James Cameron Explains How A 'Claustrophobic Environment' In 'Sanctum' Will Heighten The 3-D Experience

Most of the criticism against "Avatar" is that it's too much spectacle, too little substance. Personally, I have no problem with a familiar story and dialogue that functions only as exposition when a movie is that visually astonishing. But I am also excited that James Cameron is now working on something that lets 3-D take a backseat -- or at least passenger seat -- so that character can do most of the driving. The filmmaker told Australia's Brisbane Times (via Total Film) about this film, a true story he's producing titled "Sanctum":

"If you take the 3-D away from the film and you take the spectacle away from the film, it’s still a strong story," he told the newspaper. "People don’t cry in a movie because of the 3-D. They cry in movie because something is touching them."

So why is he having his director, Alister Grierson, shoot the relatively low-budge film with his fancy 3-D cameras in the first place? Well, aside from going all Jeffrey Katzenberg and proclaiming that the format is here to stay and is ready to encompass all visual entertainments, Cameron also explains that "3-D works best in a very claustrophobic environment where you really feel finitely that the walls are only a few feet away."

The claustrophobic environment of "Sanctum," as we reported back in August, is an underwater cave where 15 divers end up trapped during an expedition gone wrong. The film, based on a real incident that happened to producer and co-screenwriter Andrew Wight, will focus on the father and son leading the diving trip. Cameron claims the 3-D will only enhance our experience with the story.

"I think people are going to [find themselves] with accelerated heart rates, tight breathing and white knuckles when they go throw the experiences of this film," Cameron said.

"Sanctum" was likened to a BMW by Cameron, who says he'll merely be the salesman of the finished product. That doesn't seem completely the case, though, given that he is on the Gold Coast of Australia collaborating with Grierson, Wight and the film's designers for the pre-production stage. A cast is already in place, including Richard Roxburgh ("Van Helsing"), Ioan Gruffudd ("Fantastic Four"), Alice Parkinson ("X-Men Origins: Wolverine") and Rhys Wakefield.

Soon, Cameron believes, 3-D will be the standard for all movies -- action spectacles and character-driven dramas alike. And this will happen in part because of the new 3-D television sets that will quickly be in homes worldwide. He compares the 3-D format to a former development in motion picture history:

"If you look at the history of color," he explained. "Color took a long time to become the rule; first it was the exception; then it became the rule in movies only when the color television set was introduced. It took a change in another medium to shift the cinema medium decisively."

Do you think you'll be able to accept 3D as an enhancement for character-driven films? Or do you worry that it will distract from the drama?

Tags avatar, james cameron, Sanctum