Transformers 4 - ongoing news thread

[BigTransformerTrev]

And finally, just for the fun of it, here's what Simon Pegg ("Scotty" in the last two Trek films) had to say about Transformers recently:

...Even Transformers in 2012. I think science fiction's kind of lost its way over the years, in that people suddenly think it's about the robots. It was never about the robots. It's always been about the people. And robots have been a metaphor for something. And there doesn't seem to be a metaphor now. It's literal destruction....

If you look at Transformers, Transformers is a movie version of a toy, which came out of a series about robots, which was aimed at children, and then suddenly it's a thing that's skewed towards adults, but it is just toys fighting. It's all it is. And it doesn't really say anything about us or the world. And in my experience of it, it's just mind-numbingly dull.

(If you feel so inclined, you can read the rest of the interview here.)

This was all after attendees ranked "Star Trek Into Darkness" as the worst of the Star Trek movies, during a Star Trek fan convention in Las Vegas earlier this month (link). Talk about lashing out...

Oh Simon, I thought you were great until now. Now you are just another person who was really cool and creative, until you got too big, inflating your ego, and now is bitter that the populace is not in love with your latest work because you think that should now happen as a matter of course, so you are rubbishing the work of others. Sigh, it was bound to happen. So many of these guys are great until they make the big time.

[Megatron]

Here's the latest on-set movie news. More 'splosions!

***

‘Transformers 4′ is expected to blow up a building in Chicago this weekend (onlocationvacations, 20/09/2013):

A couple of weeks ago we started hearing reports that the Transformers: Age Of Extinction crew was dressing an old building on Damen Ave in Chicago with Chinese characters and were planning to blow it up.

Now, according to a recent press release, it looks like the explosion will be filmed this weekend.

The notice reports a Paramount movie will be using an exploding fireball and other pyrotechnics for a scene that will cause traffic disruptions around 29th and Damen, the Stevenson Expressway and along Ashland Avenue in Chicago.

“Stunts involving pyrotechnics including controlled explosions and a visible fireball will be part of several scenes,’’ the release reads.

The action is set to take place on Saturday and Sunday, 7 a.m. to midnight.

You can read all of the details below:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

September 19, 2013

IDOT: Filming of Major Motion Picture near 2900 S. Damen Avenue in Chicago September 21- 22

Chicago- The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) announced that weather permitting,

Paramount Pictures will be filming scenes for an upcoming motion picture on the following dates at the following locations:

FILMING LOCATION: DAMEN SILOS, 2900 S. DAMEN AVENUE, CHICAGO, IL (Abandoned Silo site)

DATES: SATURDAY/SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 & 22, 2013

During filming a helicopter will be traveling in the vicinity of the filming area for aerial photography throughout the filming days. Stunts involving pyrotechnics including controlled explosions and a visible fireball will be part of several scenes. Illinois State Police will intermittently control traffic on I-55 (Stevenson Expressway) for large effects taking place at the silo site. During filming the Chicago Police Department will intermittently control traffic on the surrounding streets for special effects activity. The surrounding areas of control are as follows:

INTERMITTENT I-55 (Stevenson Expressway) TRAFFIC PACING

Saturday/Sunday September, 21 & 22, 7 a.m. – 12 p.m.:

· Intermittent traffic pacing of I-55 northbound and southbound in the vicinity of Damen Avenue.

INTERMITTENT TRAFFIC CONTROL

Saturday/Sunday September 21 & 22, 7 a.m. – 8 p.m.:

· Damen Avenue between Blue Island Avenue and Archer Street. Through traffic will be detoured. Local traffic is subject to intermittent delays.

· Ashland Avenue between Blue Island Avenue and Archer Street. Through traffic will be detoured. Local traffic is subject to intermittent delays.

· 29th Street between Damen Avenue and Ashland Avenue is subject to intermittent delays.

IDOT is working closely with The Chicago Police Department, The Chicago Fire Department, Illinois State Police and The Chicago Film Office to ensure a safe and cooperative filming event.

Drivers are urged to pay close attention to the signs, obey the posted speed limits, be on the alert for workers and equipment, expect delays and be prepared to stop.

***

Yep, it just wouldn't be a Bay film (or a Transformers film, to be fair) without the 'splosions. As reported by Hollywood Hills (22/09/2013):

New Transformers 4 set clip shows new major loud explosion scene in Chicago yesterday. Yesterday afternoon, this new clip (below) from the upcoming “Transformers 4: Age Of Extinction” hardcore action flick, showed up online, and it totally looks wicked as hell,serving up one of the biggest explosion scenes they’ve done so far. At first, the scene looks really quiet,and then between the 20 and 30 second mark, BOOM! And the onlookers were quite mesmerized to say the least. Check it out,below.
...

