The depths of Sanctum: Part III
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
This time a year ago, director Alister Grierson had James Cameron looking over his shoulder as he plunged actors into a flooding cave system, had them jump from rock walls and, ultimately, die in dramatic fashion. That was called a week day on the Warner Roadshow Studios set of 3D action adventure film Sanctum. Now, 12 months and $30 million later, Sanctum is screening in cinemas worldwide and putting audiences through the same terror its cast members experienced.
``It was dangerous, no doubt about it,'' Grierson said.
``The underwater stuff . . .those guys were doing it seven metres underwater and you can't panic down there.
``They were really going through those squeezes.
``That's why we used the full face masks so you know it was actually the actors doing it.
``There was still a whole army of people underwater and stunt supervisors, but at the same time working underwater is inherently dangerous, especially the scene where
Richard (Roxburgh) and Judes (Allison Cratchley) had to share the re-breather - that's real and really dangerous.''
Sanctum follows the misadventures of a group of explorers who are trapped in an underwater cave system when a freak storm collapses the entrance. The film is loosely based on the real-life experience of producer and writer Andrew Wight, a longtime friend and collaborator of film legend James Cameron. Cameron came on board as the executive producer of Sanctum, handpicking Grierson as the man to direct the feature after being impressed by his debut film Kokoda, also filmed on the Gold Coast.
With the Titanic director as his mentor, Grierson had to first learn how to dive then learn how to use the Cameron-Pace Fusion Camera system that Cameron invented to make Avatar. He also had to make sure his lead actors - Richard Roxburgh, Rhys Wakefield, Ioan Gruffudd - were willing to get their feet wet.
``Rhys did amazing things, all the leaps and jumps - he did a lot training to do that,'' Grierson said.
``The scene where he's breathing air bubbles off the roof of the cave, that's really hard to do.
``I tried it and you're upside down, the water gets in your nose and then you have to have the presence of mind to breath.
``I couldn't do it. He was fearless.''
Fearless is something the audience will certainly not be while watching Sanctum as the characters are forced through the tiniest of underwater spaces in claustrophobic 3D. Grierson said he enjoyed setting up the audience to expect one type of film, before flipping it ``on its head.''
``It wasn't a conscious thing, though James (Cameron) was very heavily involved with the screenplay through the stages,'' he said.
``What's interesting to me, and I'm not sure if it's a Cameron type thing, but you think it's one type of film and then it flips on its head and it's not that film any more, then people start to say `holy, did he just do that? Did we just see that?''
Sanctum is Grierson's first foray into 3D filmmaking and the first 3D feature Cameron has worked on since his groundbreaking Avatar, now the most successful film of all time. But despite the hype surrounding the technology, Grierson said at the end of the day it comes down to the quality of the film - not the visuals.
``The argument 3D is better than 2D isn't necessarily true, it depends on the film,'' he said.
``There have been some bad films in 3D, but I think over the next year when there's going to be at least 20 films coming out using the Cameron-Pace 3D technology that will change peoples ideas.
``Especially when people see 3D films from Martin Scorsese and Baz Luhrmann that's going to change peoples minds.''
Although there's no doubt us Aussies know all about 3D action adventure film Sanctum, Universal Pictures are resorting to some interesting methods to sell the film in the US. The studio have put together a mobile screening room which has been travelling the country showing 3D scenes of the film, complete with an introduction by executive producer James Cameron (Titanic, Avatar, Aliens).
Burleigh Heads local Grierson filmed the $30 million film at Warner Roadshow Studios last year. It follows the misadventures of a group of explorers who become trapped in an underwater cave system. Although Sanctum is set to do big things here in Australia when its released on Thursday, it's set to be a marketing challenge in the US thanks to the largely Australian cast, with the exception of Ioan Gruffudd, and the R rating. The Hollywood Reporter is also reporting ``some people'' think Sanctum is an IMAX 3D companion piece to Cameron's underwater documentaries Ghosts of the Abyss or Aliens of the Deep. Sanctum will receive one of the widest releases for an Australian film in years when it opens worldwide this week.
Warning: if you've ever thought of cave-diving, do not see this movie, as Sanctum does for cave-diving what Jaws did for the beach. It opens with surly teenager Josh (Rhys Wakefield) greeting the Richard Branson-esque American billionaire Carl (Ioan Gruffudd) and his girlfriend Victoria (Alice Parkinson) to their base in Papua New Guinea or, as Carl likes to call it, the ``last primeval wilderness'' . Josh and his Justin Bieber hair are being dragged along on a cave-diving expedition led by his estranged father, the ``most respected adventurer of our time'' and the underwhelmingly named Frank (Richard Roxburgh). Like Bear Grylls with gils, Frank is leading a team of nine through the world's largest cave system which is coincidentally unexplored.
The 3D underwater action film is produced by `the King of the world' himself James Cameron and was filmed largely on the Gold Coast at Warner Roadshow Studios. Local director Alister Grierson has made a colossal leap from his debut Kokoda, a $3 million war film, to this lavish and technologically advanced $30 million blockbuster. Sure, $30 million is practically an indie film by Hollywood standards, but Grierson and his crew have stretched that moolah further than Cher's forehead and proved just how economically savvy Aussie crews can be.
Yet as soon as the explorers start dropping like, well, explorers in an unexplored cave filling with water, you forget all of the eye-roll inducing moments prior. Sanctum is relentless in not only trimming the number of heroes, but doing so in such a tense, emotional and sometimes gruesome way, that this reviewer was plagued by their memory in the days following. Overall, Sanctum falls into the category of survival films like Cliffhanger, The River Wild and Vertical Limit, which are rich in action, adventure and adrenaline, as well as general corniness.
Above: James Cameron on the set of Sanctum
