In an article on how a production-ready version of the Chevrolet Volt may be available for the auto show circuit in the near future, Motor Trend confirms that the Volt will also be featured in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The Volt will join the Beat and Trax as new Chevrolet cars confirmed as being featured in the sequel.
airfox
And giving some years, won't these "super-expensive concept cars" be regular cars sold by GMC's companies?
I know the Camaro won't be cheap, but what about the Beat or the Volt?
-airfox
Bumblethumper
I dunno about that. I don't think Transformers was as obscure as that before the movie. Also you had at least 2 seperate automakers using transformer versions of their cars in advertising campaigns, again prior to the movie. Add to that that Spielberg was involved, and I think it was quite an attractive proposition. Maybe not to VW/Porshe, but we've come to expect that.
Fit For natalie
Cars: Family-friendly fun from a globally-known family-friendly studio with no hope of controversy whatsoever. Makes everybody involved look great.
Transformers: GIANT KILLER WAR BOTS FROM OUTER SPACE THAT BLOW SHIT UP AND KILL PEOPLE from a then-relatively obscure robot franchise that is mostly known for selling toys to kids via dubious means, such as 22 minute commercials masquerading as television shows. Companies like Porsche have a reputation to think of, not to mention their history.
Bumblethumper
Agreed. I've been saying this all along, but I'll say it again.
The Saab is just that awesome. Open it up and it even looks like it's transforming.
If they don't use it for ROTF, I hope they use it for Universe Classic Series.
Cinemastique
This is true.
Of course, his property has its own private fire department. I don't think he's worrying about where his next meal is coming from.
Bumblethumper
Yeah, bet he wishes he hadn't sold Pixar so cheap.
Cinemastique
Actually, I'm trying to think of WHAT the other 40% is. Hmm. What effects didn't Lucasfilm Ltd. pioneer?
Big-budget indie filmmaking? Nope, ESB.
Digital editing? Nope, EditDroid.
Computer animation? The PIXAR computer.
CGI? Please.
Start-motion photography? ILM again.
Motion capture? Yep, ILM.
Surround sound? Digital projection? Lucas again.
Animatics and storyboarding? Lucasfilm rewrote the book.
Sound design? They do about half of Hollywood's.
Digital photography? Invented, built the cameras, and used for the first time.
I give up. Maybe I should have said 99%. It's nice to think that someone else would have come up with this stuff eventually, but the truth is we'd still probably be using stilted stop-motion and mono.
Does excellent dialogue and writing anytime after 1989 count? 'Cause Lucas does great on everyone ELSE's properties.
PS- Don't tell Michael Bay about this. He thinks he invented all this stuff himself. ^^^
Salluch
The Saab makes a way better Wheeljack, this Volt has to be another character.
Gordon_4
Wishing no offence to ILM, for they are gods of their domain, who did the other 40%?
Cinemastique
Regarding Pixar:
Say what you want about George Lucas, but he and his companies have invented or pioneered like 60% of the technology in modern Hollywood. Staggering.
Sso02V
nope, which is why it's good that they're all from different brands.
Mr.Roboto
Perhaps his name will be Volt!!
Sablebot
Not entirely true IMO
We'll just have to agree to disagree: when it comes to movies, especially science fiction movies, suspension of disbelief is a required and common characteristic.
As far as arguing the fact about having or not having one or more car brands as realistic or unrealistic, personally, I feel that since we moviegoers work really hard for our money, (though, ironically, it isn't our money that greenlights, funds, produces, directs and edits the movies), then we can and should expect a reasonably sound, logical, faithful, sensible and humourus filmic presentation manifested on celluloid after we've paid our 7 or more dollars for tickets and popcorn to see the movie. That's just my personal sentiment, especially since I am an active media watcher and consumer – I guess my background working in community access television with an emphasis on media literacy has greatly influenced that sentiment and temperament.
In closing, I'll say this:
A)There are alot of cool cars in TF1 and some cool ones in TF2 – still wish for more variety, and I can still wish for that;
B)I liked TF1 as well as G1 and some of the other incarnations, but not without a critical eye and not without seeing what I feel are flaws;
C)I'm looking forward to TF2, but looking forward to it cautiously. Will TF2 blow me away? I'm sure it will. Am I looking forward to the teasers and leaked footage and designs? Yes, but cautiously. Do I have some respect for Bay, Spielberg, Orci, Kurtzman, Kreugher, as well as Dreamworks, Paramount and Co., ILM, Digital Domain and everyone involved? YES – tons, as making movies like this are a big-ass amount of work – even though again, I can still disagree with some of their choices. I'm not going to go off like that guy who was an extra and disrupted the set – that was just plain imbecilic and assinine. If Bay ever decides to shoot any footage in Cincinnati or North Carolina for TF2 or TF3, I'd be more than happy to be an extra, to get his autograph, and to give him and co. their props.
Bumblethumper
Yeah, I think they made the right decision there.
frenzyrumble
that;s wat i was saying, disney's movies would be non-existant if pixar didn't save their butts.
Superion33
If you were to have been asked the question: "If the TFs ALL chose only one car brand as their ALT modes, would you find that believable?" The answer would be no. It requires you to suspend your disbelief to watch the movie. Can it be done. Sure. Can it be done easily? I would say it can depending on how much you noticed the said fact.
But I don't think anyone can argue the fact that having only one car brand is realistic as far as story telling goes.
All it does is point out the fact that some people just don't want to be bombarded with advertisements constantly. And there are people out there who don't like that and won't put up with it. I don't like to be bombarded with pop-up ads when I surf the web. I don't want Facebook to plaster ads all over their webpage. Ask people and they prefer a webpage free of cluttered ads.
Its the same with TF being one huge giant commercial. Its just taking it to an even more extreme. To some of you, it doesn't matter. To others, it does. Its just a matter of where you draw the line.
Bumblethumper
It's not totally comparable, but combine it with the other example of that Fast and the Furious movie, and I think you can make a fair case for the feasibility of having multiple brands involved. Probably never get VW and Porshe onboard, but you can still have variety.
But you're right, in a movie that involves explosion and car chases, it's clearly an advantage to have a good source for multiple cars. There's clear advantages and disadvantages either way. It depends on your point of view whether that makes it a worthwhile trade-off.
Bumblethumper
That's very interesting, I hadn't realised that about Barricade. But it does go to demonstrate that there are ways of getting around and appeasing the demands of automakers.
Bumblethumper
… only after their own animated films were loosing massive amounts of money. Around the turn of the millenium they were having massive layoffs every year.
Honestly, I don't think the whole Disney has megabucks, and Paramount is in the poorhouse argument is up to much. Paramount is part of the massive Viacom corporation, and I don't think any movie with Spielberg's name attached ever has all that much trouble attracting finance.
frenzyrumble
disney has so much money they had to buy pixar.
…lol at that