Here's the direct Youtube link to the clip, courtesy of Project Fandom.

***

And lastly, a murky glimpse of the Dinobots?? Or something else? Tell us what you think.

From Seibertron.com, First Look at Dinobots?

Click on the link to see the pics... then post your thoughts!

Courtesy of Flickr user cmraseye we have a couple of shots showing off two items on set: a clapper board and (possibly) Bay's laptop. What's so special about these two items? The board has some robot CGI art on it, and the laptop appears to show some images which may or may not be a Dinobot. The images are not particularly clear, but we have been able to enlarge and magnify them - so feel free to speculate in the Energon Pub: dinobots, yay or nay?

[Sinnertwin]

I think regardless of what & how good it may turn out, if it isn't a T-rex with a distinct speech pattern, some fanboy's out there are going to have a keyboard riot.

[Megatron]

Transformers 4 - filming on Roosevelt, Chicago, IL (14 Sept 2013). This shows filming with the bright green 2014 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray and the rare blue on blue carbon fiber Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse.

...And more filming.

Next one is Transformers 4 - Mark Wahlberg Filming a Scene in Chicago (15/09/2013). It shows filming in Chicago with the star’s lead-actor Mark Wahlberg being filmed on set behind the wheel of the new Camaro Concept serving as Bumblebee.

First he warms up. The tall guy in the red shirt at 00:20 is Chicago Bulls basketball player Jimmy Butler. In the scene, you will see Mark Wahlberg and his co-actor Jack Reynor jumping out of Bumble Bee. It is shot by a helicopter. The white round ball in front of the helicopter is a camera. Later, at 02:13 you will see the same scene being shot close up from the ground. You will see the director Michael Bay at 02:18 [wearing all white]. After the scene, the actors hand out their microphones and leave.

***

'Transformers' filming in the Loop this weekend (Chicago Tribune, 25/09/2013):

This is going to be one of your last opportunities to watch “Transformers: Age of Extinction” film in Chicago.

The robotos-in-disguise sequel starring Mark Wahlberg, Stanley Tucci and Kelsey Grammer will be shooting around the 111 S. Wacker Drive building from 7 p.m. Friday until 6 a.m. Monday. According to a letter sent out to businesses in the area, “Filming will involve the use of live stunts and large pyrotechnics.”

And now for the boring part: Street closures will take place on Wacker Drive from Washington to Adams, Franklin Street from Madison to Adams, Monroe Street from Canal to Franklin and Madison Street from Canal to Franklin.

“Age of Extinction” began shooting in Chicago in late-August and is scheduled to wrap here the first week of Oct. The movie has already filmed at the Blue Cross Blue Shield Tower in the Near East Side neighborhood, the Uptown Theatre in the Uptown neighborhood, the plaza in McCormick Place and “The Bean” in Millennium Park, among other places.
...

Click on the link above to see some videos of Transformers 4 filming in downtown Chicago (including some 'splosions), courtesy of Luis Gomez and Chicago Tribune.

***

From MichaelBay.com, we have two new official movie photos.

The first one is of Bay behind a camera, surrounded by debris in front of some old buildings. Michael Bay on the Set of Transformers 4 The Age of Extinction. Dolly grip John Murphy. Photo by Andrew Cooper. Hi res version: http://bayhem.com/183KxTi (25/09/2013)

And the second one is of Whalberg, Peltz and Reynor looking kind of lost in front of a run down Gas Station in what looks to be the middle of nowhere... Mark Wahlberg, Nicola Peltz and Jack Reynor on the set of Transformers 4 The Age Of Extinction. Photo by Andrew Cooper. High resolution: http://bayhem.com/1beWtCP (27/09/2013)

***

The Dreads To Return In "Age of Extinction"? (Seibertron, 29/09/2013):

Thanks to some Instagram users and other sources, we have several images from the Age of Extinction set that features a black, law enforcement-themed Chevrolet Suburban driving alongside the red Pugani Huayra and the Freightliner Argosy long believed by fans to be either Ultra Magnus, Nemesis Prime, or Stunticon leader Motormaster. Usually, we'd write this off as belonging to human law enforcement, however one detail prevents us doing so: the very same vehicle was used to represent the Decepticon troopers, affectionately called the Dreads for their dreadlocks, in the last Transformers film, Dark of the Moon. Could this mark the return of the Decepticon cannon fodder, or is it just pure coincidence that the vehicle is on the set?...

Click on the link above to see 3 pics.

