Monday, December 06, 2004
A titantic solution to space flight:
Here is an article in wired by james cameron, who made titanic for $100 million.
He says he made the picture to have an excuse to go deep sea diving, and his real interest is space. He understands that government space projects are kludges, black holes into which dollars flow, but that the private sector is the reverse.
Rutan went into space to win a $10 million prize; it cost his backer about $20 million.
Here's what I'm picturing. Cameron could make a movie - actually a trilogy - about going to the moon. Movie 1 is like a documentary, it's the idea of doing it, explained.
Movie two uses miniturized robots - and actually goes to the moon. Maybe something like the mars rover but cuter. Movie 3, real or faked, people follow after.
I'm assuming a few things - just assumptions, but I think they would check out.
1) He can get funding to make a $100 million movie, 3 times.
2) Each movie would gross $100 million or more, so no net loss; project is self-funding.
3) For 100 million, planned over time, he can actually send a robotic minaturized moon mission which makes video and sends it back. The robot has best available personality mimicry software... it's likeable.
4) Whether a womanned mission can be sent on that kind of a budget depends largely
on how movie 2 goes, how many years this project takes, how technology develops -
the movie can be made, but it might have to be faked in parts.
5) The project is it's own gimmick - by actually going to the moon, it would generate so much press millions of people would go see it. I remember appollo as some of the best theatre from the 60s.
6) plenty of tie-ins and spinoffs. corporate sponsors, actors paying to be in it, product placement.
Here is an article in wired by james cameron, who made titanic for $100 million.
He says he made the picture to have an excuse to go deep sea diving, and his real interest is space. He understands that government space projects are kludges, black holes into which dollars flow, but that the private sector is the reverse.
Rutan went into space to win a $10 million prize; it cost his backer about $20 million.
Here's what I'm picturing. Cameron could make a movie - actually a trilogy - about going to the moon. Movie 1 is like a documentary, it's the idea of doing it, explained.
Movie two uses miniturized robots - and actually goes to the moon. Maybe something like the mars rover but cuter. Movie 3, real or faked, people follow after.
I'm assuming a few things - just assumptions, but I think they would check out.
1) He can get funding to make a $100 million movie, 3 times.
2) Each movie would gross $100 million or more, so no net loss; project is self-funding.
3) For 100 million, planned over time, he can actually send a robotic minaturized moon mission which makes video and sends it back. The robot has best available personality mimicry software... it's likeable.
4) Whether a womanned mission can be sent on that kind of a budget depends largely
on how movie 2 goes, how many years this project takes, how technology develops -
the movie can be made, but it might have to be faked in parts.
5) The project is it's own gimmick - by actually going to the moon, it would generate so much press millions of people would go see it. I remember appollo as some of the best theatre from the 60s.
6) plenty of tie-ins and spinoffs. corporate sponsors, actors paying to be in it, product placement.
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