Collaborative Research
F Study on Production and Research Materialization of Ethnographic Films
| Type of Research | Scientific Research |
|---|---|
| Project Title | Research on Advanced Digitalization of Historical Materials |
| Research Title | F Study on Production and Research Materialization of Ethnographic Films |
| Head of the Research Team | AOKI Takahiro |
| Research Period | 2007–2009 |
| Research Team |
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| Purpose | While the NMJH has been promoting the production of ethnographic research films since 1988, primarily as a means of facilitating folklore research that uses video articles, sufficient discussion has not been undertaken regarding the methods by which these films can be gathered as research materials for repeated analysis and utilization. For this reason, the group launched the "Study of Ethnographic Films as Research Materials" during 2004–2006, to examine films created in the past, as well as those being newly produced. The group also sought to examine appropriate contract forms with production companies, for conserving and utilizing these films; as a result, the group now has a workable understanding of the desirable contract forms. |
2008
Progress
The group had three workshops at the NMJH. Ethnographic films produced by Koichi Matsuo, Park Bong-Nam★, Kim Kwan-Sik★, and Itsushi Kawase were screened, followed by reports and discussion. The group also made plans for a video article in 2009, which would be produced by Takahiro Aoki.
Result
Junichi Koike produced a video article that focuses on the act of writing. As a result of that production, major themes discussed in the past few years saw major progress. In particular, production guidelines and specifications were prepared, while issues related to legal rights among film companies and participants became significantly organized. At the workshop, in addition to preparing for the NMJH Image Forum, the group conducted a screening of video articles from South Korea, where ethnographic films are actively produced, and the group also undertook a comparative examination of the methodologies used by the two countries. The group also invited to a meeting Itsushi Kawase, whose works are highly esteemed in the field of visual anthropology, screened two of his representative works, and discussed filming and editing methods, as well as his production-related intentions.
In November, the group held the MJH Image Forum, where two ethnographic films by Koichi Matsuo were screened and a debate session was held featuring Yasuro Abe of Nagoya University and Yun Guanbon of Hiroshima University.
2007
Progress
The group had three workshops at the NMJH, where the members discussed ethnographic films of Kanazawa City and Matagi (i.e., those on the old-style hunters of the Tohoku Mountains) and related films, following their screening. In April 2007, the group visited the NHK archives in Kawaguchi City, Saitama Prefecture, to learn the basics of film sortation and conservation.
Result
Satoru Yasumuro produced two films on duck-hunting in Ishikawa Prefecture. Koichi Matsuo filmed events at temples in Nara Prefecture—including those in Kofukuji, Kasuga Taisha, and Yakushiji—and also edited them.
In September 2007, the Rekihaku Forum on Visual Materials, entitled "AINU Past and Present: Fact and Fiction in Ethnographic Film," was held. An ethnographic film from 2006 directed by Junko Uchida and Yuki Suzuki—namely, "AINU Past and Present: The Legacy of Neil Gordon Munro's Film"—and two other films were screened. The group also hosted a special lecture by Toshikazu Sasaki of the National Museum of Ethnology, which was followed by a symposium. In addition, the group made DVD copies of the ethnographic films created in 1988–1990, sorting them in such a way as to improve conservation and facilitate their use in research activities.
