Transformers save the day again

Although Bay, teasingly hailed as the king of on-screen explosions in Hollywood, was busy filming his heist action thriller Ambulance at the time, Caple was able to receive quick help from the renowned filmmaker, who shared his valuable experience on visual effects, particularly on how to create giant robots, some of whom stand around 9 meters tall.

The new movie continues its tradition of featuring iconic sites, as exemplified by the franchise's previous filming in Stonehenge in England and the Great Pyramids of Egypt. For the latest installment, Machu Picchu, a 15th-century Inca citadel located on a 2,430-meter mountain ridge in Peru, was selected.

"It was really tough for us to shoot because of the high altitude and the clouds that would stop production. Being on location was probably the most difficult part because we never knew what obstacle we'd face each day," he recalls.

"The Transformers franchise prides itself on shooting real action at real locations, so we did it. It was tough and time-consuming, but I believe it's a crazy and genuine experience that will be exciting for audiences in theaters," Caple says.

According to producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Peru was chosen because of its phenomenal jungle, providing cover for the Maximals to hide in.

"It felt like a natural environment for them. And then, as they emerge from that natural setting and make their way toward Machu Picchu, it provides a grandeur and scale that is hard to find anywhere else," he says.

As a veteran producer who has participated in all the live-action Transformers films, one of the most charming and special aspects of these tales is that the original creators designed the alien robots with bold imagination, injecting cars with sentience.

"That's part of the magic if you consider the idea that a metal machine can have human feelings," he adds.

Despite being 16 years since the release of the first live-action Transformers movie in 2007, and even though today's young audience may not find robots as fresh or exciting due to the highly developed internet era with its artificial intelligence robots, the producer believes that the charm of the Transformers franchise will never fade.

"They (the robot car characters) could never be beaten by AI," he says, wearing a big smile.

Contact the writer at xufan@chinadaily.com.cn