Titanica Film Blog

posted on Thu Jul 15th, 2010 at 4:08 PM by Mike Rathfon

While the Titanic exhibit and IMAX movie certainly captured the emotion and horror of the events that took place aboard the Titanic on April 15, 1912 – I found myself most enthralled by the unimaginable logistics of creating the IMAX film and the technical details of this massive ship that was at its time considered to be a man-made wonder of the world.

The size and scale of the Titanic dwarfed all other ships of its day, while today’s largest super tanker "Jahre Viking” is almost twice as long as the Titanic and would probably weigh more than 12 times the Titanic when both were filled.

But in 1912, nothing came close to this massive ship that boasted over 50,000 lbs of horsepower, was 11 stories high, and stretched the length of two and a half football fields. It was powered by 29 boilers, 159 coal steamers and eight-foot high pistons - the largest ever built. In fact the ship had 4 smoke stacks although only 3 were functional as the rear most funnel was added to make Titanic look even more impressive.

For those treasure hunter romantics, it’s fascinating to imagine the Titanic left 5,000 tons of unused coal that powered those massive steam engines on the ocean floor along with the rest of its treasures, passenger belongings, and ornate decor. Each site of dishes, banisters, and even the starboard front rail had me imagining what it must have looked like for those first passengers. No wonder the first class tickets cost $150 for its maiden voyage from Southampton, England to New York City. A first class berth would have cost nearly 4-8 months pay for the skilled workers who built the ship. Today’s price would be $3,000.

At the time it was launched, headlines touted the Titanic to be the “largest object built by human hands.” This is why the 65-foot-high, 80-foot-wide IMAX screen at Whitaker Center was the ultimate way to experience the film that captured not only the enormity of the vessel, but really helped to immerse the audience in the heart-wrenching and heroic stories of the passengers and crew just as James Cameron’s original film did in 1997. (See Associated Press - Titanic an Early Favorite at 70th Academy Awards.)

Even the logistics and challenges of shooting the IMAX film captured my wonder and amazement. The film host, a Russian oceanographer, and his crew had to take the world’s longest decent over 16 hours to the Titanic’s remains for this film. I felt the claustrophobia creeping over me as filmmakers descended in a mini-submarine beyond 1,000 feet below the water where the sunlight vanishes. Then to realize the crew still had another 11,500 feet to go through pitch darkness in ocean water that was below freezing. I was thankful someone was willing to do it – as I surely would never.

At this depth, the movies narrator stated that there was approximately 6,000 pounds of pressure per square inch on their mini-submarine – enough pressure for one jet spray from the sub to cut a human body in half!

The movie visuals and story were astonishing. Recording such an extraordinary event in history to film was a huge accomplishment. Our future generations will now be able to look back upon what caused this unimaginable disaster and hopefully learn from the human errors* that led to the 2nd worst ship wreck of its time – and still considered the 5th worst in modern history.

Human Errors that Caused the Disaster/Deaths:

Titanic was designed to hold 32 lifeboats, though only 20 were on board; White Star management was concerned that too many boats would sully the aesthetic beauty of the ship.
Lifeboat #7 was the first to be launched at 12:45 AM (65 minutes after hitting the iceberg.) It carried only 27 people yet was rated to hold 65.
A ship, the SS Californian, was close to the stricken Titanic and might have rescued everyone. However its sole wireless operator, Cyril Evans, went to bed 10 minutes before Titanic struck the iceberg and did not receive the distress message.

Notes of Interest:

Director James Cameron, who directed the biggest grossing movie of all time, Avatar, announced a remake of Titanic in 3D (Cameron confirms Titanic 3D). The movie will not be released until 2012, marking the 100th Anniversary of the ship that “was built so strong, it was virtually unsinkable.”
The Titanic sank just 450 miles from its final destination in New York City.
The Titanic was rediscovered in 1985 by an expedition led by Jean-Louis Michel (Ifremer) and Dr. Robert Ballard (Woods Hole).
RMS stands for Royal Mail Steamer
The Titanic was never christened. It was not the practice of the White Star Line to hold such ceremonies. However, modern lore says the ship was cursed because when it was christened the bottle did not break.
One of the last songs the band reportedly played before their death was, "Songe d'Automne" (not "Nearer Thy God To Thee" as seen in the movies.)

Cost of a ticket (one way)

First Class (parlor suite) £870/$4,350 ($83,200 today)
First Class (berth) £30/$150 ($2975 today)
Second Class £12/$60 ($1200 today)
Third Class £3 to £8/$40 ($298 to $793 today)
In 1912, skilled shipyard workers who built Titanic earned £2 ($10) per week. Unskilled workers earned £1 or less per week. A single First Class berth would have cost these workers 4 to 8 months wages.

Cost of the Titanic (in 1912): $7,500,000
Cost to build Titanic today: over $400,000,000

Cloie Reisinger
Marketing Intern
Hershey Harrisburg Regional Visitors Bureau (HHRVB)
www.HersheyHarrisburg.org

Cloie