How James Cameron Directs a Movie - The Legendary Director in His Own Words

[@StudioBinder]

CORRECTION: The photo we used for Producer Ovidio Assonitis is incorrect. Our humble apologies for a simple oversight!

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

It happens.

[@RezaFiansyahP]

you guys still human after all 😁

[@sonnyrikhi]

Did james cameron ask you to do that?

[@felipeportela6475]

in the photo shown, it was actor Henry Fonda, already old

[@LondonLad81]

He is one of the hardest directors to emulate because he is so technical. You literally have to invent new technology to be like Cameron.

[@Speculaas]

Curiosity, collaboration and being as hands-on as possible gets you a long way

[@StudioBinder]

So true. The man is a trailblazer.

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

*Time is the only resource.* If you don't push individuals to do their very best... THEY WON'T. That's the deal. But if you do push and encourage them... the results can be exemplary. 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨ "Before I start, I must see my end. Destination known, my mind's journey now begins. Upon my chariot, heart and soul's fate revealed. In time, all points converge; hope's strength resteeled. But to earn final peace at the universe's endless refrain, we must see all in nothingness... before we start again." 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨ --Diamond Dragons (series)

[@GreenFalcon926]

There's only one director like James, and that George Lucas. He doesn't direct anymore, obviously, but he's the only other filmmaker that is very similar to Cameron.

[@Speculaas]

I think my biggest revelation and surprise about James Cameron's journey is that most, if not all, of his early concept art and storyboards were hand-drawn by him, without any formal training or mentorship.

[@StoryArtistTim]

YES. As a professional storyboard artist, I will never forget how blown away I was when I first saw his original storyboards for The Terminator.

[@StudioBinder]

Self-taught in many areas. He used to go to the library at USC and xerox textbooks to teach himself!

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

@@Speculaas Exactly. *He did the WORK.* Most are unwilling, incapable, and simply too undisciplined to get it DONE. And though that thought may be sad, it separates the doers from the do nots. As for myself, I've storyboarded all 30+ years of my own projects. 💪😎✌️ Most recently, I crafted 350+ non-A.I. illustrations for my series of books which I outlined, wrote, developed, edited, formatted, designed, and published *myself* over 2021-2024. Vvveeerrry minimal support or assistance was rendered, and I'm totally OK with that because... as I stated... I have been doing my own work for three decades. 🙂 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨

[@StoryArtistTim]

I could watch this all day. There’s a reason why Terminator 2 and James Cameron has been my favorite film and director since I was 10 (I’m now 40).

[@StudioBinder]

Just play it on a loop, we won't mind! 😉

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

@@StoryArtistTim If you haven't experienced "The Abyss" on a large screen in the dark, DO SO. Michael Biehn is--as always--exemplary. Ed Harris is even more emotionally powerful. And what Mastrantonio endured on that set deserves nothing less than a... purple heart. 😕 🐲✨🐲✨🐲✨

[@jesusa.adorno6933]

James Cameron is of the most influential film directors ever, and he’s a favorite of mine. One of the most visionary directors out there, and his dedication to the craft earns my respect.

[@StudioBinder]

Couldn't agree more.

[@DelightLovesMovies]

I can listen to James Cameron talk about movies all day.

[@StudioBinder]

Same! This video could have been 3 hours long.

[@StoryArtistTim]

@@StudioBinderI would watch that cut. Amazing work on this one BTW.

[@DelightLovesMovies]

@@StudioBinder That would be a great vid.

[@ddebnath11]

James Cameron is a big reason why VFX and movie tech is where it is nowadays. He literally pushed it to its bleeding edge with every single film of his. Steve Jobs of cinema in my opinion. Fun fact: he is the only person in the world who solo dived to the deepest point in the ocean!

[@StudioBinder]

Honestly, the amount of accomplishments is staggering.

I would also add George Lucas to the conversation. His company ILM was at the forefront of innovation for a good couple of decades. Now there's more of a level playing field also with companies like Weta Digital but ILM was without equal for a good while.

