Monthly Stuff

Graphic Sets

Copal's Queue

Book Review

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NEWS

We've had some trouble contacting Ane, so I (Copal) have stepped in to put this issue together. May has been a promising month of activity, though much of it is behind the scenes. We added images to the Image Gallery, supplied the Film Information with a few more attractions, and the good people at Hotbar.com made it possible for Netscapers to use hotbars. June will be a gigantic (shall we say titanic?) month including the premiere of several new features, including a banner exchange, a countups and -downs, our Port of Departure, and even more. June is also going to include new blood into our staff and their ideas will certainly give the whole site new life. The best is still to come!

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MONTHLY STUFF

Quote
"You mean, did we 'do it'?"

Taryn: "I chose this quote because I loved the way that Gloria Stuart said the line. You don't expect someone who is 100 years old to refer to making love as 'doing it'. The 'Drawing a Portrait' scene is one of my favorites because Rose is being so forward in her feelings for Jack and in getting back at Cal."

Wallpaper
http://back-to-titanic.com/dl/wall/waves/jun_doit.jpg

Rare picture
http://back-to-titanic.com/waves/pic-month/jun00_dawn.jpg

Fact
The cost for a five day trip in a first class stateroom totalled $4,350 or 875 pounds, in 1912 and would have cost over $100,000 today. Second class tickets varied in prices, depending on location of the room, and so forth, therefore there are no "set" prices. The crossing was worth $36.25 or 12 pounds for steerage, which equals $700 today.  
 
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GRAPHIC SETS

"If you let go, I have to jump in after you."

Each month we've been making graphic sets based on a certain scene. This month's scene is when Jack stops Rose from jumping off the ship. Enjoy the selection, but remember that you MUST give credit to B2T if you use them.

Corey Ann: http://back-to-titanic.com/waves/sets/suicide/1.html
Copal: http://back-to-titanic.com/waves/sets/suicide/2.html
Mark: http://back-to-titanic.com/waves/sets/suicide/3.html
Taryn: http://back-to-titanic.com/waves/sets/suicide/4.html

Scene Facts:

1. There was a scene removed that fell right before the suicide scene. In it, Rose flees to her room and begins to tear at herself while staring into the mirror. Rose tears off her necklace (that is why is "disappears" prior to the suicide scene), rips her hair out of its upsweep, and tosses her hand mirror into the wall (hence the crack).

2. The closeups of Rose's feet during the scene is a Cameron trademark.

3. Jack's quote, "water that cold... it hits you like a thousand knives stabbing you all over your body," is actually a quote from Second Officer Lightoller.

4. The Lake Wissota Jack talks about falling into was a man-made lake that was not completed until after the Titanic sank.

5. Rose's torn dress is the first of three symbolic sheddings, to symbolize Rose shedding her constrictive upbringing. The second is her shoes (Steerage Party), and the third is her clothes (Drawing).

6. Kate Winslet was not hanging over the sea, but was hanging 12 feet off of the ground during this shoot. Kate Winslet did the majority of her stunts for this scene.

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COPAL'S QUEUE

Striped Background

This column teaches you how to make this background:
http://back-to-titanic.com/waves/copal/jun00_stripes.html

1. Choose two pictures, here one of Rose and of Jack, and crop them into squares that are 100x100 pixels. (tip: to make an exact square with Photoshop, hold down the shift key while you make a selection)

2. Using either picture, go to Image | Canvas Size and click the top center box, so the added space only goes down, and increase the Canvas Size by 200% the height.

3. Drag or cut and paste the second picture onto the first picture so that it covers the lower half.

4. Rotate the canvas (Image | Rotate Canvas | Arbitrary) 45 degrees CW.

5. Open a new document that is 200 x 200. Copy Merged and paste the picture of Jack and Rose onto this new image.

6. Offset the layer of Jack and Rose so that a diagonal is created directly across the image. Copy, just the Jack layer, from the Jack and Rose image, onto the new document. Offset it so it continues the diagonal stripe.

7. Change the Image Size on the Jack and Rose image to 50 percent. (In the example they are vertically flipped.) Copy and paste them over to the new document and offset them just like the larger Jacks and Roses so they fill in the gaps between.

You may want to make some darker or lighter, which would mean putting an adjustment layer (Layer | New | Adjustment Layer) between them. Choose Levels and play with the settings until you like what you see.

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BOOK REVIEW
by Corey Ann

"The Complete Titanic"
By Stephen J. Spignesi

This book is one of the best information sources on Titanic that I have found. In this book you can follow a detailed timeline following Titanic from 1850-2002, read the transcriptions from the U.S. and British hearings, Register Transcript, menus, inventories, a detailed report of the lifeboats, who left with them, and at what times from where, a Titanic Who's Who, read accounts from survivors, read insurance claims, as well as much, MUCH more. Also included in this book are some fantastic pictures from the ship, as well as memorabilia about the ship, and the movies.

The most facinating part of this book, in my opinion, was the novella "Futility." Not in print nowadays, this novella is quite hard to find. Written in 1898, this book tells a tale of a ship, Titanic, that strikes an iceberg and sinks. What is quite amazing is the fact that so many of the story's points ring true about Titanic. A MUST read for any Titanic enthusiast!

Another facinating point in this book is the small stories to find throughout. From "The Rarest Titanic Collectable in Existance?" to "Were Shots Fired," you will be reading through the night.

I recommend this book to just about anyone... Once finished you will feel the bitter cold of the night, and the sorrow of losing your loved ones. This book is not one to miss!  
 
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I hope you enjoyed this month's issue. We will be back with another issue in July!