May 10 2011
UKGK 2011 Garage horror model Expo Halloween Saturday 29th October!!!
Second show of its kind in the UK, for fans of Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror resin model figure kits and more. At the Brookfield Golf Club, Hankelow, Cheshire.
Sep 08 2010
UKGK 2010 Garage horror model Expo Halloween Saturday 30th October!!!
First show of its kind in the UK, for fans of Sci-Fi, Fantasy & Horror resin model figure kits and more.
Jan 18 2010
Modelmates weathering spray is a translucent spray dye, not an acrylic paint.Modelmates colours have dirty tones to them which makes things look old and weathered. It dries fast and is easy to use.Its water soluble. Spray some into a dish and let it dry. Wet it and it will dissolve and behave similar to a water colour paint and can be brush applied.Spray it onto a non-porous surface, let it dry, then smudge and wipe it with a damp tissue to create a weathered effect.See the How To Use page for instructions on spraying.Modelmates is ozone friendly.
Weathering spray dye
MODELMATES
HOW TO USE & GENERAL INFORMATION
It’s Dye, Not Paint - For Use On Models & Scenery - Interior Use Only. All sprays are 200ml sized cans.WARNING:Practice spraying before final use. Always test first on hidden surfaces or off-cuts of a model and ensure compatibilityand adhesion. We recommend practicing techniques on cheaper, disposable models before spraying anything of value. Modelmates can cause permanent discolouration, please read the information below before use. If a surface is porous it will absorb the dye and be permanently discoloured. Many painted and printed surfaces are porous and will be permanently stained by the dye. If in doupt, then seal the surface with Testers Dullcote - 1260 flat lacquer, or similar quality matt lacquer before spraying with Modelmates.
PREPARATIONS BEFORE USE:
Ensure all surfaces are clean, dry and free from grease.Mask areas of the model that are not to be sprayed.Spray over suitable protective sheets.Shake the can for at least 15 seconds before use (and often while spraying).Spray to one side first to clear the nozzle.
THERE ARE FOUR MAIN METHODS OF APPLYING MODELMATES - LISTED BELOW:
1. Even Spray Application For Non Porous Models:The objective is to spray a mist of dye onto the model.Hold the can in an upright position 300mm to 400mm from the model. Point the spray nozzle at the protective sheets to one side and not at the model itself. Fully depress the nozzle and start spraying the protective sheets and immediately move the spray across the model once only in one smooth motion keeping the nozzle fully depressed all the time. Stop depressing the nozzle as soon as the spray has passed over the model. Do not spray back and forth, just once in one direction. The faster the can is moved, the less spray is applied - so move fast, not slow. It always surprises me how much dye is deposited this way, so please spray lightly at first, at least until you are happy with your technique.Use sparingly, apply several light coats rather than one heavy coat, and let each dry before applying another.
Drying time is usually less than a minute.
If the model being sprayed in non-porous it can be smudged with a slightly damp tissue to create a patchy
weathered finish.
The spray must be fully dry and the tissue must be just slightly damp and not wet, otherwise too
much dye will be removed. I find a twisting motion best for smudging. Hold the tissue gently against the surface and twist it, just removing just a small amount of dye at a time.
Another method for more detailed work is to wipe the dye off the surface with the edge of a tissue or with a cotton bud. The wetter the tissue the more dye will be removed.
Re-sprayed and re-smudge several times and the dye will build up where it has not been smudged and will darken in these areas.
2. Dense Spray Application For Non-porous Models:
For a really rustic effect on non-porous plastic models, spray gently with the nozzle almost touching the surface to create a small puddle of dye. Wait about 5 minutes for it to dry - it has to dry completely or this method will not work. Wipe it off gently with slightly damp tissue leaving dry dye trapped in cracks and protrusions such as board joints and stanchions. This may method may remove some of the colour from plastics, so please test a small area first before proceeding. Do not spray puddles of dye onto any paintwork because the alcohol in the spray may cause damage to it.
