Michael Bay and I Agree On Something
Who would have thought Mr. Action Man and I would find common ground here?
I joke around about Michael Bay and his massive ego often, but truth be told I actually enjoy some of his movies. It's just the fact Transformers really let me down and my expectations for Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen have been severely adjusted as a result. However, Bay has found a way to make me smile as he accepted the Vanguard Award for Excellence at this year's ShoWest in Las Vegas.
As I noted in a round-up of stories out of the convention, much of the emphasis this year was placed on 3-D and how great it is and how great it will be. That is why it is such a joy to see the quotes from Bay's acceptance speech as brought to us by Peter Sciretta at SlashFilm:
"3D? I don't know… I might be old school. I think it might be a gimmick," said Bay, later adding: "I don't know, we'll see. I'm looking forward to [James] Cameron's picture."
"The way I shoot is too aggressive for 3D cameras. It's a time consuming thing," said Bay. "Who knows… It might be a fad. I'm kinda old school. I'm old school because I like to shoot on film. I like anamorphic lenses, and that is old school."
Strangely enough, 3-D is old school too, but Bay is right, 3-D is a gimmick. Despite what studios and overzealous film critics will tell you, nothing has changed with 3-D outside of the fact it just looks a little better now. Just because you don't have to tilt your head just right to make the film look good and you don't have to be sitting directly in the middle of the theater for the best experience doesn't mean 3-D has advanced as a storytelling tool. You don't see novelists adapting to the pop-up book just to give readers a more immersive experience while reading novels.
However, like Bay, I will leave the door open for James Cameron's Avatar. Cameron has been talking a big game with this film and he may have something that will have me changing my tune. We will just have to wait until December 18 to find out.
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I agree 100% with this article. Even down to the part about leaving the door open for Cameron.
Crazy idea: how about 3-D contact lenses?! Yes, they would be ridiculously cost prohibitive and boy what a fuckin' migraine… but if the studios are contemplating personalized boutique glasses, they should try to work that in somewhere into their business plan. Thoughts?
…lemme just say that I totally agree that 3-D is a gimmick/shallow/excuse to print money, etc. Just wanted to throw another ridiculous idea out there…
First of all, it was not his acceptance speech – it was the reporters scrum before the awards banquet. I should know – I asked him the 3D questions.
Bay, like so many others is simply leaving the door open until AVATAR comes out becomes they are afraid to make a commitment one way or the other – same goes for movie bloggers quoting the same lame excuse. MvA is technically magnificent when looking at the 3D in particular. To say you have to say for AVATAR is a cop out and most people know it after seeing MvA.
Bay was smiling when he said he thought it was a gimmick because he knows it causes a reaction in 3D fans. Oh he will be doing 3D someday – mark my words. And it could even be Transformers 3.
Bay obviously hasn't researched modern 3D as there ARE cameras that can capture his "aggressive" scenes. Too bad he doesnt seek out Cameron NOW like Spielberg, Jackson, Soderbergh and Ridley Scott have done.
If anyone saw Coraline they would know that 3-d effects can really enhance the visual quality of a movie, which also makes your point about pop-up books ridiculous. Film is a visual medium, unlike books, and to improve the possibilities of the visual experience should only be looked at as something beneficial to the art. Furthermore, I will take the opinion of someone like Ridley Scott, whose work I not only admire more but who actually has seen part of Avatar, over the uninformed and, from the sound of it, soon-to-change opinion of Michael Bay.