$18 Million Settlement for Injured Transformers: DOTM Extra (Updated)

E! Online is reporting that Gabriela Cedillo's family has reached an $18 million settlement with Paramount and Dreamworks. On September 1st, 2010 Mrs. Cedillo was injured while an extra in her car as part of the highway sequence in Hammond, Indiana when a towing cable snapped, burst through the windshield and hit her head. Initially Paramount refuted accounts of event and was cleared of any wrong doing. While the press did make an effort to make it seem production made errors, nothing has been proven of negligence but there is a lot we still don't know. A lawsuit was filed shortly after that on October 5th, 2010.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon Linkfest

Time for a little cleanup on miscellaneous stuff that has popped up related to Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Links include a look at custom figures, a chance for Nebraskans to see two DOTM vehicles, a TF limo, new apparel line and more video reviews.

Customized DOTM Ironhide, Megatron and Sentinel Prime
Hit the link for a look at the custom figures based on the Dark of the Moon toys, each with a new gorgeous paint jobs, lights and other custom details that really make the figures stand out.

Gearing Up for DOTM
An interesting article with Tactical Pro Shop CEO Matthew Kime as he talks about how his company help outfit the gear that NEST wore in Dark of the Moon. “We started this project in Feb. 2010, so we had to be very proactive regarding where things are heading, plus integrate conceivable pieces of tech that this ‘elite’ unit would have had developed for their mission.” The company also helped on ROTF, helping with supplies when the shoot ran short in China.

Chicago Call Sheet For Ultra Magnus

Thanks to Sam, below are images of a call sheet for filming in Chicago on July 27-28th, 2010 "with" Megatron and Ultra Magnus. Early this year a redacted call sheet was posted online with Magnus listed as a character. While not the same sheet this does further confirm that for at least a while the character of Sentinel Prime was going to be called Ultra Magnus. Test screening apparently drove the change from Ultra Magnus to Sentinel Prime. According to Sam, the head of what would have been Ultra Magnus was re-used as what the Apollo 11 astronauts step on and uncover as they explore the ship.

NY Times Profile on DOTM Chicago Filming, Shockwave

New York Times has posted an article that discusses Shockwave and the scenes that were filmed in Chicago last summer with Transformers: Dark of the Moon director Michael Bay and Visual Effects Supervisor Scott Farrar. Among the highlights I found interesting is the middle base jumpers in the scenes we have seen is computer generated "since he has to land on Shockwave's shoulder." At the time I figured that scene would be 3D post-converted but it turns out the camera man that trailed the base jumpers had a small 3-D camera on his head.

Some filming occurred at 35 East Wacker Drive, specifically the Jeweler's Building which is described as playing "a significant role in the last part" of the film. The articles mentioned that in its first few years of existence (circa 1881) it had car sized elevators at street level for security reasons. After all leaving your car then made you more vulnerable. The article just drops in this historical anecdote for some reason so figure it might become useful once see the film.

Transformers 3 Filmed in Israel?

A tweet from Tyrese Gibson yesterday to promote his new book "How To Get Out of Your Own Way" reveals that Transformers: Dark of the Moon filmed in Israel at some point (no idea when). In the tweet he posted, "I was in Israel and this was the very moment God revealed to me I should write a book!!" along with a picture of him leaning against a wall in his Epps costume. Just in case don't believe that isn't his outfit, be sure to check out Tyrese in costume (think minus the vest) when he was filming during the summer. Thanks to a source for the heads-up.

Update: Comments are reporting a picture is from Revenge of the Fallen. That is plausible since production did film in Jordan which is very close to Israel with the character wearing essentially an identical costume. Net result is until see the credit scroll that lists some of the shooting locations, file this one under unproven rumor (so will not be added to the cheat sheet). I don't keep up with Tyrese's non-Transformers life so unable to verify how long he has been working on the book. Two years for a self help book seems a bit long but he has been busy.

Transformers 3 Set Report, Teaser Online Debut Time

This Friday, the teaser trailer for Transformers: Dark of the Moon will debut with the next Chronicles of Narnia movie in both 2D and 3D (or next week with Tron). If you don't want to wait that long, then Apple Trailers has you covered with the official launch occurring at 4PM PST (7PM EST) on Wednesday, December 8th. Entertainment Tonight was rumored to be airing a sneak peak earlier today but apparently that didn't happen. Assuming the teaser trailer description is accurate, expect an emphasis on "tease".

