Filming Titanic in Mexico

Summary

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Witness History – Filming Titanic in Mexico

Host: Jane Wilkinson
Key Witness: Luisa Gomez da Silva (Assistant Coordinator, Art Department on Titanic)
Date: May 29, 2026
Length: 9 minutes

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Episode Overview

This episode of Witness History takes listeners back to 1997 and behind the scenes of the making of Titanic, one of cinema’s most ambitious—and expensive—productions. Through the eyes of Luisa Gomez da Silva, then a 25-year-old assistant coordinator in the art department, the story touches on the logistical challenges, historic fidelity, emotional moments, and the legacy created in a vast studio built on the Mexican coast.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

Building the Dream: Creating Titanic in Mexico

• [01:10–02:24] Luisa describes how director James Cameron scouted locations by helicopter, ultimately selecting a remote 45-acre site in Rosarito, Baja California.
  • “At the time there wasn’t any roads built there. It was pretty much 45 acres. And they decided that was a good spot for a temporary facility.” – Luisa ([01:53])
• Construction was intense and fast, earning the nickname “the 100 day studio.” Over 4,000 workers were involved in building the massive replica and facilities.
  • “At the same time that they were building the ship, they were building the tanks... four sound stages, three water tanks... the big one was like two sizes of a football field.” – Luisa ([02:24])

Striving for Historical Perfection

• [03:01–03:30] Authenticity was paramount.
  • The replica ship was built to 90% scale, using original blueprints retrieved from the Titanic’s builders.
  • Details included carpets bearing the royal stamp and china from the same manufacturer as the 1912 ship.
  • “Everything had to be historically perfect... even the carpet was made and it had the stamp of Her Royal Majesty. All the china was also done in the same place that it was fabricated for the actual Titanic.” – Luisa ([03:30])

The Intensity of Shooting

• [03:52–05:31] Filming was grueling and immersive.
  • Seven months of long hours, freezing winter conditions, and hundreds of extras on set, especially during the scenes depicting the sinking.
  • Luisa recounts the memorable logistics of actors wearing wetsuits beneath their costumes to stay warm in the water tanks.
  • “You can see Cameron in the crane with the hat, with the earmuffs, with the scarf, with the huge jackets... and then when the ship started sinking, it was in different stages... people with their dresses and their nightgowns, and under it they had like a sort of a bodysuit or wetsuit because they were many hours in the water.” – Luisa ([04:34])
  • Her favorite scenes include the chaotic, desperate moments as the ship sinks:
    • “It shows you the frailty of humans... confrontation between power and the elite and the class... people do everything they can to save themselves. That part to me was like the most shocking.” ([05:31])

Iconic Moments

• [06:03–06:18] The famous “I’m the king of the world!” scene left its mark on those involved.
  • “Yes. And we’ve all did it. We’ve all climbed into that. This is wild. I did. I did. And we kept it for a while at the studio... and it was very popular.” – Luisa ([06:03])

Pressure, Perfectionism, and Budget Battles

• [06:22–07:01] The soaring budget and creative demands led to tension between studio executives and James Cameron.
  • “You saw the suits, like, discussing money... coming into the office and telling us... you can do that, you cannot do this. And then you saw James saying, okay, I want this, I want this, I want this. And... he said, like, okay, don’t pay me. I’m not taking my salary, but I want to do this.” – Luisa ([06:34])

Release and Legacy

• [07:10–08:28] Titanic became a global phenomenon, surpassing box office expectations.
  • James Cameron recalled:
    • “We had so braced ourselves for just utter defeat and humiliation... and then it just came of Defied Gravity. It was like literally watching somebody levitating.” – Cameron ([07:18])
  • The film won 11 Oscars, including Best Director for Cameron, and grossed over $1 billion.
  • “Nobody was aware of the success that the film was going to have... It was just like work, work, work.” – Luisa ([07:43])
• After the production, the massive set was dismantled, much of it ruined by exposure to water. Yet, the studio and its tank went on to host other major productions, including Pearl Harbor and Tomorrow Never Dies. ([08:00])

Emotional Aftermath and Reflection

• [08:28–08:56] The emotional release at the LA crew screening:
  • “We were invited to the LA screening, and before the show started, James mentioned to everyone, like, he said, please watch the film not as the work you did for it. Just watch it as a spectator. Just see what you did. And I remember that when the credit starts and you hear the song. Everybody started sobbing and like I started. I was like. It was very emotional for everybody. We made it.” – Luisa ([08:28])

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|---------|-------| | 00:48 | Luisa | “It was breathtaking. And I would say that would be one of my favorite parts of the film. When Rose first watches the Titanic... I think that’s how I felt when I first saw it. It was massive.” | | 03:30 | Luisa | “Everything had to be historically perfect, so even the carpet was made and it had the stamp of Her Royal Majesty. All the china was also done in the same place that it was fabricated for the actual Titanic.” | | 04:09 | Luisa | “He (James Cameron) is such a perfectionist... the learning experience that I had from him, it’s that he knew how he wanted things done.” | | 06:03 | Luisa | “I’m the king of the world thing. Yes. And we’ve all did it. We’ve all climbed into that. This is wild. I did.” | | 06:34 | Luisa | “It was very tense. We had auditors there... you can do that, you cannot do this. And then you saw James saying, okay, I want this... don’t pay me. I’m not taking my salary, but I want to do this.” | | 07:18 | James Cameron | “We had so braced ourselves for just utter defeat and humiliation. And then... it just came of Defied Gravity. It was like literally watching somebody levitating.” | | 08:28 | Luisa | “Everybody started sobbing and like I started. I was like. It was very emotional for everybody. We made it.” |

