If y'all're a fan of Michael Bay and desire to hear him share some awesome stories about the making of his movies, yous're almost to exist very happy. Final week, Collider hosted an early screening of Bay's new flick, Ambulance , and later the screening ended, he joined me for an epic 90-infinitesimal Q&A! If you're not aware, Bay rarely does Q&Equally, which is ane of the reasons we made certain to film the event.

Since nosotros covered so many subjects, I decided to break information technology up into three articles.

In today'southward installment, Bay talks near how seeing Raiders of the Lost Ark as a child inspired him to go a managing director, what it was like making Bad Boys and how Sony and his line producer didn't have religion in the movie, how he comes upwards with trailer shots, how he pushed the envelope when editing Bad Boys with his fast cuts, and how his Pearl Harbor pic included the most complicated explosion ever done on film. He also revealed information technology took 3 and a half months to rig the explosion, and they put dynamite in the water.

In addition, Bay shared what it was like filming 13 Hours each night during the xviii minutes of sunset to become the shots he wanted, what information technology was like working with Sean Connery on The Rock , how he discovered Michael Clarke Duncan for Armageddon , why he should have showed Bruce Willis some footage from the film earlier in the shoot, and so much more than.

As usual, I'grand offering the interview ii ways: you lot can either scout what he had to say in the role player above, or you can read the conversation below. Trust me, this is ane of those you want to lookout.

Finally, a huge thank you to Universal for helping to brand this event happen. Look for more with Bay soon.

COLLIDER: I read, and I obviously could be wrong, that y'all worked on Raiders of the Lost Ark when you were 15, doing something.

MICHAEL BAY: fifteen and a half. Literally right outside the Universal, the black glass building. Earthquake? Was that the moving-picture show around at that place?

Aye.

BAY: fifteen It'southward the parking lot at present, where the subway was. There was a little brick edifice. I was saving up for a car, a 240Z. It was a piece of shit. My parents took it to the mechanic. The mechanic said, "Don't buy information technology." But literally, it was a summer chore. And I was filing Yoda's house, a bog house. Literally, it had a very hateful librarian who was the head guy there, but I'grand filing all the stuff.

I was very skillful at baseball. I used to want to exist a pro baseball role player. And I was on the softball team, so a shortstop. And then manifestly I was expert, and then they gave me an office. And in that little office, I was walking by a ... What do you phone call that in Star Wars 2? The walkers?

The AT-AT?

BAY: What do y'all telephone call those things? The walkers?

The AT-AT.

BAY: The what?

AT-AT.

BAY: Okay, I don't even know that proper name, merely whatever. It was a cool model you walked past, because they would practise it like animation. I had this little role. One day, I started getting from London, these gigantic storyboards from London: Spielberg's Raiders of the Lost Ark. I remember I'yard filing, and I become to my 15-twelvemonth-sometime buddies. And I said, "Aye, Spielberg's doing this movie chosen Raiders of the Lost Ark. I think it'southward going to suck."

Okay. Allow me cut to a year and a one-half later. I would go to the movies with my parents on Sundays. And I went to the Grauman Chinese Theater. When I saw the moving-picture show, I'm like, "Oh my God. That'due south what I want to do." Cutting to even later, I was I think 24. I started directing videos when I was 22 and then started doing commercials. Maybe 25, I don't know. I get this call from this agent. He goes, "you got to see Steven", it was Steven, "at 3:thirty". And I think it was about 2pm when I got the phone call.

And I'chiliad like, "Steven who?"

"Spielberg. Exist in that location."

I'm like, oh my God. Oh fuck. Then, I was shy. I go to Amblin, right here. He'southward 20 feet abroad. He'south sitting at his desk. And I'm like, oh my God, that's Steven Spielberg. Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. What am I going to say? I sat down on the chair, and I'm like, "Hey, I filled your storyboards, and I really thought your picture was going to suck." He started cracking up. I said, "And then when I saw your movie, I decided that'south what I want to practice". So there you lot go.

ambulance-cast-michael-bay
Image via Universal

That'due south a dandy story.

BAY: I never bought the machine, past the way. Okay? I got Scirocco instead.

If someone has actually never seen any of your movies before, what is the first thing you desire them watching?

BAY: That's a skillful question. I hateful, information technology'due south like a fox question, by the style. He'south very crafty. The first affair, I think watching the performance and watching the vibe of the movie, the energy of the movie. Listen, my kickoff movie, Bad Boys. Just let me explain Bad Boys for a 2nd, because we were iii punk kids working in Miami. The studio, Sony Pictures, did not believe in the movie. I was very immature, I forgot how one-time I was. I'm nonetheless 32, and so you lot figure out the age, okay?