This news comes from a new set report from Aint It Cool News' Capone from when Dark of the Moon was filming in Chicago in August. This set report begins by going into the recent rumor that the film was having real 3D problems by describing what he actually saw on set and how much nonsense the report is (for the same reasons I dismissed the idea). From the report:

TF3 Not in Native IMAX

Over at the MB.com forums, admin Nelson reminded everyone that while Transformers: Dark of the Moon will be in real 3D, it will not be in real IMAX, "There will be a 3D reel but it's not in IMAX format (70mm). IIRC, they did not use Imax cameras this time around."

Now this doesn't mean the movie will not be released to IMAX theatres, it just means that there are no scenes specifically shot for IMAX's 70mm format (I believe standard movies are 35mm) like was done with Revenge of the Fallen were scenes such as the forest fight and Devastator had been filmed in 70mm for IMAX release. The experience was somewhat duplicated for Wal-Mart's "Big Screen Edition" Blu-ray edition of the film. So news, but not really news as I think Revenge was the last film to do anything IMAX specific as it pre-dated the current 3D craze.

Transformers 3 Over Budget? (Updated)

An interesting article for Marina City Online, building complex on State Street in Chicago, suggests that Transformers 3 may have gone over budget during production leading to stunts being cut. A planned stunt for August 8th in Marina City's west tower parking deck that involved throwing four burning cars off the deck but was cut, apparently due to time and budget issues.

Rich Moskal, director of the Chicago Film Office, says it was the film’s director, Michael Bay, who backed out of the stunt. “As far as I know, it was all set to go,” said Moskal Tuesday evening after giving a presentation at DePaul School of Digital Cinema.

“Michael Bay is always trying to do more and more,” he said, “but it was one of those things where they said, ‘do we really need to do this?’” Bay apparently had to get to a location in Detroit, a mansion that was a popular tourist destination and offered a limited opportunity for him to film there. “He had a shopping list and they were running out of time and they were way over budget to be honest with you.”

Bay, says Moskal, remembered Marina City from The Hunter. “The funny thing was, he said, ‘they did one car, I want to do four. And I want them to be on fire. I want there to be four burning cars.’ And it just kind of came down to, how much time do we have and how much more do we really need? And they did some pretty hairy stuff. It’s not like they were starved for yet another spectacle of explosions or flying cars or stuff like that.”

Other scenes for the movie, expected to be released next July, were planned but never filmed. “Their final scene was supposed to be in the reflection of the Cloud Gate sculpture at Millennium Park where they wanted to see the city [on fire] and smoldering.”

The Millennium Park scene was probably cut because that was around the time production shut down for about a week due to the extra being injured in Indiana. It is also possible that the deck scene was repurposed for another location as the description seems to match some of what was filmed at another parking deck location a week later.

The idea of Transformers 3 scenes being cut or altered is not big deal as that is common for any movie. What would be surprising is if the movie is over budget as Michael Bay takes a great deal of pride in getting his movies completed on time and under budget. If Dark of the Moon is currently over budget, will steps be taken to get it back under control by possibly making cuts on post-production decisions with cuts for possible visual effects heavy scenes? Since every second of Transformers robot action is literally 10s of thousands of dollars being spent, there are many different cuts, both big and small, that could be done to get the film budget back on track. Thanks to rumah and Ray for the link.

Update: Michael Bay once again did one of his quick drive-by's on his forum and explained the situation:

Why did I cut the stunt, because the building wanted a $40,000 location fee. I told my producer we are not paying that - Why? Because I like to stay on budget, and I also don't like to get ripped off. So there's the truth. And yes, we are are still under budget today.

Michael

Transformers 3 At The United Nations

Principle photography may have completed (aka lead cast completed their work) for Transformers 3, but that doesn't mean filming is finished. According to On Vacation Locations and Inner City Press, Transformers: Dark of the Moon filmed in the General Assembly auditorium on Saturday.

The middle section of the General Assembly hall was full of extras, in suits and native dress, while a camera on a mechanical arm panned the crowd and then the three faux speakers on the rostrum. From the photo booth on the GA's third floor, Inner City Press heard stage directions, saw the vote tally board lit up.

On Vacation Locations mentions that Dame Judi Dench was spotted but I highly doubt it. Based on the description it sounds like part of the "Autobots - Go Home" plot point that is rumored to include Congress making their presence illegal in the States and now seems to include the UN too. Does that mean Transformers get banned from the entire planet? Or maybe it is for the end of the film and the Autobots are given planetary wide amnesty?