3. Patchy Application For Scenery And Landscapes:
The can may be held at different distances depending on the finish desired. For dense application on perhaps a tree or shrub, hold the can close to the surface and partially press the nozzle spraying small amounts directly onto the item. On ballast and roads, spray as noted in 1) above, but approx. 100mm from the surface with the nozzle partially depressed, but also spray up close to create dense patches.
4. Dabbing/Painting/Rubbing Onto Models. Modelmates can be dabbed, painted or rubbed onto models. Spray into a container, for example the lid of the can. While the dye is still wet use a fine or stiff brush to apply it to a surface. The dye can also be rubbed on using a damp cloth.
GENERAL SPRAYING INFORMATION
Modelmates may not adhere to very highly polished surfaces and some gloss surfaces. When sprayingModelmates on certain newly applied varnishes & enamels, the dye may not spread evenly over the surface but gather into small clumps. This is usually remedied by rubbing the surface of the varnish or enamel with a dry cloth. After rubbing, the dye will usually adhere to the surface. Alternately, gently clean the area with a little fairly liquid on a damp cloth. If a surface is varnished or enamelled, we recommend testing a small section before applying the whole model. Spots of concentrated dye may appear if the spray nozzle is only partially depressed, fully depress the nozzle when spraying. Heavy spraying may result in the dye dripping or puddling and colour may transfer on to other surfaces. Modelmates should not affect transfers, but please test small areas first. If the transfers are water applied and are not sealed, varnished or enamelled, then they may be damaged if Modelmates is removed using a damp tissue.
CAUTION Please always wear a good quality carbon filter mask when using Modelmates and please use gloves to protect hands. Use only in well ventilated areas.
CAUTION EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE: Pressurised container. Protect from sunlight and do not expose to temperatures exceeding 50°C. Do not pierce or burn, even after use. Do not spray onto naked flame or any incandescent material. Keep away from sources of ignition - No smoking. Keep outof reach of children. Do not breathe vapour/spray. Avoid all contact with skin and eyes.
SNOW EFFECTS SPRAY: CAUTION:
Practice spraying before final use, and always test on hidden surfaces or off-cuts and ensure compatibility and adhesion. Snow spray cannot be removed from most textured surfaces (including model trees, shrubs and grass). It can however be removed from most smooth surfaces by scraping off as much as possible, thenrubbing off what remains using a clean dry cloth and with the assistance of furniture polish spray. Removal of the spray is more difficult once it has hardened. The spray will stick upon contact and takes about an hour to dry slightly harder and a few weeks to fully dry further where it cracks like real snow. It will never full dry hard.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Ensure all surfaces are clean, dry and free from grease. Mask areas of the model that are not to be sprayed.Spray over suitable protective sheets. Shake the can for at least one minute before use (and often whilespraying). The can has to be slightly warm to work effectively. There is a ball bearing inside and it should rattle when the can is shaken. If the ball bearing does not rattle, warm the can in your hands for about 5 minutes and then shake it vigorously. Keep doing this until you hear the ball bearing and the can feels warm. See below about temperatures exceeding 50°C. The spray will come out very fast if the nozzle is fully depressed. Press the nozzle very gently to create a very light spray and a light dusting of snow. Press harder and more will come out giving the effect of more heavy snow. Fully depress the nozzle for a large amounts of snow. Spray to one side or into the cap before spraying to check that the nozzle is clear. When through spraying, invert can and spray for about one second to remove excess snow from nozzle. Should the nozzle become blocked, remove it and place it in boiling water for a few minutes and it will clear. Wash hands after use. Do not spray into eyes or onto the skin, avoid inhalation of the vapour or spray.Two main methods of application are:-
1) Even Application: Hold the can in an upright position approx. 300mm from the model. Press the nozzle very slightly and a small amount of snow effect will be released from the nozzle. Move the can across the model (or a part of the model) in one smooth motion.
2) Dense Application: Hold the can in an upright position with the nozzle very close to the model. Press the nozzle very slightly and a small amount of snow effect will be released from. Keep nozzle pointing at the same spot or move it slightly depending on the amount of snow desired.
Alternately, simply point the nozzle as close or far from an object as you wish and press light or hard to achive the effect you are after.
