10 Troubled Shoots That Resulted In Great Films

Most people take for granted how difficult it is to get a film finished and released into theaters. Logistical issues such as getting the script right, casting the best looking person available, finding millions of dollars in funding, and months of scheduling all need to be sorted out before a camera is even turned on.

And when the cameras do start rolling, many departments such as the lighting, cinematography, sound, and make-up all need to work in tandem in order to stay on schedule and to ensure your favourite stars look and sound great no matter what. When filming is finally complete, there's the final and tedious post-production phase where the film is finally cobbled together into something coherent. With so many production variables to juggle around, it's a tough, but usually manageable, road to make a film. 

But then there are those films where everything that could go wrong during production, does go wrong.

Unforeseen circumstances, the wrath of Mother Nature, impractical locations, the clashing of egos, gruelling physical shoots, and even near-fatal accidents are just some of the more extreme things that have been experienced during the making of a film. Whereas most productions would buckle under the weight of all those troubles, a number of great movies were somehow salvaged from such difficult circumstances. 

As some say, you have to suffer for your art and so here are 10 great films that were the result of some truly troubled and difficult productions. 

A James Cameron film tends to bring in massive crowds who are more than willing to part with their cash. So when Cameron wanted to make Titanic, the studio thought it would be a good idea to give Cameron a blank cheque to do whatever he wants. But unfortunately, you don't make the most expensive movie ever (at the time) without running into quite a few production problems. 

When you film a good chunk of the movie in a massive 17 million gallon water tank, complete with massive replicas of ship parts, you're bound to have a problem or two. Production was scheduled for 138 days but it eventually ballooned out to 160. On top of a constant cloud of illness due to the many hours spent filming in cold water and trying not to drown every day, every crew member had to put up with Cameron's infamous temper and douchebaggery. Anytime anything went wrong, Cameron would throw a tantrum, and anyone who wasted time going to the toilet was told to 'keep walking'. Cameron's temper, the tough schedule, and the physically gruelling shoot angered one crew member so much that they slipped PCP into the dinner soup one night and caused over fifty people to go to the hospital. 

It's little surprise that Kate Winslet declared that she'll never work with Cameron again (unless she got paid extraordinarily well).