Hat tip to Indiewire for pointing out an intriguing development this morning: German director Wim Wenders ("Wings Of Desire," "Paris, Tx"), who vowed he'll never make a 2D film again after the revelation of his 3D documentary "Pina," is working on a second 3D full-length doc, on architecture. Auteur enough to wear blue horn-rimmed glasses (see above), Wender is a new, surprising and extreme evangelist for the technology, which he says will revolutionize film-making for the good.
In the Documentary Channel interview that broke the news of the film, Wenders explains why 3D "started on the wrong foot" in Michael Bay territory and is now answering a higher calling:
People were only thinking in terms of big budget action and effects-driven language. Then slowly they came to realize that wasn't the entire picture...it's not clear that the narrative [film] really is enhanced by the 3D, while in the documentary it is obvious...But they have to be conceived like this...If you just think, 'Oh, there's 3D, let's use it,' that's not going to improve the film at all. You have to think it in 3D from the beginning, and then I think it has an immense value, it's a really huge leap for filmmaking overall. I'm totally sure.
Indiewire has a depressing rundown toward the article's end on the magical-sounding movies Wender almost made but tabled for one reason or another. We're hoping this doc has a brighter future -- if anyone can flesh out the potential of a potentially terrible new technology, it's Wender, whose works are the movie equivalent of Korean Sannakji -- a little too alive, and better for it.
Buried in the original interview is Wenders' promise that he'll "definitely" make a non-documentary, or as he calls it, "narrative" 3D film in the future. (Perhaps they can be "enhanced" if Wenders does it?). He also waxes a bit on the upcoming documentary, and our "sense of place."
Head to the Documentary Channel for the full interview, which is well worth a read, and check out the clips we've posted below: a trailer for "Pina" (in theaters now), and above that, a clip of Wenders' 2010 3D short, "If Buildings Could Talk," which Indiewire thinks may be the basis for the new documentary. We wonder what Wenders would say about the limitations 3D poses on the internet; the clip below wouldn't be nearly as blurry if the film were 2D.
WATCH "If Buildings Could Talk" :
WATCH the trailer for "Pina":
(Indiewire via Documentary Channel)