Five Obstructions

NOTES ON MOVIE

• Obstruction 1:
  
  • No single edit may be longer than 12 frames
  • Set in Cuba and had to answer questions from the original narration
  • Jorgen found this very hard but managed to work around it, producing what von
  • Trier saw as an ‘old Leth film’
• Obstruction 2:
  • Had to eat a meal on camera with no other instructions
    Jorgen found this challenging but managed to get through it
• Obstruction 3:
  • Set in the Bombay red light district, seen as one of the most miserable places
    This took a psychological toll on Jorgen with nightmares
• Obstruction 4:
  • Had to make the film as a cartoon, which both Jorgen and von Trier hated
    Jorgen pushed back very strongly against this limitation
• General thoughts:
  • Jorgen is clever at finding ways to work around the limitations but finds some of them extremely challenging
  • The obstructions are meant to push Jorgen out of his comfort zone and force new creative approaches
  • Some obstructions like the cartoon take it too far and Jorgen rebels against them
    The psychological effect on Jorgen increases with each film, showing the toll of the process

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Specific Answer to Questions:

• What are the precise rules of each of the obstructions?
  • Obstruction 1: No single edit could be longer than 12 frames
    Obstruction 2: Had to film himself eating a meal with no other instructions
    Obstruction 3: Had to film in the Bombay red light district
    Obstruction 4: The film had to be made as a cartoon
• How does Jorgen cope with the obstructions?
  • Obstruction 1: Works around the limitation finding creative solutions like quick cuts
    Obstruction 2: Manages to get through eating the meal on camera
    Obstruction 3: Filmed the scene but it took a psychological toll with nightmares
    Obstruction 4: Pushed back strongly against this obstruction refusing to make a cartoon
• What is the effect on the movies he produces?
  • Obstruction 1: Von Trier sees it as like an old Leth film, finding creative solutions worked
    Obstruction 2: Managed to complete the assigned scene
    Obstruction 3: The psychological impact carried over after filming with nightmares
    Obstruction 4: Jorgen refused rather than producing the assigned cartoon format