In Titanic, freeze frame at 2 hours and 39 minutes and take a good look at the man falling on the liner’s propeller.

If you’re a die-hard Titanic fan and a regular at James Cameron’s monument, chances are you’ve already noticed some of the little details the filmmaker skillfully hid throughout the film.

For example, his cameo in the boarding scene, where he briefly plays a passenger whose beard we glimpse. Or the hands of a large clock, strategically placed to match the exact time of the sinking, in the final frame of the feature film.

However, no matter how knowledgeable and observant you are, there’s no way you’ll miss the Easter egg that follows. Completely invisible to the naked eye, it’s primarily a little joke between the special effects managers who worked on the film.

At 2 hours, 39 minutes and 55 seconds…

At exactly 2 hours, 39 minutes and 55 seconds into the feature film, during the long and terrifying sinking sequence, you will definitely remember the unfortunate passenger falling headlong and hitting the Titanic’s large propeller before falling into the water.

Know well, this character is not someone! Modeled by digital artists who worked extensively on the film, it was actually created by John Landau, James Cameron’s historic producer who worked with him after Titanic and who also helped him develop the Avatar franchise.

…John Landau falls on the road

“The memorable thing about Propeller Boy is that I decided to put a producer’s face on it.”Visual effects supervisor Rob Legato was handed the microphone VFXblog in 2017.

“So John’s scan was used as the basis for this character. It was in good spirits, but we were a little on the dark side of humor given that he has a sudden and fatal downfall.

“It’s been our little joke with the whole team for a long time”Special effects producer Camille Cellucci confirmed.

“We were like, ‘We’re going to do this incredible thing and put Landau’s head on the propeller!’

The next time you re-watch Titanic, you’ll know that the overboard passenger looks exactly like the film’s producer.

(Re)discover all the hidden details of the Titanic…