Skip to main content

BSA206 Dogme 95

In 1995, after a night of drinking, Lars Von Trier and Thomas Vinterburg, two Danish directors wrote down a manifesto in 25 minutes, calling for a new purity in film making. They felt that technology hampered genuine creation. They thought that you could fight Hollywood's' globalization by going back to basics.
The two soon enlisted two other directors, Kristian Levring and Søren Kragh-Jacobsen, and the group became the Dogme 95 collective.
They set down a set of rules because they thought that the emerging technology allowed for too many people to create cinema. These rules were called "The vow of chastity".

The rules were:

  • All shooting must be done on location without the use of props or sets. If a prop in necessary for a shot they must find a location with that prop already in it. 
  • Sound mustn't be produced, with music not used unless it occurs where the scene is being shot.
  • The camera must be handheld. Shooting must take place where the film takes place rather than the film taking place where the camera is standing. 
  • The film must be in colour. Special lighting is unacceptable. 
  • Filters and optical work are forbidden. 
  • No superficial action allowed in the film such as murder and weapons.
  • The film must be set in the here and now. 
  • Genre movies aren't acceptable. 
  • The film format has to be Academy 35mm.
  • The director mustn't be credited. 
Dogme ended in 2005 because it's founders decided that the rules were creating formulaic movies.

I think that Dogme 95 is a very interesting concept. Though I really like movies where every little detail is carefully thought through, including use of props and camera angles that are set, I also think that handheld cameras and the lack of using props or special effects gives the film a more realistic, grittier feel.
I think it was an important manifesto in order to prove that the film can be made without the large budget and pristine conditions of Hollywood, and be just as effective, or even more so because it gives the film's power to the actors and the story, helping the viewer to feel more involved than they would watching most mass produced Hollywood films.
At the same time, the heavy enforcement of the rules are limiting slightly. I think that if I were to make a movie I would rather it be influenced by Dogme 95, rather than a Dogme film because I think that rules eventually lead to a conformity which kills creativity. In a way, Hollywood also has a set of rules that they adhere to in their films and too much adherence to these 'rules' means that films can become formulaic. I think that Dogme 95 is a great idea to break though preconceived ideas of what a film must be, as well as a great way to have to think more creatively when within limits, but I also think that rules are made to be broken and should be a guideline only.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

BSA106 German Expressionism.

German Expressionism in film came about after WW1, after Germany lost the war. Germany wanted to revitalise the film industry and to create a better impression for the country. The German government subsidised the UFA (Universum-film AG), whose studios were the largest and best equipped in Europe. This became Germans golden age of cinema. German Expressionist film lasted from 1919 to 1933 when Adolf Hitler came into power. Unlike other Western films of that period that focused more so on creating realism, German Expressionism distorts reality to create an emotional effect. Expressionism films employed stylised set design, elaborate costuming, shadowy lighting that emphasises bold contrasts of dark and bright highlights and unnatural make-up. The settings are typically distorted and exaggerated, with key themes being madness, criminality and fracturing of identity. German Expressionism was a huge influence in developing the horror genre. They began to tell the story
Post a Comment
Read more

BSA126 Animation Character - Tim Lockwood, Cloudy with a Chance of meatballs.

Tim Lockwood Tim Lockwood is Flint's father in 'Cloudy with A Chance of Meatballs'. I picked him because I think he is interesting because he doesn't have any eyes that we can see but the animators are able to show us his emotions purely by his eyebrow movements. Structurally, Tim's face is made up of very simple shapes, His eyebrows are a simple rectangle shape that has been given a hair-like texture design to show they are very bushy. His nose is also a rectangular shape with little realistic design apart from the flat rectangular shape. His mustache is similar to his eyebrows, only a slight curve to show gravity and to make his face seem more realistic. It also doubles as a mouth shape in many ways, similar to how his uni-brow doubles as eyes. The head shape itself is basically a conical shape with curving lines which indicates a chin. Tim Lockwood's personality is quite bland and conventional. Therefore, the shirt he wears is a pale, greyish b
Post a Comment
Read more

BSA206 Animation History 1990s

Due to the success of The Simpsons , more experimental TV animation began emerging. The Tick was a 1994 animation that was based on Ben Edlund's absurdist superhero comic and adapted into an animated series by Fox. The Critic (1994) was created by The Simpsons writers. It is about a critic who hates contemporary films. Duckman  (1994) was created by Everett Peck and it was based on characters from his comic. It was aimed at an adult audience and Duckman was voiced by Jason Alexander from Sienfeld . The Big Story  depicts an argument between young Kirk Douglas and old Kirk Douglas. Quentin Tarantino liked it so much that he requested it to be played before Pulp Fiction screenings. The Big Story is a 1994 stop motion film that was nominated for an Oscar. It was created by Tim Watts and David Stoten who went on work on other films including working on the storyboards for Tim Burton's Corpse Bride . In 1995 Dave Brothwick created The Secret Adventures of T
Post a Comment
Read more