EXPLORING VISUAL MEDIA IN THE PROCESS OF ETHNOGRAPHIC FIELDWORK

Abstract

This paper discusses the benefits of using film in ethnographic fieldwork. During the fieldwork for Kamilla’s Ph.D. project about elderly people’s health and social relations, we have experimented with the use of video. In this paper we focus on the results of and reactions to using self-produced film material in focus group discussions conducted in an activity centre for retired people in Copenhagen. The method applied turned out to be beneficial in expected but also positively surprising ways that enabled us to gain insights beyond those of solely word-based approaches.

Please view our short film clip Bodil in the Snow (http://vimeo.com/59180448) which we used for accessing knowledge about health issues among the elderly in Copenhagen, as discussed in the article.