Don Murphy on Website Pics

Don Murphy the other day decided to add his 2 cents into the court of public opinion regarding the recent spate of Transformers pictures, such as the Bumblebees one, that has been hitting the internet these last few weeks over on his website forum.

What is So Hard To Understand?
Listen
If it were entirely up to me
If it were my $140 million
I'd say go crazy, find secret images and do whatever you want.
I'd even let the criminals trying to profit off out work at transformerthemovie (who tried to sell us the url a year ago) do whatever they want.

Because DON MURPHY (me) believes that fans make shit happen.

I was such a fan of Star Trek in the 1970s that I SUBSCRIBED to fondly forgotten fanzines like THE HALKAN COUNCIL and MENAGERIE.

I've read comics since DEFENDERS #8 at summer camp.

I am a fan who smartly has been able to turn what he loves into a film career.

Fine. Good for me. Who cares.

The problem when something like TF comes about is that you have a lot of other cooks involved.

You have Tom Desanto, a terrific guy, who refused to see the wisdom of the voice actors.

You have Lorenzo DB who jumps on to films and talks about the glory days when he ran a studio and made TWISTER.

You have Michael Bay, a majorly talented director who we were lucky to get, who is a total perfectionist.

You have Dreamworks execs like Marc Haimes and John Fox who sheperded this with me for two plus years.

You have Adam Goodman the president of production, the person who got Steven and Michael on board.

And hell, you have Steven, the most successful filmmaker EVER who wanted this movie more than anything and made it happen/

That's a lot of people.

And we aren't mentioning the dozens internally at Dreamworks or Paramount or those MAKING the film.

Or Ian who watches the cash or John, Roberto and Alex who wrote the thing... Or the dozens at Hasbro who own this behemoth.... etc

And if ANY of these people want to keep a lid on the trailer till Monday...
If ANY of them want to keep photos that they own off the web...
If ANY of these people want to stop some Welsh people from profiting from their images

Is it not their right?

Well, it is.

The people at TONS of sites have been hearing from DW over every leak.
People have been fired.
People have been sued.
That site WILL come down.

This is NOT anti- fans.

This is PRO MOVIE.

Again, if Chokass or any of the Tools from that site want to pay the $140 m plus then I say great, you run the show.

Otherwise, obey the law.

I don't have interests in being the guy who has to deal with the asshole fans.

There are just too many good guys out there who I have met through this board.

On their msg board that suck site comments on my behavior as if THEY DESERVE POLITENESS for behavior that has ruined my freaking day because of all the calls I had to deal with from legal etc.

They aren't fans. Fans don't advertise.

In fact- wait for it- TFW2005 and ALLSPARK and SEIBERTRON - they are run by fans. I met the TFW guy after FIGHTING with the guy and the ill will disappeared in FIVE seconds- because we were both fans and just wanted fans to be happy.

So what the hell am I banging on about-

Hate me, hate Michael, hate whatever the hell you want.

But break the law, someone is gonna call me. Someone is gonna smack you.

And you deserve it.

To sum it up, he is saying don't post unauthorized pics, the work being depicted is not sure yours to make money off of. He personally doesn't care but understands why others do, so stop it. He has a point on that, I definitely see where the others are coming from.

Having said that, it doesn't really change anything. Sorry but on all these sites devoted to sharing and releasing information about movies, entertainment, Transformers, etc, their mandate is information. A picture from the movie is information. Failure to share it fails in their mandate which in turns fails the readers of the sites. Its basically a rock and a hard place. For every site that tries to maintain the "trust" with the studio there are going to be a dozen that doesn't. Keep in mind this trust with the studio is a one way street, which is fine, but it means there is no obligation to listen to them or follow their orders.

This is saying its not "right" just explaining the way things are, like it or not. Its more welcome to the real world, rather then the la-la world of Hollywood where money and how people get it follows its own strange set of business rules.

I am curious to any lawyers out there, how do sharing pictures like this break the law? Its seems like Don et al are on very legal shaky ground claiming that posting a pic is in violation of the law. Also am I wrong, but wouldn't any case they bring be a civil, not criminal case?

Of course all that is moot since the justice system is less about the law and what is "right" and more about who has the means and the money to get what they want. In this case the studio does and the average site owner doesn't so I think most, include myself, will continue to do as instructed when we receive the notice to pull something from a site.

Until then, all I can say is I will try to continue to post information as I get it, pics and all. I will link to sources when I have them as its only fair and I hope I get reciprocated on that. I still want information and any pics you stumble across as it seems of late I find out about only after the studio has done their thing to get the info pulled.

I am looking forward to next year, I want this movie to succeed beyond all expectations as it means we can look forward to the birth of a franchise and all the fun in toys and media (and money for some) that entails. On that, I think all of us, the studio, movie producers, site runners, fans and so forth all share in common.

