Extending the Frame

For a century or more, ethnographic filmmakers have been expected to produce discrete, bounded films of a length that conforms to established conventions. But over the last decade, changes in viewing patterns and the proliferation of web‐based screening sites have brought new possibilities into view. This essay explores what these changes might mean in terms of moving beyond the limitations of the self‐standing film. How might a multipart approach allow filmmakers to broaden the scope of their inquiry and articulate more complex interpretive perspectives? What does extending the frame of ethnographic film offer to anthropological research and teaching?