StatsBirth Name: Michael Bay Age: 48, born 17 February 1965 Country of origin:  United States Height: 6' 2" Ethnicity: White / Caucasian
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A graduate of Wesleyan University, Michael Bay spent his 20s working on advertisements and music videos. His first projects after film school were in the music video business. He created music videos for Tina Turner, Meat Loaf, Lionel Richie, Wilson Phillips, Donny Osmond and 'The DiVinyls'. His work won him recognition and a number of MTV award nominations. He also filmed advertisements for Nike, Reebok, Coca-Cola, Budweiser and Miller Lite. He won the Grand Prix Clio for Commercial of the Year
A graduate of Wesleyan University, Michael Bay spent his 20s working on advertisements and music videos. His first projects after film school were in the music video business. He created music videos for Tina Turner, Meat Loaf, Lionel Richie, Wilson Phillips, Donny Osmond and 'The DiVinyls'. His work won him recognition and a number of MTV award nominations. He also filmed advertisements for Nike, Reebok, Coca-Cola, Budweiser and Miller Lite. He won the Grand Prix Clio for Commercial of the Year for his "Got Milk/Aaron Burr" commercial. At Cannes, he has won the Gold Lion for The Best Beer campaign for Miller Lite, as well as the Silver for "Got Milk". In 1995 Bay was honored by the Directors Guild of America as Commercial Director of the Year. That same year he also directed his first feature film, Bad Boys (1995), starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, which grossed more than $160 million worldwide. His follow-up film, The Rock (1996), starring Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage, was also hugely successful, making Bay the director du jour. Trade Mark: Intense slow motion shots of characters Films often feature a US President giving a major speech before a major action is to be committed. Has the camera moving during most scenes. Very rarely uses static shots. (2001) His last 3 films all share: a) two male leads at odds with another; b) a cataclysmic event as the narrative's fulcrumic point; c) the film's lead female character has i) been a long-haired brunette, and ii) watched the film's climax from a control room Actors/characters in his films are almost uniformly shot in tight, emphatic close ups, framed under the hairline and above the chin. Often uses lightflashes (i.e. lightbulbs and cameraflashes) to enhance scenes. Often has over-the-top visuals (i.e. key events taking place at sunset or dramatic events taking place behind actors doing routine activities). Utilizes monotonic but intense musical cues during action-filled car chase scenes (Bad Boys II (2003), The Island (2005)). Uses shots of aircraft against a setting sun, especially helicopters (Armageddon (1998/I), Pearl Harbor (2001), Transformers (2007)). Often features a slow-motion shot of an object crashing into, or tumbling towards the camera. Uses a shot where the camera spins in a circle around characters. (Bad Boys II, Transformers) Frequently incorporates scenes that involve characters running or moving towards the camera (almost always shot in slow-motion) Big explosions He occasionally makes cameo appearances in his films: in Bad Boys II (2003) he plays a guy driving a small beat-up old car which Martin Lawrence attempts to borrow, a NASA scientist in Armageddon (1998/I), and in Transformers (2007) he is the "disgusting" human that gets flicked away by Megatron. Has worked with producer Jerry Bruckheimer on all of his films, until The Island (2005). Is known for his high grossing action-packed movies. All of his movies have grossed more than $100 million, except Bad Boys (1995) and The Island (2005). Frenetic editing of action sequences. Often includes one black character as comic relief (Eddie Griffin in Armageddon (1998/I), Leonard McMahan in The Rock (1996), Mark Christopher Lawrence in The Island (2005), the minstrely robots Skids and Mudflap in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)). Most of his films have a shot of pilots running toward their aircraft for takeoff. All his films have at least one shot of a man screaming in slow motion. Usually as a battle cry. His films feature extensive product placement Trivia: Dated Playboy centerfold Jaime Bergman (45th Anniversary Playmate). Received a post-graduate degree in Film at Pasadena's