Transformers The Last Knight – Hag, Con and Bex talk Transformers with ILM Animation Supervisor’s Paul Kavanagh and Rick O’Connor!!!
If you were a Transforming Robot what would you Transform into and what weapon would you have? Con age 10
Paul Kavanagh – I love classic cars so my robot would transform into a beautiful red Ferrari from the 1960’s and we’d go to car shows together where we’d win first prize! I like the idea of a time travel gun and we could travel back in time to witness all the historic events! Did Transformers build the pyramids?? Let’s go see!
Rick O’Connor – I absolutely love sharks so that’s what I’d want to transform into. A huge great white the size of an ocean liner with protruding jaws that would fire out on my mouth like a massive bear trap and clamp onto my Decepticon enemies! I could then reel them in to my mouth and chew them up into tiny scraps of metal!
If you had a Transformer for a friend what would you do together? Bex age 6
Paul Kavanagh – I would like to say that we’d save the world together like in the movies but we would probably hang out and play video games in the garage because I wouldn’t want anyone to know that my car is really a Transformer from an alien planet!
Rick O’Connor – When we aren’t defending the world against the evil Decepticons we’d probably go to the movies and play video games. He’d transform into car mode and we’d speed around the racetracks for fun. I’d drive him through the car wash to make sure he always looks his best because a robot in disguise needs to look good!
What’s the coolest piece of new technology you used for the latest Transformers movie – and what did you create with it? Hag age 13
Paul Kavanagh – Sometimes we invent new technology in a movie that doesn’t even exist in real life! We invented Magnetic technology for Bubble Bee or as we called it ‘MagTech’. Bubble Bee is able to break apart into pieces and then come back together again while fighting the bad guys, we thought that was cool!
Rick O’Connor – Cybertron was a massive computer model. We couldn’t have the whole model on our computer otherwise it would slow our machines down. So we broke it up into many pieces and only work on what was needed for each shot. It was like a giant Lego set where we could decide what piece of Cybertron we wanted and what type of strand was connected to it. For example, we could pick Cyberton Chunk A and Cybertron Strand C or with the click of a button we could change it Cybertron Chunk B and Cybertron Strand A. The combinations of pieces was endless and we did this so no two pieces of Cyberton looked similar when they were on screen at the same time.
Why did you want to get into visual effects and how did you get into it? Con age 10
Paul Kavanagh – I went to see Star Wars in 1977 when I was 7 years old with my parents and the special effects blew me away! I turned to my Mom and told her I wanted to make the spaceships fly in a Star Wars movie! I read everything I could about special effects in the movies and went to college to study film. I was very interested in the new technology of computer graphics and took a course in computer animation. I applied to my dream job at Industrial Light & Magic in California in 1997 and they said yes! I made the spaceships fly in Star Wars the Force Awakens, mind blown!
Rick O’Connor – The Battle of Hoth from Empire Strikes Back is the reason I do what I do. I loved AT-AT walkers so much as a kid. I thought they were a real machine until the day I saw a behind the scenes image of an animator working on the AT-AT. It blew my mind that someone could do that. If they could do it, why couldn’t I? I had no connections with Hollywood and didn’t know how I could get myself into the business, but I could draw so I thought my ticket into the world of movies would be through animation. After 3 years of animation training I was hired by the very company that created the AT-AT walkers and I’ve been at ILM ever since… but I have yet to animate an AT-AT myself!
If you could send a message back in time to you as a kid – what advice would you give and how would it change your career? Hag age 13
Paul Kavanagh – Invest in Apple Stock! (kidding!). Keep following your dream no matter how far out of reach it may seem, with hard work and dedication you will get there!
Rick O’Connor – I wouldn’t change too much about what I did as a child since the path I chose lead me to where I am. However, I would lecture young Rick about being more attentive in class and to try harder to raise his grades. To this day I am still terrible at math because I didn’t pay enough attention back then. I’m quite disappointed in myself for how poorly my grades were… in fact, I’m going back in time right now to give myself a piece of my mind!!! Young Rick is going to get it!
Transformers The Last Knight (2D/3D) CLICK HERE!!!
Simba Toys – Transformers The Last Knight Radio Control Bumblebee CLICK HERE!!!
Transformers The Last Knight Global Premiere – Hag, Con & Albie meet the Stars on the Blue Carpet CLICK HERE!!!
Transformers The Last Knight Interview – Hag Talks to Laura Haddock CLICK HERE!!!
Transformers The Last Knight Interview – Hag talks to Isabela Moner CLICK HERE!!!
Transformers The Last Knight Interview – Hag talks to Jerrod Carmichael CLICK HERE!!!
Transformers The Last Knight Toy Range CLICK HERE!!!
Transformers The Last Knight – Optimus Prime Voice Changer Helmet CLICK HERE!!!
Transformers The Last Knight – Hag visits the Historic Paramount Pictures Film Studio in LA CLICK HERE!!!
Rubies Costumes – Transformers Deluxe Optimus Prime CLICK HERE!!!
Transformers The Last Knight – Urban Species Shirts CLICK HERE!!!
Transformers The Last Knight – Hag’s Dream Trip to Hollywood CLICK HERE!!!
MANGA The Transformers The Movie 30th Anniversary Edition CLICK HERE!!!
Universal Studios and Universal’s Islands of Adventure (Orlando, Florida USA) CLICK HERE!!!
Transformers: The Last Knight is out now on Digital, DVD, Blu-ray™ and 4K Ultra HD™
