Director has helped shape the summer movie dynamic
By Jake Coyle, Film Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --Summer is the season of Michael Bay.
As much as anyone else, Bay — in movies like "Armageddon," ''Pearl Harbor" and "Transformers" — has shaped what the summer movie is: its quick-cutting bombast, its visual-effects flourish, its capacity for mass destruction.
This summer, he'll release "Transformers: Age of Extinction" (June 27), the fourth film in the franchise, with a revamped cast led by Mark Wahlberg. The 49-year-old Bay, who also produces "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" (Aug. 8) later in the season, is well acquainted with the scale of the modern blockbuster.
"I've been doing these movies a long time," said Bay in a recent break from the editing suite. "When all is said and done maybe 3,500 people will have worked on this movie. It's one day at a time. You can't panic. My pep talk to everyone is: This is when the pro (expletive) starts and separates the men from the boys."
"Age of Extinction" subs out the sometimes combative Shia LaBeouf with an older, more established action star in Wahlberg. It's planned as the first of a redesigned "Transformers" trilogy.
Bay and Wahlberg first connected on last year's comic crime caper "Pain & Gain," a relatively low-budget project for Bay and one of his most critically acclaimed films.
Wahlberg has already vowed that "Age of Extinction" will be the biggest movie of the year. While optimistic, it's not out of the question. The last "Transformers" film, 2011's "Dark of the Moon," made more than $1.1 billion worldwide.
"It feels fresher with the cast," says Bay. "It's like when you get the new 'Batman' franchises, things get dressed up in a different way. I think the franchise still has a lot more to offer."
The Paramount Pictures release will also have a leg up on the box office in China. "Age of Extinction" is a co-production with two Chinese film companies. A month of shooting took place there, and several Chinese actors were cast through a televised reality show talent search.
Such is the global natural of the big-budget summer movie, a sprawling operation that takes a unique acuity to assemble.
"I don't write notes," says Bay. "I put the movie in my head."
Eleanor Adds Director Candice Vernon To Its Roster For Spots and Branded Content
Director Candice Vernon has joined production house Eleanor for U.S. representation spanning commercials and branded content. She has already wrapped several jobs at Eleanor, which waited to announce her until they had a body of work together.
Via Eleanor, Vernon made history as the first Black director on a Febreze commercial. The “Small Spaces” campaign marks a major departure from Febreze’s typical blue-and-white world. The home of the “Revolving Door” commercial is a beautiful array of bold sunset hues, African prints, and African art.
Vernon said, “I asked myself, what feels right to me? What feels new? I wanted to bring an essence of not just Black Americans but the full diaspora. I wanted to make a statement that we’re not a monolith.”
Following the success of the “Small Spaces” campaign, Febreze brought Vernon back for a comedy-infused trifecta exploring the hilarious situations that call for an air freshening hero.
Febreze Brand VP Angelica Matthews said, “About two years ago, we realized the consumers that were the most loyal to Febreze were the African American consumers. And the more we learned, the more we realized the richness that we were really missing. So we said we have to go beyond just Black casting, we need to get Black directors that truly understand the culture that truly understand how to bring authentic performances out on screen. We really looked around the industry and noticed there’s actually a shortage of African American directors who have experience doing commercials. When we all saw Candice’s reel, we could all tell the passion for the craft, passion for really trying to help us from where we are to where we’re trying to go.”
Vernon brings a unique lens to... Read More