Michael Bay is one of the best directors in Hollywood
That’s right, Michael Bay. One of the most hated directors in Hollywood. And yes, I’m a huge fan and have been for a long time. He’s the director that got me to pay attention to the talent behind the camera; who’s making the movies I watch, not just who’s in them.
Michael Bay started out as a commercial director, but not just any commercial director, a very successful commercial director. He’s won nearly every accolade available to directors of commercials, including the Clio, the Gold and Silver Lions at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, and the prestigious Director’s Guild of America “Commercial Director of the Year” title. Commercials are a medium where filmmakers need to both tell a story and deliver a lot of information in a very short amount of time, on top of that, they need to be visually appealing in order to sell the product they’re featuring. As previously mentioned, Bay was very good at this, and his success and expertise of this formula has carried over into his movies.
Bayhem!
Cutting to the chase, no one else does what he does on the scale that he does it. Now I know the argument can be made that Marvel movies are measured on a scale unto their own. But let’s not forget that it took 11 years and 23 films of buildup to get to that point. Considering that Bay goes big right out the gate, the first Ironman movie is tame in comparison. Michael Bay is a master of creating spectacle and has taught Hollywood that it’s ok to get crazy and go a little over-the-top, just look at how insane the Fast & Furious movies have gotten.
Bay’s kinetic style is very reminiscent of something Chris Rock once said when talking about why he walks around a lot during his standup routines. He explained that by walking around it forces the audience to follow you with their eyes, which in turn forces them to pay attention to you.
One of his biggest criticisms is that his films often look like one big commercial, that’s because, like his commercials, every shot is designed for maximum impact. Every camera movement, quick cut, and lighting effect is designed to hold your attention. It’s very rare in one of his films to find a static, level shot of a stationary character. It’s a style that’s mocked just as much as it’s praised. If imitation is the highest form of flattery, then Michael Bay is the most hit on girl at the party. While his unique style seems simple in concept, with several videos online talking about “how to make a Michael Bay movie” or “easy steps to make a Michael Bay movie,” it is also one of the hardest to replicate. Consider the iconic “Michael Bay Hero Shot” (pictured), and how many other directors have tried to do their own version it, only for it to be nowhere near as impactful.
Further proof of his one-of-a-kind style is evident in how easily recognizable his movies are. When you’re watching a Michael Bay film, you know it’s a Michael Bay film. You can just tell. The action and cinematography have that “special sauce” (as he likes to call it) that give his movies a unique feel that’s somewhat hard to quantify, but you know it’s there. On the opposite side of this, let’s take another big-name director, the biggest actually, Stephen Spielberg. Nothing against Stephen Spielberg, he’s arguably the greatest director of all time. However, if you were to watch one of his movies not knowing that he was the director, would you be able to come to that conclusion just by watching the film? (Obviously, there’s the “Directed by” credit that appears on screen, but you get what I mean). The point is, Michael Bay is probably one of the only directors where you can tell that a movie was made by him with no indication other than the movie itself.
Interestingly, with all the chaos that he’s known for, Bay doesn’t use any storyboards, everything is in his head. Every sequence is visualized on location, sometimes minutes before filming. Actors will often arrive on set having no idea what they’re going to be doing. One of his funnier methods is that he frequently uses Hot Wheels cars to pre-visualize car chase scenes.
“Armageddon is a work of art by a cutting-edge artist who is a master of movement, light, color, and shape—and also of chaos, razzle-dazzle, and explosion.” – Criterion.
Mindless Drones
Whenever studios not named Marvel want to release a big budget action movie to make all the money in the world, Michael Bay is usually the first name on what’s probably a very short list. He’s one of the highest grossing directors of all time, and in 1998, after the release of Armageddon, he became the youngest director to gross $1 billion.
Interestingly, as much as the Transformers films are criticized, both Dark of the Moon and Age of Extinction rank in the top 30 of the highest grossing films of all-time. As I said, these films have been criticized since the beginning, so considering that these are the 3rd & 4th films in the series makes their success even more fascinating. It means that people theoretically knew these movies were going to suck, and still paid money to go see them.
So why do people keep paying to see Michael Bay movies if he’s so bad? Because even in an era of mind-bending, high-concept Christopher Nolan films, occasionally you just want to see some shit explode. You want to be taken for a ride, you want to see something exciting, something outlandish. Your brain isn’t looking for a challenge, it just wants some eye candy.
Critics and audiences will never admit it, but he gives people the movies they don’t know they really want.
