Before he went on to assault audiences with films like 'Armageddon' and 'Transformers,' director Michael Bay cut his filmmaking teeth making TV advertisements. It may seem odd to imagine one of the highest paid blockbuster directors in Hollywood making car commercials, but this actually makes a lot of sense. Bay's fast, often chaotic style feels perfectly suited for a thirty second television ad, where the only goal is to get in quickly, get out quickly and leave a lasting impression.


Even though he's already been working non-stop for the past decade (when 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon' hits in 2011, that will be three 'Transformers' films in five years), Bay still found time to shoot this year's Victoria's Secret holiday ad. Slow motion? Check. A camera that never stops moving? Check. The fetishizing of various motor vehicles and aircraft? Check. Scantily clad women in erotic but uncomfortable looking positions? Very much check. Explosions -- even though this is a Victoria's Secret commercial? Check.

Yep, that definitely sounds like a Michael Bay product. Check out the potentially NSFW ad after the jump.








If that wasn't enough for you, here's a brief behind-the-scenes look at the making of the ad, which features an external look at some of Bay's camera rigs and a lot of models informing each other that they're not unattractive.







But Michael Bay isn't just interested in commercials featuring abundant cleavage. No, sir. Michael Bay is also interested in his automobiles. Say what you want about Bay's filmography, but no one shoots a car advertisement quite like him. The reason why? For better or worse, he photographs cars in the same way he photographs beautiful women.







Bay's commercial work isn't always so ridiculously bombastic, as seen in this comedic narrative about a man, his irritating child and the latest Isuzu Rodeo. This may be the earliest evidence of the dorky sense of humor Bay would bring to his later films.







However, let's journey back to the early days, back before the cars and the ladies and the explosions and all the other tropes that would come to define Bay's body of work, back to the days when he spearheaded the now iconic Got Milk? campaign. Yes, you can blame Michael Bay for the all those irritating billboards featuring celebrities with milk mustaches.