A Message from Don Murphy, Don speaks about recent developments Options

[Angelophile]

Don asked that this post be repeated beyond DM.net so:

Happy Accidents (A Random Sunday Posting)

Hey there Stooges---

There’s a lot of good stuff to tell you about showing SHOOT-EM-UP to the studio and them loving it… about another project that looks like it will happen… about something I so desperately wanted to do in 2002 but got wronged by a friend, and now the karma turns. Like I say there is a lot of good stuff to tell you.

But let’s talk Transformers shall we? There has been a lot of leaks of photos, scripts, tidbits both true and false. Roberto and Alex spoke on a webcast this week. Lots of things coming out which are costing people their jobs. Good stuff, bad stuff.

But you know what? You haven’t actually SEEN a damn thing yet.

Now the negative ninnies out there, the people like Bowspearer who just live in a cesspool of hatred, will say “We’ve seen enough. This isn’t my Transformers.” To those people who are so old school and stuck in their ways I say the following- Go away. Seriously. We don’t need you here. You hate and you haven’t SEEN a damn thing yet.

Oh sure, Prime doesn’t look EXACTLY like he did in the cartoon. The Autobots are only five. The Decepticons don’t have Soundwave. There are complaints out the wazoo. Well you know what?

I have complaints too. There are things I wanted in this film which are not going to be in there. But I know what some of you know- filmmaking is not a democracy. Hell, Adam Goodman is in charge of production at Dreamworks. He’s the guy who BOUGHT this film. He is working day and night to get this ready for July 07. There are things I know he wishes were in the film. But they aren’t. You’ve talked online here to Brian Goldner. He owns the property but everything is not EXACTLY as he wishes. Tom Desanto is the most devoted producer out there- I know there are things he wishes were in there. You saw that Alex and Bob didn’t get everything they wanted. And Michael Bay, who spends 16 hour days shooting this mega-film? Michael Bay who sets up every shot himself and oversees to the point of operating the camera at times? He’s made a zillion compromises to get a great film he can be happy with.

No, filmmaking is a series of happy accidents. When Tom and I shopped this project around every studio passed, including Dreamworks and Paramount. When those two studios and others came around, we ended up with Dreamworks because Steven Spielberg and Adam Goodman (and creative VPS John Fox and Marc Haimes) knew that this was a BIG cool idea for a franchise. Hell, those guys wanted it in cinemas THIS summer. It’s now 07 because everyone wants to get it right. No one is trying to make anything but a great film here.

When I say you haven’t SEEN anything, think about it. You’ve seen a toy mold. A truck still. A Bumblebee model with a guy underneath it.

You haven’t SEEN Bumblebee transform. You haven’t SEEN Optimus walk or Megatron awaken. You’ve seen sketches, designs and stills. Most of you get it when Brian Goldner says “We are doing something here that has never been done.” He’s right. The technology is there to make a LIVE ACTION Transformers film. To make several of them. But this is not a cartoon. There are cartoons already. Hasbro is making more. This is something new and different. LIVE ACTION robots.

So you negative ninnies- I’d like you to give us a break. And if you don’t, I’d like you to go away for a while. Seriously. Come back in six months. Wait until you SEE something that Michael and ILM and all of us have done. Not some leaked bulljive from some coward. Wait till you SEE the magic that I believe will be Transformers the Live Action Movie. Then if you don’t like what you see, hate away. Till then, I challenge you to be a grown up and reserve judgment. Even the majority who seem to like what you see have a right to hate later on.

We’re trying to do this right- to appeal to the fans and the rest of the world. Cullen is hired. Welker is going through the process. Other things are being reviewed and considered.

There will always be someone who wants to hate. That’s so easy.

But I challenge the haters to wait until they SEE a Transformer in Live Action.

And the rest of you, most of you, thanks for the many suggestions and kind words. It continues to be a surprising and fun ride.

Hang Tight Stooges, Hang Tight.

[NightViper]

I love that man.

Well put, Don. Well put.

[Kalidor]

Woot!

Well said. People just need to chill.

The only people capable of ruining this film for the fans are the fans themselves.

[Magnus]

Couldn't have said it better myself.

And just because it deserves to be repeated ad infinum:

Now to the negative ninnies out there, who just live in a cesspool of hatred, who say “We’ve seen enough. This isn’t my Transformers.” To those people who are so old school and stuck in their ways I say the following- Go away. Seriously. We don’t need you here.

This post has been edited by Magnus: Aug 20 2006, 04:21 PM

[Asquian]

yeah, i'm in surprising agreement w/ don this time.

[Esser-Z]

I think I will agree with Don.

[MrBlud]

If you hate the designs I hardly see how seeing them in motion is going to change anything. (IMG:http://www.allspark.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/icon-depth.gif)

[Bainreese]

Well put and right on. I agree 100%. Is there people who aren't going to like the film? Yes, and fine. Are there people who don't like what they've seen so far? Yes, and fine. But don't....DONT tell us this thing is going to be a flop. Don't tell us that they aren't being true to the Transformers franchise. Because that is just a bunch of self-aggrandizement. You don't define the franchise and your opinion only counts for one person, you.

This post has been edited by Bainreese: Aug 20 2006, 04:31 PM

[BlitzwingHaz]

Yeh, hate to say it but I think what we've seen is a pretty big indication of the way the design process is going.
Sure, we aren't seeing the full effect which will probably convert a lot of doubters in the end, but some folk won't be converted.

I agree that people should wait and see, but when you do a dramatic turnaround of an established design, some people will be alienated.

