Same story, new look: "I think we can all imagine the shots of the ship flooding, breaking in half and the stern plunging. That's all going to be cool in 3-D," says director James Cameron.
For James Cameron, converting his 1997 epic Titanic into a 3-D version that would satisfy today's tech-savvy audiences posed challenges similar to navigating iceberg-filled waters.
Paramount Pictures/20th Century Fox
When Jack (Leonardo Dicaprio) and Rose (Kate Winslet) say goodbye, "you really feel like you are right down in the water with these people," says director James Cameron.
Paramount Pictures/20th Century Fox
When Jack (Leonardo Dicaprio) and Rose (Kate Winslet) say goodbye, "you really feel like you are right down in the water with these people," says director James Cameron.
The director set the gold standard and revolutionized the industry when he shot 2009's Avatar in 3-D. But revamping old films is a different story, and Cameron has been an outspoken critic of substandard conversions. So all eyes are on the just-opened 3-D Titanic, his maiden voyage into the conversion process.
"It's a bit of treacherous territory," Cameron admits. "We knew if we were going to make a conversion it had to be the platinum standard. I told the studios we were going to spend as much as it took."
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The task required 300 artists, 60 weeks and a budget of $18 million. The company Stereo D handled the bulk of the conversion, but the perfectionist Cameron pored over every frame. He thinks the "mind-numbing" process paid off.
"It's not exactly what it would have looked like if we had shot in 3-D," he says, "but it's certainly an enhancement to the Titanic you have seen before."
Producing partner Jon Landau is more excited about the prospect of getting the film back into theaters after a generation of moviegoers has watched Titanic on small screens.
"This is a movie that can excite people about going to theaters again," says Landau. "This is an experience people can't get at home or on their mobile device."
Cameron believes that once people get into theaters, they'll continue to be blown away with the original special effects, but the 3-D will greatly aid the "dramatic scenes."
"It might play out for people more differently than they expect," says Cameron. "What is interesting is that the intimacy is accentuated with 3-D. It puts you on the ship."
Scenes such as Rose (Kate Winslet) having her corset tightened almost bring the viewer into the room, he says, and 3-D even highlights a different take on the ship's spectacular sinking scene.
Titanic: 100 Years later
USA TODAY and National Geographic Channel are producing a series of reports on the centennial of the Titanic’s sinking. See more at natgeotv.com/titanic. Watch Titanic specials on The National Geographic Channel starting April 8 at 8 p.m. ET.
"I think we can all imagine the shots of the ship flooding, breaking in half and the stern plunging. That's all going to be cool in 3-D," says Cameron. But the conversion adds poignancy and a you-are-there aspect to the grim, close-up drama in the icy waters directly after the sinking.
"It's the floating in the water after the ship is gone, the chaotic first struggling," says Cameron.
Then the scene settles down to the central love story between Rose and Jack (Leonardo DiCaprio).
"They are essentially saying goodbye," says Cameron. "It's the intimacy of the dialogue. You're right there with them in those tight close-ups."
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