I'm an Apple fan and a fan of James Cameron's films. I just watched Avatar and its bonus special feature stuff. It struck me that these two people are strikingly similar in several ways. I respect both of them and their work a great deal. They both are very talented, intelligent, and charismatic. They both are visionaries who have been a part of, or arguably even directly responsible for, revolutionary innovations.
I'll start off by saying that I fully expect replies complaining that this comparison is insulting to Steve Jobs, as James Cameron is just about special effects, flash-over-substance, etc... If I were to post this on some sort of James Cameron fan site, I'd also fully expect replies complaining that this comparison is insulting to James Cameron, as Steve Jobs is just about iToys, style-over-function, etc... I believe this strengthens my argument. Both men evoke such strong opinions from both supporters and detractors. Both men's work has caused much heated debate. One thing both fans and detractors both agree on is that both men's work has been overwhelmingly popular and sucessful.
Cameron and Jobs both consistently produced extremely high-quality and successful work throughout their careers. Cameron is responsible for the first 2 Terminator films, Aliens, The Abyss, True Lies, Titanic, and Avatar. That consistent level of quality in the film industry is extremely rare, arguably even unmatched. I don't think I need to list Steve Jobs' outstanding accomplishments here, as I'm sure we're all well aware of them.
Both men push, or even forcefully drag, the technology of their respective industries forward. James Cameron was a pioneer in special effects, starting with the CGI of The Abyss and Terminator 2, and obviously most recently with Avatar and 3D. He also been responsible for underwater filming innovations with The Abyss and Titanic.
I've heard both Cameron and Jobs say that much of their success is due to their ability to surround themselves with the best people. They are also are both known for being able to get the absolute best out of the people they surround themselves with.
Both men are notoriously difficult to work with and can be quite cruel. They both have reputations for having very short tempers and a very low tolerance for mediocrity. They both have a tendency to yell, scream, and fight. However, they both are reported to also have the capacity for kindness and got along with some people just fine. I see this as a sort of Jekyll and Hyde personality split that they both share, depending on the situation and who they are dealing with.
Cameron and Jobs are both notorious perfectionists and micro-managers. They both demand excellence, not only from themselves, but from the people they surround themselves with. They do not tolerate incompetence or mediocrity. They both are involved in the smallest of details of the work they oversee, to a degree far beyond what is typical, bordering on obsession.
Both men ride a fine line between artist and engineer. Steve Jobs, despite working in what was typically considered a very technically-oriented field, brought a sense of artistry to everything he did, and viewed his work from the perspective of an artist, often avoiding getting too involved in technical details in order to stay true to how things should work. James Cameron, despite working in what was typically considered an artistically-oriented field, involves himself deeply with the technical details that make it all work. Not only with the CGI and underwater kind of practical stuff, but also with grounding technological art design in reality. He is concerned with not only just making things look cool, but also making the appearance of things make sense from a technical perspective. How would this actually look if it functioned this way? What would this hose, wire, button, or component actually do if it were real?
Cameron and Jobs both have a sort of hippy thing going on. Jobs did the whole zen, vegetarian, thing. Cameron does movie themes that deal with social issues, like the environment, war, and the potential dangers of technology.
Both men are science fiction fans. This is obvious in the case of Cameron, given his direct contributions to the science fiction film genre. Jobs seemed to also be a fan of science fiction, particularly of Star Trek, and I think this shows in the kind of technology and designs he was involved with. They both were very interested in the future, especially in the technology of the future and how they could affect it.
Steve Jobs is obviously the more famous of the two and has had the bigger influence on the day-to-day lives of people around the world, but this is expected given the nature of the industries he was involved with, and the incredible number of industries he was involved with. Still, James Cameron has had a remarkable influence on the Entertainment industry, and also has been involved in several other fields, like Jobs. He has worked with NASA on spacecraft designs and he has worked on nautical technology, beyond just what was related to his filmmaking. The broad scope of their interests and contributions is also something they have in common.