[@RickOShay]

I definitely wouldn't put Jobs in the same category. Cameron is in a completely different league.

[@Mauidemigod249]

One of my favourite directors. The man, the myth, the Legend. The most successful director ever, and even the most technical and cutting edge. Cant wait for Avatar : Fire And Ash🔥

[@TitoJamesWriter]

I'm glad you're returning to the Director's Chair series. It's the reason I'm subscribed to Studio Binder. please make more!

[@StudioBinder]

That's good to know! It's one of our favorite series as well. Who should we do next?

[@TitoJamesWriter]

@@StudioBinder Thank you for asking! I'd like to see Genndy Tartakovsky, Gareth Evans, Park Chan-Wook, Masaaki Yuasa, Guy Ritchie, Dario Argento, Darren Aronofsky, Del Toro, Luc Besson, Michael Bay, Sam Raimi, Wes Craven, John Carpenter, and Brad Bird

[@jamesbali1300]

After 15 years of admiring the man, I can safely say, I have seen everything he'd been in, yet somehow StudioBinder managed to surprise me with bits of footage and audio, that i had never seen before 😅..Great Job StudioBinder and thank you for putting this video together. I got really excited when I saw the notification and i was not let down. Keep shining!

[@StudioBinder]

Glad to hear it! We always try to dig deep. 😄

[@senshai1267]

The scope his movies are always incredible

[@StudioBinder]

Exactly! And no matter how "impossible" the ideas, he just takes a few years, invents the necessary tech and then uses it to great effect.

[@AlchemistNasim]

Thanks to editors who watched all his interviews and picked this incredible nuggets of timeless wisdom🙌🏼

[@StudioBinder]

We have the best editors!

[@lp4265]

James Cameron was born a filmmaker, director, producer. Even his last name sounds like and is almost spelled “Camera”. His first words as a baby, I’m sure were “cut!” He truly is a genius and a compassionate, empathetic, generous man !

[@StudioBinder]

If wasn't born to be a filmmaker, I don't know who is.

[@lensw0rld633]

One of the best to ever do it. And no he didn't have privilege from the beginning. Just insane drive,talent and confidence that he used to step the ladder. A huge inspiration for me. Terminator 1 is a masterclass in how to make your first serious feature

[@StudioBinder]

A self-made filmmaker from top to bottom.

[@Pengu1n111]

James Cameron is one of the very few directors whose movies I will see, opening night, no questions asked

[@StudioBinder]

Agreed! He's got a lifetime pass for us.

[@beltenebrosgr1904]

Cameron is a natural born STORYTELLER!

[@StudioBinder]

Very true.

[@peacefworld]

Forget about Avatar, watch his old films from the 80s and 90s and you'd still be amazed at how advanced his films are visually and technically.

[@maze-nc1ut]

Crazy that just this morning as I was getting up from bed, I was thinking how James Cameron is my favorite director. And then this video pops up.

[@StudioBinder]

The timing was right. We couldn't wait until Avatar 3!

[@snowmthiyane8854]

Thank you StudioBinder, always providing the best and most informative film based content on KZbin. James Cameron is one of the best if not the best!!! He’s like Christopher Nolan with the depth of knowledge with film but uses CGI instead of practical effects.

[@joshuaj.chinda9873]

He is miles 😂😂MILES ahead of Nolan.

[@StudioBinder]

You're very welcome, we love making these videos so it's nice to know you're enjoying them.

[@rayancedrichaddad1197]

Happy New Year 2025 StudioBinder ! Very instructive to start 2025 with James Cameron. Inspiring Successful Filmmaker!

[@StudioBinder]

We had to kickstart the year with one of our faves!

[@mikearthuruganda1]

One of My Favorite ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@StudioBinder]

Absolutely ❤

[@betweenframesproduction3968]

My all time favorite director! Can’t stop listening to him.

