Transformers: Age of Extinction blasts its way back into the cinema multiplexes this weekend, promising not only a wash-and-brush-up on-screen but also making the most of the latest technical advances. Mark Ryan has been involved with the franchise from the first movie - working on set providing the temporary voices, advising on stunt choreography and also providing the voice of Bumblebee.
In the latest outing, he returned to the set and was even more involved - providing the on-screen voice for one of the big-bads, 'Lockdown'. Mark talked to Impact about his busy year and how he’s seen the robots in disguise step out of the shadows and into the Bayhem…
IMPACT: Mark, you’ve been involved with Transformers in one form or another since the first film. How was it coming back for a fourth time?
Mark Ryan: It’s SO energised and electric working with Michael. He drives hard and I like that. He pushes because he has to - he’s responsible for this gigantic machine which is trailing behind him and in front of him. He’s driving it and it’s all down to what he sees in his head. It’s an amazing achievement. He was asked about animatics (basic computer representations for the planned action sequences) in one of the interviews and he explained how they were used in the first one… but what he does NOW is look at the pictures and burns them into his memory. He knows exactly where the robots are going to be placed and what they will be doing. He has that wired into his memory and it’s amazing to watch.
IMPACT: The one thing about Transformers movies is that on the screen (AND behind the camera) Michael Bay loves exploiting the very best technology… and you’re there at the heart of it.
MARK: Michael was really smart from the very beginning. I've talked to people who were involved in films where CGI and green-screen are prolific and I’ve done it myself on Black Sails where you you’re looking out from a ‘boat’ and what you see is the African Savannah or a factory (and what you’re supposed to be seeing is the rolling ocean from a Seventeenth Century ‘Man-o-War’). Dialogue against something that ISN’T there when you have no feedback coming the other way is very, very difficult to pull off. Michael was very smart – he put a human at the other end of that… so that the actors could try different paces, different deliveries and I could push back… we could try different ways of doing it so the actor at the other end isn’t just looking at a green-screen... they hear a real, human voice who is listening and reacting to what they’re saying.
I think that brings tremendous value to the actors' interaction with the robots. They aren’t just talking to a pole with a light on top… they’re talking to another ‘human’. That helps generate an incredible feeling that when people look at Bumblebee, look at Optimus Prime … these are sentient, intelligent creatures and we have empathy with those characters. These characters don’t 'exist' but ILM and Michael have been able to imbue them with these great human traits like loyalty – it’s an amazing artistic triumph.
IMPACT: And even when the filming itself was done, your job isn’t. You’re back into the recording studio to re-record dialogue. Especially in this one where you’re voicing Lockdown in the finished film…
MARK: They’re being very secretive about the whole Lockdown history and background for reasons I fully understand. But I can say that, for me, it’s a very different character to play. There’s the Transformers ‘villain’ promotional video that’s been released so we KNOW he’s a villain. There are different qualities to bring to a Transformers character and use a different voice and characterisation. Like all of these things, I didn’t know quite how he was going to look until we got into post-production. Michael and I worked closely in post-production, trying different inflections and paces. That’s a lot of fun. Sometimes he’ll ask me to be loud and at one point said ‘Jesus, Mark… how many decibels was THAT?’ Apparently it was off-the-scale with the sound guys. There are some interesting dynamics we get… (laughs). No, it’s a great character to be asked to voice. I think he’ll be a different type of Transformer… for me it was all a bit different.
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IMPACT: And this tops off a very busy year-or-so. You were also playing a highly significant part in Black Sails, the pirate series which was being overseen by Michael Bay.
MARK: On Black Sails you’ve got this amazing set they built in Cape Town AND Michael Bay overlooking the whole thing – getting the right feel on situations, relationships between the characters. He recommended me for the role of Gates. It was his idea. So when I went in, I knew what they wanted – it was Michael who opened the door for that saying ‘This is the guy you want…’ So for me it was like stepping in to a well-worn pair of boots. It was comfortable to wear… I understood the role which Gates played within the show and in his relationship to all the other characters. It was an absolute gift, thank you, Michael.
They were already out filming Transformers by the time I got back from Black Sails. But I think it was less than a month after I got back from South Africa when I got a call asking if I could jump on a plane and go to Detroit. I went ‘Absolutely!’. So it was probably June of last year when I got on set – so it's been a year on-and-off. I started when they were on location in Detroit with some robot-dialogue. From there we went on to Chicago and then post-production aspects of it since the beginning of the year in Los Angeles…
IMPACT: We should mention... you just attended the Robin of Sherwood anniversary celebration at Chepstow Castle with many of the cast and fans. It’s hard to believe that series was lensed over thirty years ago. Had you any idea that it would have that kind of goodwill and longevity amongst not only fans but within the industry?
MARK: I have to give a big shout-out to Barnaby Eaton-Jones who organised that event.
I can honestly say that we did. If you speak to Clive, Ray, Jason and Michael I think you will find that everyone will nod in agreement and say that we knew. There was something about it that had a different feel, a different chemistry and texture. You know it will be out of the ordinary. I remember feeling that at the very beginning. I knew it would be special… but if you’d asked me if thirty years later I’d been celebrating it at Chepstow Castle and talking about it… THAT took me by surprise. All I can say is that people know - because of the books and events that I’ve been involved with - that I love the Arthurian mythology and so in some ways it’s never gone away in my life. To go back and meet first, second and third generation fans of the show was tremendous. It was so well organised and well run and with nice people who came with the love and support that I’ve felt from Robin of Sherwood fans over the last thirty years.
When I was doing Black Sails, director Neill Marshall came up to me and said ‘I’ve got a confession to make… I’m a huge Robin of Sherwood fan and it’s probably influenced me a lot in my career in terms of style and shooting….’ Neil and I have done archery together at Lake Balboa in Van Nuys…. It’s great that the show not only still has an audience but that it affected people who are now in this industry doing it. That’s the extra cherry on the top of the cake…
IMPACT: A busy year, then. Is it a matter of taking a rest now or is it up and on to the next project?
MARK: I have the luxury and the space at the moment to say ‘Okay, deep breath… it’s been one hell of a year with Black Sails and Transformers, let’s see what comes along next ’. I just ‘ask the Universe’ and see what’s rolling towards me. Usually the universe brings me something interesting, strange and challenging and I think ‘Okay, that’s a new one…’”
Thanks to Mark Ryan, Angela Mach and ThereGoestheDay for helping originate this interview.
