Cameron previews 3D Titanic footage

Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio are shown in a scene from Titanic

Published: 11:47pm, 28th October 2011
Updated: 5:15am, 29th October 2011

James Cameron has taken his "2.99D" version of Titanic out into open water.

The director of the Oscar-winning 1997 film and producer Jon Landau previewed 18 minutes of assorted footage that has been converted into 3D for next year's re-release of the film.

The mastermind behind Avatar joked that it was not fully 3D because Titanic wasn't filmed in 3D. He was quick to note, though, that most other converted 3D films are just "2.4-D".

"I think it looks spectacular," said Cameron. "If I had 3D cameras at the time and there had been 3D theatres at the time, I certainly would have shot it in 3D."

Cameron said that DiCaprio and Winslet have yet to see the 3D footage of Titanic," but he has spoken with Winslet about the project, and she is "on board". He hasn't talked to DiCaprio because the actor has been busy shooting in Australia.

Cameron said that it will take 300 artists 60 weeks at a cost of 18 million dollars to create the 3D version of the film, which will include no new material. Landau noted the film will also be re-released in 2D and that the "2-D is going to be a better print than anything we could have done at the time" because they have since created a "digital master" of the film.

Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox are set to re-release Titanic on April 6 2012, to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the Titanic setting sail on April 10 1912.