New TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON Info!!

Hey guys - Steve over at Collider had some very interesting time with Michael Bay recently - be sure and check out all the details right here.

Here is the short synopsis:
- After talking to Buzz Aldrin (who is involved in the movie), he thinks they really went to the Moon in the 60’s.
- The teaser trailer has no final effects footage. He wouldn’t even call any shot close to 80% done.
- He says you’ve got to massage every 3D shot.
- They’re ahead in the editing right now because he’s putting a lot of pressure on himself to do pristine 3D.
- Says “if you want to do proper 3D it’s a $30 million price tag.” Also “if you want to do dual eye-rendered robots, you got another 30% charge, because you got two eyes now, two different visual effects that have got to be blended. There’s more work on the visual effects shots.”
- Did 5 months of research trying to decide between post conversion and shooting in 3D. Tested everything.
- Says they will have shot 70% or so in 3D and they’ll post convert the rest.
- He has 3 full time editors working on the film due to how much has to get done in such a short period of time.
- Spends an hour and a half everyday talking to ILM via video conferencing to talk about the effects. Goes up there all the time to talk individually with the animators. Says 25% of the CG work is being done at Digital Domain and the rest at ILM.
- Regarding what they shot in 2D, says “we shot most of my close-ups with faces with anamorphic film, cause that stuff’s easier to convert and it’s just more beautiful than the digital.”
- Rosie Huntington-Whiteley talk. Says she speaks with an English accent and reveals how she got cast.
- They will have filmed in China, Los Angeles, Florida, Washington DC, Chicago, Detroit, Africa and maybe Russia. They film some stuff in Africa next month.
- Principal photography lasted 6 months.
- We’re not going to see sand in this movie. Bay made a list of things he wanted to see in the 3rd film and wanted to make sure this film was a lot different.
- Bay made it seem that this was his final Transformers movie. At the end of the day I asked him what he might do next and he said he still wants to do the smaller film he’s been talking about for years. When I asked what smaller meant, he said 20 million dollars. He said it’s a real life Pulp Fiction story.

Cool update!! I wonder if Bay has seen the new RED EPICs? Might be just the ticket for those closeups! Be sure to read the whole thing in verbatim at Collider!