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Chapter 180: Visiting the Titanic Set
🕑 Added 2025-01-02 16:29:22 +0000 UTCIn the coastal development zone of Rosarito, Mexico, the Titanic film crew is working hard on set.
Initially, director James Cameron had chosen a natural water pit in Malta, but the local government refused his request, citing concerns over environmental damage.
As a result, they finally settled on the Rosarito coastal development zone. 20th Century Fox purchased 40 acres of land in Rosarito and an additional 60 acres for future use.
Because James Cameron kept requesting additional investments, 20th Century Fox and Paramount could no longer handle it, and ultimately agreed to a $50 million investment from Melon Studios.
For Gilbert, this was a fairly sound investment.
Although Titanic's weekly box office wasn't very high, it was a long-term revenue stream. Plus, there would be re-releases in 3D versions in the future.
Additionally, the film's copyright and merchandise were a major source of income, though it would take some time to see the profits.
Gilbert arrived at the Titanic set in Rosarito from Los Angeles to check on his investment. James Cameron greeted him enthusiastically.
"Gilbert, how do you like it? Isn't it magnificent here?" James Cameron said as he showed Gilbert around the set.
Looking at the bustling set and the half-constructed Titanic ship in the bay, Gilbert nodded and said, "Francis, you've really done an incredible job."
Francis is James Cameron's middle name, and it's a nickname that only those close to him would use.
Although the truck driver was somewhat hot-tempered, he was often quite professional. He greatly admired the young director, Gilbert, and even referred to him as one of the best directors alongside himself in media interviews.
As for Steven Spielberg and others, they were from a different generation.
James Cameron chuckled after hearing Gilbert's words. "To be honest, when Fox first suggested you take over the project, I was a little worried! But in the end, I'm glad you chose to support me, which put my mind at ease."
Gilbert smiled as well. "Francis, this project could only be completed by you. Anyone else taking over halfway through wouldn't have been able to finish it."
"You're right; filmmakers understand each other best. Fox has never looked at problems from a filmmaker's perspective," James Cameron said, clearly dissatisfied with Fox's interference.
After chatting for a while, James Cameron continued showing Gilbert around the set. He now needed Gilbert's support to continue controlling the Titanic production.
"We discovered during preparations that the company that made the Titanic's carpets is still in business."
"And they can still make the same dyes and replicate the carpet styles from back then. So, we immediately ordered a batch of carpets."
"And these furniture pieces?"
"My production team in Mexico City, New York, and Los Angeles has been recreating the sets and furniture, replicating thousands of items like deck chairs, lamps, porcelain, leather suitcases, life vests, and maritime parts. Building the 775-foot-long shooting exterior to match the real Titanic is just as complicated and only had a tenth of the time to complete it."
"Additionally, since the Titanic sank on its maiden voyage and its interior wasn't fully finished with few photographs available, my art director, Peter Lamont, and the production team carefully recreated the first-class dining room, reception area, smoking room, promenade, afternoon tea room, gym, and several deluxe cabins based on the few surviving photos of the Titanic and its sister ship, the Olympic."
James Cameron spoke with pride about these impressive achievements, all of which were under his direction.
Gilbert gave a thumbs-up in admiration. "Incredible, Francis. Only you could have completed this with such determination."
"By the way, are you okay?" Gilbert asked, referring to the incident when James Cameron had been poisoned by a crew member and had to go to the hospital.
With such a massive project, the pressure was immense.
A crew member, unable to handle the intense pressure, had tried to poison James Cameron, hoping the project would collapse.
James Cameron waved it off. "I'm fine, and I understand their stress, so I didn't go after the person responsible."
Luckily, Gilbert didn't cause a butterfly effect that would have killed or incapacitated James Cameron, otherwise, 20th Century Fox would have asked Gilbert to take over the project, and to protect his investment, Gilbert would have had to step in.
"Let's go. I'll introduce you to the actors," James Cameron said as he and Gilbert headed to the actor's resting area.
The set was so vast that walking wasn't feasible; they relied on cars to get around.
The actor's resting area was busy, with some being attended by makeup artists, while others were rehearsing or reading scripts.
For the actors, this time had been a real challenge.
As soon as James Cameron and Gilbert entered, all the actors stood up to greet them. "Hello, Director…"
Clearly, James Cameron had a good reputation on set, as the actors were respectful.
James Cameron introduced Gilbert to the actors: "You all know Gilbert Landrini, the director, screenwriter, and one of the producers of the film."
