James Cameron

James Cameron (born August 16, 1954) is a three-time Academy Award winning Canadian-born film director noted for his action/science fiction films, which are often extremely successful financially. Thematically, James Cameron's films generally explore the relationship between man and technology. Cameron directed the film Titanic which went on to become the top grossing film of all time (not adjusted for inflation), with a worldwide gross of over States dollar|US$" target="_blank" >^*1.8 billion. He is a member of the Mars Society.

Background

James Cameron was born in Kapuskasing, Ontario, Canada, to Phillip, an electrical engineer, and Shirley Cameron, an artist. He grew up in Chippawa, Ontario, and in 1971 his family moved to Brea, California. There he studied physics at Cal State-Fullerton, but his passion for filmmaking would draw him to the film archive of UCLA at every opportunity.

Early Career

He started in the film industry as a screenwriter, then moved into art direction and effects for films such as Battle Beyond the Stars and Escape from New York. Working with producer Roger Corman, Cameron landed his first directorial job in 1981 for the film The Spawning, shot at Grand Cayman Island for the underwater diving sequences and in Rome, Italy for most of the interior scenes. During film post-production he was fired, and the final cut was decided by executive producer, Ovidio G. Assonitis.

Major films

The Terminator (1984)

During his stay in Rome, he had a nightmare about a machine emerging from the fire which has been sent from the future to kill him. While recovering, Cameron conceived the idea for The Terminator. He finally completed a screenplay and decided to sell it so that he could direct the movie. However, the production companies he contacted, while expressing interest in the project, were unwilling to let a first-time director make the movie. Finally, Cameron found a company called Hemdale Pictures, which was willing to let him direct. His soon-to-be-then-wife, Gale Anne Hurd, who had started her own production company, Pacific Western Productions, had previously worked with Cameron in Roger Corman's company and agreed to buy Cameron's screenplay for one dollar on the condition that Cameron direct the film. Hurd was signed on as producer, and Cameron finally got his first break as director. Orion Pictures would distribute the film.

Initially, for the role of the Terminator, Cameron wanted someone who wasn't exceptionally muscular and could fit into a normal crowd. Lance Henriksen, who had starred in Piranha II: The Spawning, was considered for the titular role, but when Arnold Schwarzenegger auditioned for the role, Cameron decided that he should play the cyborg villain. In addition, Linda Hamilton first appeared in this film in her iconic role of Sarah Connor and later married Cameron.

The Terminator was a box office hit, breaking expectations by Orion Pictures executives that the film would be regarded as no more than a sci-fi film and only last a week in theaters. The film was low-budget ($6.5 million), but it earned over $38 million domestically.

Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)

During the early 1980s Cameron wrote three screenplays simultaneously: The Terminator, Aliens, and the first draft of First Blood Part II. While Cameron would continue with The Terminator and with Aliens, Sylvester Stallone eventually took over the script of First Blood Part II, creating a final draft which differed radically from Cameron's initial version ^*.

Aliens (1986)

Cameron next began the sequel to Alien, the 1979 film by Ridley Scott. Cameron would name the sequel, Aliens, and would again cast Sigourney Weaver, in the iconic role of Ellen Ripley (the sole survivor from the first film). Aliens was a box office success. Sigourney Weaver received a nomination for Best Actress in the 1986 Academy Awards.

The Abyss (1989)

Cameron's next project stemmed from an idea that had come up during a high school biology class. The story of oil rig workers who discover other-worldly underwater creatures became the basis of Cameron's screenplay for The Abyss, which cast Ed Harris and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. Made on a budget of about $70 million, it was considered to be one of the most expensive films of its time and required cutting-edge effects technology. Because much of the film takes place underwater and the technology wasn't advanced enough to digitally create an underwater environment, much of the movie actually had to be shot underwater. For creation of the sets, a huge tank was made and filled with a gargantuan volume of water, where the cast and crew would reside inside for much of the shooting.

After The Abyss opened on August 9, 1989, it earned only $54.2 million domestically and received a lukewarm response from critics. Cameron would later release a special edition version of the film in 1992, with deleted scenes added in and some scenes extended to further develop the story and reflect more closely his own vision before studio editing of the theatrical release. The film, despite not being financially successful, won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. After the release of The Abyss, Cameron founded his own production company called Lightstorm Entertainment which produced all of his subsequent films.

