2. Basic Info
American film director and producer
Born February 17th 1965 in LA
He is known for directing high-budget action films characterized by their
fast edits, stylistic visuals and extreme use of special effects
He is co-founder of commercial production house The Institute a.k.a.
The Institute for the Development of Enhanced Perceptual Awareness
He has a wide success of directing and producing successful horror film
This is partly due to the fact that he co-owns Platinum Dunes, a
production house which has remade horror movies including Texas
Chainsaw (2003), The Amityville Horror (2005), The Hitcher (2007), Friday
the 13th (2009) and A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
3. Career
First began in the film industry by interning with George Lucas when he was fifteen, filing
the storyboards for Raiders of the Lost Ark
He was so impressed with the experience that he decided to become a director
His first feature-length film was Bad Boys, shot in Miami in 1994
The film was completed for $19 million and grossed a remarkable $141 million at the box office in the
summer of 1995
He went on to co-produce as well as direct the successful action adventure film Armageddon.
He also produced and directed successful films such as Pearl Harbour, Transformers, Bad Boys II and
The Island before turning his attention to horror
He first began to direct and produce horror films when he founded the Platinum Dunes production
house
The company's first film, a remake of the 1974 film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, grossed $107 million
worldwide.
Platinum Dunes produced lucrative remakes of classic horror films and introduced new directors
like Sam Bayer and Marcus Nispel to feature film audiences.
The company’s most recent production was the 2010 remake the most well-known Slasher horror; A
Nightmare on Elm Street. The film made 32.9 million dollars in it’s opening weekend and went on to
produce over 100 million dollars worldwide
4. I chose to produce a Case study on Michael Bay as he is one of the most successful directors and
producers, with a solid history of producing horror films, with classic Slasher remakes being
among his portfolio
My horror film has taken inspiration from three of Michael Bay’s films; Texas Chainsaw, Friday
the 13th, and a Nightmare on Elm Street. Michael bay’s versions are classic Slasher films that
follow all Slasher conventions and the typical narrative. This is something I want to reflect in my
Slasher film and I want to create a film that the audience instantly know is a Slasher
From Texas Chainsaw, I had the idea of having the characters in an isolated location for a night of
horror and torture. This is similar to what happens in Texas Chainsaw where the teenagers go
away for the weekend to a small town and are terrorised by Leatherface with no way of escape
From Friday the 13th, I had the idea of the location of the film being partially set in a woodland
location and the costume of the antagonist. This is because I found, when watching Bay’s
remake, the Jason was a solid example of a conventional Slasher antagonist. This was mainly
shown to me through his costume; his mask, the baggy overalls and his signature machete as a
weapon. This was when I decided on how I wanted to present the antagonist in my horror.
Everything about the film, the location, the characters and the narrative was what the audience
would expect from a classic slasher horror
From a Nightmare on Elm Street, I developed the idea of a revenge killing. A nightmare on elm
street is one of the most well-known and most successful Slasher horrors that still terrifies
audiences now, which appears to be difficult for most Slasher films currently, with supernatural
dominating the horror market. I knew that Bay’s version would be a useful watch for me to help
develop my ideas to create a Slasher film as unique and successful as A Nightmare on Elm street.