James Cameron had insisted that Gilbert receive those credits, saying that the whole idea for Titanic had come from Gilbert.
The actors, of course, recognized him and quickly greeted him respectfully.
Compared to the tyrant-like director on set, Gilbert seemed composed, charming, handsome, and kind…
James Cameron then introduced Gilbert to the actors: "Leo, you know him, this is Kate Winslet, who plays the female lead, Rose."
"Hello, Miss Rose." Gilbert didn't use her real name but referred to her by her character name.
Kate made a graceful curtsy and lightly lifted her skirt. "Welcome to Titanic."
Gilbert turned to James Cameron. "This choice for the female lead is great; she's beautiful."
James Cameron, in a rare moment of playfulness, replied, "Do you want me to arrange a dinner with Miss Rose in the restaurant?"
"Forget it!" Gilbert pointed at Leonardo DiCaprio. "I'm afraid Jack might kill me."
Gilbert and Leo were good friends and could joke around like that. "Hey, Gilbert, I'll kill you with a rock while we're fishing together."
Gilbert pretended to be scared. "In that case, I'll have to wear a helmet."
"A helmet for fishing?"
"Who fishes without a helmet?"
Seeing the playful banter between Gilbert and Leo, Kate Winslet was a little envious. Because of James Cameron's influence, she felt a bit intimidated by directors. Directors on set could be like demons; they were scary.
After chatting with the actors for a while, James Cameron and Gilbert continued walking toward the bay, where the right half of the Titanic's ship was docked.
Curious, Gilbert asked James Cameron, "There's only the right half of the ship, how do you shoot the left half?"
"We use this..." James Cameron pointed to some props with reversed text. "We shoot with these, and later in post-production, we flip the images."
"This way, we saved nearly ten million dollars in production costs."
Although this was true, that saved ten million dollars ended up being spent elsewhere.
Notably, James Cameron's special effects studio had been developing new technologies throughout the process of working on the film's effects.
James Cameron said, "I asked the special effects director to create a panoramic shot of the Titanic. To make the people on the deck appear lifelike, we used a lot of motion capture technology. And I must thank you, Gilbert."
"Thank me?" Gilbert looked puzzled. "What did I do?"
"You were the one who used motion capture on a large scale in Real Steel. That greatly advanced the technology. It made many of the challenges we faced much easier," James Cameron said.
James Cameron and George Lucas were both considered technical filmmaking legends, and now Gilbert had become a representative of the technical filmmaking movement.
Gilbert stayed on the Titanic set for just one day. That evening, he had dinner with James Cameron, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Kate Winslet before returning to Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, after James Gunn arrived, the initial auditions for the child role in The Sixth Sense had begun.
Scarlett had successfully passed the initial audition, and another actor, Haley Joel Osment, had also performed exceptionally well in the first round.
Haley Joel Osment had been recommended by Tom Hanks, as the young actor had performed admirably as Forrest Gump's son in Forrest Gump.
Back in Los Angeles, Gilbert watched the footage of Haley's audition.
Assistant director Annie, who was standing nearby, introduced, "During the audition, Haley stunned us all with his sincere, powerful gaze. He was incredibly captivating."
Gilbert nodded, acknowledging Haley's great performance.
He then asked, "How did Scarlett do?"
"Scarlett was good," Annie shook her head. "But honestly, Haley's performance was even more impressive."
Although Scarlett had been recommended by Annie, when it came to choosing the best actor for the role, the best performance would win out, and ultimately, it was Gilbert's decision.
"But there's still the final audition, right?" Gilbert said. "Let's schedule the second audition and see how both young actors perform."
Once the director had made a decision, others stopped discussing it.
Since there were still follow-up auditions and a final round, there was no need to consider other child actors. The two leading contenders would move on to the final round.
To be honest, after seeing Haley's performance, Gilbert was already sure of his choice, but since he wasn't present during the audition, he still wanted to see them in person.
However, this left Scarlett in a tough spot.
She had been notified early and prepared for the audition, but unexpectedly, someone else outshone her.
There would still be another opportunity in the final audition. If Scarlett missed it, then she would have no chance of landing the role in The Sixth Sense.
Gilbert needed to figure out how to console Scarlett.
Although he had previously told her that if she didn't pass the audition, she wouldn't be chosen, it was easier said than done. Who knew how Scarlett might react?
Gilbert decided to check in with Mrs. Sloan, Scarlett's mother, to see what Scarlett enjoyed and how best to comfort her.
