What is a Dogma style movie?

About the DOGMA95 movement

In the spring of 1995, a group of film directors announced a series of shooting principles called DOGMA95 in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. On the surface, the appearance of DOGMA95 is really puzzling - why would these directors put aside their personal tastes and be willing to abide by some shooting regulations that would make every film worker laugh out loud?

Let us first take a look at what the so-called DOGMA95 stipulates.

Ten Principles of DOGMA95

1. The shooting must be on-site (scenery), and no additional scenery or props are allowed. If the props are necessary, you must find a place with them when selecting the scene. The location where the prop appears.

2. No additional sound effects may be added to the image (nor may music be added, unless the music is played simultaneously during shooting).

3. Handheld photography must be used.

4. Color images must be used, and special lighting effects are not allowed. If the scene is too dark and underexposed, a "top light" can be installed on the camera.

5. No filters may be used.

6. There should be no superficial scenes such as murder.

7. The story must take place in a modern environment.

8. No genre movies.

9. The film format must be 35MM film.

10. The director’s name cannot appear in the opening and closing credits (credits).

In addition to strictly abiding by the "Ten Principles" when filming, the director must also swear an oath before starting the filming. According to the "VOW OF CHASTITY" (VOW OF CHASTITY), he must put aside all aesthetic considerations: "I am the director. I swear to restrain my personal taste. My biggest goal is to find the truth in the characters and the environment. I swear to do it by all means, including sacrificing my personal taste and aesthetic considerations. Purpose. I solemnly swear that after the filming is completed, the film will be "submitted for inspection". After passing the appraisal, the qualified person will receive a DOGMA95 certificate to prove that the film is a genuine DOGMA95 film.

In fact, the original purpose of these filmmakers in formulating DOGMA95 was to compete with certain shooting traditions of the current mainstream Hollywood film system. Their belief is that the real film art is on the verge of being disabled. Its trend is to show off packaging and stunts, deliberately creating illusory illusions to fool the audience, and drowning the most important true emotions of film art. Therefore, a rescue operation must be launched immediately. The only way to save the nation is to "fight violence with violence" - "to fight norms with norms." They believe that only in the harsh creative environment of DOGMA95 can directors eliminate the temptation brought by various technological means and focus on retaining two elements during shooting: story and characters, thereby democratizing film and returning to the artistic essence of film. .

Since the birth of the DOGMA95 manifesto, many people who were laughing and waiting to see the joke were surprised to see a series of movie masterpieces released: "Feast", "Idiot", "Mifune", "Elementary Italian Tutorial", "The King Lives" etc. Most of these works have won awards at international film festivals and present a unique aesthetic style. And its influence is still strong today, even affecting the shooting ideas of mainstream American movies - needless to say, they also typed the anti-genre movie DOGMA95.