New "Car Carrier" ad
Click the image below to view Michael Bay’s new 2-minute Chevy “Car Carrier’ TV ad.
Little something
Some late news.
Back in October 2003 the DGA (Directors Guild of America) won the Gold Award at the 2003 national Folio Editorial Excellence Awards. The prestigious Editorial Excellence Awards are unique in that publishing professionals judge magazines on how well they achieve their editorial mission. More than 700 national publications competed in different categories.
The Gold Award was given to the DGA for its Summer 2001 issue.
Look who’s on the cover…
Click the above image to read the 2001 DGA article on Michael Bay.
Bay rolls out new 60-second GM ad on 12-31
A New Campaign From Chevrolet
By ELLEN PILIGAN
Detroit - With 10 new vehicles coming to the market over the next 20 months, Chevrolet knew its advertising would have to depart significantly from what had been done in the recent past. There would need to be less attention paid to lifestyle and feeling good and more to its new cars and trucks.
So on New Year’s Eve, Chevrolet will introduce a multimillion-dollar campaign, with the tagline “An American Revolution,” that intends to make the vehicles the stars. The campaign is significant because it covers both cars and trucks under one umbrella. Before this, Chevrolet ran a truck campaign, “Like a Rock,” and a car campaign, “We’ll Be There.”
Developed by Chevrolet’s longtime agency, Campbell-Ewald, a unit of the Interpublic Group of Companies, under the leadership of its chief creative officer, Bill Ludwig, the effort will be Chevrolet’s first full-vehicle-line campaign since the “Heartbeat of America” in the mid-1980′s.
It was, according to Gary L. Cowger, president of General Motors North America, a critical crossroads for the automotive company.
“Do we stay the course with the way we go to market or do we break with the status quo in our advertising?” he asked.
Executives chose innovation, he said. “With 10 new products, if not now, when?” he said. “This is more than just an advertising message. ‘An American Revolution’ is a state of mind, an attitude. It’s a commitment to break the rules if you have to in order to get the best results. It describes Chevy’s culture.”
The company will introduce “Car Carrier” - an ad directed by the feature film director Michael Bay (“Bad Boys II,” “Pearl Harbor,” “Armageddon”) - as the sole advertiser on “Dick Clark’s Primetime New Year’s Rockin’ Eve” with six 60-second spots. The newlyweds, Jessica Simpson and Nicholas Lachey, hosts of the Los Angeles portion of the show, will arrive in an SSR, Chevrolet’s new pickup roadster.
In addition, five 60-second spots will be shown during MTV’s “New Year’s Eve Pajama Party,” and there will be spots on the David Letterman and Jay Leno late-night talk shows, along with two electronic billboard ads in Times Square.
“We wanted to be where the action was,” said Kim Kosak, Chevrolet director for advertising. “And if you’re going to pick New Year’s Eve as your launch date, you better be in Times Square.”
There was also a challenge with 10 vehicle introductions. “I don’t know if it’s ever been done,” Ms. Kosak said. “I think it’s unprecedented.”
The 10 vehicles are the Malibu Maxx, Aveo, SSR pickup roadster, Colorado pickup truck, 2005 Equinox crossover, Cobalt premium small car, Corvette C6, Uplander, HHR crossover and the new Impala.
Every vehicle introduction will bear the “American Revolution” theme but with different taglines and different tones. “Aveo and Colorado are more youthful, Malibu Maxx is more sophisticated and SSR is a little bit more ruckus,” Ms. Kosak said. “You have to find that balance of cohesion but individuality for the individual products.”
Beginning today, the outdoor board campaign begins in 34 major markets on about 250 boards across the country featuring a yellow SSR.
The “Car Carrier” ad, which was unveiled yesterday, will run exclusively until Jan. 12, when individual vehicle spots will begin. The spot will also run nationwide in movie theaters beginning Jan. 1 and will appear for that day only on Yahoo.
“Car Carrier” has the feel of an action film. It begins with scenes of the new Corvette intercut with a car carrier to a remix of “Magic Carpet Ride” by Steppenwolf. The Corvette loads itself up the ramp of the car carrier as other new vehicles including the Colorado and SSR come into the picture from various settings.
They each take a turn making an entrance, the SSR dramatically backing its way on. At the end, a classic Chevrolet rolls up beside the car carrier with the six new vehicles. “It’s a nod to the heritage,” Ms. Kosak said. “Just a little nod because it’s not looking back, it’s about looking forward.”
Ads that will begin after Jan. 12 include “Soap,” featuring the SSR, “truly the poster child for ‘acceptable rebellion,’ ” Ms. Kosak said. The ad was inspired by experiences of people who drove the vehicle early on, she said. “They’d go into a town and people would go, ‘Holy Cow,’ and you’d literally be swarmed at a gas station. The challenge was to capture that awe.”
For the Colorado, whose message is that “it’s the biggest, baddest truck in its class with plenty of room, but with attitude and a smile,” Ms. Kosak said, the ad “My Man,” one of four, features five young men riding in the truck blasting “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” by Shania Twain.