Anyway, I just find these correlations interesting and thought I'd bore you all with my thoughts on the matter.
I'll start off by saying that I fully expect replies complaining that this comparison is insulting to Steve Jobs, as James Cameron is just about special effects, flash-over-substance, etc... If I were to post this on some sort of James Cameron fan site, I'd also fully expect replies complaining that this comparison is insulting to James Cameron, as Steve Jobs is just about iToys, style-over-function, etc... I believe this strengthens my argument. Both men evoke such strong opinions from both supporters and detractors. Both men's work has caused much heated debate. One thing both fans and detractors both agree on is that both men's work has been overwhelmingly popular and sucessful.
Cameron and Jobs both consistently produced extremely high-quality and successful work throughout their careers. Cameron is responsible for the first 2 Terminator films, Aliens, The Abyss, True Lies, Titanic, and Avatar. That consistent level of quality in the film industry is extremely rare, arguably even unmatched. I don't think I need to list Steve Jobs' outstanding accomplishments here, as I'm sure we're all well aware of them.
Both men push, or even forcefully drag, the technology of their respective industries forward. James Cameron was a pioneer in special effects, starting with the CGI of The Abyss and Terminator 2, and obviously most recently with Avatar and 3D. He also been responsible for underwater filming innovations with The Abyss and Titanic.
I've heard both Cameron and Jobs say that much of their success is due to their ability to surround themselves with the best people. They are also are both known for being able to get the absolute best out of the people they surround themselves with.
Both men are notoriously difficult to work with and can be quite cruel. They both have reputations for having very short tempers and a very low tolerance for mediocrity. They both have a tendency to yell, scream, and fight. However, they both are reported to also have the capacity for kindness and got along with some people just fine. I see this as a sort of Jekyll and Hyde personality split that they both share, depending on the situation and who they are dealing with.
Cameron and Jobs are both notorious perfectionists and micro-managers. They both demand excellence, not only from themselves, but from the people they surround themselves with. They do not tolerate incompetence or mediocrity. They both are involved in the smallest of details of the work they oversee, to a degree far beyond what is typical, bordering on obsession.
Both men ride a fine line between artist and engineer. Steve Jobs, despite working in what was typically considered a very technically-oriented field, brought a sense of artistry to everything he did, and viewed his work from the perspective of an artist, often avoiding getting too involved in technical details in order to stay true to how things should work. James Cameron, despite working in what was typically considered an artistically-oriented field, involves himself deeply with the technical details that make it all work. Not only with the CGI and underwater kind of practical stuff, but also with grounding technological art design in reality. He is concerned with not only just making things look cool, but also making the appearance of things make sense from a technical perspective. How would this actually look if it functioned this way? What would this hose, wire, button, or component actually do if it were real?
Cameron and Jobs both have a sort of hippy thing going on. Jobs did the whole zen, vegetarian, thing. Cameron does movie themes that deal with social issues, like the environment, war, and the potential dangers of technology.
Both men are science fiction fans. This is obvious in the case of Cameron, given his direct contributions to the science fiction film genre. Jobs seemed to also be a fan of science fiction, particularly of Star Trek, and I think this shows in the kind of technology and designs he was involved with. They both were very interested in the future, especially in the technology of the future and how they could affect it.
Steve Jobs is obviously the more famous of the two and has had the bigger influence on the day-to-day lives of people around the world, but this is expected given the nature of the industries he was involved with, and the incredible number of industries he was involved with. Still, James Cameron has had a remarkable influence on the Entertainment industry, and also has been involved in several other fields, like Jobs. He has worked with NASA on spacecraft designs and he has worked on nautical technology, beyond just what was related to his filmmaking. The broad scope of their interests and contributions is also something they have in common.
Anyway, I just find these correlations interesting and thought I'd bore you all with my thoughts on the matter.