Injured TF3 Extra Leaving Hospital

Gabriela Cedillo is on the verge of finally being released from the hospital according to Hollywood News. The set extra suffered a head injury on the Indiana set of Transformers: Dark of the Moon back in September that resulted in brain damage that required surgery. The update comes from the family attorney, Todd A Smith, who is currently suing Paramount for the accident.

In regards to her care he added, “Gabriela is still in the Rehab Institute of Chicago but she’s about to be released home so she can be taken in for outpatient physical and speech therapy. She’ll have to go in multiple times a week for extensive rehabilitation care. She continues to have paralysis issues on her left side.”

On the whole it sounds like somewhat good news as gives hope that she will eventually make a full recovery but still a long road to go as rehabilitation from these kinds of injuries can take a very long time. Best wishes to her family on a successful recovery.

Transformers 3 Principle Photography Wraps

Tyrese Gibson has tweeted that Transformers: Dark of the Moon has officially wrapped principle photography today in Los Angeles.

His first tweet (around 11am EST) on the subject said:

I'm up. On set with what we all hope to be on the last day of filming of Transformers 3. I will keep you updated!!

This was followed five hours later with:

Confirmed::: Today will be last day of shooting Transformers 3.. Yippy!! God is the greatest .. We made!! Fans we won't let you down!!

Finally at about 8:50pm EST, he made it official:

Ladies and Gents we have officially wrapped the filming of Transformers 3! Cheers to my cast and entire crew! We did it baby!! God bless u!

Congrats to the cast and crew of Transformers 3 for their long and eventful shoot. Now the post-production process begins with editing the film, sound, Industrial Light & Magic and Digital Domain doing their CGI magic and much more. The actors may be done but Bay and company still have a lot more work ahead of them. Thanks to Feris and Ann for the heads-up.

Shia and Co. On LA TF3 Set

Just Jared and The Daily Mail have each posted galleries from the Culver City in Los Angeles set of Transformers: Dark of the Moon as Shia LaBeouf, Tyrese Gibson and Rosie Huntington-Whiteley continued to film what looks like more blue screen work for the film. The stunts including something along a building wall, sliding down a facade (say a building as it falls) with other NEST troops, and Shia doing his screaming thing inside Bumblebee. Hit links above for the galleries. Thanks to rumah, Katie and Mauricio for the links.

More Legal Related Bad News for Transformers 3

Two new legal related stories have broke today regarding Transformers 3. One is a personal injury lawsuit and other involves potentially using a gun runner as a consultant for the film.

WGN and Chicago Tribune is reporting that William Kennedy is suing Paramount Pictures and others for $150,000. The paper says, "Kennedy alleges that a temporary control panel in the building where he was working, at 2558 W. 16th St., was "negligently wired" to supply 220 volts. He claims nobody warned him before he plugged in the 110-volt grinder." The accident occurred on July 25th and alleges he suffered "severe and permanent damage to his arm." Paramount has not commented on the story and doubt they will until after it is resolved as that is the standard advice any lawyer gives to clients. Thanks to rumah and Katie for the links.

The other story is a touch more bizarre. It seems Transformers: Dark of the Moon may have unintentionally hired an alleged gun trafficker as consultant for the film. From MovieWeb:

Petty Officer 1st Class Nicholas Bickle is a thirty-three year old rogue Navy SEAL who was discovered to be supplying AK-47s and handguns he allegedly smuggled in from Iraq and Afghanistan. It was also discovered that one of his unmanned accomplices was keeping live C-4 explosives hidden inside his house. While this was all going on, Bickle was working on the set of the currently in-production Transformers: Dark of the Moon as a Navy SEAL consultant and extra.

For unknown reasons the tone of the article suggests that TF3 production should have been aware of his history and not hired him. Or something. If not for the Transformers 3 angle, doubt this story would have even passed local news muster for a five second blurb. Suffice it to say, Paramount and Michael Bay have not commented on the story and hopefully will not bother as it ultimately has nothing to do with them. Sadly these two things, along with the tragic extra incident and the Bumblebee accident, give the impression of a trouble set. The end result is next year's promotional tour for the film is going to be an interesting one for Bay and the cast. Thanks to Mauricio for the link.

Transformers 3 in New York?

For the last few weeks, Transformers: Dark of the Moon has been filming in Los Angeles and now it seems that production may move to New York City, at least going by a possible casting call for the movie. From On Location Vacations:

Grant Wilfley Casting is seeking the following for background work on TRANSFORMERS 3: the Dark of the Moon:

* Arabic/Middle Eastern, South Asian/East Indian, and African men and women with traditional ethnic wardrobe for work on Nov. 12 or Nov. 13.

