Roadmap

Analytical keywords

Imagine having to give a lecture to undergrads on the topic of, say, music enculturation. If only there were a film that would outline for students what it’s about, you think. After an hour of Google search, you give up (sounds familiar?)

Visual.ethnomusicology.net plans to launch a search using analytical keywords. These keywords contain information that no full-text search engine can find but are important for effective database searching. With one click, you will be able to find films that are related, for example, by the approach of their authors, that raise similar anthropological and ethnomusicological themes or depict similar groups of people.

Advanced filters

In addition to keywords, the visual.ethnomusicology.net database will be able to search for films according to advanced filters. Do you want to filter films that are English-friendly, those that are available online for free, or those on the online platforms to which you have access? No problem at all…

Search map

How about looking up ethnomusicology films on a world map and, with just one click, uncovering all the films that have been produced in (or about) a particular region?

Search by language

The language of the audio track also tells a lot about the film. The database now indexes ethnomusicological films in more than 60 languages, and searching by this important criterion will be a matter of course in the future.

Cite the film

Making an ethnomusicological short film takes (at least) as much time as writing a journal article. Making a feature-length ethnomusicological film will take (at least) as much time as writing a monograph. Isn’t it time to give ourselves credit for this work and take ethnomusicological films as a legitimate output of our research work? So, let’s start to cite this work of ours and our colleagues, shall we? The planned feature of our database will make this easier for you.

Get a film tip

Have you just arrived home after a hard day at work and have the energy to watch one ethnomusicological film but no energy to pick it out? The “Get a Film Tip” feature is exactly what you need.

Add a film

Four eyes see more than two. Now multiply that by the eyes of the entire ethnomusicological community. The future of the database lies in its decentralisation. Any visitor to the site will be able to recommend films to be added, and the film will appear in the database immediately after approval by a moderator. When will we get to 10,000 films in the database? Or 20,000?

Comments

The project does not want to remain just a repository of useful data. In the future, it wants to become a live digital platform where ethnomusicologists worldwide will discuss films and make recommendations to their colleagues.

Social media outreach

And finally, if we are going to build a virtual community, we will do it using the latest tools and resources. In this way, we may be able to popularise ethnomusicological film not only among us researchers but also among the general public. How about starting with the #EthnomusicologyFilmOfTheWeek campaign?

Do you miss a feature?

Please, let us know! We can consider your suggestion for further development…

Do you want to speed up the development?

Please, consider to support the project on Ko-fi.com.