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LOS
ANGELES, June 2009 –
“Transformers: Revenge of the
Fallen” hits theaters nationwide
tomorrow as the culmination of more
than a year of Defense Department
support, ranging from script and
uniform notes to C-17 aerial
maneuvers and jumps from the Army's
Golden Knights parachute
demonstration team.
The
first Transformers film released in
July 2007 used a variety of Air
Force assets. In the latest film,
DreamWorks and Paramount studios
partnered with all four services to
highlight America's military members
and combat power on the big screen.
Deciding how and why to work with
the services was essential in making
the film work, producers said.
"There are really a lot of
similarities between a military
operation and a movie production,”
said Army Lt. Col. Greg Bishop, the
department’s project officer for
the movie. “The mobility of the
operation, the logistics and
planning required, and the
problem-solving skills required to
pull the whole thing off are very
much alike."
Transformers executive producer and
director Michael Bay has worked with
military leaders on other films and
frequently consults with them to
make action sequences in his movies
appear more authentic.
"You know the first thing we're
going to look at is that if you're
going to fight these 32- to 125-foot
robots, who else would you fight
them with?" Transformers
producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura
said.
Like its predecessors, the latest
Transformers movie uses hundreds of
military members from all the
services and from throughout the
country to make the film feel more
realistic.
"I enjoyed being able to walk
on the set and there are a hundred
real soldiers as opposed to walking
on and it’s a hundred actors from
Orange County or L.A. in
fatigues," said Megan Fox, the
film’s female lead actor. "It
was just an overall pleasant
experience, and I have an immense
amount of respect for the soldiers
and for our troops."
That realism extends to military
equipment as jet fighters roar from
the deck of an aircraft carrier to
the recoiling sounds of M1-A1 Abrams
tanks firing 120-mm rounds at their
deceptive and at times overpowering
foes.
"What [the military] bring to
it is obviously a sense of reality.
But for us what is most interesting
about it is our interaction with
them," di Bonaventura said.
"Because you actually get to
see these people who have made a
life choice and the honesty of that
choice comes through each and every
time you meet these guys. So, for
us, that's the really exciting
thing. We get to hang out at the
base and see the joy they get out of
being a part of us, and you also see
us get affected by their level of
commitment."
This latest Transformers film shows
an extreme example of what the
military does in everyday life.
"Though the 'enemy' in this
film are alien robots, we strove to
make the depiction of operations as
realistic and accurate as
possible,” said Capt. Bryon
McGarry, the Air Force project
officer for the movie. “As in
real-world operations, we go to
'war' against the Decepticons in the
film jointly to achieve coordinated,
balanced and devastating results. If
they ever came to Earth, we'd be
ready for them."
DreamWorks and Paramount pictures
have given permission to provide
special screenings of
“Transformers, Revenge of the
Fallen” at bases that provided
support for the film and also aboard
the USS John C. Stennis.
(Joe Davidson is assigned to The
Space and Missile Systems Center at
Los Angeles Air Force Base).
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