A Map in a Movie – the Role and the Usage

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 simple 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 dependent 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 correspond 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.