Art Center College of Design in California. Owns two bullmastiff dogs, named Grace after the character played by Liv Tyler in Armageddon (1998/I) and Bonecrusher after the Decepticon that appeared in Transformers (2007). His bullmastiff Mason Rock Bay named the character Sean Connery played in the The Rock (1996)) died of old age in 2007. "Movieline" revealed in 2001 that Bay's father is John Frankenheimer. Frankenheimer, who always denied paternity, took a DNA test in the 1980s which was negative. Shot over 1 million feet of film for Pearl Harbor (2001). Used only about 20,000 feet for the final, 9-reel cut. In Bad Boys (1995), Bay paid $25,000 (one quarter of his fee) for the climax explosion scene. The initial shot was made impossible by a rainstorm, and the production company refused to pay for another try. Joined Propaganda Films two weeks out of graduate school. He befriended actor Djimon Hounsou, who was working across the street at a modeling agency. Djimon Hounsou later appeared in The Island (2005). Actors have often noted that he places more importance on the visuals than on his characters and actors. He is also known to do very few takes of intimate character- driven scenes, as he prefers to spend more time on action sequences and visually- interesting moments. All his films up to and including Armageddon (1998/I) made him the youngest director to reach the billion dollar mark world wide. Since the age of 26, Bay has won every major commercial directing award, including the Gold and Silver Lions at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival. He also won the Grand Prix Clio for Commercial of the Year for his "Got Milk/Aaron Burr" commercial, which also won him the Museum of Modern Art Award for Best Campaign of the Year. Filmed the movie Armageddon (1998/I) with an eye towards Middle America. Has a love for Americana. Studied under film historian Jeanine Basinger at Wesleyan University; Basinger later provided audio commentary, along with Bay, for the Pearl Harbor (2001) DVD. He is a very close friend of writer/director George Lucas from whom he often seeks advice. As a teenager, he worked at ILM in the storyboard department for films like Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981). He is a very good friend to Don Michael Paul and even lent him some aerial shots from The Rock (1996) to Paul's movie Half Past Dead (2002). Ranked #47 on Premiere's 2005 Power 50 List. Previously ranked #54 in 2004. He filmed the dynamic shots of the thrown dice in the gambling scenes for Adrian Lyne's Indecent Proposal (1993). He later "repossessed" the shots for a montage in Armageddon (1998/I). President of The Institute for the Development of Enhanced Perceptual Awareness, also known as The Institute, a commercial and music video production company he founded with Scott Gardenhour. The Rock (1996) is his favorite of the films he has directed and Sean Connery is his favorite actor that he's ever worked with. Two of his films, Armageddon (1998/I) and The Rock (1996), are in the Criterion Collection. Uses a Mark V director's viewfinder while shooting a film. The viewfinder is often prominently featured in photographs of him, hung around his neck. It is engraved with his name and the names of every film he has directed. Was offered the chance to direct Red Dragon (2002) but turned it down. Job went to Brett Ratner. Raised by parents Jim Bay and Harriet Bay (Michael adopted when he was two weeks old), and sister Lisa Bay. Turned down the offer to direct Van Helsing (2004) , opting to do The Island (2005) instead. Was offered the chance to direct Man on Fire (2004). Was offer the opportunity to direct Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003) but pulled out of the project due to scheduling conflicts. Good friends with Ben Affleck. Was considered to direct Superman Returns (2006). Cousin of Susan Bay, cousin-in-law of Leonard Nimoy. Was challenged by German filmmaker Uwe Boll to a charity boxing match in 2008. He considers himself an old school director, preferring analog over digital, both in shooting on film stock and keeping CGI shots to a minimum, staging practical action and stunts whenever possible. One of 20 prominent filmmakers to sign a letter in protest of Premium Video on Demand, which allows films to be streamed by home viewers at a cost of $30 only 60 days after the film's release in theaters.
