Exhibition shows how films and ads steer viewers’ gaze

An exhibition at the Estonian Film Museum explores how film and advertising direct viewers’ attention, often without them noticing, ERR reports.

“The Gaze: The Power of Showing” is divided into zones that demonstrate techniques used to guide what people look at. Curator Sten Kauber said the team wanted to examine how a viewer’s gaze is shaped and what it reveals about a person’s experience.

The exhibition is aimed particularly at young people aged 14 and up. Kauber said the displays and tools were developed with an audience ranging from 14 to about 25 or 27 in mind.

Filmmakers and researchers helped create six short video essays, a format familiar to YouTube viewers, about how elements of film language guide the audience’s gaze. One essay by Tanel Toom examines how viewers identify with characters and root for them, and how filmmakers can encourage that response.

Visitors can also try designing a poster and use a digital game to explore new ways of interpreting Estonian film classics through a queer perspective. The exhibition at the History Museum’s Film Museum is open until the end of April, with curator tours and museum lessons also on offer.