***

'Transformers' to set off 'mother of all bombs' during filming (Chicago Tribune, 30/09/2013):

The “Transformers: Age of Extinction” director and his crew are scheduled to wrap in Chicago this week, but not before filming what one source with the production called the “mother of all bombs.” The source said the explosion will take place Wednesday afternoon around the silos on S. Damen Avenue and W. 29th Street in the Pilsen area. This is the same site where “Transformers” recently blew up a bridge, while at the same time setting off an impressive fireball.

Bay has been spoiling onlookers with explosions ever since the robots-in-disguise sequel began filming in Chicago, including this past weekend in the Loop.

One stunt Saturday on S. Wacker Drive saw a car flip twice in the air and then crash into the upper level of a double decker bus. Another stunt Sunday on W. Monroe Street featured two cars slamming into each other as pyrotechnics went off around them.

The scenes were set in Hong Kong, just like the filming that took place in the plaza in McCormick Place in late August, and included Hong Kong flags, Chinese street signs and advertisements, and red and white taxis with Chinese writing on them.

And as is common during a “Transformers” shoot, there were plenty of extras running and screaming for their lives.

[Megatron]

Photos And Video: 'Transformers 4' Sets Off More Explosions At Abandoned Chicago Grain Silos (chicagoist, 3/10/2013, click on link to view the photos and video):

Film director Michael Bay returned to the abandoned Santa Fe grain silos along Damen Avenue on the Southwest side Wednesday for filming of Transformers: Age of Extinction. The site, long a favorite of filmmakers, is being used as a stand-in for Hong Kong in the upcoming film.

Bay promised to bring "the mother of all explosions" to the site but filmgoers familiar with his work know to expect a lot of flash and noise with little in the way of substance.
...

***

‘Transformers 4′ filming moves to Washington State; Extras Needed (OLV, 9/10/2013):

This week Transformers: Age of Extinction has moved to Washington state and they’ve posted several recent casting calls looking for extras.

According to various sources, they are currently filming in the Satsop Business Park in Grays Harbor County, just west of Olympia, WA.

If you’re interested in being an extra, email your contact info and personal details to trans4washington@gmail.com.
...

***

URGENT casting call for Paramount Pictures feature film: 'Transformers: Age of Extinction' extras southwest of Seatle, WA (10/10/2013, scroll down to read)

The production sent out a request for extras for the two-day shoot in Elma, Washington on Oct 8th and 9th, specifically looking for “clean cut, athletic, military, business types”.

***

Kelsey Grammer Talks Transformers 4 (Empire, 6/09/2013):

...
"Malevolent" is the word Grammer uses to describe his big bad, Harold Attinger. "He’s a no-nonsense guy," he told Empire. "He’s lived his life in the shadows for 30 years in the service of his country, and he likes to be unremarkable yet very efficient."

What of his first collaboration with the ringmaster? "I don’t know if Michael has seen Frasier," laughed Grammer. "He’s been very respectful and funny. He’s a terrific guy and quite a filmmaker. He just said to me the other day, 'You’re Kelsey Grammer - you can do whatever you want to do.' So I guess he at least has some acquaintance with my work."

So what would Frasier Crane make of all the Bayhem? "Well, you know what? I think he might find it offensive in some ways, but there was always a bit of Frasier that wasn’t completely a snob. He always liked blowing up things, too, if he could! When he would discover his inner child, he would revel in it, and I think Transformers is one of those things."
...

[Megatron]

'Transformers 4' Movie Spoilers: Filming in China; New Locations and Plot Reveals (EnStars, 16/10/2013):

New filming locations, set in China, for Transformers: Age of Extinction were revealed in a recent report via Oriental Daily.

The report states that the Tsing Ma Bridge, Lyndhurst Street, Bank of China Tower, and the Legislative Council Plaza are potential locations for filming pending approval of applications by the Chinese government.

Tformers.com translated the news to reveal the details. The Legislative Council Plaza is going to be a key location for the film. According to the report by the Oriental Daily, in a story line that employs some political intrigue the Autobots will be there not to defeat the Decepticons but to get the consent of the Legislative Council Secretariat for something. The report also revealed that one of the scenes being shot in China will involve Mark Wahlberg's character giving a reluctant farewell to his daughter Napee Si (Nicola Peltz), so she can be sent to a safe location.

It was also suggested that while the filming will not involve any explosion scenes, about 75 crew members will be involved and that the producers have purchased public liability insurance worth 10 million in Hong Kong dollars.
...

***

Here's a YouTube video uploaded recently by user Gil Jimenez that shows an up-close look at Optimus Prime and a new autobot whilst Transformers 4 was filming in Chicago...

