  The many genres of narrative visualization (e.g. data comics, data videos)
each offer a unique set of affordances and constraints. To better understand a
genre that we call cinematic visualizations-3D visualizations that make highly
deliberate use of a camera to convey a narrative-we gathered 50 examples and
analyzed their traditional cinematic aspects to identify the benefits and
limitations of the form. While the cinematic visualization approach can violate
traditional rules of visualization, we find that through careful control of the
camera, cinematic visualizations enable immersion in data-driven,
anthropocentric environments, and can naturally incorporate in-situ narrators,
concrete scales, and visual analogies. Our analysis guides our design of a
series of cinematic visualizations, created for NASA's Earth Science
Communications team. We present one as a case study to convey design guidelines
covering cinematography, lighting, set design, and sound, and discuss
challenges in creating cinematic visualizations.
