Transformers director Michael Bay is giving hopeful filmmakers a chance to work with him on “Transformers 4” by going commercial — literally.
According to Starpulse.com, Bay is teaming up with Doritos to launch “Crash the Super Bowl,” a contest allowing aspiring movie makers to develop commercials for the chip brand during one of the typically most watched television events of the year. Bay got his start making commercials before moving on to Hollywood, so he’s giving back to the arena that helped him in his early years. Bay told The Hollywood Reporter, “When you find out where these guys came from…it’s great,” he said. “If you want to get noticed, this is the way to do it.”
One finalist on the seventh-annual competition will be selected through an online poll. The other will be chosen by the Doritos team, with Bay also acting as a judge. The director with the ad that gets the highest score on USA Today’s Ad Meter ranking of Super Bowl commercials will win the opportunity to work on the next installment of the successful Transformers franchise with Bay.
In an interview with The Huffington Post, Bay promised the work the winning director will perform won’t be too menial. “It’s not going to be doing my laundry,” Bay said. “They’re going to be working on the set in some capacity.”
Bay also wants to make it easier for aspiring filmmakers to break in the business. “It’s hard,” Bay told The Post. “I lecture at film schools and what not and a lot of kids are like, ‘How do I break in?’ And nowadays, it’s harder for me to say. Because I think it’s tougher. So this is part of what our film community has to do. We’ve got to give back a little bit and help people break into the business.”
Bay also likes the idea of the contest helping in this regard, especially with the quality of the Super Bowl spots. “And we’ve seen these spots on the Super Bowl — and they’re memorable spots,” Bay said. “I can’t believe that pros had not done them. So that’s when I said yes to it. It’s a great platform for a young, aspiring filmmaker or actor or writer — whoever wants to put these spots together. This is a great way to launch yourself.”
Working on a Transformers movie also is a good reason to get involved with the contest. “On a ‘Transformers’ set, you work with some of the very best crews in the business,” Bay said. “Bar none.”
In the early part of Bay’s career, he would have loved to have a similar opportunity to get noticed, he told The Post. “It’s a good opportunity for someone to really see how it’s done,” he said. “When I was young, aspiring to do what I did, I would have killed for something like this. There’s nothing better than real-life experience.”
Guest Written by Amy Rogers