Making Sense of a Virtual World Using Cinematic Imagination
Cinematic imagination is a concept described by Elliott and Culhane in the book A Different Kind of Ethnography: Imaginative Practices and Creative Methodologies. It draws heavily on several different creative disciplines like cinema and sound engineering to create a sensory anthropological experience. The purpose of cinematic imagination is to “generate worlds in which spectators and listeners can re-imagine the places, events, atmospheres, and activities (among other things) that are represented in a film or sound clip.” The goal is for viewers to “connect with the media in a very personal and intimate manner, provoking emotions and sensorial impressions.”
I looked at the social media platform Instagram to find an example of a user’s cinematic imagination. Instagram is a photo and video sharing platform so it was perfect for exploring how users document their lives using cinematic techniques. This user, peytonfrank, posted a video about a day in France at a water color class. The video incorporates several techniques discussed by Elliott and Culhane like adding music, cutting between scenes, and camera movement. The effect is dreamlike and ethereal. This creates an “interpretive space” for the viewer as they can imagine themselves within the video.
