Screen Arts - Week 4

04/03/2019

A group of Danish filmmakers realizing that everyone can have a movie camera and decided to form a organisation (Dogme 95) that established a new form of purity in cinema, against the new film technologies, and globalization of Hollywood cinema The Vow of Chasity is their manifesto and have a strange set of rules, almost bordering on practical communism and is similar to the Production Code.

Rules like no filters, no CGI, no murder, no weapons, no use of dolly camera movement and handheld camera movement have to be applied instead, lighting is limited, filming must be done on location, props included must be used in a scene, the film must be in colour, no genre movies, the sound effects cannot be included in the film (only played at screenings), and the director must not be credited.

Despite the rules, their films still broke their own rules by including murder, genre-based plots, onscreen sound effects, and crediting the director. Their films are also part of arthouse cinema, particularly almost always getting involved with the prestigious Cannes Film Festival. We were asked movie we would make with these restrictions, and I don't know what, but could utilise 'the golden hour' for light and or make a documentary (I would probably get away with if I didn't apply conventions or tropes).

Limited lighting used from this film movement is an aspect I may experiment with in my filmmaking.

We are to watch a documentary about the Dogme 95 movement, come up with a summary of the movement, identify the directors, and find out when the movement ended.


Summary
Dogme 95 was film movement that was built on rules that was to go away from Hollywood conventions and digital technology, but in the end, the films that were part of this film movement had tendency to break their own rules. Even the movie trailers.

Dogme 95 filmmakers - Lars Von Trier, Thomas Vinterberg, Søren Kragh-Jacobsen, Kristian Levring, Jean-Marc Barr, Harmony Korine, José Luis Marquès, Lone Scherfig, Martin Rengel, Åke Sandgren, Ole Christian Madsen, Vladimir Gyorski, Steven Sobel, Susanne Bier, Juan Pinzás, Mona J. Hoel

There are a lot more Dogme 95 film directors than I thought. This film movement was not limited to Sweden, but also an attempt of making a film with the rules was made in Norway, resulting in the film, Cabin Fever.

Ringleader of the Dogme 95 film movement, Lars Von Trier had in the past received praise from Martin Scorsese; "a wonderful film-maker. He got furious, threw everything up in the air, and said, 'Look, let's start from nowhere now.' " 


The end of Dogme95
The Dogme95 film movement ended in 2005 because their rules were becoming themselves conventions and generic, which defeated the purpose of the 'Vow of Chasity'.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogme_95

Wikipedia. (n.d.). Dogme 95. Retrieved March 8, 2019, from Wikipedia website: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogme_95

https://filmschoolrejects.com/beginners-guide-dogme-95/

Film School Rejects. (2018). A beginner's guide to dogme 95. Retrieved March 8, 2019, from Film School Rejects website: https://filmschoolrejects.com/beginners-guide-dogme-95/

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2002/apr/19/artsfeatures

Gilbey, R. (2002). Dogme is dead. long live dogme. Retrieved March 8, 2019, from The Guardians website: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2002/apr/19/artsfeatures

https://nofilmschool.com/2014/02/explanation-of-the-controversial-film-movement-dogme-95-by-co-creator-lars-von-trier

Renee, V. (2014). A brief explanation of the controversial film movement dogme 95 by co-creator lars von trier. Retrieved March 8, 2019, from No Film School website: https://nofilmschool.com/2014/02/explanation-of-the-controversial-film-movement-dogme-95-by-co-creator-lars-von-trier

The Celebration
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0154420/

IMDb. (n.d.). The celebration (1998). Retrieved March 8, 2019, from Internet Movie Database website: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0154420/

The Idiots
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0154421/

IMDb. (n.d.). The idiots (1998). Retrieved March 8, 2019, from Internet Movie Database website: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0154421/

Mifune
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0164756/

IMDb. (n.d.). Mifune (1999). Retrieved March 8, 2019, from Internet Movie Database website: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0164756/

The King is Alive
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0208911/

IMDb. (n.d.). The king is alive (2000). Retrieved March 8, 2019, from Internet Movie Database website: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0208911/

Lovers
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0178721/

IMDb. (n.d.). The lovers (1999). Retrieved March 8, 2019, from Internet Movie Database website: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0178721/

Julien Donkey-Boy
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0192194/

IMDb. (n.d.). Julien donkey-boy (1999). Retrieved March 8, 2019, from Internet Movie Database website: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0192194/
  Fuckland
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0270957/

IMDb. (n.d.). Fuckland (2000). Retrieved March 8, 2019, from Internet Movie Database website: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0270957/

Italian for Beginners
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0243862/






IMDb. (n.d.). Italian for beginners (2000). Retrieved March 8, 2019, from Internet Movie Database website: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0243862/

Joy Ride
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0275812/

IMDb. (n.d.). Joy ride (2000). Retrieved March 8, 2019, from Internet Movie Database website: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0275812/

Truly Human
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0273326/

IMDb. (n.d.). Truly human (2001). Retrieved March 8, 2019, from Internet Movie Database website: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0273326/

Kira's Reason: A Love Story
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0285280/

