There is a stereotype that successful directors are also on-set tyrants, whereby they command their productions like ex-army generals, ruling with an iron fist and shutting down any attempt to question orders. Directors like Stanley Kubrick and Alfred Hitchcock were known for their dictatorial perfectionism. Likewise, James “never bet against him.” Cameron is also known for his short temper, going so far as to admit that he was a “phony dictator” on set.
Cameron’s demands not only for perfectionism, but also to achieve the impossible on each of his films, repeatedly defying odds, budgets and technological constraints to repeatedly produce the highest-grossing films of all time, can lead to sets becoming battlefields. There was a time when Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio stormed off the set of “The Abyss” shouting “We’re not animals!” because of Cameron’s rigorous direction, or the way Ed Harris almost died making this film.
It seems, however, that Cameron has finally learned to relax, and it’s all thanks to the way of water – like in the movie “The Way of Water.” In the new documentary “Fire and Water: Making the Avatar Films,” Cameron talks about the intensive training the actors had to undergo to hold their breath long enough to film underwater. Before diving in for each take, Cameron would do a countdown over a PA system while being at his most zen, because if he didn’t, it would literally ruin the take.
“You have to be very, very calm,” Cameron said in the Disney+ documentary. “Any type of tension raises the heart rate, so I keep my voice very calming and put everyone under the water.”
James Cameron was zen during the underwater scenes
It’s true, if Cameron returned to his “phony dictator” ways, the actors would lose oxygen and would no longer be able to film.
“The Way of Water” is truly a miraculous film, as the cast and crew pushed the absolute limits of what is possible. It’s not just that the actors hold their breath while they film each shot, it’s the fact that they can only film for about two minutes (three maximum, according to Cameron). Indeed, although actors like Kate Winslet have broken records holding their breath underwater, standing still is not the same as swimming and doing physical things underwater. So, with only a few minutes available for each shot, Cameron absolutely wanted to keep his zen to make sure he didn’t ruin a take because of his behavior.
This contrasts with James Cameron’s experience while making the first “Avatar,” when the director’s famous anger reportedly resurfaced, particularly toward those who forgot to silence their phones on set. That’s right, Cameron even admitted (with a healthy dose of humor) that he would “nail a cell phone to the wall with a nail gun” if it rang in the middle of a take, which is pretty fair to be perfectly honest.
