On his website.

Some baby eating words.

This should prove interesting, as Don and Tom have made a ton of comments about what they want form the sequels, but I don't think it would take much for the power that is Bay and Spielberg to remove Murphy and Desanto from the equation if they didn't enjoy the working relationship.

Wow!
Thats some harsh "Telling it like it is" -ness

That ruled IMO. Just saying.

Good for Mike.

Powerglide 'em all. Bay FTW!

Don Murphy's a whiny puss anyway.

Alright Bay!
I hate it when hot shot suit producers try to take the creative credit from a director.
Anyway look at Don and Tom's ideas for a sequel... do we really want their input?

Actually if it wasnt for Don Murphy the movie wouldnt have been made,
If it wasnt for him and the Stooges Prime woulnd NOT have had a face plate.
Don Murphy has changed things FOR THE FANS things that Mr Bay refused to listen to.

I can't seem to find it. The link is dead. Can anyone perhaps tell me what has been said, or c/p it here?

I'm pretty much done with any "FOR THE FANS" stuff. If those guys had interfered any more we'd have less creative awesome robot movie.

Full props to Murphy for getting the movie made...but Bay did admit to that.

Prime's faceplate is really a minuscule portion of the this film, and it doesn't seem that it's absence would change the film for the worse. I think, based on this, that Murphy wasn't fighting as many battles for the fans as he might've led us to believe.

Who knows?

I do know that, as a fan, if I dig it, my money gets spent, if I don't, I keep my money. I can make that choice on my own, and I certainly don't need anyone out there protecting me from change. Particularly from change that could be good for the franchise I love, which this movie appears to be.

Irony

So basically all Tom & Don did was shop the script around & once Bay was on board were non existant.

Who could've guess someone like Bay (a non fan none the less) could toatally reinvent the franchise but still end up with a G1 esque movie. He was right to cut these guys completely out of the loop. Protesting flames on Prime on anybodys behalf is just plain childish.

I'm so thankful that all of this is behind us & the movie as it seems is standing firmly on its merits alone with fans/critics alike.

Spielberg/Bay made something as outragious/silly as Transformers actually work in a 2 hour+ movie. Who'd uh thunk it.

Hey, thanks!

Those are definitely some harsh words. But, yeah, that's the way Hollywood, and pretty much the entore world, works. Someone gets an assignment, delegates it/hands it to someone else, and when it's done, takes credit. I respect Bay, both for the movie, and for his input in it, but he should have known to expect this kind of behaviour.

I do like that Bay wanted to, and did, make the movie in the United States.

Yeah

Plus it was just cheaper

Whoa...looks like that post is gone, gone, gone

Wow.. I think Bay is a Jackazz as a person, but it sounds like Don and Tom are the true Jackazzes. Perhaps if they had more Creative input we may have seen the death of Prime and another "Hot Rod"dimus Prime Incident! And Im not crazy about the idea of seeing Dinosaurs roaming around LA. .

You should read Dons message board. he's a complete unproffessional jackass. I know nothing of Tom and as such can only make a judgement based on bays declarations as shown above. I think bay's a good guy compared to the other two asshats and I've been behind him from day one.

Good old Michael Bay, the peoples champion because people love big dumb but exciting movies!

As opposed to....?

Movies like 12 Angry Men, and the fans of such films.

But that doesn't have transforming robots in it.

Well, Lost in Translation not to put too fine a point on it.
Now, Michael Bay, he knew how to deal with Scarlet Johanssen

I think this goes a long way towards explaining the disconnect between the stuff posted on Don Murphy's board and what the film actually ended up like:

http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/mich...facts-straight/

Let's just post the whole blog...it's a good one:

