A few notes on Dancer in the Dark---and the Rules of Dogme 95

Dancer in the Dark - Behind the Scenes

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_VeBVS-dB4




Please observe the various cuts and camera angles in the following musical numbers from
Dancer in the Dark:

Dancer in the Dark: Bjork-I've seen it all

A pretty interesting article on Dancer in the Dark:

http://www.oldkingcole.com/reviews/movies/DancerInTheDark.html

THE RULES OF DOGME 95 AND THE VOW OF CHASTITY

Taken from the Dogme 95 wikipedia article, citing the Dogme website:

"The goal of the Dogme collective is to purify filmmaking by refusing expensive and spectacular special effects, postproduction modifications and othergimmicks. The emphasis on purity forces the filmmakers to focus on the actual story and on the actors’ performances. The audience may also be more engaged as they do not have overproduction to alienate them from the narrative, themes, and mood. To this end, Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg produced ten rules to which any Dogme film must conform. These rules, referred to as the “Vow of Chastity,” are as follows: 

1. Filming must be done on location. Props and sets must not be brought in. If a particular prop is necessary for the story, a location must be chosen where this prop is to be found.
2. The sound must never be produced apart from the images or vice versa. Music must not be used unless it occurs within the scene being filmed, i.e., diegetic.
3. The camera must be a hand-held camera. Any movement or immobility attainable in the hand is permitted. The film must not take place where the camera is standing; filming must take place where the action takes place.
4. The film must be in colour. Special lighting is not acceptable (if there is too little light for exposure the scene must be cut or a single lamp be attached to the camera).
5. Optical work and filters are forbidden.
6. The film must not contain superficial action (murders, weapons, etc. must not occur.)
7. Temporal and geographical alienation are forbidden (that is to say that the film takes place here and now).
8. Genre movies are not acceptable.
9. The final picture must be transferred to the Academy 35mm film, with an aspect ratio of 4:3, that is, not widescreen. Originally, the requirement was that the film had to be filmedon Academy 35mm film, but the rule was relaxed to allow low-budget productions.
10. The director must not be credited.”

Dogme 95 focuses on the actors and the story, and forces its participants to re-think the function of a film. Also, any style of filmmaking that tones down the glorification of the director makes perfect sense to me, as I’ve always found film to be a team project, never a one-man show (unless it really is just a one-man show).

How does one tell a story without all the conveniences, without all the fluff? While Lars Von Trier has since made films far outside of his manifesto, I believe that an an exercise, Dogme 95 allowed him the challenge he seeks as a director (and the torture and self-punishment he seeks as a person).

There are currently 254 recognized Dogme 95 films, and several of the early ones are fairly easy to find. American director Harmony Korine, the guy that didKids, Gummo and most recently Mr. Lonely made Dogme #6: Julien Donkey-Boy.