4. Puts His Money Where His Mouth Is
With his reputation as an elite director secured after Armageddon's blockbuster success, Bay could charge a small fortune. However, for passion projects and the like, Bay is willing to sacrifice a pay day for the sake of production. For Bad Boys, Bay paid $25,000 (one quarter of his fee) for the climactic hangar explosion scene. The initial shot was made impossible by a rainstorm, and the production company refused to pay for another try. For 2001's Pearl Harbor, Bay reduced his own fees and then, because the bulk of the project cost was being applied toward its massive production. For Transformers, again to save money for the production, director Michael Bay reduced his usual fee by 30 percent.