Teaser Trailer Released!

Click here to see the teaser trailer.

Just as I made my previous post, news comes that the teaser trailer has been officially released on TransformersMovie.com in what appears to be the QuickTime format. I guess they had to give it up once it briefly showed up online as its quickly spread across the web. Wonder if that means I can post the bumblebee pic again? Sigh probably not.

If you still see the countdown clock, clear your cache and refresh your page. Instead of the countdown timer, you should now see the phrase "Watch the Exclusive Announcement Now". Click that and away you go. The trailer goes exactly as described here.

As far as a teaser trailer goes, I am less then impressed. Its does absolutely nothing to excite me about the movie. The Spider-Man 3 trailer is the very definition of how a teaser should go. The audience cheered when that one ended. I think for this one most are just going to have a wtf? reaction.

Having said that, its also understood why the teaser is so-so. A teaser pretty much forces the studio to work with the footage they have and right now I doubt they have much they can use yet. Filming started only about a month ago vs Spider-Man which has been filming for about 3 or so months. The final script was only done recently and I seriously doubt they are even close to having any final CGI sweeps done for the movie. Hopefully come Christmas or roundabout, a second teaser trailer will be released that has some footage to blow our collective minds.

Transfomers Teaser Released - for about 2 seconds

It seems like someone did a little programming oopsie today, as briefly the Transformers trailer was released on the official website for a little while before being removed. By then, the trailer showed up on Youtube.com, which then later also removed it.

Based on various forums, it appears that the trailer closely matched the leaked descripition of the teaser:

Transformers
Trailer #1
Running time: 1:36

The trailer begins with quick shots of a rocket preparing to launch. Your basic pre-flight stuff. You can hear flight control and the countdown. You then see the rocket blasting off.

IN 2003,
THE BEAGLE 2 MARS ROVER
WAS LAUNCHED

You see the probe entering the red atmosphere of Mars.

WE WERE TOLD IT CRASHED

Many shots of the rover on the surface of Mars, all shown from a variety on cameras on-board the probe itself.

ITS FINAL TRANSMISSION WAS
CLASSIFIED TOP SECRET

More shots from the rover’s point of view.

Suddenly, you hear heavy footsteps coming toward the rover, and a shadow falls over the rover. A humanoid robot shape steps into the rover’s view, but it stands in front of the sun, silhouetting the robot.

After a beat, the robot smashes the rover with its fist.

IT WAS THE ONLY WARNING
WE WOULD EVER GET

Now we see the Earth almost exactly as it appears in the teaser poster (but without the eye). The orchestral theme begins to swell in an ominous way.

The TRANSFORMERS logo then appears as it looks in the teaser poster.
The logo itself then transforms very complicated-like into 7.4.7 Which then transforms into the Autobot symbol.

From: seibertron.com

Apparently there where photos that back this up, but I missed the whole lot. Either my work schedule keeps getting in the way or the that NewMedia company is really on top of their game at getting this stuff removed asap.

If anyone managed to snag some pics or the entire trailer or knows a site that still has it, please email me the info.

(source)

Bumblebee Pic Removed

Finally got around to checking my email today and looks like Paramount/Dreamworks got around to little old me and kindly asked I removed the Bumbleebee pic I had posted before.

I was tempted to ignore the request as the source of the email didn't come from paramount or dreamworks as one might expect:

From: "---" <---@Newmediastrategies.net>
To: canowupass@yahoo.com
CC: "---" <---@Newmediastrategies.net>

To [me]:

I work with Paramount Pictures and am contacting you to respectfully request that you remove the link to the Bumblebee Image that you have posted in your blog - http://transformerslive.blogspot.com/

The image is not authorized for release and we are currently reaching out to sites/blogs with the same request. Please let me know when this has been removed. Thank you in advance for your assistance – it is greatly appreciated!

Sincerely,
-name removed-
___________________________
-name removed-
-title removed-
New Media Strategies
Tel: -removed-
---@newmediastrategies.net

I purposely removed the personal information on who sent me the email since they are only doing their job and don't want to risk them getting harassed. Oddly the person CC'ed themselves the email, even though it should be in their "Sent Items" folder which is pretty much standard with any mail client currently used. Anyway, News Media Strategies does seem like a legit site so once again decided to err on the side of caution.

As a result, I have removed the pic even though really don't want to as have enjoyed the little spike of people it has brought to my humble site. Basically, I am not financially solvent enough to risk the hammer of the legal gods and, here we are. Feel free to express why you think its a bad idea for Paramount/Dreamworks to keep a lid on this information as I think they should be glad that info like this gets leaked. Any press is good press, and the more curious people get, the more money they are likely to make.

25ft Bumblebee Pic - sorta

Update: Picture removed at request of Paramount. Click here for details.

