Piranha 3D Producer Responds to James Cameron’s 3D Insult

The technological innovations that James Cameron have created makes him somewhat of a 3D connoisseur. He takes the medium very seriously and is not a fan of films that misuse and abuse the format. He recently spoke to Vanity Fair Magazine, and said that the new thriller Piranha 3D is “exactly an example of what we should not be doing in 3-D. Because it just cheapens the medium and reminds you of the bad 3-D horror films from the 70s and 80s, like Friday the 13th 3-D.”

Well the producer of the film Mark Canton, took Cameron’s words to heart and wrote a long letter reminding the director that he “didn’t invent 3D.”

Here are some key points from the letter:

• Jim, are you kidding or what? First of all, let’s start by you accepting the fact that you were the original director of PIRANHA 2 and you were fired.  Shame on you for thinking that genre movies and the real maestros like Roger Corman and his collaborators are any less auteur or impactful in the history of cinema than you. Martin Scorcese made Boxcar Bertha at the beginning of his career.  And Francis Ford Coppola made Dementia 13 back in 1963.  And those are just a few examples of the talented and successful filmmakers whose roots are in genre films.  Who are you to impugn any genre film or its creators?
• What it comes down to, Jim, is - that like most things in life – size doesn’t really matter.  Not everyone has the advantage of having endless amounts of money to play in their sandbox and to take ten years using other people’s money to make and market a film…like you do. Why can’t you just count your blessings?  Why do you have to drop Marty Scorsese’s or Tim Burton’s names, both gentlemen who I have personally worked with, and who have enjoyed great joy and success with movies of all genres and sizes well before the advent of modern 3D?  Then as now, they were like kids in a candy store recognizing, far beyond your imagination, the possibilities of storytelling and originality.
• For the record, before you just totally dismiss PIRANHA 3D and all, in your opinion, worthless genre movies that actually undoubtedly gave you the ability to start your career, you should know that PIRANHA 3D had an 82% “fresh” (positive) ratting on Rotten Tomatoes on opening day - a web site that all the studios, filmmakers and the public use as a barometer of what makes a quality film.
• Let’s just keep this in mind Jim…you did not invent 3D. You were fortunate that others inspired you to take it further.

While I think it’s great that Mr. Canton is so passionate about his project, this letter treads the line of being juvenile. Someone once told me that just because a person’s talented it doesn’t mean they’ll also have a nice personality. Do you know how many amazing actors, singers, and directors are complete and utter douchebags?

Canton doesn’t need Cameron’s approval or anyone else’s. He made the film that he wanted to make and that’s all that matters. If anything, he mentioned his film in the same article that he name dropped Burton and Scorsese, so technically he did him a favor. It’s free marketing.

What do you think of Canton’s argument? Was Cameron wrong or right for what he said?