AMC’s ‘James Cameron’s Story of Science Fiction’ has been delivering some pretty solid behind-the-scenes details for some major science fiction films so far and now James Cameron is sharing some of his iconic history as well. For the show, he has tapped the likes of Steven Spielberg, Ridley Scott, Guillermo del Toro, and George Lucas among others and it is a joy to see not only their work but his own as well.
These shots were actually from a companion book to the series which is also titled ‘James Cameron’s Story of Science Fiction’ and has full transcripts of interviews that Cameron has conducted, essays, and plenty more concept art to boot!
First up isn’t art for a specific theme but you can feel that many of his future ideas still resonate strongly within it:
An early James Cameron piece typical of the transcendental, apocalyptic themes he was exploring as a young science fiction artist. In the image, the transcendent couple has returned through a dimensional portal from a distant time or place with a revelation too terrifying for the unevolved humans.
Next up is concept art for the film ‘Xenogensis’ and parts of this were clearly used much later in the master filmmaker’s career!
Concept art by James Cameron for his 1978 short film Xenogensis. Although the wind-shark was a design precursor for the banshees seen in Avatar, the only detail that would ultimately be kept was the sharp teeth that could extend and retract.
I don’t think this ‘Terminator’ sketch needs any introduction for those familiar with the first film!
“Early concept sketch by Cameron for The Terminator showing the title character after receiving critical damage in the film’s final scenes.”
Continuing ‘The Terminator’ theme gives us a much more fleshed out piece:
An early James Cameron concept piece sets the scene for The Terminator with protagonists Sarah Connor and Kyle Reese in the foreground, and the cybernetic assassin emerging from flames in the background.
Now we’ll jump into another of Cameron’s iconic films:
Early conceptual design by Cameron for the iconic battle between Ripley and the Alien Queen in Aliens. This piece was created before Cameron wrote his Aliens script.
If only they’d gone back to Cameron to make a follow up instead of a certain someone else!
An early concept sketch by James Cameron for the Power Loader seen in Aliens. Cameron envisioned the controls for manipulating the arms to be similar to grasping a baseball bat and drew this sketch to help communicate the idea to the Aliens crew.
This seems like the perfect companion piece to anyone who has been enjoying Cameron’s current outing that delves into the minds of the creators behind some of today’s most iconic selections of science fiction.
Do you think you’ll be checking out a copy of ‘James Cameron’s Story of Science Fiction’? Which of Cameron’s past works do you hope he talks about the most within? Share your thoughts below!
Source: Entertainment Weekly