Information technology's like they had no faith in the movie. There were times when there was a line producer who was very hateful to usa. I hateful, Volition Smith was acting, and literally, the lights would just shut off in the heart of a have considering information technology was 12 hours. The crew…they were not allowing me to hire whatsoever of my crew. And they were like, "That's non going to cut. That'south not going to piece of work. That's not going to work."

I'grand like, "Well, let'south just see. Allow's just see." And then I recall watching Cameron, who was in big hero of mine, watching True Lies. And he had all this coin, and when we had $nine one thousand thousand bucks. But at least I had 2 guys. I was working for my generation at that fourth dimension. I said, "We can make something funny." And we took a big risk. It's like, Sony had no faith in the flick, because two black stars never worked, until that moving picture, overseas. That'southward the first film that bankrupt the whole mold. The thing is, when you're a director, your first time, if you fail, y'all're done. It'southward over.

So at that place are moments, and I'll tell you 1 moment. We're driving to another location. At that place was very little money, the script was terrible, but I improv-ed with the guys a lot. I'm the type of person where I did a lot of Nike commercials and I worked with a lot of famous athletes from Hashemite kingdom of jordan on downward. And when Will would do something, "That's not funny." I honey funny, okay?

And in that location's a thing where nosotros're driving to another location, and I'm like, "Cease the van. Stop the van. End the van." And I saw this sign, and I just saw a low-cal. And I came up with this shot. I said, "Become the circle track. Get the circumvolve rails."

My line producer comes out. "What are you doing, Michael? We're going to be tardily..."

I said, "This is going to exist a trailer shot." I come upwards with shots very fast. I put the circumvolve runway, and I said, "Guys, I simply desire you to but bend down and rise upwards, and I'm going to come up effectually you." Smash. At that place we become, huh? Yous know the shot.

You lot do that on a bunch of your movies, though. That when you're filming, I've heard, I think information technology even happened on Ambulance. Where y'all're like, "This is a trailer shot."

BAY: Which one was that?

Jake told me today when I was doing an interview. He's like "nosotros were filming this..."

BAY: No, he thought information technology was a trailer. Jake idea he was getting a trailer shot. He didn't. But seriously, the cast was astonishing in this movie. And you lot never know what you get. You never know the vibe when you put people together. I think Hollywood is like, in that location's less rehearsal time, and we've had COVID, and and then you have to basically encounter over phone or Zoom. When you work on a picture show, the outset week is the most of import. I similar to practice a little character building. I similar to practice a little activity, a little fun, a fiddling funny. And you lot requite a vibe for the crew, y'all requite a vibe for the actors. What I well-nigh about movies is, movies take a life of their ain. The actors add more, the crew adds more, and information technology'southward a very collaborative thing. And it was a slap-up vibe with the actors.

ambulance-michael-bay
Prototype via Universal

I have so many Ambulance questions, but I still accept a few other things.

BAY: I talk a lot, so I'm going to try to limit his question.

Which of your films changed the about in the editing room versus what y'all were expecting, and why?

BAY: Okay, that's a good question. Okay, head scratchers here. Editing is a very powerful thing. Listen, when I did Bad Boys, I was doing a technique where I was cutting faster. And my editor, my coiffure was like, "Information technology's too fast. You tin't cut that. Yous tin can't cut."

I said, we'll watch it." I'one thousand like, well the younger generation can process things faster. The smaller the screen, the faster you tin can process. The bigger it gets, you have to ho-hum information technology downwards a bit. Bad Boys, if yous look at that, it'southward a very fast cut pic. I got a lot of shit for information technology by critics. At present you wait at action movies today, and they've got that same pace. So they requite Paul Greengrass, who I love his movies, merely they give him the props, but I was doing this well before he was ever in the career.

Only in editing, it was a very interesting process when I did 13 Hours. It's a movie that was a true story. We had the people, the people died there, and I had the people that were on station there, they were on the ready. It was weird to do that movie, because I've done a lot of popcorn movies. And it's like, you do the scene, and similar, ba-ba-ba-boom-bam. That'southward the terminate of the tag of the scene. thirteen Hours was non that way. It was very kind of serious, and it had to be plotting, and information technology had to have tension. And I'yard thinking, oh, this is irksome. Information technology's not going to work. It'south non going to work.

