From Binary Cooperation to Ternary Negotiation:Reflections on the Relationships in Ethnographic Film Creation
In the field of visual anthropology,reflections on the relationship of ethnographic films have mainly focused on the binary relationship between the photographers and the subjects,and audiences are usually placed in a secondary position.In fact,audio-visual equipment gives the audiences a hidden presence from the shooting stage,and construct a triadic relationship.Multiple uncertainties induced by shooting and editing,audience identity,and dissemination and interpretation induce ethical dilemma of ethnographic film becoming deeper,more complex and more difficult.In the triadic relationship,creators,subjects and audiences do not always cooperate with each other,but rather they are constantly negotiating and co-constructing in contradictions and games.Focusing on the complexity of the triadic relationship allows ethnographic films to move forward in a benign direction,and we can notice deeper tensions.