Comparing Different Styles of (Vernacular) Video Analysis

The paper presents the outcomes of a project that focuses on activities of interpretation of video recordings. The interpretation/analysis of visual data is not only performed within sociology but in a growing number of professional fields and everyday situations ("Vernacular video analysis" [1]). My presentation draws on a focused ethnographic study of interpretation practices. I have done ethnographic fieldwork in three fields and recorded practitioners at their interpretation work.

The three fields each highlight different aspects of interpretation work.

In 1) Police Work the identification of actors and their (“criminal”) actions is the police officials’ main concern, in

2) Football Training the aspect of instruction is most important and in

3) Market Researchthe interpretation of eye tracking video is distributed and organized via means of information technology.

By itself reflexively applying Videography [2] onto the practices of video analysis I am able not only to study those three fields and the spread of visual analysis as a communicative form of generation of knowledge, but am also presenting a reflexive form of videography that allows for the reflection of our situated practices and knowledge that has been criticized as missing in the use of video in interaction research.

[1] Tuma, René. 2012. “The (Re)Construction of Human Conduct: «Vernacular Video Analysis».” Qualitative
Sociology Review 8(2):152-163. Retrieved Month, Year (http://www.qualitativesociologyreview.org/
ENG/archive_eng.php).

[2] Knoblauch, Hubert & Tuma, René. "Videography. An Interpretive Apporach to Video-Recorded Micro-Social Interaction". In: Eric Margolis und Luc Pauwels (Hg.): The Sage Handbook of Visual Methods. Los Angeles: Sage, 414-430.