Biography
Jim Pearson, a former US Navy Diver and Vietnam Veteran, is a Marine Technical Advisor, Underwater Cameraman, Underwater Coordinator, Marine Coordinator, cast and crew Underwater Trainer, Safety Coordinator, safety diver, marine stuntman, and sometimes actor.
He was a diver at 15, a Civil Defense Dive Team co-director at 18, a Certified Dive Instructor at 19, a U.S. Navy Diver in Vietnam at 22, a Divemaster in a police dive team at 36 and currently a Coast Guard Auxiliary flotilla commander.
His boating qualifications include certification as a Coast Guard Crewman, Instructor and Watercraft Coxswain. Since 1986, he has served on numerous film productions in several capacities. In 2010, he created a film production safety program to enhance the monitoring and supervision of underwater cast and crew. He utilized the program for Pacific Rim (2012), The Lone Ranger (2012), the Coen brothers' film Hail Caesar (2014), Jungle Book (2015), and Underwater (2017).
He owns Cinema Rentals and CineMarine Aquatics. With over 3000 titles, Cinema Rentals provides motion-picture production support equipment and service, including specialty cameras for high-risk situations like crash stunts, explosions, car chases, and underwater and unmanned remote-controlled aerial filming. In 1994, the company was nominated for an Academy Award in Technical Achievement for work with remote-controlled aerial filming.
Having been a Marine Consultant to the industry since 1978 with Starsky & Hutch and Knots Landing, Jim expanded Cinema Rentals (stunt cameras) in 1989 with the addition of CineMarine Aquatics, which provides nautical and underwater coordination, safety, training, and stunt actors for film sequences.
His credits include commercials, music videos, television shows such as JAG, CSI, NCIS, The Last Ship, 24, Next Action Star, and Ultimate Diver Challenge, and feature films such as Apollo 13, The Italian Job, G.I. Jane, Bourne Identity, U-571, Fantastic Voyage, Men of Honor, Pacific Rim, Star Trek Generations, and Charlie’s Angels.