CAUTION EXTREMELY FLAMMABLE:
Pressurised container. Protect from sunlight and do not expose to temperatures exceeding 50°C. Do not pierce or burn, even after use. Do not spray onto naked flame or any incandescent material. Keep away from sources of ignition - No smoking. Keep out of reach of children. Do not breathe vapour/spray. Avoid all contact with skin and eyes. Use only in well ventilated areas.
FAQ Guide
Is it a paint:
No, it’s a spray dye, not an acrylic. It dries really fast - usually within a minute.How many coats should I put on:Because it’s a dye and not a paint, the more coats that are applied the darker the colour gets. At exhibitions we have been applying dozens of light coats on plastic wagons, and where it has not been washed off it has become darker and darker. By spraying on light coats and smudging them off, really dark areas can be created.Should I apply heavy coats: We recommend that very light coats are applied, but as you gradually get more used to the spray, heavier coats can be applied, especially for smudging on the sides of plastic wagons.
Will Modelmates colour a surface, like a paint does:
(It can change the colour of a light coloured surface, see the question above).If a light coloured surface is sprayed with a darker Modelmates colour, then Modelmates will be very visible. If a dark surface is sprayed, Modelmates will be hardly visible at all. For example, if a dark surface is sprayed with Light Grey it will not change the colour of the surface to Light Grey, it will still be the same dark colour but possibly slightly duller. Modelmates is translucent and will not change the colour of a dark surface, but depending on the surface, will change the look of it and make it look a little weathered.
If I apply lots of coats of Modelmates, will it darken a surfaces:
Modelmates sits on the surface of non porous materials. The more coats that are applied, the darker it will get. Having made that point, the lightest of the sprays is Light Grey, and it takes a large number of coats to get Light Grey to darken,but it’s still a good for general dulling spray and it will gradually darken to Slate Grey if enough coats are applied.
How long does it take to dry:
Because the spray is alcohol based, a light spray coat takes less than a minute to dry. A heavy quantity of spray can take up to 5 minutes.
Does it wash off:
Modelmates is water soluble (able to be dissolved, especially in water), therefore, it becomes soluble again when water is applied to it. It will wash off most non porous surfaces with a little soap and water, but Modelmates will be absorbed by porous surfaces/materials and cannot be washed off them. Some painted surfaces are porous, and even some plastics are porous, so if Modelmates is intended to be washed off, please always test before use. If a surface/material is porous, then an option is to seal it first before using Modelmates.
What is meant by the word porous:
The Compact Oxford English Dictionary definition of Porous is “(of a rock or other material) having minute spaces through which liquid or air may pass”. The dictionary also gives a definition of seal – “apply a non-porous coating to (a surface) to make it impervious”.
Can I use Modelmates over black things, like train undercarriage:
Because it’s a translucent dye and not a paint, it is very hard to see on black surfaces. You will not really see Modelmates on anything that is already very dark or black. The Compact Oxford English Dictionary defines translucent as “allowing light to pass through partially”. When a surface is sprayed, Modelmates sits upon it as a translucent deposit.
It is very visible on a light coloured surface, but almost invisible on dark or black surfaces.
Will the spray damage plastic or painted finishes:
It is possible, so please read the How To Use page for information on this.Plastics - the quality and method of colouring of plastics varies considerably. We have applied puddles of spray to our through coloured plastic wagons literally hundreds of times and it always washes off without any visible damage. However, we have sprayed a puddle of dye on to a cheaper wagon and it and the colour was dissolved slightly, leaving a white smudge.Because the spray is alcohol based, when a puddle of it is applied to a surface it might dissolve it, thereby removing the colour and/or damaging the plastic. This is why it is always best to test the spray on small hidden areas of a model first before final use.
Painted and printed surfaces - some painted and printed surfaces are porous and can be permanently stained by Modelmates even when applying light coats, please always test before use. If the paint is porous, then an option is to seal it first before using Modelmates.
We had one question regarding spraying puddles of dye on to painted surfaces.
Because the spray is alcohol based, if a puddle of it is applied to a painted surface it might dissolve the paint - so it is best not to do this. One loco we tested had such a fine paint coat that even a slightly heavy application removed the surface of the paint, simply because of the alcohol dissolved it.