As you can see from the above pic, the rumored 25 foot Bumbleebee robot was true and the detail is fantastic. Sadly its just the top but gives you an indication of just how sweet it probably would look from the front.

Thanks to Jim B. for grabbing a pic before AICN yanked it and sending to me.
Also Lucas sent in a heads up of a trailer description here. I will give my 2 cents later but right now I am off to see Superman Returns.

Transformers Open Casting Call Thursday

Live in California and think have the looks to be in Transformers the movie? Want to point out how that arm way in the back of the scene is yours? Then here is your chance.

Central Casting is holding an open call for 16 & 17 year olds and 18-23 year olds that look like High School students for the new Michael Bay feature film, "Transformers." We need SAG Members and Non-Union. The scheduled work dates are July 10-12, 2006. Dates are subject to change. The open call will be held at Central Casting in Burbank, CA. Anyone interested in attending should call 818-503-3329 for more information.

The Open Call will be held:
Date: Thursday, June 29, 2006
Time: 5PM - 8PM
Location: Central Casting
220 South Flower Street
Burbank, CA 91502

Central Casting is the largest extras casting company in the world and has been in business since 1925. The company casts extras for film, television, and commercials. Central Casting is a division of Entertainment Partners.

(source)

Teaser Trailer with Pirates of the Caribbean with Score

Comingsoon.net has confirmed that the release information for the Transformers teaser trailer. As most of us already know and the official website made clear with the countdown, the teaser trailer is coming 7/4/06. If seeing it on your tiny screen doesn't do it for you, check out the teaser with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest when its released July 7th. Just a little warning, most theatres get to choose what trailers go with the movie so no guarantees.

Along with that little bit of joy is that the trailer comes news from Soundtrack.Net with a score from Steve Jablonsky (Pearl Harbor, Desperate Housewives) that is about 90 seconds long. The score was recorded 6/17/06 at Sony Scoring Stage in Hollywood with Bruce Fowler conducting the 59-piece orchestra. To get a hint of the sound, hit the official website for a listen and go here for some pics and little more information. Hopefully along with the teaser, the TF powers that be will be kind of enough to release a .mp3 of the score.

Thanks Bill for the heads-up. Also lot more set pics and car pics are located here.

More Hoover Dam Shoot Photos

Head on to superherohype.com for more cast pics and the like over at the Hoover Dam shooting of the Transformers movie. Most of the pictures of are of extras and camera setups and the like. No real spoilers and sadly no sign of the 25 foot Bumblebee.

Submit TF Fun Facts for 20th Anniversary DVD

TransformersTheMovieDVD.com has updated their site. You know have the ability to submit Transformers fun facts that might be used in the 20th Anniversary Edition of Transformers: The Movie.

Are you a huge Transformers Fan? Do you know any great fun facts about Transformers: The Movie? Send us your fun facts in twelve words or less with movie scene or scenes they relate to and your submission could make it into the 20th Anniversary Edition DVD coming this November! Good Luck!

One caveat: "There is no prize for submitting information or for the selected inclusion in the release of the Transformers: The Movie 20th Anniversary Edition DVD." No mention of credit but at least might have a story to tell your friends, whether they will believe you or not is a different story.

More On Set Pics

Transformersthemovie.com has posted 4 pics provided by AvengerKnight99 poster on their forums. They are mostly just informal pics of the cast who apparently are pretty friendly.

Click here to check them out.

Peter Cullen Audition Confirmed - Rejected!

Don Murphy has posted once again on his boards about Peter Cullen. In it he denies the Peter Cullen audition:

I never confirmed ANYTHING of the kind. Nada.
Someone else posted it.
I made fun of them.
DO NOT PUT WORDS IN MY MOUTH.

Seems like a reasonable mistake to make considering on he previously said "absolutely true, when I feel you can handle the truth I will tell you." Upon review of the thread as a whole, its jokey tone indicates its was a misreading on my part so for that I apologize. So consider the Peter Cullen audition as a fun but unsubstantiated rumor.

Hopefully Don Murphy will be so kind as inform the fans when (or if) the audition it does occur if for no other reason it will give us something to b%$^# about if Peter later doesn't get the role.

Movie Poster Eye, Decepticon or Autobot?

Looking at the teaser poster, I thought that robot eye had to be a Decepticon. Afterall, whats threatening about an Autobot overlooking Earth with the slogan "Their War. Our World". Usually with these types of posters, you show a bad doing an evil eye, not a good guy doing a stare.

However, as the below pictures show, between the blue eye and the creative photoshopping, the poster showing a Autobot eye. If thats true, I hope a Decepticon poster is coming soon. What do you think, Autobot or Decepticon?

Peter Cullen Audition Confirmed

Don Murphy has confirmed over on his boards that Peter Cullen, the original voice for Optimus Prime, has auditioned for the role in the live action movie.

