I wonder which of you will be the next James Cameron

[MikaElle]

I was thinking about how Cameron credits George Lucas and the original Star Wars with being the initial motivation for him and couldn't help but wonder 30 years from now who will be the next Lucas/Cameron. Ahhhh one of you here?

[spicyapple]

Cameron has inspired a whole new generation of filmmakers. That is certain. He has inspired this generation of filmmakers and even current directors everywhere. Cameron is God.

[JamesCameronBlogspot]

One thing that's interesting in the Cameron to Spielberg/Lucas comparisons is that it was just a decade from those two guys' first movies 'til Cameron made his first feature. Cameron's really in the same generation as those two, just about a decade younger.

So that leads to the frightening prospect that....we already have Hollywood's next James Cameron amongst us. NOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooo!!!!

More seriously, I think that there are two reasons why it's less likely that we'll ever see the equivalent of Cameron again. (1) America is much more institutionalized nowadays. Cameron never went to film school (and has repeatedly mocked the very idea of film school) and was free to develop his own instincts and contour his education to his own interests and needs. Now, when I try to even get a $11/hr. job without a college education, people are like, "Who the hell do you think you are?!? Go spend 7 years in a college like everybody else!" So Cameron had basically no college and zero Hollywood connections and was able to become the greatest of all time. (2) The value of a dollar is so much less today than it was in the 1970's when Cameron was educating himself and making 'Xenogenesis' that it's almost impossible for somebody to duplicate what he did then, 'cause you have to work 55 hours a week just to pay your rent and gasoline. (I notice a similar thing with all my former high school classmates: we're all in our late-20's now and very few of us have families. Yet when our parents were our age, they all owned homes and had several children. What's changed? Mostly, it's just that you can't afford to have kids anymore. That's just the way America has gone.)

Having said all that....I like to think that I'm the next great Hollywood director. I'm for hire, everybody!

[Tsmúktu]

I must be pretty bold, lol. I answered definitely.

I'm working on stories and making the entire world around the story make sense to a good degree. It'll be a LONG time before I have enough money and experience to actually produce some of the ideas, but it'll all be worth it in the end.

Presently, I'm having a hard time keeping my head out of the clouds and on my schoolwork...This high school senior has a research paper to do!

[tomsully]

It would be neat (understatement of the year), but looking at it realistically . . . there's no chance in hell. :/

[guyguy]

all i would have to offer at the moment are more likely movies like that could categorized under the Lord of the ring genre, i play D&D a lot! i have quite a fertile imagination, nothing like good old grumpy dwarves that drink people under! so i checked , maybe! we could never know

[UnNamed]

Never know!I might suprise u guys one day with a film like Avatar!

[Txantsulsam Fyawintxu]

Personally, I feel if I had the skills of moviemaking, I would be able to land it all just like Cameron. He expresses himself genuinely while keeping his wits about his creations. I feel a lot like him in some ways, so who knows? I feel like I can do anything I set out to do. Bold statement, I know. Like Tsmúktu, I answered definitely in the poll. I know myself very well due to heavy introspection. Perhaps one day I'll make a film or even a book.. A book I can do, but I'm not sure about the movies due to the lack of film-making skills... I do have extremely good planning skills though. Like I said, who knows? Maybe someday...

[Fkeu'itan]

Doubt it! I'd like to think I have the vision to shoot a film, but my scriptwriting is just awful.

[aoitennyo]

Well... this might seem like I'm totally boasting, but I feel like this is what I was made for . I've been writing stories and designing creatures/worlds/spaceships since I was in fourth grade, I love drawing (not so hot at it anymore... need to go to art school :P), I have a keen interest in exotic cultures, languages, clothing etc, and I love to write. I have five binders full of a world I've been creating, I've been making my own languages, cultures, races, etc. I've been doing research into folklore, clothing, military, martial arts (among much more obscure topics such as the farming techniques in occupied France...), etc. 90% of the college courses I take directly relate to the creation of this story, and I've written a few scripts (one super silly one used in a student film), I loved the film courses I took (did makeup, writing, props, a little directing, lol), I've done some (minor) film editing and I loved it. I definitely need to go to film school, but I want to finish studying to be a writer and pursue art as well. It's been my dream to communicate/share experiences with and connect people on a grand scale since I was young, I love movies and going to movies, so I don't know, here's hoping I'll become a major director/screenwriter someday!