IMDb. (n.d.). Kira's reason: a love story (2001). Retrieved March 8, 2019, from Internet Movie Database website: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0285280/

Resin
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0304628/

IMDb. (n.d.). Resin (2001). Retrieved March 8, 2019, from Internet Movie Database website: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0304628/

Open Hearts
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0315543/

IMDb. (n.d.). Open hearts (2002). Retrieved March 8, 2019, from Internet Movie Database website: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0315543/

El desenlace
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0422085/

IMDb. (n.d.). El desenlace (2005). Retrieved March 8, 2019, from Internet Movie Database website: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0422085/

Cabin Fever
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0268509/

IMDb. (n.d.). Cabin fever (2000). Retrieved March 8, 2019, from Internet Movie Database website: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0268509/

Dancer in the Dark 

Windelov, V., & von Trier, L. (2000). Dancer in the dark [Motion picture]. United States: Warner Brothers.

The use of handheld makes it feel like found footage or like a documentary rather than a drama.

It does use handheld camera movement. However, it does break one of the rules by including music (in the opening sequence), but does have music played in the actual scene (rehearsals), most of the lighting in this film doesn't look natural or achieved without electric lighting (which could potentially be another rule of theirs they broke in this film).
I couldn't find much other rules this film broke and I believe if it didn't rules any rules at all, the film would probably look lower in overall quality. I didn't enjoy the movie, it just really bored me. However, I believe they did the best they best with the Dogme95 restrictions (even though they some of the rules) and I can't say I  could have done better under those circumstances. But taking away those rules, I would definitely improved the cinematography under my direction.

Do you feel that an imposed set of rules on film making would help in making a more “pure”  film that improves the focus on story and character?

I believe the 'Vow of Chasity' rules after watching Dancer in the Dark doesn't make the film engage more on story or character than in a film that didn't rely on such rules. It does try to give more focus on character and story, but the rules and filmmaking style just makes it a whole lot less interesting to watch at a feature length. In terms of purity, I don't know.

The Name of This Film is Dogme95

https://vimeo.com/94639201

Media and Creative Industries. (2014, May 9). The name of this film is dogme95 [video file]. Retrieved from https://vimeo.com/94639201

• It referred to the Dogme95 films as strange films made on camcorders 
• Like many other revolutions in history, it started in Paris. 
• Dogme 95 couldn't have superimposed or digital text or titles, instead to be done there on set to film. They also couldn't set their films in the past, instead they had to be set in the present day
• Dogme 95 was initially not taken seriously because Von Trier had produced manifestos before. It did started to be taken seriously at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival.
• In filming The Celebration, the extras weren't told beforehand that the film's subject was child abuse.
• The rules made the viewing experience seeing such films like a watching a 'disturbing home movie'.
• Sony PC7, a light, first-generation consumer video camera was used to film one of the Dogme 95 films
• The raw, home movie look of Dogme95 films initially caught film critics by surprise. From what one of the film critics said, it almost describes what happens at the Cannes Film Festival in the movie, Mr Bean's Hoilday.
• Including violence and sex in their films made their films not pure in terms of their content, but I believe they intended to apply purity more towards how their films were made rather than what their films were about.
• I believe the rules applied in Dogme 95 takes away remixing from influential content from cinema.
• I have noticed that even in this documentary, they use a slate to introduce subject (their names) rather than use motion graphic titles, which would be an aspect of Dogme 95 filmmaking
• When making Mifune with the 'Vow of Chasity' rules, it was about bringing 'the joy of filmmaking back'.
• 8-10 scenes a day were filmed during the production stage of Mifune. I believe the lack of lighting equipment and such made it potentially quicker to prepare, shoot and move away from each scene that was filmed. 
• Søren Kragh-Jacobsen was the first brother in the Dogme95 film movement to film a Dogme 95 film with celluloid film.
• 'Dogme isn't a set of style. It's a set of rules' - Søren Kragh-Jacobsen
• Dogme95's rule on not making genre movies was not a easy rule to follow and it affects creativity because every movie has a genre
• After making The King is Alive, some of the founding members were through with Dogme95
• Despite not being part of Dogme95, Jean-Marc Barr uses their techniques for a feature film of his in America called, Lovers.
• From a snippet of Lovers, the cinematography seemed much more stablised than the other Dogme films.
• Mixed commitments from Hollywood filmmakers whether they would do Dogme95 films. 
• Julien Donkey-Boy received negative views in America
• Harmony Korine was accused of being trendy and his Dogme films being a marketing ploy.
• Dogme 95 films are meant to encourage and challenge filmmakers
• Vinterberg didn't like how it was seen as another label and used extensively in Danish television adverts. He was ready to end film movement, but Von Trier felt that other people could still have great experiences with Dogme films.
• Dogme 95 films was meant to reflect on the film industry and a protest against the film industry
• There was talk about changing the 'Vow of Chasity', but apparently the only thing that changed was the religious aspect from the rules going from to Catholicism to Protestantism.
• Dogme 95 film movement was originally meant to just consist of four films
• I believe that Dogme95 made today would have much more higher quality because the improvements in video resolution on phones and cameras, which would make the original Dogme 95 more effective in comparison.