Since its inception in the 1890s, cinema has seen many technical changes and advances and, as with any art form, there have been many different movements and styles associated with it. In 1995, a collective of Danish film directors wished to change the direction of filmmaking and reinforce the importance of cinematic truth. At the time, Hollywood blockbusters dominated the market. The ‘Dogme 95’ movement was created in order to prove that a big budget did not necessarily equate with quality in filmmaking.
The avant-garde movement was started by directors Lars Von Trier, later known for Melancholia (2011) and Thomas Vinterberg, director of the 2015 film Far from the Madding Crowd. The two directors created a manifesto which outlined certain rules for filmmakers, with the aim of directorial and editorial simplification. These ten rules of filmmaking were later jokingly dubbed the ‘vow of chastity’ by the directors.
The first rule stated that all shooting must be done on location. Furthermore, no props and sets could be brought in. If a specific prop, such as a piano, was needed in the plot, a location which already contained the said prop had to be selected.
The second rule of the manifesto concerned music and sound, asserting that these should be recorded while the film was being shot. If the directors wished to have music in a particular scene, then it had to originate from the characters, such as someone singing or playing a musical instrument on screen. Sound of this type is classified as diegetic; other forms of sound, such as voiceovers, narrations or atmospheric music, are non-diegetic and were therefore not in accordance with the manifesto.
The third rule stated that all filming should be done with a hand-held camera. Usually in filmmaking, cameras are placed on cranes or jibs in order to create a less shaky image and capture all angles. The fourth and fifth rules permitted only the use of colour film and natural lighting in Dogme films. Special lighting and filters were not allowed. The vow of chastity stated explicitly that should there be an unsatisfactory amount of light, a single lamp might be attached to the camera.
The sixth, seventh and eighth rules related to the plot. The film had to be set in the here and now, and in the place in which the filming occurred. Genre movies were unacceptable, so the film could not be horror or fantasy, for example, and had to be realistic. Finally, the films were not allowed to contain superficial action such as murders. These rules meant that the films were concerned with everyday aspects of life such as familial relationships, friendships and so on.
The ninth rule dictated only the use of the Academy 35mm format, the film gauge which is most commonly used in movies. The final rule stated that the director must not be credited. This most likely stemmed from the prevalence of high-budget films at the time, in which the popularity of the directors and actors alike was considered an important factor in choosing to go and see a film. The other aim of the final rule was to stop directors from showcasing their own personal tastes within their films and encouraging then to simply exhibit the truth about the characters and the story.
With these rules in mind, the two directors each went on to make a film following the rules of the manifesto. The first film to be made in accordance to the vow of chastity was Vinterberg’s Festen (1998). The film tells the story of a family gathering celebrating the head of the family’s sixtieth birthday. Vinterberg shot the film on a digital video camera and proceeded to blow it up to fit the 35mm gauge, giving the film a very grainy effect. Furthermore, Vinterberg confessed to having covered a window during a scene in Festen. Thus two of the rules were broken in this film. Every other aspect of the film followed the rules, however, including the sound which was solely diegetic. The film went on to win many awards, including the Jury Prize in the 1998 Cannes Film Festival.
The second Dogme 95 film made was Lars Von Trier’s The Idiots (1998). It portrays a group of adults who are seeking a way to display their ‘inner idiots’. Although he generally complied with the rules, Von Trier admitted to having interfered with the location by moving candles around to achieve the desired lighting. He has been chided for his use of non-diegetic music during a scene of the film, an accusation which Von Trier has rebutted, explaining that he used a harmonica player for the music, and although the player was not in the scene itself, the sound was recorded at the same time as the image.
Following the creation of Festen and Idiots, further Danish directors joined the movement, forming the so-called ‘Dogme Brethren’. Filmmakers from all over the world have since attempted to follow the vow of chastity while creating Dogme 95 films, many finding it an effective way to approach making low-budget films. By 2005, over thirty Dogme 95 films had been made worldwide. Its founders terminated the movement in that year as they felt the manifesto was resulting in formulaic films. Despite this, the influence and importance of Dogme 95 in film history remains undeniable.
