Before Making The Terminator, James Cameron Worked On A Kurt Russell Sci-Fi Movie

James Cameron knows how to dress up a scene. It's that artistic eye that's led to three of the most successful films ever and left his cast confident enough to call out MCU movies for paling in comparison. However, long before he took the helm of some of the greatest films ever made, the Oscar-winning director was under the tutelage of John Carpenter. Together, they brought an ingenious touch to what became a beloved cult classic. In 1981, Cameron joined the production team as the special effects visual photographer for John Carpenter's dark rescue mission movie, "Escape from New York." The film starred Kurt Russell in the now-legendary role of Snake Plissken, the former soldier-turned-convict, who is sent on a rescue mission to extract the U.S. President from New York City, which has been turned into an island for prisoners.

Within no time at all, Cameron became an invaluable member of the team, with Carpenter himself recalling in the 2018 4k Ultra HD documentary for the film (via Yahoo!) that he was the "resident genius" on set. "Everyone was talking about how great he was," recalled Carpenter. It's thanks to this so-called genius that the film pulled off two of the most iconic scenes in the entire movie, courtesy of clever camera trickery and carefully applied brush strokes.

One impressive feat Cameron accomplished that drew attention to the then-special effects expert was creating a New York City skyline to deceive the audience. In one scene set in New York, where prisoners waited for food drops, the inmates weren't actually in the Big Apple but were filmed in the San Fernando Valley. To create the illusion that they were in New York City, Cameron painted a glass skyline that could be placed in front of the camera, which looked so realistic that it could pass for the real thing. This remarkable display of ingenuity hinted at the incredible filmmaking Cameron would continue to produce in the years ahead. Another example that was just as mind-blowing was faking a flight over New York City, shown in night vision. No big deal, right? Well, the truth is, it wasn't even at night.

Instead, Cameron made a matte painting of the skyline using black, and he put white reflective tape around each building edge to mimic what was then a futuristic computer image. Then, all that was left was for the camera crew to shoot through the skyline, using a blacklight to simulate an overnight flight. As these trade secrets built up, Cameron became a notable figure to watch, especially when, three years later, he directed his own sci-fi movie — "The Terminator." Well, everyone has to start somewhere, and it turns out that for Cameron, getting away to spend some time in New York in one of Carpenter's best films proved to be a massive help.