Terminator 2 (1991)

After the success of The Terminator, there had always been talks about a sequel to continue the story of Sarah Connor and her struggle against machines from the future. Although Cameron had come up with a core idea for the sequel and Schwarzenegger expressed interest in continuing the story, there were still problems regarding who had the rights to the story as well as the logistics of the special effects needed to make the sequel. Finally, in mid-1990, Mario Kassar of Carolco Pictures secured the rights to the sequel, allowing Cameron to greenlight production of the film, now called Judgment Day.

For the film, Linda Hamilton reprised her iconic role of Sarah Connor ^*. In addition, Arnold Schwarzenegger also returned in his role as The Terminator, called the T-800, but this time as a protector. Unlike the T-800, who is made of a metal endoskeleton, the new villain of the sequel, called the T-1000, was a more advanced Terminator that is polymorphic and made of liquid metal and would resemble a normal human being who is not muscular. For the role, Cameron cast Robert Patrick, who was a sharp contrast to Schwarzenegger. Cameron explained, "I wanted someone who was extremely fast and agile. If the T-800 is a human Panzer tank, then the T-1000 is a Porsche."

Cameron had originally wanted to incorporate this advanced-model Terminator into the first film, but unfortunately the special effects at the time were not advanced enough. The ground-breaking effects used in The Abyss to digitally realize the underwater creatures convinced Cameron that his liquid metal villain was now possible to create.

Tristar Pictures would distribute the film under a locked release date that was only about half a year away from when shooting would begin. The movie, which was co-written by Cameron and his longtime friend, William Wisher, had to go from screenplay to finished film in just that amount of time. Like Cameron's previous film, it was one of the most expensive films of its time, with a budget of about $100 million. The biggest challenge of the movie was the special effects used in creating the T-1000. Nevertheless, the film was finished on time and released to theaters on July 3, 1991.

Terminator 2, or T2 as it was abbreviated, broke box-office records, earning over $200 million domestically and over $300 million overseas, and became the highest-grossing film of that year. It won four Academy Awards: Best Makeup, Best Sound, Best Sound Effects, and Best Visual Effects.

True Lies (1994)

Before the release of T2, Schwarzenegger came to Cameron with the idea of making a remake of the French comedy titled La Totale. Titled True Lies, with filming begun after T2's release, the story revolves around a secret agent spy who leads a double life as a married man whose wife thinks he is a computer salesman. Schwarzenegger would be cast as the secret spy, named Harry Tasker, whose mission in the movie is to investigate and stop a plan by Arab terrorists to use nuclear weapons against the United States. Jamie Lee Curtis would play Schwarzenegger's onscreen wife, with Tom Arnold cast as the secret agent's sidekick.

Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment signed on with Twentieth Century Fox for production of True Lies. Made on a budget of $115 million and released in 1994, the film earned $146 million in North America and $232 million abroad.

Titanic (1997)

Cameron expressed interest next in the eventful sinking of a famous ship during the early twentieth century called the Titanic. He decided to script and film his next project on the tragedy of its sinking and incorporate in its center a fictional romance story between two young lovers from different social classes who meet onboard the ship's maiden voyage. Before production began, he took dives to the bottom of the Atlantic and shot actual footage of the ship underwater, which he would insert into the final film.

For the film Titanic, Cameron cast Leonardo di Caprio, Kate Winslet and Billy Zane. Cameron's budget for the film reached about $200 million, becoming the most expensive one ever made (to date), and the film itself ran over 3 hours. Released to theaters on December 19, the film opened with $28 million on its first weekend.

The film's grosses escalated in the next several weeks. Titanic was one of the very few modern movies to gross more in its second weekend than its first. Its gross increased from $28.6 million to $35.4 million from week 1 to week 2. An increase of 23.8%, unheard of for a wide release, and a testament to the appeal of the movie. It held the #1 spot on the box-office charts for months, eventually grossing a total of over $600 million domestically and more than $1.2 billion outside North America. Titanic became the highest grossing film of all time, without adjusting for inflation. The CG visuals surrounding the sinking and destruction of the ship were considered spectacular. In the 1998 Academy Awards, the film won 11 Oscars. Among them were Best Picture and Best Director for Cameron.

