Michael Bay

For this reason, although he does not have a very extensive filmography, it can be said that Michael Bay is an expert in this film industry, and he did not start until he was 30 years old. The fact is that he has managed to sell his films like no one else, so that he has directed huge blockbusters, whose merchandising has made it possible for them to be known throughout the world.

Michael Benjamin Bay was born on February 17, 1965 in Los Angeles, California. After graduating from Wesleyan University, Bay forged his future in the world of advertising, where he became a teacher. He worked making video clips and commercials for 20 years, so when he got to the movies he already knew what it was like to win over the public. Because besides, Bay did his job very well. He made video clips for Tina Turner , Lionel Richie or Meat Loaf, among many other artists, and was nominated several times for the MTV Awards. In the world of advertising, he shot spots for big brands, as important as Nike, Coca-Cola, Reebok or Budweiser. His good work led him to win the Cannes Award for the best advertising campaign. In 1995 he was awarded best advertising director by the Directors Guild.

The same year of 1995, he debuted with his first film, a film that would mark his entire career. It’s about Bad Boys , action movies where no budget was spared when it came to shooting scenes on the edge and planting explosions everywhere. The film was produced by an expert in big box office bombs, Jerry Bruckheimer, who would since then team up with the new director. The result was enormously successful, also due to the pull of its two protagonists, Martin Lawrence and, especially, Will Smith , who changed roles for almost the first time after the success of the comic series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air . The following year, Bay shot what is perhaps his best film, The Rock .. It is a thriller about Alcatraz Island, with a great Sean Connery as the poster’s claim.

One of his most notorious commercial successes was Armageddon , which included such commercial names as Bruce Willis , Ben Affleck or Liv Tyler among its cast . It was also the first time that Bay worked as a producer, along with Bruckheimer. The movie wasn’t worth much, and it was about an unlikely mission to demolish a huge meteorite that was about to hit Earth. He got 4 Oscar nominations, all in technical sections, although the only thing he got in the end was a Razzie Award (the anti-Oscars) for good old Willis.

It took him three years to film his next film, but the effort required it, since Pearl Harbor was one of the most ambitious productions of the moment. Bay once again had the work of Ben Affleck, who starred in a love triangle with the beautiful Kate Beckinsale and his best friend, the budding star Josh Hartnett. The film sold very well, although its more than three hours of footage were excessive, and many moments were boring. There is no doubt that Bay shot with care, with impressive aerial scenes and a very expensive production, around 140 million dollars. But marketing did its job and only in the United States the collection figure reached 200 million dollars. Nominated for 4 Oscars, he finally won the one for best sound editing.

After shooting the sequel to his first film, Bad Boys II , in 1995 he directed and produced, now without Bruckheimer, the interesting The Island . The film, which, true to its style, was lavished with action, tremendous chases and explosions, also offered a suggestive reflection on the dangers of science and the old theme of wanting to be gods and handling people as mere instruments. The movie, which got decent reviews, starred Scarlett Johansson and Ewan McGregor . Meanwhile, Michael Bay took a liking to production and since then has combined that work with his work behind the cameras. Films directly aimed at the box office, such as remakesThe Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Origin , Friday the 13th , or A Nightmare on Elm Street. The origin , are from their harvest.

And in 2007 Bay’s mega-success came with Transformers , a film with overwhelming special effects, well shot and that struck the right tone of adventure, comedy and romance, thanks also to some very well chosen actors. That’s where stars Shia LaBeouf and diva Megan Fox came from . However, success could have done too much damage to Michael Bay, since since then he seems to have become hooked on the toys created by the Hasbro company. Thus, the last thing he has directed is the disappointing third part, Transformers: The Dark Side of the Moon , a total fiasco.