Michael Bay
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)
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
 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.

Director Case Study - Michael Bay

  • 1.
  • 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  Firstbegan 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 choseto 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.