Canadian History for Kids: James Cameron

The Titanic may sink but My Heart Will Go On.

This Canadian History for Kids, Sketches of our Canada, looks at the amazing career of James Cameron, creator of the mega hit movie, Titanic, released in Canada on December 19, 1997.

This Canadian History for Kids article begins when James Francis Cameron, Canadian film director, film producer, deep-sea explorer, screenwriter, and editor was born in Kapuskasing, Ontario on August 16, 1954. In 1971, his family moved to Brea, California when he was 17 years old. After graduating from high school, he worked as a truck driver.

After seeing the original Star Wars film in 1977, James Cameron quit his job as a truck driver to enter the film industry. When Cameron read Syd Field’s book Screenplay, it occurred to him that integrating science and art was possible, and he wrote a 10-minute science-fiction script with two friends, titled Xenogenesis. They raised money and rented camera, lenses, film stock, and studio, and shot it in 35mm. To understand how to operate the camera, they dismantled it and spent the first half-day of the shoot trying to figure out how to get it running.

His first successful movie was the science-fiction hit The Terminator in 1984, and later received critical acclaim for his use of special effects in Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

This Canadian History for Kids article continues when his biggest movie, the epic romantic disaster movie, Titanic, released on December 19, 1997 won the Academy Award for Best Picture and him the Academy for Best Director and Film Editing. The movie’s theme song, My Heart Will Go On, song by Celine Dion, also won the Academy for Best Original Song. My Heart Will Go On was also Celine Dion’s biggest hit and the best selling single of all times.

When James Cameron first became interested in the sinking of the Titanic, he took dives to the bottom of the Atlantic and shot actual footage of the ship underwater, which he inserted into the final film. Much of the film’s dialogue was also written during these dives.

He became an expert on deep-sea exploration and in June 2010, he met with the EPA in Washington to discuss solutions to the 2010 BP oil spill. He has offered to help BP but they declined. The oil spill was eventually stopped using techniques similar to those Cameron recommended.

James Cameron is also a member of the NASA Advisory Council, working on a project to put cameras on Mars missions.

This Canadian History for Kids article continues in 2008 when James Cameron was inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame. On December 18, 2009, the same day Avatar was released worldwide, Cameron received the 2,396th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

And that’s this week’s Canadian History for Kids, Sketches of our Canada.
 

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