I was wondering more, why do they bother with them? For Barricade it makes sense (although I noticed that when he first sounds his sirens to get Sam's attention, he is driverless; it's only after he bashes Sam with the car door that the hologram driver appears). I don't see why Blackout or Starscream need to have hologram pilots.
I can certainly see it with at least Blackout, particularly in the part where he's approaching the Qatar base. Any pilot close enough to read the ID numbers on the tail rotor boom would be close enough to recognize the lack of a pilot. "Sir, the chopper's flying without a pilot." "What the --?! It must be remote controlled! Shoot it down before it rams into the base!" Kinda hard to sneak in when they're already firing at you. I would think the same would apply with Starscream -- easier to disguise yourself while flying around if the fleshlings think one of them is in the cockpit.
Dramatically, it looks great! Imagine a TF-ignorant viewer seeing it for the first time and thinking "hey, I thought they were robots" then being hit by the revelation that he's not real. And I think they gave the holograms a moustache to deliberately highlight it was the same guy.
I thought it was the same actor like that plays dude who plays Tom {Sector-7} Banachek (Michael O'Neill), but it turns out it's a guy named Brian Reese. Article link: http://www.abqtrib.com/news/2007/jun/30/kirtland-air-force-base-pilots-icy-stare-earned-hi/
the whole 'stache thing I like to think is a nod to the man whos been in transformers for a long time, Peter Cullen, and really a person who when you think transformers you think of him, so just think, hes been in transformers for a while, why not put him IN the transformers and a salute? correct me if I'm wrong but he had a stache last time I saw a pic of his
Mustache Man is Awesome. I believe Cullen was cast sometime after filming had already begun at Holloman in May 2006. It was announced at Comicon of the same year - normally, as a voice actor, he wouldn't have been cast until they were into post production. Plus, as the article says, the pilot had the look Bay wanted for the Decepticon hologram. Better to get the right person for the job than have a random fanwanky cameo.
I'm just waiting for the Autobots to get hologram drivers in Transformers 2. Hundred bucks says they get Peter Cullen to be Prime's.
I remember seeing a piece the Air Force did on the filming of TF. The "mustache man" was in the clip. I think he may actually be an air force officer that was hired for the movie. During the feature, you see a mustache being applied to the guy. After I saw the first trailer featuring blackout, it made sense. you can probably find the clip on Youtube.
Just glad it wasn't Weaving again like in the Matrix! I talked to some friends, and we thought it would be funny to have a 'little old lady' be driving one of the Decepticons in the next movie. Who'd think some sweet little old lady was really a Decepticon hologram? 'Try soaking your hands in Palmolive -- now hand over your Energon!'
"Energon? You're soaking in it!" The stereotypical "little old lady" would make a perfect Stunticon hologram driver.