Now this only means that the producers, director, etc are open to the idea of the original voices, not guaranteeing their use. There are political and financial pressures that have to be taken in consideration. Realistically, if some A-list actor shows interest and voice is good enough, they would be fools to pass that up.

In animation, usually the voice actors are done first and the animation (or CGI) are done after to make sure that the mouth movements match. Since your looking at giant robots, therefore giant faces and mouths, its probably in their best interest to have the cast nailed by the time they finalize those portions of the CGI. My thinking is they are hoping the teaser trailer might get the attention of bigger fish.

More information about Peter Cullen's long career is here and here.

UPDATE: Consider this "confirmation" to be no longer confirmed as posted here.

Hoover Dam Shoot pics

Superherohype.com has posted some pics from the Hoover Dam shoot for the movie. Nothing really to them, just some of the cast members in costume. Looks like they are mostly just hanging between setups so nothing of note is in the pictures.

As far as what is being filmed, apparently its a sequence involving the capture of Bumblebee in a hidden military base at the Dam called Sector 7 that apparently involves most of the cast as Shia, Voight and several others are seen on set. Apparently to help with the filming, a 25 foot tall robot mode Bumblebee was built. He is the only one as the rest are going to be CGI. I bet that would be pretty sweet to see and get pics of.

iPod and Xbox 360 in Transformers?

According to an updated post on the Movie Reporter, in regards to the copy of the leaked TF script they had "...forgot to mention... for reasons that I won't get into we see an I-Pod, X-Box 360 and Plasma screens sprout legs and transform just a bit."

As an idea for product placement, its a brilliant, creative idea and toys I wouldn't mind buying for giggles as they would present the original point of the Transformers, ie real world objects turning into robots. However, its one of those ideas that depends on execution. If done poorly, its a groan moment that could rip the audience out of the movie. If done well, it would be something people might talk about later, something the advertisers would love to happen. All this assumes that such an idea is still in the script and is still going to occur which is doubtful. As rumors go though, its a nifty one.

Tyrese Gibson confirms casting, budget

Over at MTV.com, Tyrese Gibson confirms that he has been cast in the Transformers movie, saying "I grew up on 'Transformers". Also leaked that the budget is $200 million dollars which has quickly become the norm for big summer movies (remember when $200 Titanic was scandalous?). He is one of the cast members thats filming the opening sequences involving Skorponok at Hollaman Air Force base in New Mexico so he is probably playing a military character named Epps. Beyond that, Tyrese shared nothing else about the script. His IMDB profile is here if want more information about him.

More TF Vehicle Pics

Thanks to "Slimebucket" for sending me this link that had a second series of pics that I don't recall seeing on the AICN site. The yellow car is Bumblebee, the police car is Brawl and the plane is an Osprey used in the opening sequence against Skorponok. I think the oversized Hummer thing is Bonecrusher and the Abrams is Devastastor. The last two pics are for giggles as one looks like the original Optimus Prime but was just the truck used to deliver the cars and the last could be Vortex, but that round ball on the front is probably a camera so its more likely being used for filming. Keep scrolling down to see pics, for some reason blogger adds about 6 lines of space before starting a table of data.

Transformers Teaser Poster Released

From AICN comes the above post with release date, tag line and wicked looking Decepticon Eye.

As an aside, anyone know a lot about blogger and html that can helped get this puppy in the top of the right column for a while or create a picture to use above instead of that plain text title. I can offer absolutely nothing in return except my thanks and a credit somewhere on the site.

Click here for official website which currently allows registration for updates and displays a countdown timer to July 4.

New Cast Member Added

According to the hollywood reporter, the cast of the TF movie has grown by one. Ronnie Sperling has joined the cast as a lead scientist who probably does science jargon in regards to the TFs. Don't have clue who is but click here for his imdb.com entry.

AICN TF Vehicle Pics - updated

Apparently AICN took down the pics due to studio pressure. If known that would happen would have saved a copy of them. I did check my temporary internet cache and recycle bin and as a result only found the above pic of Bumblebee before "Sam" fixes him up and they become best buddies so sadly not able to reproduce the entire series. Also based on the comments, people think this site is affiliated with the studio but its not. It use to be but they abandoned it for tranformerslive.com so I was able to lay claim to it. If I was really with the studio, I would be a source of information rather then linking to everyone else under the sun when information is leaked.

Roberto Orci Drops Some Hints

Roberto Orci is one of the writers on the live action Transformers movie. He decided to head on over to Don Murphy's message board and hint some possibilities on the upcoming movie figuring "why should I be the only one muzzled."

The gist of his hints is that Starscream might show up in his classic treacherous mode, Optimus Prime will clearly the OP, a teaser trailer is coming t hat "will rock" and Soundwave "will be closer to the one you know and love than the rumors would lead you to believe." He also confirmed the TF name alias and aiming for an "official coming out party on July 4th.

Thanks to tformers.com for the message summary.