Dogma 95 time for another look?

Here's something from a 4/20/2015 interview with Lars von Trier.

Does Dogme 95 still exist?
"I don’t think there’s anyone still working based on those rules. What happened was it was intended to be shot on 35mm film, and we had a long discussion in the group about if it was possible. We ended up buying very cheap film – but “being cheap” wasn’t the point. The intention was to create a space for actors where they could do their best work."
 
From a 3/7/2016 interview with Thomas Vinterberg.


You’re one of the founders of the Dogme movement, which advocated for the absence of a director credit, or “flourishes” like music, in favor of what was deemed “pure cinema.” Since then, all the founders have gone in very different directions—and the notion that ideals of any kind are fundamentally unsustainable beyond a certain moment in time feels like a particularly apt parallel given the subject matter of the film.

Well, there was no other option. I loved the Dogme movement, but what I loved about it was the risk—the risk was almost suicidal. I had colleagues calling to tell me, “You’re going to ruin your career. You can’t make a film without music. Nobody’s going to want to see that.” So it felt courageous. We jumped off a cliff without knowing if there was water underneath and then we were holding hands, creating a very strong sense of togetherness. But first and foremost there was a risk, which vanished. In Cannes ’98 when everybody stood up and clapped, it became fashion and we had to leave it. If I was to do, let’s say, The Hunt, in accordance with the Dogme rules, it would look pathetically old and stylish. People talk about Dogme “style,” which is obviously disturbing, because that was not the idea. Now you can find Dogme furniture! And there’s a very successful organic grocery delivery service and they have the “Dogme box,” which means there’s almost nothing in it. It’s just a very sparse box. It’s become a style. So I had to find purity and honesty in other ways. The mission of undressing people is still the same, but just in other ways.
 
Dogme 95 is/was great but keep in mind its just another highly naturalistic approach to filmmaking, part of a family of styles/approaches including italian neorealism, some of the work of the french new wave, early John Cassevetes (Faces), Jim Jarmusch, some of Mike Figgis' work, etc.

You dont need to take the vow of chastity- any one of us can shoot an actor-centric piece using natural light, a minimalistic crew, and handheld camera at any time.

Just takes some guts
 
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