Strangely enough, it created a great effect, but it could not be removed because the paint itself had been changed.
If I spray a glossy surface, will it make it a matt finish:
No. Unfortunately, if a glossy surface is sprayed, then after spraying it will still be glossy.Because the spray is translucent, you will just see the glossy surface through Modelmates.
Jan 11 2010
How to Get Halo 3 Recon Armor
by: Brian Jones
To say that Halo 3 has proven to be an enormously popular video game would be a dramatic understatement. Many games are popular but few reach the level of a pop culture phenomenon. Such is the case with Halo 3 as evidenced by the hundreds of millions of dollars in sales revenues amassed by the game. But, no matter how popular the game may be, players need to be able to succeed at the game or the number of players interested in it will dwindle.
One way to increase the chances of success at the game is to make sure the characters are fully armored. This will protect them against many of the threats they face and allow them to achieve their gaming objectives. There are many different types of armor that can be acquired in the game.
These armor types include Mark V, Hayabusa, Scout, and many other variants. Among the most powerful is Recon Armor and, in addition to being highly formidable, it is also the most difficult armor to acquire during game play. Thankfully, difficult does not mean impossible and those hoping to acquire this elusive armor can certainly do so if they have the right guidance. Originally, the acquisition of Recon Armor was limited to Bungie Employees.
In time, Bungie made the armor available to those that were members of its community provided they met certain criteria. (This criteria was often based around players performing very silly stunts as opposed to anything heroic) Needless to say, this made the armor scarce. Scarcity and rarity will immediately make something more valuable. It will also lead to discontentment if players feel excluded due to favoritism. As such, the armor has been made available in a limited manner to those that can follow the pathway to achieve it.
One way to acquire this armor will be based upon forge skills. If your skill level on forge attributes reaches certain exceptional heights, the doors to acquiring this armor will be opened. If you have an aptitude for this type of skill, you can approach your Recon Armor acquisition in an expedient manner. If you lack such skill, there is no reason to fret. You can simply take the steps necessary to build up your forge talents. As your forge skills increase, the ability to acquire Halo 3 Recon Armor becomes more probable. If, however, the ability to develop forge skills is outside your area of expertise there is another option available.This option centers on the Vidmaster Challenges. These challenges entail completing the game of Halo 3 within a specified amount of time and achieving certain specific objectives. These challenges will be set aside to be completed on a specific date.Those that have completed 3 of these challenges will be awarded with Recon Armor. Now, is it easy to complete these challenges? No, it requires a lot of skill and talent. Hence, that is the reason there is a reward and this reward is the acquisition of the elusive Halo 3 Recon Armor. That alone makes the challenges worth it.Halo M6C Sidearm model prop.
Dec 08 2009
How to make an avatar on blogs? Michael Jackson is still alive in avatars.
by: Gregory House
An avatar is a image that reflects somebody’s character and is used in different web forums, blogs and huge social networking sorces as, for instance, MySpace. With the help of avatars you may make an attempt to guess what kind of a character is concealed behind them.
Avatars can “tell” other persons even more facts than an ordinary photo can do. In the time of choosing an avatar you go by your individual ideas, interests and there is no astonishment that in such a way you reveal your likes and dislikes.
The concepts used to avatars are equivalent to those used for ordinary photos.
Avatars can not only be applied for entertaining as, for instance, http://www.avatarswizard.com/games-avatars/sonic-the-hedgehog/2393-game-avatar.html furthermore you may make your individual avatars by yourself. What advantages does the use of avatars have?
On the one hand, you need accept that it is much more entertaining to “talk” with a citizen you may see at least than with an anonymous stranger.
Secondly, after seeing an avatar you by the time mentioned have a general conception of a person’s interests.
These are special advantages of aplliance of avatars, essentially it deals with blogs.
You will be greatly astonished, although you may make your own avatar for free and it will not demand much of your time. Then, what tipps should you attempt to make your own avatars?
First, you need visit one of the resources offering free of charge avatars. You may without any difficulties find a great amount of them in net.