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Leo added this to a list 1 month, 3 weeks ago
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 From Music Videos to Movies: Favorite Directors (15 person items)"Music Videos
'Falling in Love' - Aerosmith
'I'll Do Anything for Love' - Meatloaf
'Show Me the Way' - Styx
'Hearts in Trouble' - Chicago
Feature Films
Pain & Gain
Transformers Trilogy
Bad Boys 2
Pearl Harbor
Armageddon
The Rock
Bad Boys
"
nehocb added this to a list 8 months, 3 weeks ago
 List of the Highest-Paid Celebrities of 2012 (10 person items)"$160 million
Bay nabs the title of top-earning director this year thanks to Transformers: Dark of the Moon. The 3-D film brought in $1.1 billion at the box office. Bay has a great deal on the films, taking a solid chunk of the profits. He also earns big from Transformer toys. Adding to Bay's coffers this year: a Transformers ride at Universal Studios in Hollywood. Bay has earned the right to finally do a small film. Pain & Gain has a budget well under $50 million."
gigi added this to a list 11 months, 3 weeks ago
 Please Just Go Away! People I HATE (13 person items)"I think Mark Kermode summed it up perfectly on Michael Bay's horrible directing
Typical Michael Bay movie
1. Hot girls for you to go WOAH
2. Explosions, WOAH
3. Big LOUD special effects WOAH
Directing Pearl Harbor, a movie about war and disaster he couldn't even make it accurate without throwing it off with some dumb love triangle and totally exaggerating the real story.
Just watch his Transformers movies, the sexualization of a child's toy. A movie that should be about robot's hitting"
Sarah :] added this to a list 11 months, 3 weeks ago
Leo added this to a list 1 year, 1 month ago
 Razzie Worst Director winners (34 person items)"2009 - Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Other nominations include:
1998 - Armageddon
2001 - Pearl Harbor
2011 - Transformers: Dark of the Moon"
Plug Pulp added this to a list 1 year, 1 month ago
Jamie M. added this to a list 1 year, 3 months ago
 Celebrity Insults (142 person items)"about Uwe Boll
"I find people who rant like that – calling shit about both me, and George Clooney – comes from someone screaming because he is not being heard. He is obviously a sad being. When you ask ‘do I care?’ Not in the slightest.""
 30 People (30 person items)"A Director That Always Gives Me A Raging Headache
Loud noises, big explosions, horrible dialogue, loud noises...a lot of flash, no substance. "Pearl Harbor" gave me one of the worst headaches I've ever experienced."
 Worst Directors (14 person items)"Worst:
*Armageddon (1998)
*Pearl Harbor (2001)
*Bad Boys II (2003)
*Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
*Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)
Best or Least Bad:
*The Rock (1996)"
Jamie M. added this to a list 1 year, 6 months ago
Coby added this to a list 2 years, 1 month ago
 Directors: Movies they refused or didn't get. (20 person items)"Red Dragon
Turned down the offer to direct the film.
Van Helsing
Turned down the offer to direct the film, opting to do The Island instead.
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
Was offer the opportunity to direct but pulled out of the project due to scheduling conflicts.
Man on Fire
Turned down the offer to direct the film."
propelas added this to a list 2 years, 2 months ago
Rachel added this to a list 2 years, 3 months ago
Kankku added this to a list 2 years, 12 months ago
 Animated Soviet Propaganda (12 person items)"Bay just represents everyone of those directors who cannot be found from IMDB or movies which are created by group of anonymous directors.
Results of the XII Party Congress
A Lesson Not Learned
"
The Wolf added this to a list 3 years, 6 months ago
Worst Big Budget Directors of All Time (21 person items)"Worst: Armageddon
I saw "Armageddon" many times when I was a kid but then I grew up. The rest is history. Michael Bay's "The Island" is almost as painful to watch as "Armageddon" because of its horribly irritating product placement, but at least it's not filled with patriotic propaganda. Although, to tell the truth, commercial propaganda was frustrating enough already. Sadly, Bay's "Transformers" combines these two elements into a gigantic and very expensive piece of pure junk. "Bad Boys 2" is "
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A Movie for every Director (part. 3)
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