According to a recent interview with James Cameron, the director of the 1997 blockbuster movie Titanic, the production team employed several tricks to make the film even better. One of the most notable tricks was casting only short extras to make the actual set of the Titanic appear even bigger “We only cast short extras so it made our set look bigger,” said Cameron. “Anybody above 5’8”, we didn’t cast them. It’s like we got an extra million dollars of value out of casting”
Cameron also revealed that he cut an entire set that they had planned to use, opting instead to just use two sets, one for the pre-iceberg scenes and one that was tilted at six degrees to replicate the Titanic sinking
The extras on Titanic weren’t just random characters. Their backstories were meticulously fleshed out, and all 150 extras met with Cameron as he explained to them who their characters were, their relationships, and their backstories. This attention to detail made every aspect incredibly accurate and filled with genuine life
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, Titanic tells the story of the sinking of the famous RMS Titanic and centers around the two as they fall in love despite their different social standings. The film also stars Billy Zane, Kathy Bates, Frances Fisher, Gloria Stuart, Bernard Hill, Jonathan Hyde, Victor Garber, and Bill Paxton
Titanic became a smash hit from the moment it premiered, with praise from critics and audiences alike pouring in. The film was the first ever movie to reach the billion-dollar mark at the box office and remained the highest-grossing film of all time until Cameron would go on to beat it with another film of his in 2009 — Avatar Nominated for 14 Academy Awards, Titanic tied 1950’s All About Eve for the most Oscar nominations and would win 11 of them, including Best Picture and Best Director. It also tied 1959’s Ben-Hur for the most Oscars won by a single film