[@MyNameIsJessica-v3z]

Now I love James Cameroon more!!! ❤ tanks studiobinder for these types of contents, plus edits are cool 🎉

[@Boise78]

Love this! I hope you plan to do many more of these "In their own words" videos. Thank you!

[@StudioBinder]

We definitely will! If you haven't checked them out already, we have a bunch of older episodes in this series. kzbin.info/aero/PLEzQZpmbzckUKCq6uYUfJC363OpiyalHu&si=Mhgo962Wvljqxxql

[@josephine1465]

they can never make me hate James Cameron. This guy puts 100% on his every work.. he's not a one-trick pony like JJ Abrams or Zack Snyder

[@brockbenavides7185]

Or Michael Bay

[@StudioBinder]

100% effort indeed!

[@RickOShay]

Genius - you just have to look at the outstanding work he's put out over the past four decades. And the technical developments he's been involved in that have advanced the art of filmmaking. Then there are all the awards he's accumulated and the success of the movies and documentaries he's made. He's the second highest grossing director of all time, second only to Steven Spielberg.

[@danielbarrero2815]

Great video. Thank you so much for your consistently excellent content!

[@StudioBinder]

You're welcome! Glad you enjoy it.

[@64dolph72]

Titanic and avatar my favorite movies 🍿

[@StudioBinder]

They are iconic!

[@ArtistCreationsPicturesInc]

My favorite filmmaker!

[@StudioBinder]

You're not alone there. Even if you don't like the content of his films, his approach is so inspiring.

[@DialloMoore503]

Ditto!

[@speedyboishan87]

James Cameron was a truck driver before coming into films, he is a very successful director very hardworking, confident, positive and willing to take on any task set by him.

[@YuriAmericanHero]

The most successful director ever.

[@jacobharris954]

So true,he has never made a flop or bad movie

[@Emmanuelphiri-pt5]

For now...

[@Author_SoftwareDesigner]

I admire him the most, but idk if he’s the most successful. Don’t forget about Spielberg and Peter Jackson. It’s all about how we measure success.

[@pmuean]

Arguably. But I agree.

[@danielmoore9209]

Didn’t he make Avatar?

[@oenchanteddoveart6294]

James Cameron to me is essentially the Godfather of filmmakers. Everything he touches turns into gold. Being able to have had the pleasure of watching Way of Water in Imax 3d was truly life changing. Honestly, it was such a phenomenal experience it felt like my artistic career had ended due to how unreachable it seemed. Every time I see a new interview with him I always have to watch it. Massive thank you StudioBinder for an inspiring start to the New Year! So excited for Avatar 3!!

[@StudioBinder]

He's raised the bar for all of us!

[@ericfurst6091]

​@@StudioBinderlike South Park showed to us. 🤣😁🤣😁

[@Mauidemigod249]

The goat

[@snowmthiyane8854]

James Cameron revolutionised both Film and video games with motion capture 14:19

[@StudioBinder]

Absolutely!

[@24FramesALife24]

He was, is, and always will be one of the greatest movie directors ever. He makes movies which are narratively, asthetically, cinematically great, which end up making more than billion dollars. Eagerly waiting for Avatar 3 & 4. He's really one of the finest treasures in cinema.

[@StudioBinder]

What a career he's had! One of the greats.

[@rasoolmohammed9803]

Thanks for subtitles ❤

[@IanKanuri]

The terminator was ahead of its time

[@StudioBinder]

Preach!

[@mickellampkin-poet]

This is inspiring for me. To know that I can do it!

[@StudioBinder]

You can do it!

[@thedudeabides3138]

Its not hyperbole to give him the label of genius.

[@StudioBinder]

💯

[@Plutoman9000]

I love this series! Thank you studiobinder!

[@StudioBinder]

You're welcome! Glad you're enjoying it.

[@maxvick]

James Cameron is the most entertaining director with influence in real life 👍👍

[@joshuaj.chinda9873]

James Cameron is the best director in the world in my opinion. The only Filmmaker ready to blow your mind with intricate storytelling and World's building. As an aspiring Filmmaker, I stand on his shoulders as a guide to my goals.

