The paper scrutinises the actions that the authors took as sociologist film-makers responsible for producing “Dreams on line” (Rêves de chaîne), a sociological documentary made in the early 2000s in a California automotive plant run by a Toyota and General Motors joint-venture.It is a reflective article examining each of the film’s main production phases, from pre-filming preparations through the final edits. Questions pertain to the specificity of a sociological approach to film-making ; the borrowing of cinematographic language ; relations with cinematic professionals ; the imbuing of images and sounds with sociological meaning ; and the significance of the final edit.The article looks at the challenges that film-makers face, as well as the solutions they find throughout the long process of making a documentary. It also asks to what extent the cinematographic approach can enhance scientific sociological production. The ultimate purpose is to further develop the sociology of film by scrutinising the discipline’s ability to create meaning and add to the visibility of the words, practices, bodies and gestures of the individuals being subjected to investigation
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