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:42–01:53: Origin of Titanic’s Mexico studio and site selection
• 02:15–03:30: Construction and recreation of the ship’s details
• 03:52–05:17: Filming the sinking, technical and emotional challenges
• 06:03: The iconic “king of the world” scene and its behind-the-scenes popularity
• 06:22–07:01: Budget battles and Cameron’s uncompromising vision
• 07:10–08:28: Box office surprise, Oscar wins, wrap and the emotional premiere

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Closing Thoughts

Through Luisa Gomez da Silva’s vivid recollections, the podcast illuminates the Herculean effort and emotion behind making Titanic. The interview humanizes the massive production, revealing an intersection of historical obsession, technical ambition, creative tension, and lasting camaraderie among its crew—transforming a fleeting set in Mexico into cinematic history.

“We were truly blessed to be a part of history.”—Luisa Gomez da Silva ([10:07])

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Transcript

[Luisa Gomez da Silva]

Foreign.

[Jane Wilkinson]

World Service. And now witness history with me, Jane Wilkinson. If you've heard us before, feel free to skip on a few seconds, but if you haven't, then thanks for giving us a try. We're the podcast that brings history to life in just nine minutes through the eyes of one key witness and lots of truly amazing news archive. So if you enjoy it, please subscribe wherever you get your BBC podcasts. And now grab the popcorn because I'm taking you back to Mexico in 1997 for the making of one of the most successful films in movie history and the most expensive.

[Luisa Gomez da Silva]

Titanic was called the Ship of Dreams. And it was.

[Jane Wilkinson]

It really was. All right, open your eyes.

[Luisa Gomez da Silva]

It was breathtaking. And I would say that would be one of my favorite parts of the film. When Rose first watches the Titanic, when she looks at the ship, because I think that's how I felt when I first saw it. It was massive.

[Jane Wilkinson]

Meet Luisa Gomez da Silva, who was 25 when she began her first job in the movie business on the set of what was expected to be a major blockbuster. The Titanic is a love story set aboard the liner's doomed maiden voyage in 1912 when it sank, killing more than 1500 people. The film has already attracted huge publicity, mainly because it cost a cool $200 million to make. The budget was not the only groundbreaking milestone. The director, James Cameron, wanted to film on an almost full size replica of the ship the and for that he needed to create the world's biggest water tank. So he headed to Mexico and they

[Luisa Gomez da Silva]

were in a helicopter scouting the whole area. He wanted to build this tank that looked at the ocean and then they saw this piece of empty land south of the border. And at the time there wasn't any roads built there. It was like pretty much 45 acres. And they decided that was a good spot for a temporary facility. So that's how it started.

[Jane Wilkinson]

In May 1996, building began in Rosarito in the Mexican state of Baja California. And construction was quick.

[Luisa Gomez da Silva]

They call it the 100 day studio because at the same time that they were building the ship, they were building the tanks and cassettes. And at the time it had four sound stages, three water tanks. The big one, it was like two sizes of a football field. More than 4,000 people were working at the time there. Carpenters, painters, plasterers, plus everybody else.

[Jane Wilkinson]

And there was the ship itself. Built in 1912 and 269 meters long, the Titanic was originally the largest object ever to move on water. And the movie version was almost as big.

[Luisa Gomez da Silva]

It was a 90% size replica. When you see the plants, you never realize the magnitude. You could see the facade with all the windows and it had the decks and all the entrance to the rooms. We had a huge tower crane to lift the funnels, to put the funnels on.

[Jane Wilkinson]

And as an assistant coordinator in the art department, helping the replica to look authentic was part of Luisa's job.

[Luisa Gomez da Silva]

Everything had to be historically perfect, so even the carpet was made and it had the stamp of Her Royal Majesty. All the china was also done in the same place that it was fabricated for the actual Titanic. The set decorator even showed us how to fold the napkins, how to set up the table, so everything was perfect.

[Narrator]

Throughout production, the ship sat in a 70 million gallon tank of water. Its lavish interiors were painstakingly recreated using plans obtained from the Titanic's original builders, blueprints thought lost since the Second World War.

[Luisa Gomez da Silva]

I think it was James Cameron. He is such a perfectionist. Everybody said, like, oh, he's so strict and he yells and he does this and he does that. But to me, the learning experience that I had from him, it's that he knew how he wanted things done.

[Jane Wilkinson]

Filming took seven months with a cast of hundreds headed by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as the lovers Jack and Rose.

