Michael Benjamin Bay (born February 17, 1965 in Los Angeles, California, USA) is a film director and producer. He is best known for directing high-budget action films characterized by fast edits, polished visuals and substantial use of practical effects. His films, which include "The Rock" (1996), "Armageddon" (1998), "Pearl Harbor" (2001) and entries in the "Bad Boys" (1995-2003) and "Transformers" (2007-2017) series, have grossed over three billion dollars worldwide. He is co-founder of commercial production house The Institute, a.k.a. The Institute for the Development of Enhanced Perceptual Awareness; he is co-chair and part-owner of the special effects house Digital Domain; and he co-owns Platinum Dunes, a production company which has remade horror movies including "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (2003), "Friday the 13th" (2009) and "A Nightmare on Elm Street" (2010).