How James Cameron’s Aliens Helped Inspire Real Military Tech

James Cameron’s visionary filmmaking techniques have not only captivated audiences but also inspired real-life technology used by the US military, according to Aliens star Ricco Ross. In a recent interview, the 68-year-old actor claimed that the equipment used while filming the 1986 sci-fi adventure was “so brilliant” that the military reached out to Cameron to ask if they could use it in the field.

Ricco Ross reveals tech from James Cameron’s Aliens that inspired US military

While speaking at a Big Lick Comic Con NOVA panel, The Sandman actor detailed the innovative way in which Cameron used the Steadicam concept to adequately showcase the use of the Marines’ heavy weapons.

“That’s when they say, what is it? Life imitates art,” Ricco Ross noted to Collider’s Maggie Lovitt. “The Steadicam that Jenette [Goldstein’s Vasquez] and Mark [Rolston’s Drake] would use in the film, the idea, the concept of having a Steadicam, so that the camera, even though you’re running and moving, it stays pretty steady on the site, and for James to think, ‘Let’s put a gun, a rifle on that, and then the target, even if you’re running, it will be there as well,’ was such a brilliant idea at the time.”

Ross then added that the approach was “so brilliant that I heard that the military asked him if they could use it because he actually made sure that he got the rights for that.”

Jenette Goldstein, who was also present in the interview, then highlighted how the small cameras used in the film eventually gave way to GoPro-style devices. She remarked, “The camera, the GoPro that everybody used. I mean, there was no such thing as a GoPro. It was this really cool idea he had. He was like, you know, ‘What if there was a little camera, and you know, those big video cameras that you had in the ’80s were there,’ and now we just think, like, ‘Oh yeah, of course, a GoPro.'”

Notably, the US military uses GoPro action cameras for several purposes, including training and documentation.

Meanwhile, Aliens is the second installment in James Cameron’s Alien franchise. Released on July 18, 1986, it achieved cult classic status over the decades.

Source: Comingsoon.net