近年來,"觀察電影"(Observational Cinema)一直是西方民族志電影的重要類型。本文闡述了"觀察電影"的基本發展階段,分析并歸納了其主要觀點與方法,強調了在電影認識論、立場、內容、敘事、感覺等方面觀察電影與傳統民族志電影的根本差異,以此窺探作為當代實驗民族志的一種新類型的"觀察電影"生產人類學知識的可能性與可行性。

The Observational Cinema,with its core concepts as the inner culture research to the subjects,moral and humanistic orientation,emerged in Western Visual Anthropology in1970 s. It recognizes subjectivity of cinema and the idea of "being here"of the filmmakers in terms of epistemology,while argues the filmmakers should build a close relationship with their subjects with humility,and the subject’s story is more important than the filmmaker’s in terms of standpoint. It focuses the details of everyday- life,and emphasizes on showing instead of telling as the narrative style. It is not only a representation,but also an evocation of culture.The cinema,by the encounter of different cultures in it,turns into "transcultural cinema ",eventually becomes one production methods of anthropological knowledge.