"Dogma
is not for fun" - says Thomas Vinterberg. But who is Thomas Vinterberg? And what is a Dogma-95 movie? According to a good journalist style, I present the subject separated by facts and comment: |
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First the facts: 1995 four movie makers built a collective in order to “counter certain tendencies of film today”. For this purpose they set up (within 25 minutes and occasionally laughing out loud) a couple of rules that have to be followed in order to produce a "Dogma movie". So if someone wants to create a Dogma movie, has to make a so-called "vow of chastity", which I will list here abridged, maintaining the original sense: |
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Rule 1 |
Shoot on
location only, i. e. not on sets |
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Rule 2 |
Use sound
only during the shot, don’t lay it in afterwards |
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Rule 3 |
Shoot handheld, i. e. no use of tripods! |
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Rule 4 |
Don't use black and white films, use natural light
only. |
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Rule 5 |
Don't use filters, no special effects. |
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Rule 6 |
No superficiality, no murder, no weapons. |
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Rule 7 |
No temporal or geographical alienation |
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Rule 8 |
No genre pieces |
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Rule 9 |
Film format: Academy 35 mm |
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Rule 10 |
The director must not be credited. |
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Lars von Trier und Thomas Vinterberg came up with these rules on Monday
13th of March 1995 in Kopenhagen. Now the comment: One might think this is sort of a nasty sect, which won’t let their
members create aesthetic movies. Instead, they must bore their audience
with "authenticity". But what is authenticity anyway? Academy format? Each of
the 10 vows can make sense -handheld camera work for instance can be a
stylistic device, and even such an excellent movie like "Amadeus"
was shot with natural light only (!). |
What if these principles of work would extend to further
areas of public life – say, gastronomy? |
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Rule 1 |
Don't wash
the potatoes |
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Rule 2 |
Don't cut
the potatoes with a knife, |
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Rule 3 |
Don't heat the fat artificially, |
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Rule 4 |
Don't add any salt or sauces (Catch-up or mayonnaise). |
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Rule 5 |
Don't use cutlery (= eat with fingers!) |
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My Dogma-chips vow: This is my chips vow. Cologne, 22nd of April 2002, Michael von Aichberger |
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First the announcement |
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"The Cologne-based film production company pain unlimited will shoot a new Dogma Film in Cologne
in August. "The House of Klang" by Paul Morrissey, Andy
Warhol's partner at the movies, is a black comedy abuot an over-excited
fashion designer (Udo Kier). The film foundation supports the project, in which
also Vibeke Windelov's danish film production company Zentropa participates,
with DEM 750,000" |
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Now the opinion: What? They shoot a Dogma film - ouch - in *my* town - ouch -? Andy Warhol - ouch – is involved, too? Andy Warhol, the most phony person of the 20th century after Beuys and Baselitz? - ouch – And the Film Foundation of North Rhine-Westphalia supports this sacrilege with 383,468 Euro and 81 cents, financed by taxes from me and other righteous citizens? - double ouch -. Nomen es omen: At least the name of the film production company suits this wannabe-movie: "pain unlimited" – the name speaks for itself! |
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Katja Engelhardt, independent editor: "I don't like Dogma movies. When I watch them, I always think: 'Can't you just switch on a light!?' From my point of view, people shouldn't produce movies if they're not prepared to switch on a light. Why don't they try radio plays?" |