When I started cutting it together, and Pietro, the editor, Ridley Scott'southward editor, he started cut it together. I'm like, wow, this is tense. But it's really fun to do something real, that has tension. And the tension is made through the edit.

This took a lot of editing. Pietro cut this as well. Pietro is Italian. He's very tough. "No, Michael, no. You don't need this. No, no, no" And, "Okay, we could get for, y'all want some prosciutto? All right, come over. Let's accept some prosciutto."

But I said, "Pietro, we need some funny."

"No, no."

I said, "Pietro, we need to rest it." And so I would cut a little. I take my edit bay in Miami at my house, and it links to my office in Santa Monica. So it's like of like, it'south a very collaborative matter. It'south been that for fifteen years. I don't know if it even answered the question.

john-krasinski-13-hours
Image via Paramount

I just want to interject, and I take so many questions, only I want to share a fun-

BAY: He keeps saying that, Correct? I hope y'all guys don't accept to become to the bathroom. This will be a long session.

I did an editing room visit, and I forget if it was on ane of the Transformers, I don't know what it was. Just I visited him in the editing room with a few other reporters, and it was i of the greatest edit visits of my life. Considering Michael basically kicked out the editor, took control of the Gorging, and played it and then loud that there was paint coming off the ceiling and hit the states.

BAY: It's true.

It was amazing because no 1 does this. I've done other edit things, and no ane does this. Information technology was great. Has there been a project that you came really close to the starting line and ended up not making? Like, it vicious apart for a reason. Or, were all the projects that you've sort of gotten involved with, have they all come up to fruition?

BAY: No, but I'm forgetting. I hateful listen, I'm old. I'm actually 32. Normally, the movies are not necessarily scripts I've been given. At that place are scripts that I develop. Like, I'll write my own action. I never try to take any writer credit. I working with writers. I improv with actors. I'thou spacing on your question. I don't know.

Sure.

BAY: I tin call you all, guys, later, and emails, and I can tell you the answer. All right?

In all your movies, you have astonishing shots. When you think dorsum on all the shots that yous've done, is there one or 2 that actually stand out every bit "I can't believe we did this, and I still don't know how nosotros did this"?

BAY: Yes. There'due south a shot in Pearl Harbor where it's the almost complicated explosion ever washed to film. Information technology has 350 effects, bombs that are going off, dynamite in the water, seven gigantic sometime battleships. At Pearl Harbor. We accept xx planes in the air that are antique planes flying in circles. We have the puffy clouds where you have to shoot in betwixt the sun. You accept a couple lifeboats with real stunt people in there. You take to shut a freeway that is three and a half miles abroad. All this has to exist coordinated. And you have 12 cameras. If the lifeboats go by the dynamite, they can get killed. So, there'due south a lot going on. It took 3 and a half months to have them rig this explosion. Multiple, 350 events, in seven seconds. So that was probably the toughest shot of my life.

You can encounter on the making of, and I kept it in there, where I become ballistic. Because what I'm trying to prove is the safe that information technology takes. And the rubber stops with me. They were crossing what we call "the line of death". I start yelling at this lifeboat with my megaphone, full vocalisation. Because there is existent dynamite in the water and they could dice. Then I left that in the making of, but this shot was very successful. We did set an isle on fire, simply we put it out. There you go.

pearl-harbor movie michael bay

Yous used on this, you lot're a large fan of Carmine cameras. Can you talk most some of the cameras? Like, you lot progression of cameras that you've enjoyed to using, starting with Bad Boys. Tin can you sort of talk about how y'all picked your favorites in the ones you wanted to use?

BAY: I'm a big film guy, I like shooting moving-picture show. Like Nolan, likes shooting film. But the thing when you went digital, the labs are dying and there are very few labs. Then, large film guy. But the problem is, Panavision, those are cameras, but they don't develop them plenty, and they're so un-ergonomic. They're ugly looking and they simply don't fit your body. And I did film, and Arri creates the 235, which is a handheld. They had their engineers come to one of my sets, because I knew that I wanted a small camera. That was a very minor camera. I had them develop these handles on the side. It's the first time they've always had double handles like handlebars. And it'southward small enough that yous tin can maneuver and run with information technology.

Then you accept Blood-red coming into the state of affairs. And I'thousand thinking digital sucks. But it's gotten better and it's gotten smaller. And 13 Hours, I did with Dion Beebe, the director of photography who's won the Oscar for Memoirs of the Geisha. Not bad guy to work with. He literally has the best pilus you've ever…I'm muddy after a shoot because I'm the type of guy spreading the blood and I'yard belongings camera. And he is always just calm and perfectly, not a grit matter on him. But what digital gives you is, it's smaller, it'due south more sensitive to low-cal. And then, it'south less light at night, so it's cheaper. Film takes a lot more firepower and it'southward a lot more expensive if you're doing nighttime. And then, 13 hours was shooting during night bluish. Do you lot guys intendance nearly stuff like this?

