In 1974, James Cameron dropped out of college and worked as a truck driver and janitor. While he drank beer, smoked pot, and did a lot of acid, he also wrote in his free time. He began reading other students' work on optical printing, front screen projection, and anything related to film technology at the library. After watching Star Wars in 1977, James Cameron quit his job as a truck driver and entered the film industry.
James Francis Cameron, born on August 16, 1954, is a major figure in the post-New Hollywood era. Cameron is considered one of the industry's most innovative filmmakers, regularly making use of novel technologies. He first gained recognition for writing and directing The Terminator in 1984 and found further success with Aliens in 1986. Cameron also directed the action comedy True Lies in 1994. He is also credited with writing and directing Titanic in 1997, Avatar in 2009, and its sequels, with Titanic earning him multiple awards.
Cameron began his directing career in 1978 after borrowing money from a consortium of dentists to learn how to direct, write, and produce his first short film with a friend, Xenogenesis in 1978. Learning as they went, Cameron said he felt like a doctor performing his first surgical procedure. He then served as a production assistant for Rock 'n' Roll High School in 1979. While educating himself about filmmaking techniques, Cameron also started working as a miniature model maker at Roger Corman Studios.
While filming a movie in Rome, Cameron suffered from a fever and had a nightmare about an invincible robot hit-man sent from the future to assassinate him. This later inspired the creation of The Terminator. The film was a box office success, exceeding expectations set by Orion Pictures. It proved popular with audiences and earned over $78 million worldwide.
In 1997, Cameron embarked on his next major project: the movie Titanic. This epic film tells the story of RMS Titanic, which sank in 1912 after striking an iceberg. At the time, Titanic had a production budget of $200 million, making it the most expensive film ever made. Cameron began preparing for the film by taking several dives to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean in 1995 to capture footage of the wreck. This footage was later incorporated into the film. Principal photography began in September 1996, with a replica of the ship built in Rosarito Beach. Titanic made headlines before its release for being over-budget and exceeding its schedule.
Cameron's completed screenplay depicts two star-crossed lovers, portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, from different social classes who fall in love amidst the tragedy. This was a radical departure from his previous work.
In 2011, Cameron was named a National Geographic explorer-in-residence. On March 7, 2012, he piloted the Deepsea Challenger to a depth of five miles to reach the bottom of the New Britain Trench. 19 days later, Cameron reached the Challenger Deep, the deepest part of the Mariana Trench. He spent over three hours exploring the ocean floor, becoming the first person to complete the trip solo. During his dive, he discovered new species of sea cucumber, squid worm, and a giant single-celled amoeba. Prior to Cameron's historic dive, there were unmanned dives in 1995 and 2009, as well as the 1960 dive by Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh aboard the Bathyscaphe Trieste, which marked the first time humans had reached the bottom of the Mariana Trench.
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