James Cameron: Before Avatar.....a curious boy
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James Cameron is arguing two main points throughout his talk 1) the importance of imagination and 2) the importance of taking risks to inspire the audience and give advice.
His argument relies primarily on pathos, he uses anecdotes from his own life to capture his audience and make them feel connected to him as the speaker. He uses a small amount of humor but his speech isn't overwhelmingly funny, which makes it light and enjoyable but also serious in driving home his two main points. Cameron is a well-known and successful film maker making his advice not only reputable, but also coveted by many.
Imagination
James Cameron begins his talk by describing himself as a young boy. He discusses his childhood obsession with science fiction novels and how that motivated him in every aspect of his life. The creativity and imagination that those novels spurred in him drove him to be not only a scientist, but also a great film maker and movie director.
His imagination allowed him to make movies that broke boundaries and used new technology, such as Avatar.
It also led him to deep sea diving, which influenced his movies and played on his science fiction fantasies from his childhood.
Risk-Taking
When Cameron first imagined the movie Avatar, with its layers of CG, he was told it would be impossible and had to shelf the idea. However, after years of waiting and developing new technology he was finally able to create the world he had seen in his head so long before. The movie broke boundaries with the technology used and the way that Cameron was able to create a world that was completely imagined, yet, also completely realistic.
When he was only 15, Cameron decided he wanted to be a diver (the closest he could get to science fiction-like space travel was exploring the ocean with it's alien-like creatures). However, he lived a good 600 miles from the nearest ocean. But, he didn't let this small inconvenience stop him. He was scuba certified and continues diving today. He even made dives for the filming of the movie Titanic, combining his love of the ocean and film-making.
I chose this talk because I knew of James Cameron and I've seen the movie Avatar a million times. My brother had told me about how his original idea for the movie had had to be shelved for many years and I was interested in what Cameron would have to say about the movie and his successful career. After watching this talk, I think that Cameron's two main arguments are actually very relevant to me personally. I, like him, have always loved reading, especially as a kid. Also like him, those books influenced my interests in many ways. I had a huge imagination growing up and as a dancer and an artist (sort of), imagination is a very important part of my life. Risk-taking, also plays into those two aspects.
