Prompted by technology and techniques, cinema is no longer a narrative story or an artistic creation in the traditional sense. Producers are more concerned with the presentation of images and the representation of values, and sometimes even become politically correct (including technological innovations, etc.), to the point of losing sight of the meaning of the work as a film itself.

As Shaviro suggests, there is a new, unconstrained sense of post-cinema work. Contemporary cinema and music videos, on the other hand, are ‘machines for generating emotion’, and in such images various social values can always be expressed. These include, but are not limited to, social values (various ideologies) and actual social values. This is not a control or confinement of traditional power structures, but a new model of power based on regulation and incitement to development. Likewise, film content should not be bound by traditional structures and requires a certain amount of innovation. In short, Shaviro argues that film technology and content should change as it evolves.

Matthias Stork, on the other hand, argues that post-continuity cinema is chaos cinema, chaotic and corrupt. Theoretically, every shot has its place and necessity, and is not easily cut during the film-making process. However, many filmmakers nowadays throw images together in a haphazard manner to give the audience the pleasure of watching them, making quick cuts, or obsessing over the use of close-up shots. The film loses its original continuity and narrative.

In my opinion, cinema needs to evolve with the times, but overly chaotic editing and an obsession with exciting images is also undesirable. Films need to have a relatively complete logic chain while not lacking in high-impact high-tech graphics. I think The Avengers is a good example of this. In the fourth film, for example, there is no shortage of post-technical, highly exciting fight scenes between all the heroes in their search for the five elemental gems, shots that have their place and echo some of the storylines in the previous films and even other superhero works. It just feels to me like the perfect combination of post-continuity and conservative plot development.

Ziting Hu

14.11.2022

Shaviro, S. (2010) Post cinematic affect. Winchester.

Chaos Cinema (2016) chaos cinema. Available at: https://scalar.usc.edu/works/film-studies-in-motion/chaos-cinema-part-1-by-matthias-stork (Accessed: November 12, 2022).