I just finished watching the movie today with a highly inquistive date who kept asking me how they did all those special effects. I gave him some b.s. answers, but now I really want to know. Anybody out there have a clue? Anything you know would be appreciated. Like how they filmed that part where Jack and Rose were at the bow and right after the ship broke in two? You know, when the ship was like vertical with people falling all over the place. And anything else that's interesting. Oh, and also if Guggenheim was really on the Titanic. Thanks!

-- Sophia Yen (s13sky@aol.com), December 31, 1997

Answers

If you get HBO on tv they have been running "making of Titanic" which goes in to detail on the special effects and how they were done. Check your tv listings. Yes Guggenheim was really on the Titanic.

-- peter nivling (pcnivling@capecod.net), December 31, 1997.

I don't know about the Guhhenheim thing, but I know how they did the thing with the ship vertical with everyone falling off, etc: for the movie, James had several titanc "ships" done (I believe) and one of them was a half of the Titanic that Rose and Jack were on. This was built in a large studio in the floor, which had a large part cut out. The half of the boat is controlled by computer, and it raises and goes down when "told to". Leo and Kate had to hang on while the ship went up and down as cameras caught the shots, using those things that you always see...As for the people falling off? Those people who were hitting things on the way "off" the Titanic in the movie, WEREN'T actually hitting things- computers made it look like they were.

-- Liz Gerreaux (gerreaux@hotmail.com), January 03, 1998.

I read in an interview with Kate Winslet the following:

The very last day of the shoot called for a scene in which Winslet and DiCaprio were flailing in the Atlantic waters--actually in a giant tank built for the purpose. "For my close-up shots, I was actually weighted down 12 feet under water, so I'd stay in a fixed position," she says. "Looking back, I can't believe I allowed that to be done to me." She had a problem using an air regulator to inhale air and swallowed mouthfuls of water while unable to kick her way to the surface. "After three takes, I simply said I couldn't do any more," Winslet says. "It really was a remarkable set," she says enthusiastically. "There was a replica of the Titanic built which was 700 feet long, as opposed to the 882 feet of the real ship. And you could see it driving along the main road at Rosarito. It looked as if it was really sitting on the sea--but it was actually built within a giant tank, which could be filled with millions of gallons of water. I've never seen anything quite like it." Scenes with passengers floundering in the icy waves were filmed in this tank, with water pumped in directly from the ocean off the coast at Rosarito. "The water was filthy, dirt blew into it, and actors splashing around in it got kidney infections," Winslet says. "But at least it was heated to 72 degrees. It still felt cold. I only got to wear a wetsuit for a wide shot in the big tank, where the water was about 60 degrees. And that felt absolutely freezing."

All of that helped me understand the making of the Titanic, so maybe that would help you.

-- Heather (ClickyLove@aol.com), January 05, 1998.

The ship that Jim made had hydraulic systems that could tilt it. The background of the night were put there by the graphics company.

-- Jen (jendrew@hotmail.com), January 13, 1998.

For anyone interested in the definitive answer to how the special effects in Titanic were done, check out our magazine -- "Cinefex." We are a quarterly publication covering the effects technologies and techniques behind some of our most popular movies. Our December issue is devoted exclusively to "Titanic" the movie (60,000 words, over 100 color photographs) and will answer all your questions. It can be ordered as a back issue from our circulation department for $12.50 (prepaid). Call us at 1-800-434-3339 to order by credit card, or send your request with a check to Cinefex at P.O. Box 20027, Riverside, CA 92516. The magazine is also distributed through bookstores, but most have already sold out the December issue. Visit our web site through Ingram Periodicals Magazine Cybercenter, http://www.magamall.com/magazine/81180/cinefex.htm

-- Margie (Circulation@cinefex.com), February 03, 1998.

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