THE ANTITHETICAL CARTOGRAPHIES OF GEOSPATIAL CINEMA

Cinema is the antithesis of cartography. Where cartography deploys scale to construct a memetic representation of the real, cinema benefits from scale’s multivalence to construct an emotive and embodied representation. These visual technologies reflect the full development of the cartographic paradox: that the science of map projection and the development of linear perspective mutually arose together and aided each other’s development. These modes of viewing and recording are thus antithetical: cartography relies on scale for its scientific accuracy and mimesis, while cinema plays with scale to emphasise visual and emotional aspects or to disrupt, shock and destabilise that which is taken for granted as real. This chapter takes a closer examination of the relationship between linear perspective, cinema and cartography through a comparative analysis of how each relates to scale, prospect and aspect. This chapter examines four areas of geospatial cinema or antithetical cartography: (1) producing affective moving geovisualisations that use cinematic language, form and technique; (2) conducting spatial analysis on films and film production; (3) using GIS in film permitting, production logistics and reporting; and (4) using WebGIS for film tourism and historical preservation.