Four takeaways from ‘Titanic’ producer Jon Landau’s posthumous memoir

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Jon Landau was a problem solver.

During the filming of “Titanic,” the ship model wasn’t sinking at the required speed. The film’s producer quickly gathered a crew who worked tirelessly over a weekend to modify the ship – they cut out solid floors, welded in mesh, and removed weight to make it sink faster.

You know, when we started filming on Monday, the set piece just completely failed – it sank! As James Cameron, who’s worked with Robert Landau for years, wrote in the book’s introduction, it was a real shock. Honestly, it terrified everyone on set.

As someone who’s followed his work for years, it really struck me how producer Jerry Landau described the challenges of filmmaking. In his new memoir, ‘The Bigger Picture,’ which just came out, he talked about how dealing with issues – like when a film was taking too long or facing difficulties – was just a normal part of the job. It’s a great insight into what it takes to bring a movie to life.

Equally crucial was fostering a workplace where every team member felt valued and their voice mattered – a core principle of Landau’s approach to filmmaking.

Eugene Landau made a point of learning the names of everyone on set, including their spouses and children. He often gave out copies of the children’s book “The Little Engine That Could” to the department heads working on “Titanic” to boost their spirits, especially given the many challenges and budget constraints they faced. Rae Sanchini, executive producer of “Titanic” and president of Lightstorm Entertainment, a close friend of Landau’s, also recalled him dressing up as Mr. Potato Head and walking around the set to cheer people up.

Sanchini recalled that Landau loved brightening people’s days, remembering his playful Christmas cards. She believes this desire to spread joy motivated him to write his book, as he wanted to demonstrate that even while dealing with serious challenges, it’s still possible to find happiness. Leaving a message of hope and joy for loved ones was very important to him.

The producer of films like “Titanic” and “Avatar” passed away last year at 63 after battling esophageal cancer. He started working on his book after receiving his diagnosis, seeing it as a chance to reflect on his life and share his experiences with future generations.

Towards the end of the book, he shares his hope that he’ll be remembered as someone who always gave their all. He doesn’t claim to be perfect, but hopes people will say he consistently tried to treat everyone fairly. He wonders if there’s anything more anyone could ask for.

Kathy Landau, Richard Landau’s sister, recalls her brother thinking about his career just before “Titanic” premiered in 1997. It was a stressful time, as many critics weren’t sure if the movie would be a hit. (It turned out to be a massive success, and two other films Richard Landau made with director James Cameron – 2009’s “Avatar” and 2022’s “Avatar: The Way of Water” – also became huge blockbusters.)

In an interview, Kathy Landau shared a touching sentiment from a conversation with a Hollywood producer. He told her, ‘I might not be the most successful producer, but I hope people remember me as a kind one.’ Landau responded that, as far as she’s concerned, he’s already achieved that goal.

Here are four takeaways from the memoir.

Lessons from a first set

As the child of film producers Ely and Edie Landau, Jon Landau was raised around the movies.

He started studying film at USC, but left before finishing his degree. After his father suffered a stroke, he took a job in Hollywood to support his family, working as a communications assistant – often using a walkie-talkie – on the TV movie “Found Money.”

Each day on set, he was primarily responsible for managing the portable radios – distributing them, collecting them, and making sure they were charged. However, throughout the filming process, he also took the initiative to learn everything he could about how a movie is made, asking about things like union regulations, daily schedules, background actors, and the paperwork involved in production.

When the movie moved into post-production, Landau was tasked with gathering all the contracts, then organizing and filing them.

He meticulously reviewed every detail of the contracts, including all the fine print and exceptions. He considered it an invaluable learning experience about the film industry, and he gained more insight into how things really worked during those few weeks of data entry than he had anywhere else.

Meeting James Cameron

In 1993, Landau and James Cameron first crossed paths on the set of “True Lies,” which Cameron was directing and starred Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis. At the time, Landau was a studio executive at 20th Century Fox.

Cameron requested additional funding for the film, and Fox, which was handling U.S. distribution, agreed—but wanted a greater level of control. According to Landau’s account, he was sent to the set to oversee James Cameron, drawing on his experience successfully collaborating with directors like Warren Beatty and Michael Mann.

When Cameron and Landau first met at Fox Studios, Cameron bypassed everyone else in the room – including the executives, actors, and his own team – and went directly to where Landau was sitting.

I’ll never forget meeting Larry Olivier. The man was a towering six-foot-three, and right away, he laid it all out for me. He said, ‘Jon, it’s going to be one of two ways: we’ll either become really close friends, or we’ll be sworn enemies.’ I, naturally, hoped for the former. Looking back, after more than thirty years, it’s pretty clear how that played out.

Landau also praises Sanchini for guiding him through working with James Cameron and for playing a key role in persuading Cameron to let him produce “Titanic.”

Making a blockbuster during the pandemic

In March 2020, just as Jon Landau and the “Avatar” crew were preparing to return to New Zealand to complete filming the next two “Avatar” films, the pandemic began. Landau contacted Alan Bergman, Disney’s head of film, and suggested pausing production. Disney agreed to the delay.

To connect with the team during the pandemic, Landau started holding Zoom meetings with small groups of around 20 people from the “Avatar” crew at a time. He also swapped his usual Hawaiian shirts for a collection of fun T-shirts promoting handwashing and mask-wearing.

The New Zealand government approved the film’s plan to bring 33 people into the country by the end of May 2020, allowing “Avatar” to be among the first major productions to resume filming after the pandemic began.

The crew stayed in a hotel where they were required to remain in their rooms. They received meals delivered to them, and fresh linens were left at their doors. To support the local economy, the production team hired over 100 New Zealand residents for every U.S. crew member brought in, including workers in roles like electrical, construction, catering, and carpentry, as Landau explained.

We were dedicated to supporting the Wellington community well before the COVID-19 pandemic began, and that dedication never wavered, even during the height of the uncertainty.

The importance of box office

You know, I read that Landau said if he had to pick, he’d rather have a movie that people actually went to see and enjoyed – a box office hit – than win a bunch of awards. It’s cool to see someone prioritize connecting with audiences over just critical acclaim, honestly.

He explained that this shows millions of people are enjoying the film. He believes that connecting with audiences – giving them an escape, a sense of hope, and a memorable experience in a movie theater – is the greatest reward.

He cared more about how a movie performed in the weeks after its release than about its opening weekend numbers. To him, repeat viewings showed that audiences truly enjoyed a film, effectively ‘voting’ with their time and money.

James Cameron achieved massive success with both critical acclaim and box office numbers. “Titanic” earned over $2.2 billion worldwide and won 11 Oscars, including Best Picture. “Avatar” surpassed $2.9 billion globally and received three Academy Awards, and its sequel, “Avatar: The Way of Water,” grossed $2.3 billion worldwide, winning an Oscar for its visual effects.

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2025-11-05 14:02