people from his life, that's one of the interesting things because when you hear the story about aaron ralston we should let everyone know we're seeing james franco who plays ralston, you think this is a movie about one guy out if the desert. but you really involve the rest of his life into this as well. >> we try to. there is not that much flashbacks. one of the premises is that we would stay, as the audience with him, trapped in the canyon. because he does this extraordinary thing to get released. i thought the only way to tolerate something like this is if you were invested in it yourself if you wanted him to do it and want to help them do it. and it's a hard journey but a true sense of euphoria when it happens. it's not a chief thrill. it's something that lesses you as it -- that blesses you as it happens. >> because i think what he does, the cutting off of his own arm, could be horrific and it is a horrible thing to have to do. but you're saying it doesn't come across that way in the movie? >> well he's -- aaron is extraordinary because he left that canyon, leaving part of himself behind.

new movie based on another true survival story. 127 hours tells the story of mountain climber aaron ralston it. it happened with me with this story. it certainly happened with these chilean miners. as soon as i heard about the miners' story i thought, get a camera down there straight away. one of the very first things that was passed down was a camera, of course, so we could all have a look round what was going on there. >> reporter: are these miners ready to handle this global celebrity? >> no. >> reporter: author jonathan franklin has lived in chile for 15 years. he says he had extraordinary access to the miners and their families throughout this ordeal. >> i asked another miner, how did you do it? he said we survived on religion and humor. >> reporter: humor. why humor? >> because these chilean miners are really funny guys. they would play practical jokes on each other. one of the guys played dead all morning and they were all crying thinking he was dead and he sat up and said got you. >> reporter: franklin says in the 17 days before they were discovered the miners became increasingly de