One day in Germany, 10,000 video clips: Filmmaker Sönke Wortmann has compiled a film in which Germans portray themselves. The result is a rosy ode to a country otherwise said to often overlook the bright side.
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A day in the life of Germany
What is Germany really like? Filmmaker Sönke Wortmann called on the public to submit their own video clips. With the 10,000 he received, he made the film "Deutschland. Made by Germany," which opens in cinemas on July 14.
Image: Warner Bros.
Youthful blaze of color
German director Sönke Wortmann attempted to present a cross-section of society in his film and did his best to motivate people of all age groups, but those who could be persuaded to participate in his project "Deutschland. Made by Germany" were predominantly young people. The outcome is clearly a product of the selfie-era - albeit a very colorful one.
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Germany from above
Many films before "Deutschland. Made by Germany" have featured a bird's eye view of the country. Sönke Wortmann threw in many scenes that were shot, for example, by hobby pilots and parachutists.
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Heads up
Needless to say, most of the participants in the project remained on the ground, even though they did point their cameras into the sky now and then. The film tells many little stories about people's daily lives, their worries and concerns, but most of all about their joy and courage. "Deutschland. Made by Germany" presents a particularly optimistic image of the country.
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Town and country
The film seems to give the impression that most Germans enjoy the outdoors more than anything else. The focus seems to be less on urban life - even though that's the reality most residents deal with. A majority of the city views in the film were aerial shots, give present a rather glorifying perspective.
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Animal tales
Before sifting through the submitted video clips, director Sönke Wortmann worried that he'd have to deal with countless cat and dog videos. And he was right. Fortunately, though, only a few of them made the final cut.
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Highlights of the day
Many people sent in clips of them doing sports. Apparently they thought filming themselves in the office or vacuuming at home just wouldn't be that exciting. And they were probably right - though the choice is also an indication of how people define themselves.
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Germany is beautiful
"Deutschland. Ein Sommermärchen" (Germany. A summer's tale) was a film Sönke Wortmann made during the Soccer World Cup held in Germany in 2006. A decade later, the same director has widened his perspective, coming up with a more diversified image of Germany and its landscapes.
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An ambitious project
The US-British film "Life in a Day" (2011) served as a model for Wortmann. Back then, producer Ridley Scott and director Kevin Macdonald had called on people worldwide to send in self-made films which had all been shot on the very same day. Wortmann transferred to Germany, and "Deutschland. Made in Germany," now hitting the movie theaters, is the result.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Jens Kalaene
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The idea isn't really new. Back in 1979, director Robert van Ackeren called on people to send him private films that, back then, were shot with super 8 cameras. Focusing largely on eroticism, he compiled them into the film "Deutschland privat - Eine Anthologie des Volksfilms" (Germany in private - an anthology of popular films) that hit the theaters in 1980.
'Life in a Day' as a model
When Sönke Wortmann embarked on a similar venture 35 years later, he didn't follow Ackeren's example, but rather that of British producer and director Ridley Scott. Five years earlier, Scott, in collaboration with director Kevin MacDonald, came with a similar compilation film entitled "Life in a Day." People all over the world were called upon to send in footage collected on just one day: July 24, 2010.
In Sönke Wortmann's case, the big day was June 20, 2015. Talking to DW, the director explained his concept: "When writing a screenplay, you have a rough idea about how the story will end. In this case, it was totally different - and that's what I found so exciting. I thought that maybe it could be possible to sum up what makes up Germany on one particular day in one particular year, in a way that makes this country somewhat understandable."
Three questions for Germans
Wortmann posed three questions: What makes you happy? What do you fear? What does Germany mean to you? More than 10,000 people responded, sending in their mobile films, but also semi-professional recordings. After 16 assistants had revised material amounting to 300 hours of film, Wortmann and his team edited it into the final film.
A beautiful country - when seen from a distance.Image: Warner Bros.
Is Sönke Wortmann happy with the result? "I believe that it reflects the diversity of Germany. A total of 10,000 clips are likely to represent a bit of everything. I'm quite positive about that," the director said.
How do Germans think?
Nevertheless, a truly comprehensive view of Germany is impossible to achieve. But "Deutschland. Made in Germany" is an interesting game, a huge potpourri with many different elements including smartphone videos, contributions filmed professionally with cameras in natural surroundings, and lots of aerial footage.
While the film tends to paint Germany in a somewhat exaggerated hue of beautiful it also offers insights into its residents' daily lives and thoughts with scenes that are moving, frightening, funny, trashy - and deeply personal. Perhaps Germans are indeed more optimistic than their reputation maintains?
From the North all the way to the Alps: Sönke Wortmann has focused on the whole of Germany Copyright: Warner Bros.Image: Warner Bros.