The following stage will be to sign up. Here you should pass your e-mail address. It is necessary in order you will be able to post comments.
Then in a while you will receive an e-mail by means of which you may activate your link. After getting the e-mail you ought to click the link to keep on.
Then you go back to the source.
The question will come out whether you desire to receive their information with the just completed news or not. After giving an answer to the above mentioned question you may visit the account page. There an image can be assigned by you.
At present your task is to make a choice of an image, that will be your future avatar,
that implies to http://www.avatarswizard.com/animated-avatars/72-download-avatars.html.
You may choose it whether from your laptop, webcam or the net. The dimension of your avatar will be 80×80. You may also change the dimension of your picture.
Nevertheless be certain that your picture is square. In case you have already made up your mind what picture to apply you ought to decide concerning its rating.
It can be G, PG, R or X. If you have fulfiled everything correctly then your picture will be uploaded to the server.
In this case all you ouht to do is only to visit the home page of the resource and associate your picture with your e-mail.
After having carried out all the following steps your avatar will turn up while you are posting a comment.
Remember that here the following principle functions. Your avatar will also turn up near all your foregoing comments supposing they all have the e-mail address
you have written while downloading your avatar.
At present you may be entertained by the possibility of choosing from a great number of various
http://www.avatarswizard.com/animals/cats/62-funny-avatars.html.
Do not forget about the opportunity of downloading new free of charge avatars dealing with such prominent singer as Michael Jackson.
These avatars will for sure remind you the songs of the above mentioned prominent pop-singer and make them vital one more time.
Dec 01 2009
How Can You Increase Your World Of Warcraft Gold Count
by: Simon Gray
There are literally millions of people all over the world in all age groups playing World of Warcraft. This thrilling game has captured the hearts and attention of gamers looking for an exciting adventure.
Whether you know it or not, the trick is having as much World of Warcraft gold as possible. By having truck loads of World of Warcraft gold you will be able to do a number of different things.
You can buy seven epic flying mounts, you can use it to purchase more weapons and armour, or you can use it to fund any raids you desire for as long as you want.
There is no question that collecting gold can increase your chances of conquering all.There are several techniques you can apply to get more gold, but one of the best methods is the Auction House.
The object behind Auction House is fairly simple; you want to buy low and sell high. In order to do so there are three basic steps you need to follow. The first thing you need to do is your research. You want to be well aware of what you are going to find prior to even entering the Auction House.
Look for items that are selling in a hurry so that you know what to buy and how many. Although these high selling items may be sold at a hefty price, chances are they are rare and you can get far more for them than what you pay.After carrying out your research, the next step is to purchase a hot item that is in high demand.
The key is to try and purchase for a low price, but it takes time to learn how to price various items.
In addition, you will find that the same item will be sold for a different price somewhere else. This is why it pays to do your research.
Once you have purchased the item for the price you feel is fair, your last step is to go out and resell the item for a higher price.
The goal behind this entire technique is to make a substantial profit off of nothing.
Look at it like eBay; you want to buy an item and then resell it for more than you paid for it. This is a great way to increase your World of Warcraft gold count.
There are many more techniques and methods you can use to build up your World of Warcraft gold, but the Auction House method is one of the best.
In a matter of minutes you can drastically increase the amount of gold you have.
Some Models in the style of WOW….
Nov 26 2009
Travel to Romania - the Bran Castle (Dracula’s home)
by: Alex Hill
Starting to read this you might think, “Yeah, yet another poor country that thinks it’s a rough gem waiting to be discovered”. Well, you might not believe it but it’s true. I’ve recently had the chance to travel to Romania, to a city known as Brasov, in an area you might know under the name of Transilvania. Yeah, that’s right, Romania is the country of the legendary vampire Dracula.
Anyway, my first stop was in Bucharest, the romanian capital, stuck in the airport while waiting for my connection to Brasov to depart. Couple of hours later i was finally in Brasov, checking in to a pretty nice hotel, that most importantly had an internet connection. Didn’t expect this one in Romania, since I pretty much came with the usual misconception when you travel to Romania, that it’s a poor country.