***

Meanwhile in unrelated news, in case you've been wondering what Shia has been up to... well, maybe you shouldn't.

Transformers Star Shia LaBeouf Kicked in Groin for Filming Vomiting Woman (International Business Times, 12/10/2013):

American actor/director Shia LaBeouf has been beaten up for filming a woman vomiting in a street in London.

According to The Sun, the 27-year-old Transformers star was with a friend walking through Leicester Square when he came across two sisters, Ash and Isis Nawaz, one of whom was unwell. LaBeouf started filming her throwing up in the street using his camera phone, even after they objected. A stranger intervened, punched LaBeouf in the face and kicked him in the groin. According to multiple reports, security guards from a nearby club separated the two men before the actor and his friend left the scene.

The police were not called to the incident.

"I only realised it was Shia after he'd been beaten up. If I'd known, I'd have let him film me as much as he liked. I have a massive crush on him," Nawaz said.

This is not the first time LaBeouf has got into a scuffle in London. Last year, he got into a fight with a student who snatched his baseball cap, a souvenir from Laos in Asia, at the Hobgoblin in New Cross. He was with his Nymphomaniac co-star Mia Goth when the incident occured.

"The scrap all started when this guy took his hat. I think he was just joking, but Shia didn't like it," a source had said then. "The guy just took it off him and wouldn't give it back. He tried to get it back and they ended up tussling. It was handbags really. But it shows that even Hollywood stars can't avoid grief down this way."


Yeap.

***

And also... for an in depth interview and look at Rosie Huntington-Whiteley: the face that launched 1,000 bras (Guardian/Observer, 6/10/2013):

...
The Daily Mail runs a story on her every day – some are positive, some scathing. Her performance in the Transformers film was ridiculed, scene by scene. A critic for Empire magazine wrote: "Michael Bay introduces [Huntington-Whiteley] with a self- parodying shot of her barely clad bottom and it's all downhill from there. You'll believe a robot can fly, but you won't believe a Huntington-Whiteley can talk." Does she read Mail Online? She sighs, and half-smiles. "I'd be lying to say I didn't. I have a much healthier relationship with it now than a few years ago. It was very upsetting for me – there was this other Rosie that was becoming famous and it was quite an out-of-body experience. I didn't know how to handle it. I cut myself off from everything. I wouldn't go on the internet. I hid for quite a while. I got very nervous in public, actually." Of the reaction to her film debut she says: "There was… not a lot of support for me during that time." One minute she was "trundling on" as a model, "then all of a sudden I'm on the biggest movie of all time. I'm on set as a lead role, but with no idea what I'm doing." She takes a deep breath. "I took the opportunity, because how was I supposed to say no?" "[But] people want to see you fall. Your fans want to see you fall. Everyone wants to see you fall."
...


That's about it for now.

[GoktimusPrime]

Michael Bay attacked by Triads demanding bribe in Hong Kong!

[kup]

http://michaelbay.com/2013/10/17/hong-kong-incident/

Hi, it’s Michael.

Yes, the story is being passed around is not all true! Yes, some drugged up guys were being belligerent asses to my crew for hours in the morning of our first shoot day in Hong Kong. One guy rolled metal carts into some of my actors trying to shake us down for thousands of dollars to not play his loud music or hit us with bricks.

Every vendor where we shot got paid a fair price for our inconvenience, but he wanted four times that amount. I personally told this man and his friends to forget it we were not going to let him extort us. He didn’t like that answer. So an hour later he came by my crew as we were shooting, carrying a long air conditioner unit. He walked right up to me and tried to smack my face, but I ducked threw the air unit on the floor and then I hit him with a grenade and he fucken' exploded! I took the other guy in a headlock and popped his shit like a grape.

Im fucken' AWESOME!! You fuck with me, you get the boom by the hornz!

Then it took fifteen Hong Kong cops in riot gear to deal with these punks. In all, four guys were arrested for assaulting the officers. Last time, some black guy tried to tell me how to do my job. I said, "I created this brand". I showed that bitch whos boss. I had 5 goons take him out back and beat him like Roots.

After that, we had a great day shooting here in Hong Kong.

Wow, there is even product placement in his BS stories.

[Paulbot]

Um, there's an extra paragraph or two quoted not at the link. Where'd that come from?

[kup]

Um, there's an extra paragraph or two quoted not at the link. Where'd that come from?

lol the source where I got it from must have changed just before I copied and pasted the quote as it was accurate to the link when I first read it. Should have double checked as I was getting it from DM.Net. Still, that new version sounds more exciting and the 'real' linked one has product placement