I care about this stuff.

BAY: Practice they? So nighttime blueish, what I call, it's right when the sun drops. And we're shooting a Malta. Right when it goes over the horizon, y'all've got the sky that, information technology starts to become cobalt. It was during summertime, so you have most 18 minutes. So I've got an English crew that I've never worked with. They're getting to know me. We do dark blueish for the first two nights. It'southward literally 18 minutes. I'1000 like, okay, nosotros're going to practice five shots. And mind you lot, I'chiliad a very, very fast shooter.

And so nosotros got two shots. I'k like, okay, that sucks. Nosotros're going to get better. Because at that place was likewise much stuff around. The problem in crews and moving picture sets, when there'due south too much shit, you lot're going to run across your shit. Does it make sense? All correct. Because we're shooting at a compound and we want to hide it all. So past the stop of the shooting period, nosotros got so practiced as a crew. And it's a ho-hum build. So past the terminate of our period working together as a coiffure, nosotros were and so well oiled. Because I literally had, nosotros would go to the set at 3:00, I'd walk everyone through. I said, "At 8:02, we are on rooftop A." At eight:03, we would practice rooftop B shot. At 8:06, 8:07, whatsoever. Everything was to the minute. We would end up, in 18 minutes, getting 22 shots. I mean, it was insane. And they got and then practiced at it. When you watch that movie, because you get that beautiful kind of cobalt matter in the sky, it was pretty swell. But that'southward just capable with digital cameras. Cherry, they sponsor me, Fincher. They let me design a photographic camera, they call it Bayhem or whatever. They spent about $800,000 developing it. Information technology's a handheld camera, ergonomic and it'due south so pocket-size.

Is this the KOMODO camera, or that'due south a different ane?

Well no, KOMODO is a new matter, that's a new thing. This is funny, they become, "What do you lot desire to paint it? Do y'all want to paint it blackness? Cherry?

I'thousand like, Jared, who owns the visitor, I said, "Well, if you're giving me a gratis camera for $800,000..." It's like an advertising affair. They weren't e'er selling it. I said, "Well, permit's just paint it fuck you green. Nike green." And information technology's go, they paint that Nike green, which is like that squeamish neon tape right there, that's kind of what they, then they did that for me. And we keep developing the sensors and it gets improve, and there yous get.

the-rock michael bay nic cage

I want to jump backwards for a 2nd, because I beloved The Stone and I loved your work...

BAY: I never directed The Stone. No, kidding.

I want to know what y'all can share about Sean Connery.

BAY: Okay, let me explain the very offset mean solar day working with Sean Connery. I'yard still a child. Sean's done 75 movies. I've done, this was my 2d. We're doing the interrogation scene, with his long gray hair and the beard. I was so scared to give him his starting time management. And then we do 1 take. All right, allow'south do information technology again. Do a second have. I'm like, oh my God, I got to give him some direction right at present. "Um, Sean, tin you lot just say that less mannerly?"

He goes, "Sure boy. Sure boy." So my name on the ready was Boy. And he's a director eater. He hates directors. For some reason, I retrieve I was downward on my knees. Effects were not that good during The Stone at that time. I wanted to be a magician. I real didn't make that much money. I knew I would never beat David Copperfield, merely I did magic for birthdays when I was a child. Okay. Only I had a big quarter, a large sized quarter. And I put a wire in it, a steel bar and I would spin it towards a camera. So information technology looks like, there'south a scene where he takes a quarter, information technology flips on the table, and that's the matter that he gets out of his handcuffs. He kind of hits his chair and he dents it, and he gets out of his handcuffs. So I was spinning this quarter, I'1000 down in that location, I'm doing information technology myself. Sean Connery's looking at me and he's got this wry smile. He was a tough love guy, but he liked me. I learned so much from that guy. And he really, really taught me a lot. He was a true, true movie star, and a consummate worker, and only his work ethic. I was very sad when he passed abroad. So I put The Rock line in this picture show because of that.

Yous don't reference your other stuff in other movies like that.

BAY: No. I mean, I did that because a lot of the generation, they can quote my movies ameliorate than I know them.

the-rock sean connery

I love Armageddon. I would similar to know what it was working with Bruce Willis. Because that'south just such an awesome flick, and his performance is bully.