[Denyer]

Oh sure, Prime doesn’t look EXACTLY like he did in the cartoon.

(IMG:http://www.allspark.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/icon-fire.gif)

[The Phazer]

What a stupid, stupid, stupid point.

And plain wrong. I hate these designs. Seeing these designs moving isn't going to change that. How could it?

The sad thing is, if this film tanks some people will try to come up with the most desperate stuff to justify that it wasn't just because of bad designs.

Phazer

[Bainreese]

Yeh, hate to say it but I think what we've seen is a pretty big indication of the way the design process is going.
Sure, we aren't seeing the full effect which will probably convert a lot of doubters in the end, but some folk won't be converted.

I agree that people should wait and see, but when you do a dramatic turnaround of an established design, some people will be alienated.

Yeah, and I can definitely take someone saying "I don't like it." That's cool. Its when they go beyond themselves and start making claims about the success or failure of it all or how they aren't being true to what Transformers are as if their definition of what transformers are is the only one.

[The Phazer]

Yeah, and I can definitely take someone saying "I don't like it." That's cool. Its when they go beyond themselves and start making claims about the success or failure of it all or how they aren't being true to what Transformers are as if their definition of what transformers are is the only one.

It's a perfectly reasonable point to say that a film that relies entirely on nostalgia for it's existance has how well people take to redesigns as a main factor in it's success.

Phazer

[Bainreese]

Yeah, and I can definitely take someone saying "I don't like it." That's cool. Its when they go beyond themselves and start making claims about the success or failure of it all or how they aren't being true to what Transformers are as if their definition of what transformers are is the only one.

It's a perfectly reasonable point to say that a film that relies entirely on nostalgia for it's existance has how well people take to redesigns as a main factor in it's success.

Phazer

IF the former "film that relies entirely on nostalgia for it's existance" wasn't entirely your opinion and a rather uninformed one at that since you haven't seen squat of the movie. Which was of course, Don's point. The one that apparently soured over your head.

[Angelophile]

I think the point is not that people aren't allowed to hate things - like Don says, there's things in the movie HE'S not happy about. No one's got the perfect movie for them. So, if you hate the designs, fine. That's fair enough, it's one of the things you don't like.

The problem arises where people hate EVERYTHING and all they ever do is bemoan the fact they hate everything. Judging from what they've seen so far they leap to the conclusion that EVERYTHING about this movie is gonna be wrong for them and therefore for everyone else too. f course, it doesn't work like that. There's bound to be something about the movie we all hate. There's bound to be things we all love too and completely writing the film off and then doing nothing but pissing and moaning about how it will be an abject failure on every single level DAY AFTER DAY is when you should just go away.

[Furious George]

jive is jive. Moving jive is still jive (IMG:http://www.allspark.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/icon-hotrod.gif)


Anyway, not all of the design sucks (blackout's cool), but like others said, what a dumb point it is to say the bot's movements is gonna change everything.

[Legend-of-Blacko...]

Yeah, and I can definitely take someone saying "I don't like it." That's cool. Its when they go beyond themselves and start making claims about the success or failure of it all or how they aren't being true to what Transformers are as if their definition of what transformers are is the only one.

It's a perfectly reasonable point to say that a film that relies entirely on nostalgia for it's existance has how well people take to redesigns as a main factor in it's success.

Phazer

I could start a whole thread on why the success of the movie doesn't hinge on nostalgia but suffice it to say that the people who are going to be nostalgic about Transformers and want to see this movie because of it have already made up their minds, IMO. They're already here and they either like what they see or they don't. Vague memories do not equal nostalgia. And there are plenty of people out there in their late thirties or forties who know what transformers are but don't get all warm and fuzzy when they think about it. My dad knows what Transformers are. My uncles know what Transformers are. There's a good chance they'll see this movie but they don't have nostalgic memories about it.

Don's point, I think, is not that seeing the bots moving will change people's opinions. Rather, that if you give it a chance, even if you think Starscream looks like total jive, you might still have fun and enjoy yourself, that you might find it's an enjoyable action flick even if it doesn't hold true to all our memories of the Transformers that we grew up with. I, for one, agree with him 100%.

[HOOKS]

If you hate the designs I hardly see how seeing them in motion is going to change anything. (IMG:http://www.allspark.com/forums/style_emoticons/default/icon-depth.gif)

The fact that the actual models that are going to be used in the movie aren't even complete yet could be one big reason for that.

Plus, things look much better in motion on the movie screen than they do in leaked half-complete models and sketches.

The only detailed Transformer we have gotten so far is Blackout, and he is a non-colored, non-moving model. And guess what? Most people seem to love him.

I applaud Don Murphy 100% for his post, and hope people take heed and just chill out a bit and wait until we get official info before jumping off cliffs and declaring the end of Transformers.

[Asquian]

just to continue to prove phazer wrong, showed a friend of mine the prototype images. he's one of the many that sorta remembers transformers. he liked blackout, hated scorpy, sorta liked prime and scream, and still plans to see the movie.

so i showed a few more non tf collector friends. similar results all the way down the line, w/ variations on who they liked and hated, and they all still intend to go see the movie.

edit: these friends, btw, range from local friends from school and work, to internet acquaintences met through various means like Guild wars and WoW.

so, i'm thinking the nostalgia isn't the factor you claim it is, phaze.

This post has been edited by Asquian: Aug 20 2006, 04:57 PM

[transfan2008]

I don't hate all the designs. I just hate Starscreams design. Bumble Bee's was explained that it not done yet,but nothing Don says will make me happy that StarScream looks like a Half Chicken/Half Gorrila bot.