Lars von Trier lets a computer play the role of cameraman in The Boss of It All. Called Automavision, the innovation is just the latest in a string of limitations von Trier places on himself to strip away the illusion of cinema.
Anti-framing
After making his first film, Europa, with a perfectionist's control of camera movements, von Trier decided since he could never get it exactly as he wished, he'd rather have no control at all. He developed something he has called the "pointing of the camera" technique: using a handheld, he points the lens in the general direction of the action, sometimes even cutting half of an actor's face out of the shot. The audience is then forced to decide on their own what is important instead of being told by conventional framing.
Dogme 95
In 1995, von Trier and a Danish filmmaker friend signed a "Vow of Chastity" to remove all artistic pretension from film, and get back to the basics of writing and acting. The 10 rules included banning the use of props, sets, artificial lighting, sound effects, crane or dollies of any kind and something they called "temporal or geographic alienation." In other words, no period costumes - the film takes place where and when it is shot. Von Trier's only "pure" Dogme 95 film was 1998's The Idiots, but he follows some of the rules in all his films.
Minimalist set design
Von Trier takes a page from Bertolt Brecht in Dogville and Manderlay, utilizing unrealistic, minimalist settings to remind viewers that they are watching a representation of reality, so they're not ever lulled into a suspension of disbelief. The props in these films are spare, and in many cases, white tape is used to demarcate buildings, walls and even landscape elements.