A terrible tragedy occurred in the year of 1912, the sinking of The Titanic; A terrible moment in history which has been re created in 1997 by 11 academy award winner James Cameron. The film re lives the whole experience of The Titanic with a thrilling and captivating approach. The steerage scene contains a variety of cinematic devices such as: lighting effects, an array of sounds and various shot angles. This helps to create a more realistic and intense atmosphere and makes the audience feel more involved. The Titanic was a smash hit. One of the reasons for its huge success may have been because it had content to satisfy most audiences. The different genres include: An historical theme, based on a true story, romance and tragedy. This essay will be studying the various techniques James Cameron used in the steerage scene to create a natural and realistic party atmosphere.
What we see in the steerage scene has a strong effect on us. In the steerage scene there are certain parts Cameron made stand out amongst the fast paced action. The backdrop for the steerage scene is dull and plain, Cameron has used the dull background in an effect so that our attention is focused on the passengers and how they are having a good time. This is because if the backdrop was bright and decorated it would bring less attention to the members and more to the way the surroundings have been presented. Another reason for the dull backdrop may be to show us that the third class passengers do not care about where they have been situated and where they have been situated will not affect them having a good time. The men in the dining room give the impression that they are hygienic and clean as they are dressed in neat clean clothes. The clothes that Rose is wearing are a lot different to that of everyone else in the room. Rose is wearing very elegant and neat clothes and the colours used are very artificial as they are plain white and black. These colours look very cold and stand out amongst the different types of browns the 3rd class passengers are wearing. The third class passengers may be shown dressed in an informal way because this makes us realize that they do not have to be dressed elegantly in order for them to enjoy themselves.