Dogme 95:
The Vow of Chastity
"I
swear to submit to the following set of rules drawn up and confirmed by
DOGME 95:
1.
Shooting
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 where the scene is being shot).
3.
The
camera must be hand-held. Any movement or immobility attainable in the hand
is permitted. (The film must not take place where the camera is standing;
shooting must take place where the film 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
film format must be Academy 35 mm.
10.
The
director must not be credited.
Furthermore
I swear as a director to refrain from personal taste! I am no longer an
artist. I swear to refrain from creating a "work", as I regard
the instant as more important than the whole. My supreme goal is to force
the truth out of my characters and settings. I swear to do so by all the
means available and at the cost of any good taste and any aesthetic considerations.
Thus I make my VOW OF CHASTITY."
Copenhagen,
Monday 13 March 1995
On behalf of DOGME 95
Lars
von Trier
Thomas
Vinterberg