James Cameron Showcases Record-Breaking Mariana Trench Dive In ‘Deepsea Challenge 3D' Documentary
Blockbuster machine James Cameron is preparing for the release of his upcoming documentary “Deepsea Challenge 3D” this Friday, in which he shows off the marvels of the planet's deepest spot -- the bottom of the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean.
The documentary reportedly shows the Oscar-winning director plunging 35,787 feet into the deepest place on Earth, on March 26, 2012. According to reports, Cameron was inspired by Lt. Don Walsh of the U.S. Navy, who was reportedly present during Cameron’s expedition, and Swiss oceanographer Jacques Piccard, both of whom made the dive in 1960 on the Trieste. The documentary on Cameron's journey into the Mariana Trench -- his childhood dream -- was compiled from about 200 hours of footage shot in 3D.
"Curiosity is the most important thing in my life," Cameron, who spent more than two-and-a-half hours exploring the ocean floor and also photographed the creatures of the deep, told Reuters, adding that the equipment for the dive was designed and built by his team of experts.
"Part of it for me is the excitement of the engineering. Part of it is the excitement of physically going and seeing something that I know no human being has ever seen,” the 59-year-old director reportedly said.
Co-director John Bruno told The Hollywood Reporter that when Cameron set the record, they “got emails that it was a stunt, and it made me mad.”
"I thought, this is completely unfair. This was a lifetime goal for him. I started to change the [focus of the documentary]. It became more about Jim and the crew—the courage and tenacity it took to do this, and how Jim got to that point,” he reportedly said.
According to Reuters, Cameron admitted to being nervous before the expedition began, but as he got into the capsule and the 24-foot-long submarine began its journey into the depths of the ocean, his nervousness changed to excitement.
“The ocean hasn’t read the script, so it’s not going to cooperate,” Cameron reportedly said. “And the sub is a bit like a diva movie actress. You’re not always going to get it on camera when you want it.”
The director of “Avatar” and “Titanic,” two of Hollywood's highest-grossing films, also reportedly said that at one point he felt that “this might be the dumbest idea I have ever had."
Cameron, who is currently working on the sequel of "Avatar," reportedly wants to go back again.
"My ultimate dream is to be able to have a vehicle that is connected by fiber optics to the surface at those depths, so you can come to a place like this and actually watch in real time while we are exploring on the bottom of the ocean. That would be really cool," he said, according to Reuters.
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