Film Techniques of James Cameron Essay Example For Students

Film Techniques of James Cameron Essay James Cameron was born on August 16, 1954 in Ontario Canada. He later moved to California in 1971 to attend California State University to major in Physics. After leaving college, he decided to do pursue his passion for screenwriting. Eventually, in 1978, he got his first job as a miniature set builder for the movie Battle Beyond the Stars (1980). He later then got his first real directing job for the movie Piranha Part Two: The Spawning(1981). Throughout Camerons directing career, he has won many awards for his films. For one of his most famous movies, Titanic, he had won an Academy Award for Best Director, Best Picture and Best Film Editing. Another of his famous movies, Avatar, he had won a Golden Globe for best director. He has won awards from all over the world including; Norway, France and the UK. With many awards under his belt it only goes to show that he has amazing film technique and creative ideas that are brought to table in the film industry. Three of Camerons most famous films are Titanic, Avatar and the Terminator trilogy . In most of the James Cameron films, he tends to stick to the genre of Science Fiction. In two of his major movies, Terminator and Avatar they were Science Fiction. His intended audience often changes. With the movie Terminator, it is an adult intended audience with the dynamic plot line and a lot of killing and action scenes. In Avatar, it is more of a mystical universe with different creatures and that is directed to young adults and teenagers. Titanic is a movie more geared towards adults. Titanic however is not a science fiction movie, it is based on a real event that happened many years ago. Terminator (1984) is a movie about a robot that is sent back into the past to kill a women by the name of Sarah Conner. In the future, Sarah Conner gives birth to her son, John Conner, who then grows up to save the human race after the nuclear holocaust. The Terminator is a robot designed to look and act like a human and will stop at nothing to kill Sarah Conner. The Terminator has a famous line that almost anyone can recognize is, Ill be back. A man by the name of Kyle Reese volunteers to go back into the past the save Sarah from being killed. Kyle was one of the men that was saved by John, Sarahs son. Kyle and Sarah grow close till a tragic ending happens that is unexpected. Something that gives this film so much suspense and action is the film techniques that Cameron used. There was a lot of laser and lightening special effects that look like a glimpse into the future. The choice of intense music increased the tension in the action scenes, then creating a dramatic reaction from all the viewers. Throughout the movie there are many jump-cuts during the action scene to show the fast-paced activity on the screen. Most of the shots are mid shots, showing the characters only partially. Lighting played a very big part in the suspense aspect of the film. Majority of the film was shot in low light giving the vibe that the next thing that could happen is unexpected. The lead actor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, played a vital role that only he could do. Schwarzenegger played the terminator who had a very powerful characteristics, which is why he was a perfect fit. The techniques played a huge role in the reaction of the viewers and Cameron did an outstanding job in creating a sense of action and suspense throughout the film. In the fast-paced and exciting film, many critics had positive reviews. From IMDb, it was given 8. 1 out of 10 stars with over 400,000 votes. Overall, Im not a major fan of science fiction films, however I did like the complexity and suspense it created. It was very well directed and the special effects and sounds effects gave the film a sense of action and suspense that always kept the viewers on the edge of their seats. Alan Jones, from Radio Times wrote, Wittily written with a nice eye for sharp detail, its hard sci-fi action all the way. According to Rotten Tomatoes, reviewers said it was a scary vision of a bleak post-apocalyptic future and a terrifying, indestructible villain(Carlos Magalhaes). The Terminator trilogy is a very well liked series by majority of the viewers. In a James Camerons film, Avatar, (2009) is a movie about a former paraplegic Marine, named Jake Sully who then travels to the distant land of Pandora. His body is in a machine that transforms him into an avatar where he then can interact with other avatars. The land of Pandora is a mystical land that is made up of unusual plants and animals and different tribes that speak different languages. The scientists Jake is working with want him the help further their research of avatars. Digital Art In Film EssaySomething interesting about the Titanic was it was a movie about Rose DeWitt Bukater telling her story from the past. It was like a story within a story. Throughout the movie there were many shots of the camera panning the room to the audience could understand the atmosphere. Most of the shots were in natural lighting until the ship had hit the iceberg. I think that’s an important factor because the lighting resembles how dark and tragic the event was when it had occurred. There was a lot of movement on the ship and traveling around with one another. Cameron showcased that by traveling with camera behind the characters to give a sense of enthusiasm on the ship. It showed how fast-paced and lively the ship was. One special effect was when the ship had sunk there were dead bodies in the water and their hair was freezing with fog in their breath. Cameron made it look so real, like they were actually freezing in the water and the bodies were actual real bodies. Certain effects like that got the powerful message across to the viewers and I believe that is very important. One thing that is very memorable about the film is the song choices. A very well known song, My Heart Will Go On, is a key part in remembering this movie and speaking to the audience. An interesting fact about this movie is that it was one of James Camerons favorite movies to do because he has a huge passion for scuba diving. The details in the movie could have been so great and precise for his passion of the ocean and being able to see the ship years after it had gone under. As far as critics go, the critics of IMDb gave the Titanic a 7. 7 out of 10. A lot of the critics mentioned how heart wrenching it was and how it tugged at so many emotions. Also the precision he gave to the actual ship. In the beginning of the movie, he showed under water clips of how the ship looks now after 82 years of being under water. Those images being compared to what Cameron had done in the film is extremely similar. I loved the movie, the love story of Jake and Rose is one of the most famous love stories that pops into peoples heads. I think that goes to show how well Cameron did in putting the movie together and portraying their love story. It was a very emotional film and with all the details and events shown made it all seem so legitimate and real. Titanic won three Academy Awards and with that being said it can only show that the movie had to be well liked by majority of the viewers. Describing the film, Desmond Ryan from the Philadelphia Inquirer said, The execution is state-of-the-art and breathtaking. Titanic offers the full compass of courage and cowardice, and it stands as an achievement that truly is a night to remember at the movies. This describes the film very well in the aspects of how well the film was put together. Candy Rose said, He reveals a love story between two classes on board the maiden voyage of the Titanic across the Atlantic. This shows the importance the love story has to the movie. With many awards and nominations for his spectacular and well-known films, James Cameron has had a very successful career. Something I picked up from watching the three movies was that he is very detailed and wants to get every bit of it on film. He tends to have longer films that run to almost three hours. If theyre not three hours there turned in to trilogies and broken up into shorter movies. Cameron is very into Sci-Fi and thinking outside the realm of possibilities. His movie ideas and storylines involve immense amounts of creativity and imagination. His movies showcase all of his strengths in movie making process. I think James Cameron is an outstanding director because he embodies well-rounded characteristics that some directors are incapable of obtaining. He followed his dream of directing movies and I think that is the smartest thing he could have done because his works of art have changed the movie-making business forever. Bibliography: Avatar (2009). Dir. James Cameron. Perf. Zoe Saldana, Sam Worthington, and Sigourney Weaver. 20th Century Fox, 2009. Film. James Cameron.  Bio. AE Television Networks, 2015. Web. 04  Jan.  2015. James Cameron. IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 03 Jan. 2015. Terminator. Dir. James Cameron. Perf. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Michael Biehn, Linda Hamilton. Metro Goldwyn Mayer, 1984. DVD. The Terminator. Rotten Tomatoes. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Jan. 2015. Titanic.  Dir. James Cameron. Perf. Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, 1997. Film. Titanic.  History.com. History, n.d. Web. 4 Jan. 2015. Titanic Movie vs. Titanic History Pictures of the Real People, Survivors, Facts. ChasingtheFrog.com. IMDb, n.d. Web. 04 Jan. 2015.