COOL STUFF
National Geographic Posts First Footage of Cameron's Ocean Dive
by Ben Pearson
March 27, 2012
Source: National Geographic
Director/writer/inventor/explorer James Cameron made history yesterday by being the first man in over fifty years to travel to the ocean's deepest point, the bottom of the Mariana Trench. He was the first person to ever do it by himself, and I almost forgot to mention he did it in a submersible he spent years secretly designing and building in Australia. National Geographic has teamed with Cameron to bring us a 3D documentary called Deepsea Challenge which gives us an inside look into the whole process, and now the first footage from yesterday's dive has already made its way online (found via FilmDrunk). See it below!
Say what you will about the storytelling merits of Avatar—I actually wasn't as crazy about that film as a lot of other people—but this project makes Cameron a certifiable badass in my book. He spent more than three hours on the ocean floor taking samples and filming for the documentary, and for a guy who conceivably has everything he could possibly want, it's really cool that he's using his billionaire status to further human knowledge and exploring parts of our world that haven't been thoroughly studied yet. And as I said when I first wrote about this project, it's gotta be good research for Avatar 2, which will take place in the oceans of Pandora. I'm sure his imagination is going wild. We hope you enjoyed seeing this early footage. Thoughts?
Reader Feedback - 21 Comments
1
I want to explore stuff too! 🙁
Neuromancer on Mar 27, 2012
3
I admire Cameron in his mission to discover, that much cannot never be argued with.
Xerxexx on Mar 27, 2012
4
Agreed. Say what you want about his filmmaking skills...he's never shied away from his desire to explore new frontiers, especially the ocean. And hey--he's now on that (very short) list of explorers to challenge Challenger Deep and win.
Scopedog on Mar 27, 2012
5
Indeed.
Xerxexx on Mar 27, 2012
6
yes, he pushes the boundaries in *all* fields. he might rub some people up the wrong way, but he's out there doing it and practising what he preaches. i'd hate to work with him, in interviews he seems like a ferocious task master, but for his exploration and for pushing the scientific envelope he should be applauded.
son_et_lumiere on Mar 28, 2012
7
Indeed.
Xerxexx on Mar 29, 2012
8
I have considerable respect for the man. I'm glad to see that he's pushing the bounds of science as well as film making.
McWetty on Mar 31, 2012
9
another reason i like Cameron....
Jericho on Mar 27, 2012
10
R&D for Avatar 2??....along with the a few record settings..no biggie!
Ron on Mar 27, 2012
11
I hope he hurries up conquering the oceans, so he can get back to making Avatar 2.
Jezebel on Mar 27, 2012
12
This is amazing. This part of the ocean terrifies me.
csgabriel on Mar 27, 2012
14
Sources say Cameron wasn't satisfied with the first trip down, so he revamped it with CGI.
Alan Trehern on Mar 28, 2012
15
Ha!
Xerxexx on Mar 28, 2012
16
This was James Cameron not George Lucas.
Max Renn on Mar 29, 2012
17
No aliens then? So its not like The Abyss.... 🙁
Steven on Mar 28, 2012
18
King James Cameron,he wins again.good luck man.
Ss Pincode on Mar 28, 2012
19
can't wait to see creatures,kilometers under the ocean
Edd on Mar 28, 2012
20
That guy will do anything to feed his giant ego. Still, it takes some big balls to do what he did.
Max Renn on Mar 29, 2012
21
Why oh why do these documentaries repeat the sequences in the same documentary? Its dumb, really dumb. It spoils an otherwise fine documentary. Do they think we have memories of goldfish?
kdakin3420 on May 6, 2012
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