Cinema as a representational art

In this paper, I develop a unified account of cinematic representation as primary depiction. On this account, cinematic representation is a distinctive form of depiction, unique in its capacity to depict temporal properties. I then explore the consequences of this account for the much-contested question of whether cinema is an independent representational art form. I show that it is, and that Scruton ' s argument to the contrary relies on an erroneous conception of cinematic representation. © British Society of Aesthetics 2010. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society of Aesthetics. All rights reserved.