How James Cameron Directed the Titanic Sinking Scene — Sets, Gear, and SPFX Illusions Explained
Making of the Titanic Sinking Scene — breaking down this marvel of practical effects mixed with cutting-edge CGI to recreate one of the most tragic events of the 20th century.
The Making of Titanic ►►
StudioBinder Blog ►►
─────────────────────
Chapters:
00:00 - Intro — Titanic sinking scene breakdown
00:49 - Pre-Production
02:06 - Production
05:35 - Post-Production
08:16 - Takeaways
─────────────────────
Making of Titanic Sinking Scene
James Cameron’s Titanic is perfectly named. The scope and budget of his film were equaled only by the building of the RMS Titanic herself. But the most fascinating aspect of the making of Titanic was the mix of massive sets, practical special effects, and cutting-edge CGI. Together they produced a kind of spectacle that Hollywood may never make the same way again. In this video, we’re going to focus on the Titanic sinking scene and the incredible story behind its making.
First, there were the sets themselves. In a brand new studio built in Rosarito, Mexico, specifically for the production of James Cameron’s Titanic, a nearly full-sized replica of the ship was constructed. To accommodate the Titanic sinking scene, the ship was also built in sections that could be used for specific actions during the sinking. The bow section could be tilted down and actually submerged into the tank. And the stern section was mounted on a separate hydraulic rig that could tilt it up at 90 degrees for the ship’s final, vertical descent into the water.
But to capture the size of the set, there didn’t exist a camera crane large enough. In typical James Cameron fashion, he didn’t go home, he went big. He mounted cameras onto a massive construction crane that could ride along train tracks like the world’s biggest camera dolly. Hanging from the crane was a platform that could also be raised and lowered with a Wescam mounted underneath.
For certain shots of the Titanic sinking scene, miniatures were used. For example, when the stern rises up out of the water, two old-school techniques were employed to help sell the illusion. First, a miniature was shot at between 60-75 frames per second and, second, a foreground shot of extras floating in the water underneath it.
Also, in typical James Cameron fashion, they pushed the limits of what CGI could accomplish in 1997. This included one of the earliest uses of motion-capture performances, a digital ocean, and stitching the practical set with miniatures and CG portions of the ship in the same shot. The full-sized set could only be tilted at 6 degrees, much shallower than what they needed. So, a simple solution was found — Dutch angle the camera and composite in a new water/horizon line.
All in all, the Titanic Sinking Scene is a marvel to behold. From the old-school techniques to the revolutionary visual effects, it is perhaps the apex of Hollywood movie magic. Sadly, since CGI can do just about anything these days, this type of filmmaking may have sunk along with Jack and the ill-fated RMS Titanic.
#FilmTheory #VideoEssay #Filmmaking
─────────────────────
VIDEO EDITOR: BRANDON SCULLION
─────────────────────
♬ SONGS USED:
“Crash Into Me” - Dave Mathews Band
“The Sinking” - James Horner
“Distant Memories“ - James Horner
“Leaving Port “- James Horner
“Its Just The Beginning“ - Marie Hines
“Southampton“ - James Horner
“Rose“ - James Horner
“Hard To Starboard“ - James Horner
“Leaves Drifting” - St. Leon
“The Final Shore” Jordan Critz
“Unable To Stay, Unwilling To Leave“ - James Horner
“My Heart Will Go On” - Celine Dion, James Horner
Music by Artlist ►
Music by Artgrid ►
Music by Soundstripe ►
Music by MusicBed ►
─────────────────────
SUBSCRIBE to StudioBinder’s YouTube channel! ►►
Looking for a production management solution for your film? Try StudioBinder for FREE today:
— Join us on Social Media! —
Instagram ►►
Facebook ►►
Twitter ►►
1 view
1070
342
10 years ago 00:07:39 72
James Baxter How To Draw Spirit Part 1
10 years ago 00:04:03 43
James Fox - How You Feeling (James Welsh Remix)
2 years ago 00:10:19 53
How James Corden Destroyed His Reputation
6 years ago 00:04:12 37
How do tornadoes form? - James Spann
7 years ago 00:04:24 194
Jarryd James - How Do We Make It
3 years ago 00:07:16 70
How James Started His Band REX VIPER
5 years ago 00:01:37 41
Donald James - How I Feel
11 years ago 00:04:04 80
How James Franco Chooses His Acting Roles
5 years ago 00:13:07 207
How James Rolfe (AVGN) Avoids Drama
10 years ago 00:02:29 131
How-To Skateboarding: Nollie Frontside Boardslide with Windsor James
9 years ago 00:20:55 45
James Watson: How we discovered DNA
5 years ago 00:16:05 37
How I Built a Metal Roller | James Bruton
7 years ago 00:15:55 290
How we explore unanswered questions in physics | James Beacham
5 years ago 00:06:58 71
How To Draw Leafstar 🍃 | With James L. Barry
8 years ago 00:02:41 24
James Bay reveals how he releases his emotion when performing!
12 years ago 00:03:01 29
James&Joy | Look How They Shine For You
9 years ago 00:03:19 27
Filous - How Hard I Try (ft. James Hersey)
5 years ago 00:02:45 22
How Many Weird Phobias Does James McAvoy Know?
7 years ago 00:06:27 19
James Maslow ’How I Like It’ Album Sampler
10 years ago 00:01:27 337
How LeBron James changed the NBA landscape
11 years ago 00:01:30 561
How To Become James Franco
8 years ago 00:03:31 58
James Vincent McMorrow - How to Waste a Moment
9 years ago 00:04:13 58
How do spacesuits work? | James May Q&A | Head Squeeze
4 years ago 00:35:16 16
Nano Aquascape Tutorial - Scree by James Findley - How-To Documentary