Dark Angel (2000-2002)

Cameron had initially next planned to do the remake of the comic book character Spider-Man. He eventually lost the rights to his treatment, however, and the script was written by David Koepp ^*. Cameron thus moved on to television and created the story of a new superheroine, which was influenced by cyberpunk, current superhero genres, and third-wave feminism:

After the Sarah Connors and Ellen Ripleys of the eighties, the nineties weren't so kind to the superwoman format -- Xena Warrior Princess excepted. But it's a new millennium now, and while Charlie's Angels and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon are kicking up a storm on movie screens, it's been down to James Cameron to bring empowered female warriors back to television screens. And tellingly, Cameron has done it by mixing the sober feminism of his Terminator and Aliens characters with the sexed-up Girl Power of a Britney Spears concert. The result is Dark Angel ^*.

Co-produced with Charles H. Eglee, Dark Angel starred Jessica Alba as Max Guevera/X5-452, a genetically enhanced transgenic super-soldier created by Manticore. It also starred Michael Weatherly as Logan Cale and noted actor John Savage (of The Deer Hunter) as Colonel Donald Michael Lydecker. While a success in its first season, low ratings in the second led to its cancellation.

Current projects

Cameron's recent projects include undersea documentaries on the Bismarck, ( Bismarck, 2002), and the Titanic, (Ghosts of the Abyss, in IMAX 3D 2003).

In July 2005, Cameron confirmed his long-rumoured film adaption of the manga series Battle Angel Alita. With an estimated budget of $200 million, he will shoot the film in stereoscopic digital 3-D with a cast almost entirely composed of animated CG, using an improved "performance capture" technique similar (but reportedly more advanced) to what was first used by director Robert Zemeckis in The Polar Express. However, Cameron has recently confirmed that he will first direct his rumoured Project 880 (Avatar). He is also attached to 2 other projects, including The Dive.

Among A-list directors, Cameron is a leading advocate for 3D stereo films. He plans to create a 3-D project about the first trip to Mars, and he is on the science team for the 2009 Mars Science Laboratory.

Awards

In recognition of his contributions to underwater filming and remote vehicle technology, the University of Southampton awarded Cameron the honorary degree of Doctor of the University. Cameron received his degree in person at the graduation ceremony in July 2004.

Recurring Cast Members

Cameron often casts certain actors more than once in his films. Here is a list of recurring cast members and their corresponding roles in Cameron's films:

Michael Biehn

The Terminator as Kyle Reese
Aliens as Corporal Dwayne Hicks
The Abyss as Lieutenant Coffey

Jenette Goldstein

Aliens as Private Vasquez
Judgment Day as John Connor's foster mom
Titanic as the Irish mother

Linda Hamilton

The Terminator as Sarah Connor
Judgment Day as Sarah Connor

Lance Henriksen

The Terminator as Detective Vukovich
Aliens as Bishop
Bismarck Narrator

Bill Paxton

The Terminator as Punk Leader
Aliens as Private Hudson
True Lies as Simon
Titanic as Brock Lovett

Arnold Schwarzenegger

The Terminator as the Terminator
Judgment Day as the Terminator
True Lies as Harry Tasker

Filmography (Director)

Year	Title	Genre	Other notes
(planned)	The Dive
2009 (tentative)	Battle Angel		(confirmed, pre-production)
2008 (tentative)	Avatar		(confirmed, pre-production) ^*
2003	Aliens of the Deep	Documentary
2000–2002	Dark Angel	Television drama
1997	Titanic
1994	True Lies
1991	Judgment Day
1989	The Abyss
1986	Aliens
1984	The Terminator
1981	The Spawning

Filmography (Screenwriter)

Year	Title	Genre	Other notes
1985	'' First Blood Part II		with Sylvester Stallone (co-writer)

Personal life

Cameron has been married five times: Sharon Williams (1978-1984). Gale Anne Hurd (1985-1989). Kathryn Bigelow (1989-1991). Linda Hamilton (1997-1999, one daughter). Suzy Amis (2000-, one daughter).

External links

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