[@StudioBinder]

He really is the best.

[@Ravenhoodie]

You should make a video about how the different kinds of "Foreshadowing" works and is used in film making.

[@TallSilhouette]

"A lot of people ask me, you know, “What’s the best advice to someone who wants to be a director?” And the answer I give is very simple: “Be a director.” Pick up a camera. Shoot something. No matter how small, no matter how cheesy, no matter whether your friends and your sister star in it. Put your name on it as director. Now you’re a director. Everything after that you’re just negotiating your budget and your fee. So it’s a state of mind is really the point, once you commit yourself to do it." Words I will do my best to live by.

[@StudioBinder]

It's a fantastic quote, right?

[@ben7510]

He's underrated and yet hated the most but he's a serial winner 🏆

[@StudioBinder]

Haters gonna hate!

[@SOLIDSNAKE.]

What a treat

[@StudioBinder]

It was a treat to put together as well!

[@lemondiee]

Those ending lines

[@StudioBinder]

Honestly!

[@lukasenkaS]

Love him❤

[@StudioBinder]

He's the best!

[@allthatjeff]

Can you guys do a directors video on Akira Kurosawa, please?

[@StudioBinder]

We just might be putting one together as we speak!

[@allthatjeff]

@StudioBinder 🔥🔥🔥 can't wait

[@maniaulakh5696]

Love him!

[@StudioBinder]

❤

[@munyavomo4936]

Thank you. This was generous.

[@StudioBinder]

You're very welcome!

[@SICRoosterKido]

Inspiring.

[@HeroKominato]

James Cameron is my sensei

[@StudioBinder]

Ours as well!

[@kadhambnkailash1410]

Even though Spielberg was a Pioneer in bringing larger than life aspects nd features in many of his movies, Cameron had quickly surpassed him in quiet a few movies itself.

[@freddyjosereginomontalvo4667]

Awesome video as always say ❤🌍💯🌟

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for that ❤

[@kowalskivanishes]

2:10 Is it me or Ovidio G. Assonitis look exactly like Henry Fonda?

[@YavorM-Yash]

They put wrong picture.

[@StudioBinder]

Yeah, that's our bad. A simple mistake.

[@kowalskivanishes]

@@StudioBinder I didn't mean to catch a mistake but it resulted that way I guess, I love this channel and respect what you do, wish you all the best.

[@asherphoenix75]

I would love to see a video on Andrey Tarkovsky, Ingmar Bergman, Béla Tarr, Robert Bresson, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Michelangelo Antonioni, or Kenji Mizoguchi. You have so many fantastic videos on the American tradition and it would be great to explore more work and artistic philosophy from international artists.

[@StudioBinder]

We have something you'll enjoy coming very soon!

[@fe_lindoso]

Do one about James Gunn please!

[@Wendy-c3b8s]

My favorite flim Maker

[@StudioBinder]

He's the best!

[@TurkeyLiraYouTube]

Please. - I don’t normally leave KZbin comments. But: please, leave another clip for us. Provide an even longer “Part II”. Say, 40++ minutes, or longer for Mr. James Cameron. Maybe consider a Patreon, now - to allow some of us to leave a tip to help bankroll some of these requests, just like this..

[@StudioBinder]

That's very flattering. I know we'll be doing a Directing Style video with Cameron eventually so stay tuned for that one!

[@ashxsh]

A great video. Thanks!

[@StudioBinder]

Glad you liked it! Thanks for watching.

[@dhaneeshmohanan2702]

The master ❤️💎🔥

[@StudioBinder]

🐐

[@abhisician5465]

The OG 🙏🔥😍

[@StudioBinder]

💯

[@Johnrap]

Funny that I'd see this video today. With that opening line about directing. Just yesterday, after 18 years of making undirected videos, I decided that I'm going to direct something. It'll probably be 5 minutes long and terrible, but I want to direct something. Anything, really.

[@StudioBinder]

It's true! All you gotta do is put your name on it and you're a director. Keep it up!

