Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts Got A Helping Hand From Michael Bay

Hasbro's Transformers toy line was first introduced to stores in 1984 and was infamously accompanied by an animated series that functioned as a commercial for the toy. Despite the insidiousness of the marketing, the Transformers toys were an enormous hit, and kids who grew up playing with them — and watching the TV show — typically have fond memories of a childhood well-spent. The toys were, it must be admitted, quite brilliant. The Transformers were intelligent, extraterrestrial robots that could transform into vehicles typically seen on Earth, and the toys, when manipulated right, could shift back and forth from robot to truck. It was like three toys in one: a robot, a vehicle, and a puzzle box. 

There was a theatrically-released "Transformers" feature film in 1986, and "Transformers" has continued to run on TV in one form or another for decades. The franchise received new life in 2007 when filmmaker Michael Bay helmed the first live-action "Transformers" feature film. It was a big enough hit that several high-profile, ultra-successful sequels followed, including "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" (2009), "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" (2011), "Transformers: Age of Extinction" (2014), and "Transformers: The Last Knight" (2017). Director Travis Knight took over for the prequel "Bumblebee," and the newest film "Transformers: Rise of the Beasts," was directed by Steven Caple, Jr. 

The Transformers movies have, since 2007, been closely associated with Bay, and are often cited as a bellwether of the director's overblown, chaotic style. Caple, then, will have a lot to live up to, as emulating Bay seems like it would be an impossible task. 

In a May interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Caple revealed that Bay offered a lot of filmmaking advice via Zoom calls during the "Rise of the Beasts" production. 

Caple is no stranger to stepping into a franchise mid-stream, luckily. The filmmaker previously made "Creed II," which was both the second "Creed" film and the eighth "Rocky" film. For "Creed II," he would need the mentorship of both "Creed" director Ryan Coogler and "Rocky" inventor Sylvester Stallone. As such, he understood that a balance needed to be struck between his own creative input and the series' long-established aesthetic. Luckily for Caple, Bay wasn't so busy that he couldn't spare some time. Caple said: 

"You want to make sure you're in your creative bubble when trying to design this world and build out the franchise, but similar to when I stepped into the 'Creed' franchise, you call the ones who have done it before you, whether it be Sylvester Stallone or Ryan Coogler. So I'm doing the same here. I hit up Michael Bay, who's, of course, a producer on this project. He was making 'Ambulance' at the time, but he still picked up the phone and hopped onto Zoom."

The Transformers movies, it should be noted, are SFX bonanzas, with the Transformers characters — towering, car-sized robots — realized through extremely complicated CGI. Not only do there need to be numerous scenes of the robots transforming, but the films are high-octane action spectaculars that often feature 45-minute-long battle and destruction sequences. "Rise of the Beasts" will feature a new army of transforming robots that can turn into outsize mechanical animals. 

Finding a way to realize and film such complicated effects shots left Caple a little out of his element. It was with effects that he sought Bay's advice. 

As Caple told THR: 

"[A] lot of it was like, 'How do I deal with visual effects?' because that's a new area for me. So it was a huge learning curve, and it was like going through school again, if you will. Monday through Friday, I was prepping for the film, and Saturday, Sunday, I was learning a lot from the visual effects supervisor and calls with Michael Bay. He gave hints and tips on how to accomplish certain things, so you've definitely gotta hit those guys up who've done it before me. It helps." 

The credited visual effects supervisor of "Rise of the Beasts" was Gary Brozenich, who worked on "Edge of Tomorrow," "The Lone Ranger," and "The Last Duel." Although the number of SFX workers on the Transformers movies tends to run into the hundreds. A good portion of the digital effects in "Rise of Beasts" was provided by Wētā FX. The film has a reported budget of $200 million. This is one of the largest productions any filmmaker might work on, much less a filmmaker who had only made two features prior. 

Caple, while requiring advice, seemed confident in the Hollywood Reporter article, convinced he had made a good film. Not all filmmakers can survive a production of this magnitude, and Michael Bay's blessing must have been a boon to one's confidence. Caple was capable.