Chapter 535 Plain and Simple
In 1994, a series of classic works such as "Pulp Fiction", "Forrest Gump", "Shawshank Redemption", "True Lies" and so on showed a blowout, and Hollywood movies reached a new level It has sparked heated discussions around the world and has begun to change the film industry in other countries and regions.
As we all know, Hollywood uses fixed narrative routines and production models to turn the work of making movies into an assembly line operation. One type of movie is queued up for continuous output; at the same time, Hollywood also relies on advanced computer technology , completely changing the lens language and expression of the film.
On the other hand, with the popularity of cameras, more and more people are taking up cameras and becoming directors. However, experimental shooting methods remain in superficial formalism. As movies become more and more popular, they are gradually lost. As an art, its function of conveying thoughts and values has gradually become mediocre.
In the opinion of four Danish directors, the dazzling use of new technologies is the culprit of superficial film expression techniques.
March 1995, Lars-von-Trier, Kristian-Levering, Thomas-Vinterberg, Søren Jacobsen (Soren-Kragh-Jacobsen) Four directors launch the Dogma movement.
They developed ten rules for filmmaking and called them the "Purity Pledge."
First, the movie must be shot on location, and no sets or props may be used.
Second, you cannot make pictures that are separated from the sound, and you cannot make sounds that are separated from the picture.
Third, the film must be shot with a handheld camera. The story of the film does not have to take place in the presence of the camera, but the filming of the film must be done at the place where the story takes place.
Fourth, the film must be in color and does not require special lighting.
Fifth, optical processing or the use of filters is prohibited.
Sixth, the film cannot contain superficial acts, murder, violence, etc.
Seventh, separation in time and space is prohibited.
Eighth, genre movies are not accepted.
Ninth, the film size must be 35mm.
Tenth, the director’s name cannot appear in the credits.
Four Danish directors believe that in a film world dominated by money, superficial performances and superficial films have become more and more mainstream, which will also lead to the disappearance of film artistry and even its demise. Therefore, film production needs A kind of commandment.
The Ten Oaths can be seen as directors’ characterization of artistry from the perspective of film production. They try to strip away the expressive and sensory shell of films and express artistic creation only through film expression and lens language. soul.
After the "Dogma 95" declaration was announced, it attracted ridicule.
Many people believe that this is not only naive, but also stupid. Their behavior makes the film rough and clumsy, losing the charm of light and shadow. Returning to the original may lead to shoddy production, which is the real harm to the film.
In 1998, at the Cannes Film Festival, Dogma's No. 1 and No. 2 works debuted, respectively "Sea Feast" directed by Thomas Vinterberg and "Sea Feast" directed by Lars von Trier. "idiot".
Among them, "Family Banquet" became a blockbuster, winning a lot of applause and winning the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival that year.
The hand-held photography and unmodified dark light of the two films have become a new way of expressing conflict, which adds a lot to the film on an artistic level. The simple performances, rough editing, real and impactful The scene caused a lot of controversy.
The debut of these two films made people aware of new methods of artistic exploration. Natural light and handheld photography collided to create completely different chemical reactions, and more and more directors joined their ranks.
The original intention of Dogma 95 was to get rid of the influence of technology, return to the story, characters and director's work, strip off those fancy gimmicks, and return to the essence of the movie; but at the same time, this also caused a lot of controversy, such as shaky camera, rough Are the dazzling images and chaotic editing the so-called "artistic"? Should the audio-visual language of the film be reduced to empty talk because of the abandonment of technology?
The answer is no.
“If you hinder the development of the film in order to abide by your oath, it will not be worth the loss.”
It is like giving up eating because of choking. In fact, the four sponsor directors also broke their vows at different levels and failed to abide by the original agreement 100%.
According to the official Dogma website, the last Dogme movie was filmed in 2004.
Lars von Trier is undoubtedly the director who has explored this aspect the most. In "Dancer in the Dark" in 2000, he separated the music from the picture; in "Dogville" in 2003 , and he virtualized the scene. These works are all inspired by different creative inspirations under the Dogma Oath.
Later on, no one completely followed the ten oaths to shoot a Dogma movie, but the sport still left its profound impact on the field of film production——
Handheld photography, Natural light effects, sound and picture synchronization, these non-technical means of expression have never disappeared, and have even become the means of use in countless commercial films. Dogma 95's thinking and pursuit of art have been integrated into contemporary films in another way.
"Elephant" obviously does not comply with the ten oaths 100% and is not a Dogma movie.
However, it is undeniable that Gus draws inspiration from it, tries to get rid of the influence of technology as much as possible, and uses the simplest and most original way to capture, record and present, truly breaking the boundary between reality and fiction, and re-creating A cutaway scene from a tragic incident.
At this time, in the roughest and most primitive picture, all expressions are left to the plot and actors, with no need for visual stimulation or dramatic impact.
The key point is that when the plot is stripped of all fiction and collisions, the actors will bear the entire burden of film language and artistic expression.
Difficult, difficult to reach the sky.
This is why Gus used real students as actors.
Anson is the only exception.
But now it seems that Gus's adventure has paid off. The original shooting method like Dogma 95 has instead extracted the simplest and truest side of Anson:
It is natural. ,unique.
Just look at the reaction at the filming site. All of these children are students. They are seventeen years old in real life, in real adolescence. They have no acting experience. They are all the same age as the victims in Columbine Middle School. , what they see in their eyes is what Gus wants the audience to see.
Perhaps Dogma 95 was not able to change the history of film as much as the French New Wave, but there is no doubt that their ideas became an inspiration for some, bringing a new perspective to film production, and became popular among different directors. Different sparks evolved in the world.
Gus likes the direction filmmaking is going so far.
Venation, Zhengjia.
So, Gus was not prepared to interrupt, and a long shot ended, followed by another shot——
The protagonist is still Anson.
When filming the phone scene earlier, Gus was worried because Anson's "performance" had too many elements and it would inevitably look artificial. If he appeared in the camera in a performance state, there would be no modification or editing. A long shot would definitely expose that state.
But now it seems that there is no need to worry at all. Even under the gaze of a long lens, Anson has withstood the test and even brought unexpected power.
Sure enough, in the next long shot, Gus was not disappointed.
“Start shooting!”
(End of this chapter)