From Information to Experience: Rethinking Interpretation Through Film

Interpretation in heritage contexts is often driven by the need to communicate clearly and efficiently.

Dates, events, and facts are organised into structured narratives, designed to be accessible to a broad audience.

This clarity is essential.

But clarity alone does not always lead to connection.

Film offers a different approach.

It allows interpretation to move beyond information, and into experience.

Rather than presenting a complete account, a film can focus on a particular perspective, moment, or atmosphere. It can introduce complexity gradually, allowing the audience to engage on their own terms.

This does not mean reducing accuracy.

On the contrary, it requires a strong foundation in research and understanding.

But instead of presenting that research directly, it is translated into tone, structure, and visual language.

The audience is not told everything.

They are invited to encounter something.

This distinction is important.

In many cases, audiences do not need more information. They need a way to relate to what they are seeing.

Film, when used carefully, can provide that.

It creates a bridge between knowledge and experience — allowing heritage to be understood not only intellectually, but emotionally and spatially.