Dogme 95

Dogme 95

The beginning
In 1995, after getting heavily intoxicated, Danish directors Lars Van Trier and Thomas Vinterburg decided to list a monifesto, calling for a new purity in film making. They believed in going back to the basics to better improve Hollywood film making. Soon, directors Kristian Levrig and Soren Kragh-Jacobsen joined in and created Dogme 95 collective.

Together, with the advance of technology, they believed that there must be indisputable rules set in place. They called these rules 'The Vow of Chastity'

vShooting must be done on location. Props and sets must not be brought in. If a prop is necessary for the story, a location must be chosen where this prop is to be found

vThe sound must never be produced apart from the images or vice versa. Music must not be used unless it occurs                          where the scene is being shot

vThe camera must be handheld. Any movement or immobility attainable in the hand is permitted. The film must not take place where the camera is standing ; shooting must take place where the film takes place

vThe film must be in colour. Special lighting is not acceptable. If there is too little light for exposure the scene must be cut or a single lamp be attached to the camera

vOptical work and filters are forbidden

vThe film must not contain superficial action – murders, weapons, etc. must not occur

vTemporal and geographical alienation are forbidden. That is to say the film takes place here and now

vGenre movies are not acceptable

vThe film format must be Academy 35mm

vThe director must not be credited

This movement ended in 2005. In that time, they made many different films including;

• Breaking the Wave, 1996, Lars von Trier
• Festen (The Celebration) 1998, Thomas Vinterberg
• Mifune, 1999, Soren Kragh-Jacobsen

Also, the film I will watch

'Dancer in the Dark' (made in 2000)

This film was really well done, boring at the start, but got better as it went on. At the start, it reminded me of a documentary. There were musical scenes that broke the rules of Dogme 95. With the musical scenes, there was music being added, colour editing and non held cameras. The story line was a good one, tackling a plot that had a great plot twist. The directors also credited themselves within the credits. A very sad film in the end. Very sad.