The Energon Pub

we see Blackout transforming comparatively slow in the beginning...like a lot of moving parts...very complex.

THEN we see him transform in about half a second from a flying motion to standing in another shot.

i'm sure there will be detailed shots of the alleyway transformation w/ Prime, vs. a very quick transformation later in the movie.

why is this? wouldn't and shouldn't there be just one speed? what good would it do to transform slower than you possibly could?

They do that so the audience can see how the parts actually move, so that way when they speed it up they'll know how everything is supposed to be.

you're forgetting that this is a movie...

why do you think they slow it down?

Why do people walk instead of running all the time?

i'm not forgetting it's a movie...they did it in the cartoon too. (regular transform noise vs. sped up transform noise)

BUT maybe you're forgetting the movie is about realism...hence the moving parts/non blocky design...oh yeah and the involvement of every big name saying they were going for realism. let's just suspend our disbelief for a second and pretend these real robots did come to earth. transforming slow would be a disadvantage.

if we were shooting for realism, wouldn't it make sense, with your cover blown, and an impending attack from the US military, you would want to transform as quick as possible? that's all i'm saying.

DUDEATRICE wrote:i'm not forgetting it's a movie...they did it in the cartoon too. (regular transform noise vs. sped up transform noise)

BUT maybe you're forgetting the movie is about realism...hence the moving parts/non blocky design...oh yeah and the involvement of every big name saying they were going for realism. let's just suspend our disbelief for a second and pretend these real robots did come to earth. transforming slow would be a disadvantage.

if we were shooting for realism, wouldn't it make sense, with your cover blown, and an impending attack from the US military, you would want to transform as quick as possible? that's all i'm saying.

You are forgetting that movies are a visual medium. It makes sense to sacrifice some realism for the sake of the viewing experience.

The first transformation or any thereafter that have any kind of weight or importance, will be slow. In the middle of a fast paced action scene, it makes more sense not to slow them down.

It's called dramatic effect. You're overthinking it.

ahh nevermind...i was kinda hoping we could be nerdy and do what most nerds want...for transformers to be real...i mean we've got grown men boasting about their toy collection and we rank ourselves according to courage, firepower...blah blah...but can't pretend to figure out the answer to a question most of us were probably wondering anyway.

i mean jesus christ, we're asking what could megatron possibly assimilate but can't humor this question? you guys are no fun.

anyway since we can't step out of being movie watchers and role play in michael bay's world, i guess we can't come up w/ a make believe solution to some make believe question.

For one transformation he's on the ground, the other he's in the air, that may have something to do with it.

XeroSyphon wrote:For one transformation he's on the ground, the other he's in the air, that may have something to do with it.

That's what i was going to say. The fact that one is on the ground and another on the air could affect greatly the duration of the transformation.

If you see the new trailer his legs transform pretty easily when his on the air, but imagine him on the ground. I think he'll have to transform and at the same time stand upright.

Another thing that makes me think about that is when bumblebee on the trailer gets his arms out when he transforms he kinda pushes them to the ground. i think that's for stability and force to stand up right during the transformation.

But we'll hopefully know on 7.4.7

DUDEATRICE wrote:we see Blackout transforming comparatively slow in the beginning...like a lot of moving parts...very complex.

THEN we see him transform in about half a second from a flying motion to standing in another shot.

i'm sure there will be detailed shots of the alleyway transformation w/ Prime, vs. a very quick transformation later in the movie.

why is this? wouldn't and shouldn't there be just one speed? what good would it do to transform slower than you possibly could?

Think about it.

In the desert scene w/Blackout, he is "landed" in helo mode, so he must "stand up" as it were, so that will take him longer than the newest trailer reveals him in flight, transforming as he lands on his feet. In the air, there is less restricting the movement of parts on the bottom, as opposed to a sitting position, where a TF must, in essence "fight" the friction between him and the earth he sits upon for his parts to shift around like a Rubik's cube.

This, and you know the first time they show a transformation (Blackout), they are going to show it all in numerus shots, in a slower speed, to wow the viewers, and show how hard ILM has been working on this project. It is to be expected.

Just my opinion. But I am a huge gearhead, so this is how I often think, in spatial and mechanical terms.

those are very interesting points. i hadn't thought of this.

I was also thinking that if a Transformer was transforming for the very first time in his/her/its new alt mode, I would imagine they would take it slow to figure out where everything goes, and then remember this and do it faster in a later time. Transforming probably takes a little thought during the first few times.

^beat me to it
1st time will be slow
the more repetitions of something you do, the more you instinctively streamline it
just like sentient robots

Zombie Starscream wrote:I was also thinking that if a Transformer was transforming for the very first time in his/her/its new alt mode, I would imagine they would take it slow to figure out where everything goes, and then remember this and do it faster in a later time. Transforming probably takes a little thought during the first few times.

Think back to beast machines when they had to concentrate to transform, it was all slow then too, and sebsequently faster after that.

As long as everytime they transform it doesnt take like 5 minuets, followed by a ridiculous stance and a name call

DUDEATRICE wrote:ahh nevermind...i was kinda hoping we could be nerdy and do what most nerds want...for transformers to be real...i mean we've got grown men boasting about their toy collection and we rank ourselves according to courage, firepower...blah blah...but can't pretend to figure out the answer to a question most of us were probably wondering anyway.

i mean jesus christ, we're asking what could megatron possibly assimilate but can't humor this question? you guys are no fun.

anyway since we can't step out of being movie watchers and role play in michael bay's world, i guess we can't come up w/ a make believe solution to some make believe question.

the reason black out transforms so slow is because that is his first time transforming into human mode and isnt sure how to do it yet...satisfied?

reading over the thread it looks like others have also posted that

The password is: Dramatic Effect

DUDEATRICE wrote:ahh nevermind...i was kinda hoping we could be nerdy and do what most nerds want...for transformers to be real...i mean we've got grown men boasting about their toy collection and we rank ourselves according to courage, firepower...blah blah...but can't pretend to figure out the answer to a question most of us were probably wondering anyway.

i mean jesus christ, we're asking what could megatron possibly assimilate but can't humor this question? you guys are no fun.

anyway since we can't step out of being movie watchers and role play in michael bay's world, i guess we can't come up w/ a make believe solution to some make believe question.

I've never been into that kind of role playing. I like my creations and ideas to be appreciated on a large scale, so I never worry about what's not part of the established canon on screen. If it was important, they'd say something about it in the actual production.

Come up whatever diagetic cleverness you want, more power, but the actual answer is dramatic effect.

Blitzwing the warrior wrote:As long as everytime they transform it doesnt take like 5 minuets, followed by a ridiculous stance and a name call

Hey! Are you a fan of Headmasters and Masterforce too??? lol

Brecht was a major figure in Theatre. He insisted that Theatre didn't need to exactly mimic real life as it was Theatre, and Theatre is not real life. This makes way for things like Melodrama, and surrealism, things that aren't real.

It applies here. This is just a movie. We have to acknowledge it as a visual media, and the elements which are attributed to this media. We have to see what is shown. We will have to see the transformations once properly, otherwise it'll become as common as flicking a wrist.

There are people who believe otherwise, who aim for realism (Bay is one of them) but inevitably this leads to a boring production. We know what real life is, we see it every day and we don't need to see it on the big screen. If we wanted real life, we wouldn't even have Transformers.