First thing i did after that? You guessed it! Took my romanian friend and went straight to Bran castle, known as home of Vlad The Impaler, or Dracula as you might know him. It’s an old castle, built in the 14th century to defend against the Turk invaders apparently, with turrets and white stone walls, overall not at all the grim, dark, menacing castle of Dracula that I was expecting.The coolest thing i saw there was the fountain from the front yard that hides an underground passage.
Visiting a 600 year castle that disappoints you? Couple of dollars as price of admission. Beeing able to tell your friends that you visited Dracula’s Castle? Priceless!Never forget, that if you travel to Romania you come and see this castle. Bragging rights are included after that and if the castle isn’t enough, your friends faces when you tell them are well worth the trip. I have to say, the Brasov area that I visited was especially nice.
It’s a pretty big town by romanian standards, stuck between beautiful mountains, with lots of nice places to visit in the area. The Bran Castle, the Black Church, the mountain resort Poiana Brasov, the ski slopes and the superb style of the old german houses that you can see in some areas of the city, all are worthwhile things to see if you’re in the Brasov area. Honestly, I can’t cover all the things i saw in Romania during my two week stay in one single article.Consider this the beginning of a small serial of articles covering a few of the magnificent views you can see when you travel to Romania.
Nov 24 2009
A Better Version of War of the Worlds
By Jeff Wendland
I have found that the best way to enjoy War of the Worlds is not to watch the movie but to listen to it as an audiobook.
After watching the movie War of the Worlds staring Tom Cruise last weekend I was inspired to do some research on the original H.G. Wells novel. I almost bought a copy of the book, I did read it once as a child, but I hesitated.
Instead I downloaded The War of The Worlds BBC broadcast based on the novel by H.G. Wells as an audiobook off of the internet.It was very easy to do. I simply paid with my visa card and was able to do an instant download. I did not have to wait for CD’s to come in the mail.
After downloading the audiobook I burnt it to discs so that I could listen to it in my car as I drive.I was also happy to see that doing an instant download of the audiobook was much cheaper then the same versions of the audiobook on CD.
It really is a much better deal to download the file and burn it to disc your self then to have to pay someone else to do the same thing.Another great feature is that I will always be able to download the audiobook again for free at any time. This is perfect if you are like me and are prone to scratching your cd’s.I have to say I was thrilled with the quality of the recording of the audiobook.
The audiobooks is from the BBC Classic Sci-Fi Radio and has a run time of two hours and fifty minutes. One of the things that I enjoyed the most of listening to War of the Worlds on audiobook compared to the movie is how much eerier it was. Watching the movie was good, don’t get me wrong, but I must say that I enjoyed it as an audiobook more.
The movie was real eye candy. But the audiobook invokes your imagination.
The sound effects being much simpler in the audiobook, but it felt more real. It really made me feel like I was there.
Nov 21 2009
Titanic Anecdotes
by: Stephen Schochet
Studio executives in High Concept Hollywood have very short attention spans. When pitching a film idea, many believe if you can’t do it in one sentence it is an unmarketable product. For example Planet Of the Apes (1968) starring Charlton Heston was pitched by producer Arthur Jacobs as “Moses Talks To Monkeys”. Passenger 57( 1992) with Wesley Snipes was known as “Diehard On a Plane.” Director James Cameron, despite a strong track record with films like Aliens (1986) and True Lies (1994) knew he would have a tough selling job after he went deep sea diving with Dr. Robert Ballard to glimpse the remains of the RMS Titanic. He became so emotionally involved by the experience that the sinking of the famous luxury liner in 1912 had to be the subject of his next picture. His pitch to the nervous executives at Twentieth Century Fox was,” Romeo and Juliet on a doomed ship.” There was a tense pause and Cameron said,” Also fellas it’s a period piece, it’s going to cost $150,000,000 and there’s not going to be a sequel.” Fox, a studio which had known great success with both The Love Boat (1977-1986) TV show and The Poseidon Adventure (1972) was dubious about the idea’s commercial prospects. But wanting a long term relationship with Cameron they gave him a green light. Previous movie versions of the Titanic had focused on the historical aspects of the ship hitting the iceberg, so Cameron decided