James Cameron: A Life in Pictures

22 December 09

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On 11 December 2009, BAFTA and luxury menswear label Alfred Dunhill celebrated the life in pictures of James Cameron.

Interviewed on stage by presenter Francine Stock, the award-winning director talked about starting out in the industry and the inspiration behind his work.

In front of an audience of film fans and BAFTA members, Cameron revealed the processes and working methods behind his groundbreaking films, including Terminator and the record-breaking Titanic. He went on to talk about working for over a decade on his latest project, before sharing his thoughts on the future of film formats and technologies.

About James Cameron

BAFTA / J SimmondsThe son of an electrical engineer, Cameron was born in Kapuskasing, Ontario, Canada, on August 16, 1954. He was fascinated with movies from a young age and would later cite Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey as an early influence.

Cameron received his first break at the hands of the legendary Roger Corman, who hired the young man (then 25 years old) as a model maker at his Roger Corman Studios.
Still in his twenties, Cameron conceived the film that was to make his reputation, The Terminator. The script found takers at the major studios, but Cameron insisted on directing it himself, a deal-killer. He finally sold the rights to producer Gale Anne Hurd for one dollar, on condition that he be allowed to direct. Cameron's unbridled enthusiasm won over Hemdale Films head John Daly and star Arnold Schwarzenegger. While waiting for Schwarzenegger to become available, Cameron wrote screenplays for Rambo: First Blood Part II and Aliens.

BAFTA / J SimmondsWith the international success of the Terminator, Cameron won the director's chair for Aliens and went on to direct The Abyss, Terminator 2: Judgment Day and True Lies. Typecast as a director of high-testosterone action films, Cameron raised eyebrows by proposing Titanic as an intimate love story, albeit one with mid-boggling special effects. Titanic broke box office records all over the world and swept the Academy Awards, winning an unprecedented 11 Oscars, and 10 BAFTA nominations.

Cameron's reputation as a driven perfectionist has become part of Hollywood legend, but he takes it in stride as he calmly plans his current film: Avatar, a science fiction epic, four years in the making. Based on a script Cameron first wrote in 1994, Avatar is the first big budget action film to be shot in 3D, using revolutionary camera technology Cameron developed himself.

• James Cameron on IMDB

Alfred Dunhill BAFTA A Life in Pictures

Following actor Viggo Mortensen's visit to BAFTA, this event was the second in a new series of Life in Pictures events in partnership with luxury menswear brand, Alfred Dunhill.

• Find out more about Alfred Dunhill at www.dunhill.com
• View more A Life in Pictures events
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