BAY: And so, the truth of this, I hateful, let'south go through some of the cast. Billy Bob Thornton just got his Oscar. I had Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler, Owen Wilson, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare. Come up, we go on going. What?

(audience says) Michael Clarke Duncan.

Oh my God. You can't believe. I'grand going to tell you how I constitute that guy. And Will... What is the last name? Fichtner and then Patten. And then Michael Clarke Duncan. Literally, my casting woman was Bonnie Timmermann, New York. And the character name was Bear. Bonnie goes, "Michael, I found you lot a cute guy. He'southward like 155 pounds." Bonnie'south like, this alpine.

I'k like, "Bonnie, it says Bear. It says Bear."

"But Michael, he's cute."

True story. And so I rent this woman who did commercials and videos with me, and she plant this guy at a gym. All right? He had never washed annihilation. He came in to the casting session, and he'due south huge. I know we're sidetracking right now, merely he's there at the casting. Jerry Bruckheimer and me are sitting at that place. And he starts crying, "Oh my God, my mama is just like, she would be so proud that I'm here talking to. I love your movies." Da, da, da.

And it was similar, "Just calm downward, and allow'south try it." The guy was great. Okay, cut to first day working with him. With Ben Affleck. We're in, what exercise yous call information technology? The Armadillo. What I loved about Mike Clarke Duncan was the charm, and just beingness existent and he was a lovable guy. I like working with real people and turning them into actors. And he had this voice, and was like a bad B or C actor. I'm like, dude. And Ben'south like, "Uh oh, Mike, what are we doing?" It was first accept, second take. I'g similar, oh my God, we're in trouble. I'yard similar, "Mike, I want y'all to only be you. Pretend it's only you lot talking." He became the most studied thespian in terms of, he came literally the farthest because he watched Bruce, he watched everyone. Everyone sort of took him under his wing. Then the next movie he did, Dark-green Mile, where he was up for an Oscar. I retrieve telling him in the psychology exam. I do that with all my actors, I give them a psychology exam. No, I'm kidding. In the psychology examination in the movie, I said, "I want you to cry."

armageddon cast michael bay

He's like, "Mike, I tin't practice that."

I said, "Mike, y'all can. They will love y'all."

"No, I can't."

And he simply started crying. Information technology was like, he's great. It was very sad when he passed.

And then Bruce Willis, Bruce, information technology was a fun bandage. It was almost like I felt like a camp counselor, considering everyone was joking effectually the entire fourth dimension.

Only Bruce came in a month after we were shooting. And he was tough. What I realized psychology-wise, actors, it's always psychology. And he just wanted to feel like peak domestic dog. Because everyone was in that location for a month, anybody was sort of friends. Then Bruce comes in, and he wanted to kind of affirm himself. And it'due south my 3rd flick and I'm immature. I was about 17 at that time, because I'm 32 now.

There'south a reason why I keep saying 32. And let me just, I'll become that out of the mode. The dandy Howard Stringer, who ran Sony, he was knighted past the Queen. And I said, "How old are you, Howard?"

And he goes, "Michael, Michael, we're all 32."

I'yard like, "That's a keen philosophy." And so there we go.

So Bruce was tough and the motion-picture show slowed downwards to just a stall. We were shooting at a clip and then just went, because he wanted to assert himself. Talked to Jerry Bruckheimer, my producer, who was fantastic. He said, "Just testify him some footage." So three weeks, four weeks in, I showed him some footage.

And Bruce goes, "Oh man, I would've been a lot nicer to y'all if you showed me earlier." Because actors just demand to trust their directors. I loved working with Bruce. He is and was a real movie star. I was inspired by, I'm spacing on the proper noun considering I've been talking for ix hours today. The building, come on. What is it? Die Hard.

I was going to exist similar, Nakotomi Plaza?

BAY: Ane of the great action movies, Die Hard. Bruce Willis was funny, he has a great power of, he merely holds the photographic camera's attention. I actually liked working with him. Really did.

Look for more than from our exclusive conversation with Michael Bay soon.

armageddon movie cast bruce willis

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Steve Weintraub (9800 Manufactures Published)

Steven Weintraub launched Collider in the summer of 2005. As Editor-in-main, he has taken the site from a pocket-sized bedroom operation to having millions of readers effectually the world. If you'd similar to follow Steven on Twitter or Instagram, you tin await plenty of breaking news, exclusive interviews, and pictures of cats doing stupid things.

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