Dean's Blog

I’m sure that BP officials have a lot on their minds these days: Tough-talking politicians; Angry shareholders; Lawsuits; Potential criminal charges; Pissed off pelicans. The list grows daily.

BP better add James Cameron to it. He’s a huge and potentially dangerous wildcard at the moment. I saw him on Larry King, and though he seemed sympathetic to the technical challenges BP is facing, I’m sure he must be pondering the cinematic possibilities.

He’s the most successful filmmaker in history, and his last film Avatar was not only the highest grossing film ever, it was a deep meditation on the conflict between the heart and the mind, between corporate exploitation and the preservation of the sacred.

He’s got the clout to make any film he wants right now, and a documentary about the greatest environmental disaster in American history is certainly worthy of his energies.

He’s also the perfect guy for the job.  He’s a technical genius with a keen scientific mind and years of experience in deep water exploration and film-making. Christ, this guy even assembled his own team of deep submersion specialists to investigate the technical aspects of BP’s problem. Can you imagine the film he could put together?

Cameron possess the mind of an engineer and the sensibilities of a gifted storyteller. He would bring an astonishing level of credibility to such a film.

But in some ways Cameron must relate to BP’s difficulties. Throughout his career he’s wrestled with enormous technical and logistical problems, and more than his share of bad press.

But, if he decides to take an anti-BP stance, these experiences will make him much more dangerous to BP.  If he  produces a film critical of BP  it will be a lot harder to dismiss than a film by someone like Michael Moore-a propagandist who usually demonstrates little knowledge of the real challenges inherent in managing complex events.