But seriously was it really THAT good?

    1 year agoby @daveactor7Flag

  19. Brian Gallagher

    @photoman Honestly, it's one of the most amazing shots I've seen in quite some time. Wow!

    1 year agoby @gallagherFlag

  20. Photoman

    I just imagined that shot when Bumblebee and Sam riding and tranforming... OMG !!!!!!!!!!

    1 year agoby @photomanFlag

  21. Bane. Ferguson

    HURRY UP TO BE RELEASED...THE 3D TRAILER ALONG SIDE POFC: On STRANGER TIDES WAS JUST...EPIC! ITS MADE FOR 3D

    1 year agoby @Zak-FFlag

  22. Bane. Ferguson

    CAN NOT WAIT!

    1 year agoby @Zak-FFlag

  23. JonSpidey07

    gonna be a terrific July 4th!!!

    1 year agoby @jonspidey07Flag

  24. Walternate

    @mutant i would definitely be down for movies that show the autobots on there home world hat would be awesome

    1 year agoby @chris-madeirosFlag

  25. Mutant

    I would like to see a trilogy where the Auto-bots are back on their home planet.

    1 year agoby @zenderFlag

  26. J.P.

    @skywise Sadly, Michael Bay has gone on the record as saying he hates the Dinobots so, it unlikely we'll see them unless Paramount did what sony did with Venom and Raimi and convince him to put them in for then sake of the fans.

    1 year agoby @jptheredskullFlag

  27. skywise

    Of course Laserbeak might be in this along with a dinobot? Swoop maybe? It would be cool to throw a shoutout to the dinobots since they play so heavily into the G1 mythology.

    Its not going to happen though, Bay has always said no Dinobots and no Unicron.

    1 year agoby @skywiseFlag

  28. skywise

    @jptheredskull I always loved Rumble the best.

    "First we crack the shell, then we crack the nuts inside!"

    ...well and Ravage of course.

    1 year agoby @skywiseFlag

  29. J.P.

    "There was also more footage of this weird pterodactyl-like transformer, which is seen briefly in the latest trailer".

    That transformer, who's form is a bird, is Laserbeak, one of the most iconic transformers from the G1 era, who is most known for being the main drone of Soundwave.

    Someone doesn't know their transformers.... :P

    1 year agoby @jptheredskullFlag

  30. fanboy

    Damn!

    1 year agoby @fanboyFlag

(More)Latest News
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 vs. Clash of the Titans Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1 vs. Clash of the Titans
(More)Recent Activity
(More)Most Commented Stories
(More)Top Rated Stories