Steven Quale

STEVEN QUALE marked his feature film directing debut with "Final Destination 5." He has worked in visual effects, cinematography and directing for over 20 years, including serving as second unit director on the two highest grossing films of all time, "Avatar" and "Titanic."

A longtime collaborator with James Cameron, Quale first served in Cameron's art department on "The Abyss," where he helped design complex action sequences by building and filming study models of various sets with a miniature camera. After a summer working at George Lucas' Industrial Light & Magic, Quale was called back to work on "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," where Cameron enlisted his help in shooting second unit sequences.

Quale next served as director of photography on Alex Graves' "The Crude Oasis." He also performed a multitude of duties on the special edition of "The Abyss," including picture editing and the insertion of all new music.

For "Titanic," Cameron recruited Quale to join his select crew aboard the Russian research ship Academik Keldysh, for the diving expedition to explore the wreckage. When principal photography began one year later, Quale directed a large second unit shoot that by many standards was bigger than most first units. He designed and executed the Engine Room sequences, the Boiler Room and all of the below-deck flooding shots as the Titanic strikes the iceberg. Quale also supervised the visual effects for the Engine Room sequence. The film won an Academy Award® for its visual effects.

After "Titanic," Quale continued his second unit work on "The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle" and "The Haunted Mansion." In addition, he shot commercials and music videos, working with such artists as Eminem, Dream and Montell Jordan.

In 2001, Quale directed the ABC TV movie "Superfire," for which he created a blazing inferno in the woods of New Zealand. The film, with its spectacular fire sequences, was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Visual Effects.

In 2004, Cameron asked Quale to return to the Russian research ship Keldysh to co-direct the 3D IMAX documentary "Aliens of the Deep." Bitten by the documentary bug, Quale next directed "The Box and Beyond: Training our Troops for Iraq," for the History Channel. For this project, Quale embedded with the Army's 2/7 Cavalry during their training at Fort Irwin's high-tech emulated Iraqi battlegrounds for a solid month of grueling hand-held shooting in record-breaking heat.

Cameron called Quale back to work on "Avatar" as second unit director and visual effects supervisor for non-Weta effects. Quale became an expert on the revolutionary performance capture technology that allowed the film's actors to convey nuanced and emotional performances on digitally rendered creatures. On "Avatar's" second unit, Quale applied all the knowledge he gained shooting 3D on "Aliens of the Deep" and took it to the next level to create stunning 3D action sequences.

Quale has established himself as one of the leading pioneers in directing natively shot 3D material in a stunning yet organic manner that complements the storytelling process in major motion pictures.

©2011 New Line Cinema (Warner Bros.)