After the knowledge Creed IISteven Caple Jr. took over management of the franchise transformers and chose Montreal to shoot this new installment in the Autobots’ adventures. Interview…
Produced by Michael Bay on a $200 million budget, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts marks the return of Optimus Prime and the Autobots. The latter join forces with the Maximals to save the planet – and the universe – from the Terrorcons. And two people will be part of this epic battle: Noah Diaz (Anthony Ramos), a former soldier, and Elena Wallace (Dominique Fishback), an artifact specialist at a museum.
Nowhere else… very simple
In the summer of 2021, the Transformers team settled in Montreal, a decision that came naturally. “We filmed in full during the pandemic and containment and all sets were booked around the world…except Montreal!” Steven Caple Jr. laughed during an interview with QMI Agency.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY PARAMOUNT PICTURES
“The second reason, of course, is that we had heard that Montreal has excellent teams. One of our producers, Lorenzo di Bonaventura, had already shot several films in Montreal and was happy to come back. It was my first time in Quebec.”
The freedom given to production was also one of the reasons Transformers: Rise of the Beasts came to us.
“We used Montreal to shoot New York, but not today’s, which is 1994. So we got to decorate and redesign Montreal to look like New York in the early 1990s. Most of the exterior shots were done at night as we tried to stay true to the mythology of the Transformers hidden during the day as much as possible. During the day the trays had a little doomsday aspect as they were empty.
The feature film begins on Earth in prehistoric times, when the Maximals battle the god Unicron and the Terrorcons, leaving Optimus Prime to watch over the planet. The action then moves to New York in the early 1990s, where Noah, a former soldier, is looking for a job to support his mother (Luna Lauren Vélez) and Kris (Dean Scott Vazquez), his ailing younger brother. At the same time we follow Elena who finds a strange statuette among the artifacts preserved by the museum where she works.
In addition to the location shoots, the production also built sets at Mels Studios. Among the grandiose sets is that of the “Third Act”, which takes place on top of a volcano on a bridge. We also shot scenes that take place inside the cars against a green screen background.”
“Noah Diaz’s character’s entire New York apartment was built in the studio, and what viewers see is a complete set. We made this decision because we wanted the vast majority of the scenes to feel like they were taking place at night. However, we couldn’t have kids on a night set, so we filmed during the day, with the interior sets allowing us to pretend it was night.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY PARAMOUNT PICTURES
Change of direction?
At 35, Steven Caple Jr. is only making his third feature film, the previous being Creed II, which was released in 2018 and starring Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone and Tessa Thompson. It’s not easy going from a human environment to one that’s largely made up of large-scale special effects.
“I like giant challenges, like jumping into a huge franchise with both feet,” he said. On top of that, I have to say that I’ve been a Transformers fan for years and I think that made my decision easier.”
“When I received the script, the producers informed me that they would be focusing on the storyline of Beast Wars, which will be presented in live action for the first time. I also wanted to add my perspective on the legacy of this franchise by making a film that looks like me, that tells a story that I want to tell, with actors that illustrate the world I live in and who look like me I can say that.
“I have to admit that the technical side was quite a learning curve due to the impressive amount of visual effects. For Creed II we only had a few green screens and punches. But for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, that was it! Being on set with human actors without robots was a big challenge. The actors talked to tennis balls on twenty-foot poles, trying to figure out where to look between takes.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY PARAMOUNT PICTURES
“We had to find a rhythm and a different pace for the film. Thank you to the Montreal teams. It is thanks to them that we found a way of working that suited us perfectly. The actors wore headphones in one ear while voice actors told them the robots’ lines, allowing them to perform and convey emotion.
“Whenever I had questions, I called Michael Bay. He was an exceptional resource and allowed me to learn even more about special effects, how to organize myself and how to deal with the number of robots in a shot,” said Steven Caple Jr.
A few weeks ago, the entire film crew was in Singapore for the film’s world premiere, an opportunity for the filmmaker to reflect on the success of Transformers.
“Love for Bumblebee can be found in every country in the world. But I think everyone wants a hero, that’s the main attraction of the franchise and here with the character of Anthony or Optimus Prime. When you see fans dressed up as characters you can feel the love and appreciation they have for the films and that’s why Transformers have been so successful for over 30 or 40 years. »
“For me, there’s also the appeal of nostalgia. A look back over the decades that the various Transformers were released shows the development. Cartoons and toys up until 1990 with the introduction of Beast Wars, then live action… we see the franchise adapting to different eras. And while the film is set in 1994, there are themes we can all relate to.
“I played with nostalgia a lot, especially with music. We reference Tupac Shakur in our opening scene, and you won’t find anything like it anywhere else.”
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts hits theaters on June 9th.