ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses ethnography as a method of doing research about media industries and as a style of writing to present one’s findings. It describes ethnography within the Hindi film industry, interviewing and interacting with members of the film industry, and even participating in some production activities. The chapter illustrates some of the main features of the work culture of the Hindi film industry: the prevalence of face-to-face interactions; the significance of kinship as a source of talent; the value of orality and reliance on memory rather than written records; and very visible manifestations of hierarchy. An ethnographic approach to studying and writing about mass media will focus on people, practices, and social relations rather than media texts or technologies. Viewing media makers or media audiences as complex beings who seek and make meaning through practices of production, distribution, or consumption involves paying attention to how they represent and characterize their practices, tastes, likes and dislikes.
