Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
A Map in a Movie - the Role and the Usage
Lucie Friedmanová, Karel Stanĕk
Masaryk University, Faculty of Science, Department of Geography, Laboratory on
Geoinformaitcs and Cartography
Kotlářská 2, 611 37 Brno, Czech Republic.
lucie@geogr.muni.cz, karst@geogr.muni.cz
Abstract
Almost from the beginning of the cinematography cartographic products
were used in movies namely as props, for documentation purposes or as
visual shortcuts. Maps play a significant role particularly in “adventure”
type of movies, where reality is meeting with fantasy and science with art.
There are different approaches how moviemakers handle portraying maps
rendered from literature. The portrayal of maps in movies varies from sim-
ple look on reproduction of a map to attempts to imprint the feeling of the
changing landscape by strictly movie making tools. The more fantasy there
is in the story, the more colourful the map presentation can be. As the main
goal of moviemakers is to tell the story, the portrayal of the map depends
on its significance to the storytelling. The map's portrayal is also depend-
ent on the chosen style of the movie. This paper explores how different
approaches of map portrayal in the movie resonate with the story and style
of the movie and how different types of map portrayal in movies corre-
spond with map use. There are also discussed possible outside influences
on map portrayal. These different approaches are demonstrated on map
portrayal in various movie adaptations of H.R. Haggard's novel King
Solomon's Mines.
1.Introduction - A Map in A Movie
Where is a space, there can be a journey and where is a journey, there
sooner or later arises the need for a map. Use of maps in movies is influ-
enced by moviemakers' views on society, art and history, their carto-
graphic awareness and presumed knowledge base of viewers. From this
point of view, it is possible to see movies as the mirror of common carto-
