Product Description

Even before Robert Flaherty released Nanook of the North in 1922, anthropologists were producing films about the lifeways of native people for a public audience, as well as for research and teaching. "Ethnographic Film" (1976) was one of the first books to provide a comprehensive introduction to this field of visual anthropology, and it quickly became the standard reference. In this new edition, Karl G. Heider thoroughly updates "Ethnographic Film" to reflect developments in the field over the three decades since its publication, focusing on the work of four seminal filmmakers - Jean Rouch, John Marshall, Robert Gardner, and Timothy Asch. He begins with an introduction to ethnographic film and a history of the medium. He then considers many attributes of ethnographic film, including the crucial need to present "whole acts," "whole bodies," "whole interactions," and "whole people" to preserve the integrity of the cultural context. Heider also discusses numerous aspects of making ethnographic films, from ethics and finances to technical considerations such as film versus video and preserving the filmed record. He concludes with a look at using ethnographic film in teaching.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #438648 in Books
• Published on: 2006-12-11
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 180 pages

Review
From reviews of the first edition: "Ethnographic Film can rightly be considered a film primer for anthropologists." Choice "This is an interesting and useful book about what it means to be ethnographic and how this might affect ethnographic filmmaking for the better. It obviously belongs in all departments of anthropology, and most ethnographic filmmakers will want to read it." Ethnohistory

Customer Reviews

visual anthropology student's bible
This book is an absolute must for anyone on a Visual Anthropology course, or studying Ethnographic Films/Documentary. This book covers early documentary history (think, Robert Flaherty) through to films early in the new millennium; there's a film catalog with a brief description of each film featured at the back of the book as well as a list of distributors. This book is intended to be a strong introduction and is written in an easy to read format, not so encumbered by academic speak.