Email a recent picture and contact information to casting@gwcnyc.com. Write the role for which you are submitting in the subject line of your email. Filming the week of November 8 in NYC.

This is a different casting company then used for previous extra calls. Usual caveats about scams and the like with the biggest being any requests for money makes it a fraud. Maybe it is a quick pick-up scene but highly doubt it is a major sequence or they would have fit it into the schedule when moving all the Transformers vehicles, pyrotechnics and the like all over the country when filming during the summer. Gearing that up again would be very expensive making the standing NY set in LA a better alternative if a large scale action sequence was needed.

Transformers 3 Still Filming (Updated)

A series of tweets, along with picture, from Tyrese Gibson indicates that Transformers 3 may still be filming in LA.

Back on the set of Transformers 3.!! Good to be back in LA I wrestled and had a pillow fight with my little girl last night!! Fun times !

Follow-up from October 28th seem to indicate that not only are they still filming but they allowed honor students from three local high schools to visit the set.TF hat tip to the lucky students.

Today is a BIGDAY. I arranged for 15 kids frm 3 High Schools in my town South Central Locke, Crenshaw & Compton! 2 visit our #TF3 set!!

A total of 45 kids to visit the set of Transformers 3! I'm gonna blow them away.,, And I'm gonna share everything I know with them.

Locke High School, Crenshaw & Compton High I will see you all in 1 hour on thd set of Tranformers 3! Ur 3.5+ GPA's earned you this today!!

Update: The Mail Online has posted images from the Los Angeles set of Shia LaBeouf filming a scene in front of a blue screen. I am guessing it is for close-up work that will be combined with the footage filmed at the Chicago parking deck with Shia's stunt double. Patrick Dempsey was also there but his casual attire indicates to me that he was just visiting. (via AllSpark)

Transformers: Dark of the Moon ET Report

Entertainment Tonight has posted their article of video of the behind the scenes report from the Chicago set of Transformers 3. The video includes set footage, explosions and the sales pitch of the movie from Michael Bay, Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Tyrese Gibson, and Josh Duhamel. Pretty much no spoilers are revealed but the title does drop a "the" with official title being "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" which oddly enough does make a difference. If want to get a little meta, thanks to Colin Hinkle for the picture of behind the scenes of ET filming behind the scenes of TF:DOTM with Samantha Harris in the yellow dress. Also thanks to Teddy83 for the link.

"I think what we were lacking in the second movie was heart," says Shia about the last installment of the blockbuster franchise, 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.' "But, I think with the addition of Rosie and new characters … you still have the magic of the first film, but you have depth in the ending of the third."

"Sam's coming out of heartbreak," explains Shia about the film's emotional center. "He's looking for a rock. He's looking for stability. He's looking for a person who doesn't love him because of his involvement in the wars, or because of his involvement with the robots. … And, so he's looking to define himself and find a person who understands the definition and loves him for him, and he finds it in Rosie."

"The story, I think, is really rich," says Michael. "This is kind of a good old fashioned, kinda espionage 'Transformers' movie." He adds, "I just told Mayor Daley that I'm sorry about messing up his city."

Road Home, DC Video and TF Trailer Call-back

Even though current, but limited knowledge, indicates that Transformers: The Dark of the Moon is no longer filming in the states, the image taken by Denise T. shows Ironhide and Ratchet as they were transported on Monday around noon through Phoenix, Arizona in Eastbound lane. More than likely the destination is wherever the TFs are stored when no longer being used for filming or promotional use but maybe more is being done in LA.

Speaking of production, below is another video from Washington, DC filming. This one is shows more of the filming at Lincoln Memorial and what else Shia and Josh were up to after they ran across the lawn and what the flashing lights might have been for. The last video is the teaser trailer for the upcoming movie Skyline. Mostly posting it because found it amusing the use of the Transformers 1 trailer music queues and font designs complete with glowing light in the background. Thanks to Mauricio and and Jakenbocker for the links.

TF3 DC: Even More Videos, Images

To my knowledge, production in Washington, DC has come to an end. It is also possible the United States side of filming has also completed. This doesn't mean that more images and videos from DC are still not popping up online. Thanks to Topherlyon who posted a nice gallery of images from filming, including confirming it was Julie White, Kevin Dunn, Shia LaBeouf, and Rosie Huntington-Whitely filming at Constitution Hall on last Sunday. The full set can be found on Flickr.

