I was going through the archives of my brain thought of a movie I had seen in the theaters a million years ago called Celebration. It was the first of several movies done in accordance with the Dogme 95 Vow of Chastity. Dogme 95 was a reaction to the overly-produced films produced in the last few decades and challenges directors to a more pure form of direction. The effort headed by directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg created a set of rules, including:

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 filmed on Academy 35mm film, but the rule was relaxed to allow low-budget productions.)
10. The director must not be credited.

Wow. The ultimate in lo-fi. But the movies are still incredible. Can you imagine setting up these rules for the cinema as a whole?