James Cameron: ”I almost punched Weinstein with my Oscar”
Twenty years ago, Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet went aboard the Titanic, which was captained by James Cameron himself. The film brought its creators more than $ 2.2 billion and 14 Oscar nominations, in 11 of which he managed to win.In honor of the anniversary, the tape is being prepared for release in 3D, and Cameron shares his memories of filming a tragic story, grandiose plans for the Avatar franchise, discusses the main idea of The Terminator and answers the burning question why Jack did not climb up to Rose's ill-fated door. Do you think the studio would give the green light to the shooting of Titanic today? Everyone's preferences change. Now they approve of the production of films with a double budget, why not. Then it became possible thanks to some circumstances and perseverance. I don’t think the film industry has changed so much in these twenty years. Everyone is afraid to take risks, especially when there is a lot of money at stake. So it was, is and will be. The current trend is the ability to squeeze a couple of films out of a franchise or adapt another comic, but tragedies like Titanic remain timeless.  One cannot help but recall the question that worries all Titanic fans: why didn’t Jack climb on that door? The answer is on page 147 of the script: Jack dies. It's actually very simple. Someone will consider this to be excessive drama, someone will say that the door is not so big to keep two. After so many years, interest does not subside, which means the scene was spectacular, as was Jack's decision itself. Titanic is a film about tragedy and loss, so this hero had to die. It's great that everyone was so worried about him, but this is a movie, not life. Everything here is based on drama, in which there is often no place for physics. But you are usually a supporter of physics ... Yes. And the dilapidated door is unlikely to hold up to two adults. During the two days of filming, as the actors drifted in the water on this wooden props, I was nearby and saw them slowly sink into the water. Of course, it is not possible to float on a door indefinitely. You know that salvation will be soon, I knew it, but not Jack and Rose, just not them. The more weight, the more load - here's the physics. He was destined to die. This is what the hero had to do when he decided to save a loved one.  Despite being nude and violent, the film was rated PG -13. How did you convince the Film Company of America of this? Now it is already difficult to remember all the details, a controversial issue. We did not shoot scenes for erotic cinema, they were designed to show the feelings and emotions of the characters, and the nude style is part of the artist's profession. When we presented the film to the Association representatives, perhaps they looked at such scenes from our point of view. But now I think the standards have become more stringent. Remember the night Titanic won an Oscar? I remember how I almost got into a fight with Weinstein - I almost hit him with this Oscar. The music began to play and everyone began to take their places, and a fight was brewing with us. And people around begin to shout: "Not here, not here." It’s normal to start a fight in the parking lot, but it’s immoral to live on air with music.  What caused it? Long story related to the unsuccessful experience of cooperation between Guillermo del Toro and Miramax in the production of "Mutants". He came up to me with congratulations, and I spoke about the situation with the del Toro project and his vision. Harvey did not share my position. During Titanic, you worked with 20th Century Fox, and for them you are filming the sequel to Avatar. What are your thoughts now that Disney executives are interested in buying a studio? I'm used to working with Fox, and our collaboration can be called successful. Disney is considered one of the largest conglomerates of the entertainment industry in the world and can afford some really big projects, which certainly attracts. Plus, they've already invested in the story of the blue population of Pandora.  Talk about a theme park around the world "Avatar" from Disney World? It is about him. I'm sure we would work well together. By the way about such a large-scale project as "Avatar". Did you really have to postpone the start of filming? It would be silly to start filming without a script, right? It has been meticulously written for four years. What you can call "delay", in my understanding, is professionalism and love for what you do. We didn't waste time: there were a lot of discussions about graphics, design, technical equipment. As soon as everyone approved, we proceeded directly to filming. Most of the actors and the main guide have gone through the script more than once. Everyone had to understand their characters, find out their history and the reasons for their actions in order to determine their place in the entire saga. Yes, if the upcoming two parts are not so successful at the box office, it is hardly worth talking about a sequel. However, thanks to our work, each film becomes a complete story, even though they are related. Compare with the Lord of the Rings trilogy, where one film smoothly flows into another and has not only the general idea and characters, but also one very long storyline.  In the sequel to Avatar, we will see Kate Winslet. Could you tell us more about your idea? You said earlier that part of the filming will take place underwater. Kate is excited about the upcoming project, its scale and how it all works. She got the role of one of the marine inhabitants, and most of the underwater scenes had to be filmed without an understudy. I then said that it was worth starting to learn the basics of diving, because at that moment all the other actors could calmly stay under water for several minutes. As planned, marine characters communicate using sign language. It was fascinating to shoot one of the scenes where the characters had a kind of underwater dialogue. In the second part, will the audience see the world they were introduced to in the first film? There will be new characters, unique environments, and more. If you liked the first "Avatar", you will definitely like the sequel, and if after watching there is still dissatisfaction, it will remain, I assure you.  How is Terminator doing? I can say that we are getting off the ground. A full-fledged trilogy is planned, but, again, everything ultimately comes down to money. This is a new and amazing story. I don't want to just turn it into another action from the assembly line, so it will be a success, there will be a second, third, and fourth part. Why did you decide to return to the Rise of the Machines franchise? The world we now live in is full of technologies that we use every day. This pushes to the end, when people completely rely on technology and other innovations for their survival, not realizing that this is a huge threat. This is, for the most part, about artificial intelligence, successfully used by the military. And it's only a matter of time before people create something so powerful that it will provoke another arms race. Everyone uses their smartphones every day, every minute. You see what your coworker ate for lunch, who he went out with, and where. You seem to be chipped, it remains only to find the one who will take the lead in the total control over the mind. We are all on the verge of an Orwellian Armageddon of unimaginable proportions. So why not show the possible outcome in the cinema, so that people once again leave the theaters and think: Well, the Titanic screening is coming soon, will you come? Yes, I want to see it in full, sitting in the cinema with family and friends. It's one thing to watch an older version of a movie, but this Dolby Vision HDR version with the right graphics level is a real step into the future. This is a completely new format that Paramount and Fox have taken on. There are plans to re-release "Avatar" in the same Dolby Vision, like all subsequent parts. These are fantastic technologies that I am happy to promote in the modern film industry.  Source: Vanity Fair The Topic of Article: James Cameron: ”I almost punched Weinstein with my Oscar”. |