[Luisa Gomez da Silva]

We were working very long hours and we were shooting in the middle of the winter and it was freezing. And then you had to wear layers. And you can see Cameron in the crane with the hat, with the earmuffs, with the scarf, with the huge jackets. And there were so many extras. And when the ship started sinking, it was in different stages. Iceberg run ahead.

[Jane Wilkinson]

This ship counts.

[James Cameron]

She's made of iron, sir.

[Luisa Gomez da Silva]

I assure you she can. They get to 90 degrees, and that's where everybody starts to jump off into the tanks. People with their dresses and their nightgowns, and under it they had like a sort of a bodysuit or wetsuit because they were many hours in the water. This is it.

[Jane Wilkinson]

Hold on. Oh, God.

[Luisa Gomez da Silva]

Oh, God. Oh.

[Jane Wilkinson]

Oh, God.

[Luisa Gomez da Silva]

Do not let go of my hand.

[Jane Wilkinson]

And these dramatic, panicked scenes as the ship begins sinking are among Louise's favorites in the film.

[Luisa Gomez da Silva]

I guess, like that part, it shows you the frailty of humans. All of this confrontation between power and the elite and the class that people do everything they can to save themselves. I think that part to me was like the most shocking.

[Jane Wilkinson]

But the scene that probably had the most impact would later be recreated by Lovers around the World, Jack and Rose, arms outstretched on the ship's bow. I'm flying, Jack.

[Luisa Gomez da Silva]

I'm the king of the world thing. Yes. And we've all did it. We've all climbed into that. This is wild. I did. I did. And we kept it for a while at the studio when it became like a small Titanic exhibit and it was very popular.

[Jane Wilkinson]

But meanwhile, the film's budget was soaring.

[Narrator]

The average Hollywood movie costs $60 million. The Titanic was priced at 100 million. Taking into account the size of the set and expensive special effects, I think

[Luisa Gomez da Silva]

it was very tense. We had auditors there and. And it was like a creative situation going on at the same time. So you saw the suits, like, discussing money and discussing where to cut and coming into the office and telling us, like, you can do that. You cannot do this. And then you saw James saying, okay, I want this, I want this, I want this. And he wanted more and more. And then he. Well, like, everybody knows. He said, like, okay, don't pay me. I'm not taking my salary, but I want to do this.

[Narrator]

Many, many more people have to see the film if it's to make a profit. Revenue needs to exceed $400 million worldwide.

[Jane Wilkinson]

And many, many people did see it. Titanic became the first film to gross over $1 billion at the box office.

[James Cameron]

We had so braced ourselves for just utter defeat and humiliation. And then when the film came out, and not only did it not go down as films are meant to do, but it actually went up on its second and third weekends. And then it just came of Defied Gravity. It was like literally watching somebody levitating.

[Jane Wilkinson]

That's James Cameron, who in 1998 was named best director, one of the film's 11 Academy Awards. The Oscar goes to.

[Luisa Gomez da Silva]

James Cameron for Titanic. Nobody was aware of the success that the film was going to have. I think we were under such a rush of, like, adrenaline and trying to deliver. It was just like work, work, work.

[Jane Wilkinson]

And the set and Titanic was already

[Luisa Gomez da Silva]

being pulled apart trying to dismantle this massive ship. Because the studio was built on a temporary basis, ripping off the carpet, taking out everything. And all the steel was old. And because of the water, a lot of the props got damaged. So that was, of course, trashed.

[Jane Wilkinson]

But like the original, the legacy of Titanic lives on. Louisa still remembers seeing the film with the rest of the production crew in, who became known as the Titanic Generation.

[Luisa Gomez da Silva]

We were invited to the LA screening, and before the show started, James mentioned to everyone, like, he said, please watch the film not as the work you did for it. Just watch it as a spectator. Just see what you did. And I remember that when the credit starts and you hear the song. Everybody started sobbing and like I started. I was like. It was very emotional for everybody. We made it.

[Jane Wilkinson]

Since Titanic, Baja Studios and its water tank has hosted many other films, including Pearl harbor and Tomorrow Never Dies. Louisa Gomez da Silva stayed in the movie business, becoming a film and television producer. She was speaking to me, Jane Wilkinson for Witness History. The film excerpts were from titanic, produced by 20th Century Fox and Paramount Pictures. And if you love films, why not try a Witness History double bill? Starting with the behind the scenes look at the comedy adventure Back to the Future, followed by Star Wars C3PO's personal story. And tell your friends and remember hit. Subscribe wherever you get your BBC podcasts. Thanks loads and bye for now. Sporting Witness takes you to the events that have shaped the sports world through the eyes of the people who were there.

[Luisa Gomez da Silva]

We weren't going to ask mission.

[Narrator]

We're just gonna do it.

[Luisa Gomez da Silva]

It was such an amazing feeling. It was incredible.

[Narrator]

He started to write a story about how we came up with the idea for the red and yellow cars.

[Luisa Gomez da Silva]

I got to go. We cried a bit, we laughed a bit. It was wonderful.

[Narrator]

There's a magic during those moments that carries your soul.

[Luisa Gomez da Silva]

We were truly blessed to be a part of history.

[Jane Wilkinson]

Sporting Witness. Subscribe wherever you get your BBC podcasts.