'Bumblebee' movie: Director brings balance with darkness and light

A new behind-the-scenes video about “Bumblebee” movie has been released online. The video shows Director Travis Knight’s approach to filmmaking, and how his past experience of making animation movies helped shape his approach.

In the video [see below] Knight talks about creating a balance in the film. There is an artful balance between darkness and light, and intensity and warmth. There is also humour at the heart of the story. The director said that it is exciting to bring this philosophy to the film.

Producer Lorenzo Di Bonaventura said in the video that Knight’s company that made animation films was very successful. The company focussed on developing cutting edge stop motion pictures. Cast member Hailee Steinfeld (Charlie) feels that the director’s background in animation helped him to see a drawing on a page brought to life while filming.

“One of things I love the most about filmmaking is storytelling. It’s sharing our experiences, sharing our stories with other people. It’s a way of connecting with people,” Knight said.

The director explained that as a child of the 80s he grew up loving those classic Steven Spielberg coming of age tales. He now wants to bring such an experience to a new generation of audiences across the globe with his upcoming movie.

Stenfeld talked about the plot of the movie being set in the past. The “Transformers” spin-off will reveal details about where Bumblebee came from.

The plot is set in 1987, a time when the Transformers are on the run. Bumblebee is broken and scarred, and he will find refuge in a junkyard in a small California town. There he will meet Charlie, who is turning 18, and trying to find her place in the world.

Knight said that the movie will show who Bumblebee is and why people love him. The film will show the Transformer in his original form as a yellow VW Bug.