Post-Cinema is used to mean how media in the 21st century can help shape and reflect new forms of sensuality. Also, It is a continuation of, and at the same time a breakthrough for, the original form of cinema (Denson and Leyda, 2016). This term refers to the new idea of digital images, new cinematic techniques, and viewing experiences. And Post-continuity is a feature of the post-cinema that can be described as images no longer fully follow rules of classical cinema editing and composition (Steven Shaviro, 2016). This may suggest that in post-cinema, new technologies like montage techniques have developed for general use to create a new mode of connecting moving images in which the narrative of the film changes from linear to non-linear. Moreover, this new mode also brings different sensations and experiences to the audience. Take the example of Infernal Affairs II.

Infernal Affairs II is a Hong Kong crime-action film directed by Andrew Lau and Alan Mak, who are famous for action and crime films, and it earned twelve nominations for the 2003 Hong Kong Film Awards. The film tells the story of the Hong Kong police and the Ni family of the Tsim Sha Tsui gangster sent undercover agents to break into each other’s interior and launch a series of stories of wits and courage in the background of Hong Kong in 1991. One classical plot of this film is that the boss of the Ni family sends his men to kill the bosses of other gangs. This plot is presented with the same background music as a foreshadowing, and the shots seem to be switching in parallel time and space to narrate the four killing processes, in order to show the cruelty of the gangsters. Additionally, compared to traditional linear narrative, this non-linear editing technique and rapid background music are very dramatized to express to the audience the cold-bloodedness of gangsters. Besides, there are also many dialogue scenes from the opposite play, and by maintaining the consistency of the camera’s line of sight and combining the dialogue of the two actors in separate shots during the filmmaking process, the audience will feel that the two actors are face to face when watching the film, which brings the audience a more realistic watching experience. Therefore, continuous editing of images in post-cinema could be a new mode to intensify sensations and atmosphere. From the audience’s perspective, adding features of post-cinema to a film could upgrade their experience, and they could immerse themselves in the movie and understand deeply what the film wants to express.

Reference

Denson, S. and Leyda, J. (2016) “Perspectives on Post-Cinema: An introduction,” in Post-cinema: Theorizing 21st-Century film. Falmer: REFRAME Books.

Steven Shaviro, (2016) ‘Post-Continuity: An introduction’, Post-Cinema: Theorising 21st Century Film, 51-64

Written by Zhongzhu Wang