An unprecedented challenge that created the spectacle of Titanic, one of the most moving movies of the 20th century.

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2019.05.14Ikuya Takamori

"Titanic" synopsis

The luxury liner Titanic made its maiden voyage in 1912. Jack, an aspiring painter, and Rose, an upper-class girl, have a fateful encounter on a ship. The two overcome their differences in love and form a strong bond. However, the luxury liner, which boasted of being unsinkable, meets an ironic fate...

``Titanic'' (1997) depicts the tragedy of the sinking of a luxury liner that occurred in the early 20th century through the eyes of a fictional young man and woman who meet and fall in love on board the ship.Just as James Cameron had hoped, ``Titanic'' (1997) moved the world into a whirlwind of emotion. is. In the previous article , we mainly introduced emotional elements such as the casting of the two attractive lead actors, the luck we had during the filming of the famous scene, and the secret story behind the creation of the theme song, but this time we will introduce the realistic depiction of the Titanic and the sinking I would like to highlight the many unprecedented challenges that made the spectacle of the giant ship possible.

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Photographing the Titanic shipwreck on the deep sea floor

What initially drove Cameron to plan Titanic was a simple idea: ``I wanted to photograph the Titanic lying on the deep sea with my own hands and make it into a feature film.'' However, it was extremely difficult to realize it. It was a wish. In order to obtain the desired images at a depth of 4,000 meters, a new filming system would have to be developed and multiple dives would have to be made, which of course would be extremely expensive. In a sense, recreating the shipwreck and incorporating a popular romance into it was a way to get distribution companies to approve the huge production costs.

In May 1995, Cameron pitched the concept of `` Romeo and Juliet on a ship'' to executives at 20th Century Fox, and they approved the initial $2 million cost for the underwater shoot. However, this was just a deposit compared to the total production cost, which would later rise to $200 million.

In any case, Cameron begins full-scale preparations for deep-sea photography. If you aim the camera through the window from inside the submersible, you won't be able to produce footage that can be used in feature films, so it is necessary to install the camera on the outside of the submersible and make it possible to control pan and tilt from inside using a remote control. be. The problem here is the water pressure of 436 kg per square centimeter. A leak in the system's container or the connection to the submersible will not just ruin the camera or film. The energy generated by the crushing could damage the submersible itself, potentially killing Cameron and his crew in an instant.

Development of the system was entrusted to Cameron's younger brother, Mike Cameron, who works at Cameron's camera equipment development company, Lightstorm Technologies. Mike collaborates with a total of 23 companies that have the latest technology in various fields, including camera bodies, lenses, pan and tilt mechanisms, containers, and glass windows, and is able to shoot approximately 12 minutes, equivalent to one roll of film, in one dive. The system has been completed.

Cameron also designed a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) as a prop to add realism to the shipwreck investigation scene, and ordered it from Western Space & Marine, the same company that made the diving helmet for `` The Abyss '' (1989). This ROV was nicknamed ``Snoop Dogg'' (meaning the dog that sniffs while pulling the leash during walks) because it was propelled by a cable pulled from the submersible.

In September 1995, underwater photography began using the Russian research vessel Keldysh and two deep-sea exploration vessels Mir. Because each shot required 15 to 16 hours of diving and surfacing round trip, careful rehearsals were conducted in advance using a model of the sunken ship and a small camera. Mir has a capacity of three people, and the crew, including Cameron and underwater cinematographer Al Giddings, as well as the driver and other Russian technicians, will be split into two ships. By working together, the two vessels will not only be able to photograph the Titanic, but will also be able to capture a picture of the ``exploration vessel investigating the Titanic.''

There were originally planned to be eight dives. During Cameron's first dive, he had no time to soak in the emotion of seeing the Titanic with his own eyes for the first time, and was desperately trying to get the shots he had planned. However, after the second dive, when I was alone in the cabin, I suddenly burst into tears. The gravity of the tragedy in which so many lives were lost, and the fear they felt, belatedly shook Cameron's heart. This experience reinforced my desire to recreate as faithfully as possible what happened to the Titanic and its passengers.

Snoop Dogg was developed as a prop, but because it was equipped with a camera and was easy to operate, it ended up being used to explore the Titanic. Cameron boasts in the DVD commentary that it is ``humanity's first attempt.''

At times, they were caught in torrential currents on the ocean floor called bottom storms, and were on the verge of being unable to surface. Still, Cameron remained undaunted and made a total of 12 dives, including redoing the unsuccessful episodes.

The largest set in movie history

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