"LET'S GET SOME FACTS STRAIGHT
06/29/2007 11:20 PM
The movie is over.
Wow that was a hard one, but I must tell you it was so much fun. The most difficult actors I’ve ever worked with, besides Bruce Willis, are Optimus Prime and Bumblebee. They took every single one of my days for a year. But they are well worth the work. I’ve just traveled 36,000 miles around the world (in two weeks) and had the most amazing premiere at the Taormina film festival in an ancient, Greek-built theatre that existed well before the birth of Christ. I loved seeing the reactions to the film from so many different cultures. This movie really travels around the world. I’m so excited for everyone to see it. Thanks to all you that supported me on this film.
Just so I set the story straight, my budget started at $145 Million, it crept to $150 and some change – I’m very proud of that – the fact that we are half the cost of all these other summer blockbusters. I see people doubt that out on the net, but anyone want to challenge me I’ll put a ten thousand dollar bet down on the table right now.
Even when the studio tried to ship me out to Canada or shoot down with Aussies - I looked but I knew we were dead up there. I needed my crew that I have been loyal to for years, they are the best in the world. Besides I believe American movies that portray America, should be made in America. I cut my fee 30% so I could make this at home. I knew this was right for the movie so I asked the other producers to join – Ian and Lorenzo did, and the two others (that came attached to the project) Tom Desanto and Don Murphy did not. That was my introduction to them – they did not want any part of their fee going to make a better movie. Things like that don’t usually sit well with me.
Now that the movie is done I get strange questions from the press. Like 'how did Tom control the set'? What? 'How did Tom and Don control you?' What the Powerglide. 'How was it working with Tom and Don who knew Transformers so well?' 'We heard Tom wrote the story – he had a 90 page treatment, right?' Okay stop. Let me take you back in time. Tom and Don are very nice guys, but let’s get some facts straight.
Tom had one creative meeting with me for one hour and ten minutes to be exact about a year ago. He told he was the über fan boy and was going to protect me from the minefields. The type of minefields on the Net like 'Damn you Michael Bay' 'You wrecked my childhood Michael Bay' and other various web death threats I received. Tom proceeded to tell me how much he had problems with the robot designs and script issues. I realized he was worlds apart in my vision. I said thank you very much, and then showed him my office door - I never really spoke to him again other then to mutter hello. He would occasionally come to the set with guests like it was some theme park. I never spoke creatively with Don. I read his notes kind of trashing the script and making me and the writers feel like a big Blot pile. But during production Don was nice to me, he knew I was not going to talk creative with him.
One day not too long ago, the writers of our movie Alex and Bob called me in a panic saying all of a sudden after the movie was almost finished in post that Tom was applying for writer's or story credit. I was appalled because neither the writer’s nor I ever saw any treatment. Well, he applied for credit, but the Writer’s Guild shot him down, denied him.
But what made my blood curl was something that was on the Net with Tom at the Saturn awards on IESB.net where they interviewed him about the movie – a movie I might add he had not seen yet. He acted very much like he did. Check it out as he vamps through the questions, and how Hugo put his 'thumb print on it'. Give me a break, the guy was lying through his teeth - he had seen nada, nothing, until the press screening.
So that’s the real truth, I had to say it, cause I'm tired of answering these questions.
What these guys did do was stuck with a ‘silly toy movie’ and pushed it around town and kept the faith after everyone turned them down, always with the hope that maybe someone somewhere would make it. Now I commend them on that. Hats off to them, but trying to taking creative credit in the press let me just say it – irks me. Too many credits are given to too many people who had nothing to do with the movie. Hell, even investment bankers with not the slightest idea of how to make a movie all of a sudden are big producers in town.
I guess that’s how it goes in Hollywood.
Michael Bay"

LOL HOLLYWOOD. It's amazing this movie turned out as well as it did. I can't imagine all the crap a director has to take from the studios and producers.

Wasn't this already posted here?

It was. But, since a Moderator posted it, no-one dares to say anything.

rar

I didn't know this was already posted. I'll merge this with the old thread if someone links me to it. (I'm not scary, but I am definitely lazy.)

Ya lazy bum!

http://www.TFans.com/talk/index.php?showtopic=70779&hl=

I expect full credits for doing your job, btw. Next contest, you let me win first prize, ya hear?

In a post about the current WGA strike, John Rogers elaborates a bit about Tom DeSanto's unscrupulous grab for a writers credit on Transformers that got Bay's blood boiling. At least, I assume it's DeSanto's grab for a credit. He keeps it vague, but the clues are there. Anyway, clicky if you're interested.

Thanks for the link Mr. Hobbes.

You're very welcome.

I wasn't sure anyone on the forum was really gonna care.

I think I'd already seen that link before here.

So you don't think I don't care

Hmm. More crap behind the scenes. I understand what's going on in Hollywood right now, but seriously, it's just a friggin' movie. Do the work or don't, someone will always be there to fill your spot.

Welcome to reality.

I know I'm not a mod, but this thread is about the drama behind the scenes of a specific movie, if you want to talk about the strike, threads exist for that already, and, being pretty well as in the middle of it as any non-WGA member can be*, I'd be happy to discuss it with you.


















*I'm going to join a picket line on Monday. Solidarity!

Are you a writer Hobbes? Or do you just not have anything better to do Monday?

I am an aspiring screenwriter, yeah...but on the internet, who isn't?

I was actually using that as another example, I wasn't making this about the strike. I was trying to say that with everything in Hollywood as it is, it's all ridiculous. It's movies and tv. If it's good, we'll watch it, if not, well then at least you tried.

Does anyone remember when movies and shows were made for the love of the craft? The epics of the 40s and 50s? Etc. Today's movies and shows are nothing more than a product to be moved.

Hollywood has always, always, always been about making money. It's easier to look back on all the great movies from a bygone era, because we don't remember all the crap that also came out. But it did come out. And someday someone's going to be saying, "Whatever happened to Hollywood making great movies like The Departed and Brokeback Mountain?" because they won't remember White Chicks and Deck The Halls.

There's no less love of the craft today than their was in the past, and there was no less love of money in the past than their is today.

Good points, I have to agree.

"Deck the Halls"