[@DeanTheLaughingMann]

The only nitpick I have with Cameron is how his True Lies release for 4K/Blu got handled recently (in conjunction with The Abyss and with Aliens). To put it simply, the HD work put in to get those movies modernized for 4K...yeah, some folks might not be pleased.

[@StudioBinder]

Yeah, that's a controversial topic.

[@DeanTheLaughingMann]

@@StudioBinder I was bummed. I was waiting for a long time to own True Lies on home media and to get away from the old DVD. On digital, it was just fine. And then I waited for years to get it when there were whispers of HD cuts being vetted by him for that and the Abyss both.

[@x1101126]

This man is the film God.

[@shanenolan085]

JC 👑👏🏿👏🏿

[@thefilmstudentsjourney8848]

Studio binder is my school

[@StudioBinder]

We love our students!

[@5kproseries]

Sir nice but you add subtitles in hindi because many people watching your video from india 🇮🇳

[@ericzachariah]

India is not just with Hindi speakers right?

[@5kproseries]

@ericzachariah but many people speak only hindi and ........

[@StudioBinder]

We appreciate your feedback! We're looking into how we can best get these videos translated.

[@finegentleman7820]

No... Please don't spread misinformation. Majorly spoken languages are Marathi, Kannada, Tamil and Malayalam.... Please add these subtitles.

[@frankenstein2735]

this channel keeps getting better

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks! We try to top ourselves all the time.

[@pedroesteves3018]

TITANIC IS THE GREATEST MOVIE OF ALL TIME !!!!!!

[@StudioBinder]

It's up there!

[@jeffreylawrence6928]

James Cameron was 26 when he filmed daily ends that’s quite a visionary Spielberg was 30 when he made Jaws

[@ak-gi3eu]

Hi studiobinder .can u make video on coverages . I mean like u can additional add takes,camera blocking ,cuts ,placement of camera,180 degree rule ...

[@StudioBinder]

Yeah, we actually have that one on our list!

[@ak-gi3eu]

​@@StudioBinderu mean bucket list or a vid u made?

[@devaughnbarnett]

do james gunn next

[@StudioBinder]

Oh, that's a good idea!

[@FelixBankole]

The Boss himself

[@StudioBinder]

G.O.A.T.

[@KABOBkabob]

I love that the intro sequence to this series shows auteurs with 20+ years of success and iconic films, then randomly throws in Patty Jenkins with Wonder Woman lmao. If you wanted to include an iconic woman director with mainstream appeal, why not someone like Kathryn Bigelow? Sofia Coppola? Maybe even Greta Gerwig as a more contemporary example.

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks for the feedback. We love all those filmmakers and each one would make a worthy addition to the intro. To give Jenkins a little more credit, Monster was made over 20 years ago.

[@KABOBkabob]

@@StudioBinder That's true! I think it's just that Wonder Woman was put in the intro with Clockwork, The Shining, Pulp Fiction, Royal Tenenbaums, Dunkirk, Terminator...a bit out of place haha.

[@charoleawood]

@@KABOBkabob meanwhile i didn't enjoy Clockwork, Shining, or Dunkirk but i do like Wonder Woman 1984 a lot been a while since i checked in with Tenenbaums, might like it more now but i was bored at the time

[@slickwilly6868]

Nothing against Cameron butI would like for him to start doing regular films like a noir mystery thriller. That way he's focusing on pure artistic storytelling and not just digital performance capture. That's why Eastwood, Scorsese & Spielberg are geniuses.

[@StudioBinder]

Point taken but he's clearly following his passions and he's definitely earned the right to do so.

[@vikasraj2797]

*The Undisputed King of The World Cinema Box Office "The G.O.A.T , THE LENGEND MR. JAMES CAMERON "*

[@StudioBinder]

👑

[@bubediscuss]

Iron Jim!

[@StudioBinder]

Such a perfect nickname.

