From The Local; Participatory Documentaries and Touristic Destination Presentation Within The Framework of Film Tourism

Abstract

As a result of factors such as increasing access to technical equipment used in filmmaking and facilitating their use, the boundaries of intercultural communication have begun to be overcome more easily through audio-visual narratives, different cultures and different geographies can see each other, and with the increase in transportation opportunities and international tourism, they have become accessible to each other. While the means of transportation and communication eliminate spatial boundaries, globalization creates an inevitable similarity. Considering the effort of people to be constantly on the move in line with the desire of people to take a share from the experiences that offer as many different experiences as possible, it is seen that destinations should aim to be able to differentiate their narrative structures and to capture originality in the indicators while being included in the global popular culture. At this point, participatory video works as a production technique in documentary reality should be considered as an important tool for creating a wide, self-representational communication network both between cultures and within the culture itself. Especially since the dawn of the web 2.0 era, digital media has become increasingly important in decision-making processes when choosing a tourist destination and planning a trip. In the study, the participatory documentaries “…in a Day” series were considered as case studies in order to use films in the presentation of the destination, to capture the audience/tourist in search of difference with innovative approaches, and to evaluate the digital media. In the tourism activity, where the search for difference and authenticity increases, different, creative solutions such as participatory documentaries discussed in the study can become an effective tool in attracting the audience/tourist from the point of view of the tourist who tends to experience the local more.