to play up the fictional love story. After Gywneth Paltrow turned down the female lead, Kate Winslet campaigned for it heavily by sending Cameron daily notes from England stating, “I’m your Rose.” Her persistence led Cameron to invite her to Hollywood for auditions. One of her screen test partners Leonardo DiCaprio, impressed her so much she whispered to Cameron,” He’s great. Even if you don’t pick me, pick him.” Cameron picked them both, but Leonardo was harder to convince. Playing a romantic lead in a blockbuster just didn’t seem cool. Cameron told him,” I know what you want. You want to play him with a deformity or a limp. Well, it’s lot harder playing a nice guy like Jimmy Stewart then one of those freaky, weirdo characters.” Freaks and weird character portrayals often take home Oscars, but DiCaprio agreed to play the part.For a major Hollywood production the star salaries were relatively low, DiCaprio made the most at $2,500,000. The biggest expense of the film was building the ship, it required the construction of a entirely new studio in Rosarito Beach. Cameron’s attention to historical detail was evident down to the carpets, the grand staircase, the Picasso paintings and the 1911 touring car that Jack and Rose made love in. But other aspects of the film were less accurate. There was no evidence that on the real life Titanic people in third class were blocked from reaching the upper decks and the lifeboats, the emphasis was on rescuing the women and children, the richest man on board the ship actually died. In the film, First Officer William Murdoch was portrayed as a coward who shot passengers, in real life he was a hero which caused James Cameron to apologize to his surviving relatives. And Leonardo’s character Jack was based on an unattractive coal miner, who never left the bottom decks, let alone met someone like Rose.
Cameron, temperamental in the best of times, was surviving on three hours sleep and saved most of his screaming for the film crew. His philosphy was you couldn’t get great perfomances out of the actors by yelling. In one scene, Winslet and DiCaprio were running away from a huge wave on one of the decks and the actress was submerged and nearly drowned. Moments after she was rescued Cameron calmly said,” OK. Let’s do it again.”
As the costs began to mount along with the stories of the director’s slow pace and temper tantrums, the Fox executives began to freak out. They suggested an hour of specific cuts from the three hour film. They argued the extended length would mean less showings thus less money. But long epics are more likely to help directors bring home Oscars, and Cameron was more defiant than DiCaprio. “You want to cut my movie? You’re going to have to fire me!” You want to fire me? You’re going to have to kill me!” The executives, knowing that starting from scratch meant their entire investment would be gone, did neither. They also rejected Cameron’s offer of forfeiting his share of the profits as an empty gesture; they were sure there wouldn’t be any.
With more special effects being added Titanics’s release date was moved back from summer to Christmas 1997. At one point Cameron visited the Twentieth Century Fox studio headquarters to request permission to shoot additional footage and ran smack dab into company chairman Rupert Murdoch (no relation to William) in the hallway. After months of fiercely ordering people about, the self proclaimed “King of the World” could not look his real boss in the eye. “Uh hi. Uh I know I’m not your favorite person spending all your money. But I guarantee you the movie will be good.” Murdoch, with a glint of steel in voice, replied. “Young man, it had be better be better than good!”
Thanks largely to repeated viewings from young girls, the film made more money than any other picture in history. It tied Ben Hur (1959) for the most Oscars (11) although it was not even nominated for Best Original Screenplay. The Fox Executives were more relieved than euphoric and promised no more $200,000,000 movies, they felt like they had dodged a bullet. DiCaprio who infuriated the studio by refusing to promote the film and show up at the Academy Awards, became a $10,000,000 per picture star, was chased down streets by adoring young females, and later called the whole Titanic craze,” kind of an empty experience”. Winslet, who at one point during the shoot woke up and said, “God I wish I was dead”, moved back happily into smaller independent films. Cameron got his original profit share and continued to lose his temper, suggesting a film critic who panned Titanic be impeached. He reflected later that movie prices had to be raised to fifteen dollars to pay for overblown budgets. “People would be mad for six months and then they would come back. Of course I wouldn’t want one of my movies coming out during those six months.”
