James Cameron has paid tribute to the Belfast designers and builders of the Titanic, saying he "firmly believes" they worked in the engine rooms to keep the ship afloat for as long as possible.

The director of the 1997 film Titanic, starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio, was speaking at the Titanic Belfast visitor centre.

He and producer Jon Landau were there to open an exhibition of film props and costumes.

He said: "I believe firmly that they are the unsung heroes of Titanic, that kept that ship upright, the stately image that we all think of when we think of Titanic sinking. It is important for us to continue to look back at history. There are still lessons to be learned, there were heroes on board the ship that we did not even realise how important they were... and they were Belfast men."

And Mr Cameron admitted that an iconic shot of the lead characters kissing is actually out of focus.

The kiss was filmed at sunset, following a rush by cast and crew to be ready when they realised the natural backdrop was in place.

Mr Cameron said: "One take was completely out of focus and one was partially out of focus and that is the one in the film. It was one of those great serendipitous moments where everything came together. It all happened; that is the magic of movie-making."

(NE)