The Future of 3D Film

Last week German film maker Wim Wenders announced that he would be directing a 3D feature in collaboration with Pina Bausch, the avant-garde dancer/choreographer. The film, aptly titled Pina, has been described as "The first 3D dance film". Wenders will apparently be using 3D film technology to explore the form and movement of the human body. With this picture, it seems Wenders is set on redifining the way we look at 3D film . "Only mainstream 3-D films have been available so far," Neue Road producer Gian-Piero Ringel said. "Only mainstream 3-D films have been available so far," Neue Road producer Gian-Piero Ringel said. "With 'Pina,' we (will) offer the first highly artistic 3-D film. We will set a new benchmark for 3-D."

Now, I'm not entirely sure that it is the "first highly artistic" 3d film, this smells a bit like European pretense (after all, I would not hesitate to say that Up or Coraline were highly artistic films) but it could certainly be the most ambitious and unfamiliar. I am extremely excited to see how 3D film will grow over the next few years. With films like Pina and James Cameron's upcomming film "Avatar"(an adaptation of John Passarella's sci-fi classic) being shot and released in 3d, we can expect to see the beggining of a new trend in film making: Serious 3D film.

And why not? Why have we reserved 3D technology for kiddy flicks and bad horror movies? Why haven't we seen a tense physchological thriller in 3D, or an elegant period peice? Or a kung fu film? Or a Leone-esque western?

It has a lot to do with the way movie studios and theatre conglomerates work. Like I said in my previous post, change is not their friend. If they are going to put something up in 3D (which does cost a bit more money) they have to know sure and well that they will recoup the costs. Unfortunatly their statistic suggest that only kids movies and slasher ficks are completely reliable.

It also might have something to do with a lack of creative interest. Not many film makers up until recently, have really thought about shooting a project in 3D. So perhaps now that we are seeing some big names behind serious 3D pictures, more auteres might feel the urge to try their hand at the third dimension. This is my hope. If only a major studio would release a serious 3D film intended for adults.

As it turns out, there is one on the way. James Cameron, who's 3D film Avatar I mentioned earlier, also plans to produce an adaptation of the animated classic Heavy Metal. The film will be directed by a large ensemble of film makers, including David Fincher (Fight Club), Zach Snyder (Watchmen) Mark Osborne (Kung Fu Panda), and Gore Verbinski (Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy).