James Cameron is the sort of director who can make a movie just to prove a point. And he’s going to do so by making a straight drama that will be shot and exhibited in 3D — or as he calls it, in stereo (short for stereoscopic) — just to let the industry know that 3D is not only for special effects and animated pictures. He discusses the project in an interview with Variety:

I plan to shoot a small dramatic film in 3-D, just to prove this point, after “Avatar.” In “Avatar,” there are a number of scenes that are straight dramatic scenes, no action, no effects. They play very well, and in fact seem to be enhanced by the stereo viewing experience. So I think this can work for the full length of a dramatic feature. However, filmmakers and studios will have to weigh the added cost of shooting in 3-D against the increased marketing value for that type of film.

Cameron even points out that he sees a number of films made these days that would have been really great if filmed in the format, specifically citing 300 and Atonement as two examples. But then he also argues against the notion that Citizen Kane, because it is shot in such deep focus, should be a model for filmmakers thinking about how to shoot for 3D.

I think it’s a myth that you want deep focus in 3-D shots. I find the opposite is true. Selective focus, created by working at low f-stops with longer lenses, evolved as a cinematic technique to direct the audience’s attention to the character of greatest narrative importance at a given moment. With 3-D, the director needs to lead the audience’s eye, not let it roam around the screen to areas which are not converged.

The guy has all his bases covered, acknowledging the commercial problem of spending money on 3D technology for a genre that isn’t as bankable as blockbuster types, like action, animation and science fiction, which is what Avatar, his first “stereo” feature, is. And also weighing in on the issue that 3D is currently not a good format in terms of home video sales.

He’s certainly a smart guy, but we already know that. Of course, it’s easy to forget when recalling some of the dialogue from Titanic. Still, anyone who can intelligently challenge such a widely beloved statement like Godard’s “cinema is truth 24 frames-per-second” by referencing the artificialities of filmmaking and then upping the ante by developing new technology that further supports his view, is at least admirable, if not easily likable (at least for us Godard fans).

I believe that Godard got it exactly backwards. Cinema is not truth 24 times a second, it is lies 24 times a second. Actors are pretending to be people they’re not, in situations and settings which are completely illusory. Day for night, dry for wet, Vancouver for New York, potato shavings for snow. The building is a thin-walled set, the sunlight is a xenon, and the traffic noise is supplied by the sound designers. It’s all illusion, but the prize goes to those who make the fantasy the most real, the most visceral, the most involving. This sensation of truthfulness is vastly enhanced by the stereoscopic illusion.

Apparently, because being “king of the world!” is not enough, Cameron is attempting to be the winner of this Bazinian prize. He’ll probably succeed, too.

[via Aint it Cool News, where Quint calls for a Cameron-directed 3D period piece]