[@JK47-28]

"I'm the king of the world..." 😆

[@StudioBinder]

Cringey but also true!

[@Ally8-4]

Terminator, Terminator 2, Aliens, Titanic… yep.

[@StudioBinder]

The Abyss, True Lies... all of them!

[@thegagankhaira]

Can you please do David Fincher as well? Pretty please

[@StudioBinder]

Already done! kzbin.info/www/bejne/mp3Nl4CleL2hic0si=nc1nMcM2GG0gRBqQ

[@RishiJha-d7v]

I love the Terminator the most out of his films. Everyone loves T2 and Aliens, women- Titanic, but The Terminator is the movie thats sleek, rugged and pure awesome pacing.

[@StudioBinder]

He certainly showed an insane amount of talent right out of the gate.

[@johnsultan8765]

Nice

[@StudioBinder]

🙌

[@zemulislam]

Didn't notice how 20 minutes had passed

[@StudioBinder]

We could've done an hour of this!

[@curtisdejesus4858]

Do You guys have a rumble account?

[@chrismiller7454]

Try tv Directors like Jonathan Frakes or LeVar Burton.

[@StudioBinder]

We'd like to do more with TV and we're looking into it.

[@Ashish.Saraswat]

Please make the director chain on - sanjay leela bhansali

[@sushinskiy]

Great video! Thank you ❤ waiting for hidden spots on directors' ways - how they could succeed to be a director for the first commercial film.

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks! We will cover EVERYTHING before we're done. Haha.

[@JessePinkman27892]

YA

[@StudioBinder]

🙌

[@arunraj824]

Best director and most successful director in the world 🔥 🌍

[@StudioBinder]

He's definitely up there!

[@rabbit1731]

I can't even imagine how smart He is.

[@StudioBinder]

He's playing 3D chess for sure.

[@rnilu86]

James Cameron is now 70 years of age. Please be alive when you complete the last Avatar shooting

[@StudioBinder]

That's true. He did say a while back he might hand off the reins for Avatar 4 and 5 but we'll see.

[@andrewscholes2895]

How do you write interesting characters?

[@StudioBinder]

That's a tricky question. There's no single answer but if we could boil it down to a single attribute, we'd say to make them complex. Layers and contradictions in a character tend to be more engaging.

[@charoleawood]

@@StudioBinder i'd say why write at all if you aren't interested in telling a story and giving your characters a platform to live on "how do i write interesting characters" shouldn't even be a question one asks rather the characters burst out of us and maybe other people won't praise your characters --- that doesn't matter, the point is they are bursting to get out of you and you need to write them living in scenes and scenarios Ed Wood could not wait to see his characters come to life on screen M Night Shyamalan has made a career out of earnest character driven narratives Cameron has told all his stories because he wanted to and he believed they had the potential to resonate, even if they'd end up failures stories from Wood, Shyamalan, and Cameron get to live on whereas stories by people too worried about perception don't get to live at all because they never get told

[@Raph_254]

That intro 🔥

[@StudioBinder]

Thanks!

[@Notttmme]

qué increíble vídeo, qué increíble director!

[@StudioBinder]

Thank you!

[@coucanojeux6949]

A genius. This man is J.C

[@StudioBinder]

Genius indeed!

[@KiranKumar-uv6kd]

I think if avatar has animatronics and makeup it would have looks amazing. Now it looks like it has no soul

[@4Everlast]

I thought I saw all CGI has to offer, until I got to see Avatar 2 in the cinema, 4DX, AMAZING!

[@StudioBinder]

And he ain't slowin' down! If history tells us anything, Avatar 3 will be another big step up.

[@4Everlast]

@@StudioBinder It does look like it, he said it might be a story from the ocean-water tribes perspective. He was teasing a possibility of a 3D without glasses type of a technology, but I guess the cinema's world wide would have to adjust for that.

[@charlesmcbee2]

The only thing i disagree with Mr Cameron about is that we do indeed care about robots from the future. It's not that far-fetched lol.

[@StudioBinder]

🤖