| Studio executives in High Concept Hollywood have | | | | was based on an unattractive coal miner, who never |
| very short attention spans. When pitching a film idea, | | | | left the bottom decks, let alone met someone like |
| many believe if you can't do it in one sentence it is an | | | | Rose.Cameron, temperamental in the best of times, |
| unmarketable product. For example Planet Of the | | | | was surviving on three hours sleep and saved most of |
| Apes (1968) starring Charlton Heston was pitched by | | | | his screaming for the film crew. His philosphy was you |
| producer Arthur Jacobs as "Moses Talks To | | | | couldn't get great perfomances out of the actors by |
| Monkeys". Passenger 57( 1992) with Wesley Snipes | | | | yelling. In one scene, Winslet and DiCaprio were running |
| was known as "Diehard On a Plane." Director James | | | | away from a huge wave on one of the decks and the |
| Cameron, despite a strong track record with films like | | | | actress was submerged and nearly drowned. |
| Aliens (1986) and True Lies (1994) knew he would | | | | Moments after she was rescued Cameron calmly |
| have a tough selling job after he went deep sea diving | | | | said," OK. Let's do it again."As the costs began to |
| with Dr. Robert Ballard to glimpse the remains of the | | | | mount along with the stories of the director's slow |
| RMS Titanic. He became so emotionally involved by | | | | pace and temper tantrums, the Fox executives began |
| the experience that the sinking of the famous luxury | | | | to freak out. They suggested an hour of specific cuts |
| liner in 1912 had to be the subject of his next picture. | | | | from the three hour film. They argued the extended |
| His pitch to the nervous executives at Twentieth | | | | length would mean less showings thus less money. But |
| Century Fox was," Romeo and Juliet on a doomed | | | | long epics are more likely to help directors bring home |
| ship." There was a tense pause and Cameron said," | | | | Oscars, and Cameron was more defiant than |
| Also fellas it's a period piece, it's going to cost | | | | DiCaprio. "You want to cut my movie? You're going to |
| $150,000,000 and there's not going to be a sequel." | | | | have to fire me!" You want to fire me? You're going to |
| Fox, a studio which had known great success with | | | | have to kill me!" The executives, knowing that starting |
| both The Love Boat (1977-1986) TV show and The | | | | from scratch meant their entire investment would be |
| Poseidon Adventure (1972) was dubious about the | | | | gone, did neither. They also rejected Cameron's offer |
| idea's commercial prospects. But wanting a long term | | | | of forfeiting his share of the profits as an empty |
| relationship with Cameron they gave him a green | | | | gesture; they were sure there wouldn't be any.With |
| light.Previous movie versions of the Titanic had | | | | more special effects being added Titanics's release |
| focused on the historical aspects of the ship hitting the | | | | date was moved back from summer to Christmas |
| iceberg, so Cameron decided to play up the fictional | | | | 1997. At one point Cameron visited the Twentieth |
| love story. After Gywneth Paltrow turned down the | | | | Century Fox studio headquarters to request |
| female lead, Kate Winslet campaigned for it heavily by | | | | permission to shoot additional footage and ran smack |
| sending Cameron daily notes from England stating, "I'm | | | | dab into company chairman Rupert Murdoch (no |
| your Rose." Her persistence led Cameron to invite her | | | | relation to William) in the hallway. After months of |
| to Hollywood for auditions. One of her screen test | | | | fiercely ordering people about, the self proclaimed "King |
| partners Leonardo DiCaprio, impressed her so much | | | | of the World" could not look his real boss in the eye. |
| she whispered to Cameron," He's great. Even if you | | | | "Uh hi. Uh I know I'm not your favorite person spending |
| don't pick me, pick him." Cameron picked them both, | | | | all your money. But I guarantee you the movie will be |
| but Leonardo was harder to convince. Playing a | | | | good." Murdoch, with a glint of steel in voice, replied. |
| romantic lead in a blockbuster just didn't seem cool. | | | | "Young man, it had be better be better than |
| Cameron told him," I know what you want. You want | | | | good!"Thanks largely to repeated viewings from young |
| to play him with a deformity or a limp. Well, it's lot | | | | girls, the film made more money than any other picture |
| harder playing a nice guy like Jimmy Stewart then one | | | | in history. It tied Ben Hur (1959) for the most Oscars (11) |
| of those freaky, weirdo characters." Freaks and weird | | | | although it was not even nominated for Best Original |
| character portrayals often take home Oscars, but | | | | Screenplay. The Fox Executives were more relieved |
| DiCaprio agreed to play the part.For a major | | | | than euphoric and promised no more $200,000,000 |
| Hollywood production the star salaries were relatively | | | | movies, they felt like they had dodged a bullet. DiCaprio |
| low, DiCaprio made the most at $2,500,000. The | | | | who infuriated the studio by refusing to promote the |
| biggest expense of the film was building the ship, it | | | | film and show up at the Academy Awards, became a |
| required the construction of a entirely new studio in | | | | $10,000,000 per picture star, was chased down streets |
| Rosarito Beach. Cameron's attention to historical detail | | | | by adoring young females, and later called the whole |
| was evident down to the carpets, the grand staircase, | | | | Titanic craze," kind of an empty experience". Winslet, |
| the Picasso paintings and the 1911 touring car that Jack | | | | who at one point during the shoot woke up and said, |
| and Rose made love in. But other aspects of the film | | | | "God I wish I was dead", moved back happily into |
| were less accurate. There was no evidence that on | | | | smaller independent films. Cameron got his original |
| the real life Titanic people in third class were blocked | | | | profit share and continued to lose his temper, |
| from reaching the upper decks and the lifeboats, the | | | | suggesting a film critic who panned Titanic be |
| emphasis was on rescuing the women and children, | | | | impeached. He reflected later that movie prices had to |
| the richest man on board the ship actually died. In the | | | | be raised to fifteen dollars to pay for overblown |
| film, First Officer William Murdoch was portrayed as a | | | | budgets. "People would be mad for six months and |
| coward who shot passengers, in real life he was a | | | | then they would come back. Of course I wouldn't want |
| hero which caused James Cameron to apologize to | | | | one of my movies coming out during those six months. |
| his surviving relatives. And Leonardo's character Jack | | | | |