James Cameron To Receive Producers Guild Milestone Award
A little slow but I am glad this day has finally arrived! The Producer's Guild of America (PGA) is honoring James Cameron with their 2011 Milestone Award. Cameron will be accepting the award during the 22nd Annual PGA ceremony on January 22.
From ProducersGuild.org: The Milestone Award is the Guild’s highest honor that recognizes an individual (or team) who has made historic contributions to the entertainment industry. The Producers Guild has paid tribute to such luminaries as Clint Eastwood, Alfred Hitchcock, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Ron Howard & Brian Grazer, and Walt Disney, among others.
“James Cameron is an exceptionally talented producer—a true innovator with the rare combination of technical ingenuity and creative vision,” said Paula Wagner, Chair of the 2011 Producers Guild Awards. “Jim has continued to change the film landscape with his ability to deliver groundbreaking masterpieces that present audiences and the industry with unrivaled beauty, originality and impact.”
“As one of the most respected and admired storytellers of our time, James Cameron has inspired audiences with his creativity time and time again. We are proud to recognize his many talented contributions to the film and entertainment industry with the Guild’s highest honor,” said PGA Co-Presidents Presidents Hawk Koch and Mark Gordon.
Born in Kapuskasing, Ontario, Canada, Cameron grew up in the historic village of Chippawa, near Niagara Falls. In 1971, he moved to Brea, California where he studied physics at Fullerton Junior College while working as a machinist and, later, a truck driver. Cameron quit his trucking job in 1978 and raised money from local dentists to produce a 35mm short film. The visual effects in this film led to work on Roger Corman’s BATTLE BEYOND THE STARS (1980). In 1983 Cameron wrote three scripts: RAMBO: FIRST BLOOD PART 2, ALIENS, and THE TERMINATOR. He directed THE TERMINATOR, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, in 1984.
Cameron subsequently directed ALIENS (1986) and then wrote and directed THE ABYSS (1989). Following that he wrote, produced and directed TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY (1991), TRUE LIES (1994), TITANIC (1997) and AVATAR (2009). He also co-wrote and produced POINT BREAK (1991) and STRANGE DAYS (1994), as well as produced SOLARIS (2003).
His films have blazed new trails in visual effects and set numerous performance records both domestically and abroad. AVATAR currently holds both the domestic and worldwide box office records having grossed over $2.7 billion at the global box office, beating the previous record holder, TITANIC, which held that record for 12 years. Cameron’s films have also earned numerous nominations and awards from a variety of organizations, including TITANIC’s 14 Academy Award nominations (a record) and 11 Oscars (the most any movie has received), including Cameron’s 3 Oscars for Best Picture, Best Direction and Best Editing. AVATAR won the Golden Globes for Best Director and Best Picture. It was nominated for nine Academy Awards and won three.
Of course most of us are familiar with his work in stereoscopic 3D and that he has been at the forefront of bringing modern 3D and performance capture to the masses. He is arguably the poster-boy for 3D and perfcap today and justifiably so: AVATAR has reset the bar much, MUCH higher. Cameron also co-invented the FUSION 3D Camera system with Vince Pace (a leading platform of choice today) and is active with NASA's Advisory Council and the Mars Science Laboratory Mastcam (the first 3D motion imaging camera to operate on another planet). We just recently discovered that Cameron is diving the amazing depths of the Mariana Trench to shoot, what else... 3D.
Congratulations Jim Cameron! You have indeed earned this award and it has been a pleasure to see the projects you have put together over the years. Looking forward to what you have in store for us down the road...
