‘Ways of Watching’

Northeast Historic Film Summer Symposium 2009

‘What You See is What You Get’

Cecilia Mörner, PhD Assistant professor Head of Media and Communication Studies

School of Humanities and Media Studies Dalarna University College

Sweden

The National Film Archive in Grängesberg, Sweden (8 mm, 9.5 mm & 16 mm film)

Västmanland/1960s, 1970s and 1980s

Other studies• Michelle Citron (American amateur films)• Vivian Sobshack (American amateur films)• Patricia R. Zimmerman (American amateur films)• Malin Wahlberg (Hungarian private films)• Karin Becker (Swedish domestic photography)• Pierre Bourdieu (French domestic photography)

• Deborah Chambers (British domestic photography)

• Don Slater (British domestic photography)

• Susan Sontag (American domestic photography)

Initial findings

The collections • function as memories• are filmed by men (rather than by women)

Initial findings

The collections focus on: • The family• ‘The sunny side of life’ (Michelle Citron)• ‘Public moments of family pride’ (Michelle Citron)• Connections between private and public spaces• The ‘green revolution’ of the 1970s• The Labour Movement

Ways of watching different kinds of films according to Vivian Sobshach

• Watching fiction films = ‘looking at’• Waching ‘film souvenirs = ‘looking through’• Watching documentaries = ‘looking both at

and through

The interviews

• In company with Dr Åsa Jernudd, Örebro Univ.• 7 collections/6 interviews/10 interviewees• Semi-structured• At places of the interviewees own choice

Additional theory

Pierre Nora:

Milieux de memoire/Milieu of memories

vs. Lieux de memoire/Place of memories

Britta & Åke Kristoffersson

Per Hellström

Dr Åsa Jernudd with Jan & Barbro Allard

Lars & Ulla Bagge

Conclusions (?)

Interviews = a way of getting closer to an ‘appropriate’ interpretation of private film collections – or rather a way of getting ‘blinded’?

Or simply a way to look at things differently?

Ingrid & Alfredo Lorenzi

Elsy Strand