He and his brother also posted two videos (below) that they edited together of the first two days of filming in the area. The 1st video is filming at Constitution Hall, the second is a look at some of the pre-prep before the Bayhem along Pennsylvania Avenue. Overall they report seeing 4 fire fights and 1 explosion with multiple takes.

Below is also a link to a 20 minute video on Facebook (no embedding available). It shows some of the Lincoln Memorial filming including a close-up of Michael Bay, Josh Duhamel, Shia and others doing their various tasks including filming a scene of them running together towards flashing lights (probably representing a distant fire fight) along with Shia finding various ways to kill time between takes. Part of it is various amusing ways to get himself going to make it seem he has been running for a while. Speaking of, for additional amusement Shia also got busted throwing coffee on paparazzi while in DC. Thanks Adam for Facebook link and rumah for coffee video link.

Videos: DC Facebook | Throwing Coffee

More Images, Video from TF3 in DC

The pictures and video continue to hit various websites and YouTube as Transformers 3 continues production around Washington, DC. Yesterday a big crowd showed up to the Lincoln Memorial as Shia LaBeouf, Josh Duhamel and NEST members filmed.

The set of images below come thanks to Shane W. who took them while visiting the city on Tuesday. The pics where taken at the 9th Street base camp. Also below are links to additional galleries with the 1st gallery from Bryan showing the fans ringing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool while filming occurred with a break taken as Shia and Josh met fans including one fan that was able to get his ROTF 1st movie DVD signed. Bryan also reports that Tyrese was not on set but his stunt double. From comments, turns out the INOVA thingie on his uniform is a powerful flashlight.

As for videos, the first one comes from MyFox DC as they interview fans as they wait for the big Pennsylvania Avenue explosions from Monday. This is also the report that started the rumor that the Bumblebee accident would be incorporated into the scene, something that MB.com's Nelson says is untrue. Speaking of those explosions, Shane also posted five of his videos. The first three show a close look at the action from PA Ave. between 3rd and 4th Streets, the Mad Max car driving by on H Street, and the arrival of the replacement Bumblebee(s) to continue filming. Links to others show the unloading of 'Bee and Shia driving the Datsun along Pennsylvania Ave.

The fifth video is a nearly eleven minute look at some of the filming that occurred near the reflecting pool. At about that time, Bryan recorded 15 short videos from around that time that seems to include scenes with Shia, Josh and NEST. I chose a sample one, be sure to hit link below for the rest. The 7th video is from Sunday as at Constitution Hall. Not entirely sure but think Kevin Dunn (blue shirt) and Julie White (pink dress) were there. To finish things up, the last video returns us to explosion. This time from Constitution Avenue as it goes off and two cars smash into each other. Thanks to Shane, Bryan, Sideswipe, digifruitella, Katie, and Mauricio for the links, vides and images.

TF3 DC: Bayhem Arrives in the Capitol, Autobots Exiled

Despite the Bumblebee accident, the show must go on as it did last night in around the National Mall in Washington, DC. Michael Bay was able to get permission to bring his patented Bayhem to the scene with explosions and lots of gunfire as the videos below filmed near the Capital Building along Pennsylvania Avenue show. In addition he briefly spoke to a fan about the accident, joking around saying "there are always more" and "Washington cops wrecked my Bumblebee." Thanks to Eric Heise, Jeffrey from Pixel Rally and Katie for the video links.

A thread from Revenge of the Fallen, carried over with set images of an "Autobots Go Home" graphitti has hit a new level with a reveal from The Washington Post that indicates things are going very badly for the Autobots in this movie. Thanks to Richard P. for the link. Update: Politico provides a little more information including the name of the character as Dana Bash.

"While filming "[Transformers] 3" in front of the Capitol in D.C., director Michael Bay shoots a scene in which a "CNN reporter" broadcasts news that Congress has acted quickly to pass legislation that exile Autobots from American soil."

As the photos above and below show, Bumblebee is alive and well both in a trailer and on the DC streets thanks to Allison and Michael D. along with a few additional images. From the TF Parking Lot/Home Base, Allison reports that she scoped out the "Mad Max" truck and could not find any insignia to verify if it’s a Transformer or not. She did note a little dog on the front that to me suggests more terrestrial origins for the vehicle (or that its Wreck-Gar who started as neither Autobot or Decepticon in the G1 movie). She also spotted two additional Bumblebees, not including the damaged one. The rest of Michael's gallery from the streets of DC can be found here.