One man becomes caught up with the song - not to the appreciation of his buddies. The punch line is, “If you’re ever uncomfortable in the new Chevy Colorado crew cab, it won’t be because of lack of space.”
Malibu Maxx’s campaign will run in January with “Chain Reaction.” The spot shows a handoff from one buyer group to another, using the different features that work for that customer, beginning with a woman in workout clothes at a gas station who hands off the car to some guys in a band heading to an airport. Flight attendants take it next to unwind at a beach and a family gets in and takes it to a mountain, where fly fishermen get in.
Despite the new umbrella campaign, “Like a Rock” is not going away. “That’s been very successful for us,” Ms. Kosak said, adding that it will be dedicated exclusively to Silverado, which she said had an older market than the Colorado. “Colorado is much more youthful. It’s play first, enjoying the ride.”
The biggest challenge in coming up with the campaign? “It’s a daunting task to find something that can bear everything from an Aveo to an SSR,” Ms. Kosak said. “That’s why we needed to have individual expressions. You can’t cookie-cutter Chevrolet. It’s too big.”
Bay to receive DVD Pioneer Award
DVD kudos will flow to Bay Dec. 9
By SCOTT HETTRICK
Michael Bay will be presented with the Pioneer Award by Jerry Bruckheimer Tuesday at the 2003 DVD Exclusive Awards.
Kudos will be presented at the annual event at the Wiltern LG Theater, hosted by Jenny McCarthy and produced for TV by Dick Clark Prods. Broadcast debuts on FX at 8 p.m. Dec. 9 in the first of several runs on the cabler.
Bay has pioneered the concept of video diaries on the sets of his productions, from the DVD Exclusive Award-nominated “Pearl Harbor” through “Bad Boys 2″; the latter is being released on homevid Dec. 9.
He also was one of the few filmmakers to go outside the studio system to work with the Criterion Collection in producing special editions of his films such as “The Rock” and “Armageddon” for laserdisc and DVD.
Previous DVD Exclusive Pioneer Award recipients have been Quentin Tarantino and Louis Feola.
Bruckheimer, whose DVD releases in 2003 include “Kangaroo Jack,” “CSI” and this week’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,” produced Bay’s films noted above as well as his “Bad Boys.”
Among other special awards recipients, filmmaker Kevin Smith will present the creative achievement award to comicbook legend Stan Lee, and John Ratzenberger will present the Studio Innovation Award to Pixar Animation Studios directors Andrew Stanton (“Finding Nemo”) and Peter Docter (“Monsters, Inc.”).
“American Pie” series producers Chris Moore, Craig Perry, Chris Bender and Adam Herz and series stars Nikki Schieler Ziering and Thomas Ian Nicholas will receive the Comedy Franchise Award from “Animal House” stars Stephen Furst and Martha Smith.
Roger Daltrey will appear as part of a salute to music programming on DVD.
Sleight-of-hand artist Ricky Jay will perform at the theater as part of the post-show party and reception at the conclusion of the taping of the awards, produced by Daily Variety sister publication DVD Exclusive.
Bad Boys 2 Shooting Info
I’ve been informed that shooting for “Bad Boys 2″ is scheduled to start on July 15th, 2002.
Also, the director’s cut for “Pearl Harbor” will be in stores on July 2, 2002.
Pearl harbor Autographed DVDs
As it stands now, Michaelbay.com will be selling “Pearl Harbor” DVD copies autographed by Michael Bay prior to it’s July 2 release. I will post more info later.
Sorry about my French from yesterday, but this is what happens when you pay $$$ and you get this kind of service. Anyway, the boards are back up—without—the ads.
Message boards
The company hosting the messageboard has fucked up big time. I apologize to all of you who have had to deal with those fucking annoying ads. Needless to say I’m fuckin’ pissed.
I’ll get the problem fixed ASAP. For now, I have turn off the link so you won’t have to deal with those ads.
Pearl harbor wins an Oscar
Pearl Harbor won as Oscar for best Best Sound Editing!
Congrats to George Watters II & Christopher Boyes, and of course, Michael Bay!
News tidbits
Got some news for you.
Michael told me he will most likely be narrowing it down to doing “Bad Boys 2″ this summer and then quickly doing “I am Legend. “
He also has two more Mercedes Benz commercials coming. I’ll keep you guys posted.
For those of you asking, Schwartzman shot the “Timeless” commercial.
Happy Birthday Michael
Happy 37th birthday Michael!
Bay tidbits
I’ve sent Michael the e-mails you all sent. Thank you. He should be getting them today.
Here is an interesting article. Read about Michael venturig into the IMAX & Extreme Sports arena.
New Line Catches 'Chainsaw' Buzz
New Line has picked up the rights to Michael Bay’s remake of the “Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
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New Line Catches ‘Chainsaw’ Buzz
By Charles Lyons
NEW YORK (Variety) - New Line Cinema is shelling out $5 million-$7 million for North American and Italian rights to a toned-down, modern refiguring of “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”
New Line co-CEO Bob Shaye said the picture would be “an original, fresh and thrilling post-modern” take on the 1974 cult classic. In the new picture, he noted, blood-letting will be kept to a minimum, particularly since producer Michael Bay is active on a director committee against violence.
Studio production president Toby Emmerich added: “My sense from Bay is that he will not so much look at the previous ‘Chainsaw’ movies as look back to the original, real stories that informed it.”
Writer/director Tobe Hooper’s “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” helped spawn an entire genre of B slasher pics. When a dozen graves are violated in a rural Texas cemetery, five twentysomethings investigate. En route they discover a family of grave robbers, led by a vicious, saw-wielding butcher.
Shooting is expected to begin this summer with a budget between $13 million and $19 million.
Sony’s Screen Gems, Paramount Pictures and Dimension Films also pursued “Massacre,” but not as aggressively as New Line. Bay clinched the New Line deal after screening a one-minute promo for the picture. The picture has already lined up distribution deals in such countries as Spain, Britain, Germany and Japan.
BB2
“Sony Pictures kicked off the last day of ShoWest with a bang Thursday with the announcement that stars Will Smith and Martin Lawrence will reteam with producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Michael Bay for “Bad Boys 2.”
Asked how it felt to be able to finally announce the long-anticipated sequel to the 1995 hit “Bad Boys,” planned for a summer 2003 release, Columbia Pictures chairman Amy Pascal said: “It feels good. We’re very, very excited.”
Bay's birthday
As some of you might know, February 17 is Michael’s birthday. And as a custom in prior years, you can send Michael a little e-mail wishing him Happy Birthday. I usually print these emails and send them to him. Click here to find out when the deadline is and to fill out the b-day form.
And yes, he does read them.
In other news, Michael is will only produce the remake of the “Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” He will do “Pain & Gain” next year. He’s involved in the writing of “Bad Boys 2.” And he might do a movie with Will Smith before “Bad Boys 2″ gets done (I Am Legend).
Server Issues
FYI, yesterday evening the server hosting this site crashed. To make a long story short, I had to upload everything. So if there are any broken link, please bear with me. Thanks.
Happy Holidays
Hi guys. Just taking a little time here to wish all you guys Merry Christmas, and may you be in the company of your loved ones.
Pain' Is Michael Bay's Gain
By Michael Fleming
NEW YORK (Variety) - “Pearl Harbor” director Michael Bay is pumped to shoot “Pain and Gain,” a dark film about steroid-abusing bodybuilders who engage in a campaign of kidnapping, extortion and murder in Florida.
The project will mark Bay’s first for Paramount Pictures, which optioned a series of investigative articles written by Pete Collins for the Miami New Times about the Sun Gym gang. Much as they used steroids as a shortcut to rippling pecs and six-pack abs, the gang used crime as a shortcut to the high life of fast cars, flashy clothes and strippers.
“I had been looking for a movie with the tone of ‘Fargo’ for a long time, and even though this is violent, this story has that potential,” said Bay, who also wanted to make a film with a modest budget after directing only expensive action films, such as “The Rock” and “Armageddon.”
“These guys are knuckleheads who get away with doing very bad things and committing very violent acts. They were greed-obsessed muscleheads who could never be happy with what they had, always wanting more,” Bay added.
The gang ringleaders seem a mix between the “Fargo” characters and “Saturday Night Live” duo Hans and Franz. The Sun Gym gang got away with increasingly bolder crimes, even though they were bumblers who left a trail like a caterpillar. The gang finally got caught after murdering a couple, only to discover they hadn’t properly fleeced their assets and murdered them for nothing.
Bay will likely direct a film before “Pain and Gain. Possibilities include a “Bad Boys” sequel and the Warner Bros. project “I Am Legend,” starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Bay will produce “Pain and Gain” with former Disney exec Donald De Line, who has a first-look deal at Paramount.
Pearl Harbor Vid & DVD
Hit Big Millions sold on debut day.
The DVD and VHS releases of Michael Bay’s PEARL HARBOR have hit big in stores. In its first day of release, combined sales for DVD and VHS were over 3 million units. In addition, the first day of DVD sales broke Buena Vista Home Entertainment’s house record recently set by SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS. Industry sources say the disc sold in excess of 1.5M. Going into the weekend, sales are expected to stay steady.
Miscellaneous tidbits
I just finished watching the “Pearl Harbor” DVDs. Real cool stuff. Awesome sound and transfer! I’ll post reviews later.
In other news, Michael Bay sued his former stockbroker Tuesday, saying the man made a sneak attack on his portfolio, defrauding the disaster filmmaker of $5 million. The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, alleges Win H. Troung, a former employee of Merrill Lynch brokerage firm in Beverly Hills, engaged in excessive trading and defrauded Bay by buying and selling more than $1 billion worth of stock over a 15-month period. Read the complete article below.