What is Post Cinema? According to Steven Shaviro it is the “production, editing, distribution, sampling, and remixing of audio-visual material to a wider range of locations and screens, mobile phones to Imax screens. Whereas Denson and Leyda, view Post Cinema to be the impact that came after the transformation of cinema, it pays homage to what cinema was.

Shaviro coined with the term “post continuity”, in his work Post- Cinematic Affect (2010), to describe a filming making style “a preoccupation with immediate effects trumps any concern for broader continuity—whether on the immediate shot-by-shot level, or on that of the overall narrative” a style that is most seen in action movies.

WHAT SHAVIRO CONSIDERS POST CONTINUITY? (SHAVIRO, 2016)

• The casual, throwaway style of “mumblecore” slice-of-life films.
• The widespread integration of graphics, sound effects, and mixtures of footage emulating video games, that we find in a film like Scott Pilgrim.
• The promiscuous mixtures of different styles of footage that we find in such films as Oliver Stone’s Natural Born Killers and Brian De Palma’s Redacted. (SHAVIRO, 2016)

CHAOS CINEMA

In Matthias Stork video essay, he discusses how “Chaos Cinema” is the reason behind the decline of action filmmaking. Film style changed a great extent during 2001- 2010, a lot of care and meaning was behind all film makers move “meticulous and patient” it was not common to cut without a good reason behind it. Action films despite having “action” you were still well orientated and aware of what is happening even during a frenetic scenario.

However, action commercial films have become faster, hyperactive with rapid editing, promiscuous camera movements… its chaotic, every frame runs on adrenaline, the hysterical climax of a movie scene is reached so much faster that it would have previously in cinema, it makes it hard to comprehend and keep up with that is happening on screen. “The new action films are fast, florid, volatile audio-visual war zones.”

Fast and Furious for example over the years of the franchise the action scene has become faster, and more chaotic each film. Making it less “believable” or even comprehendible because with more effects and actions the scenes loose the meanings and in most cases, with fast and furious it becomes laughable as the actions on the scene are quite literally defying the rules of physics.

Reference

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

Chaos Cinema Parts I and II, 2012 [Video Essay], Dir. Matthias Stork, available here and elsewhere: https://vimeo.com/metafilm

Shane Denson and Julia Leyda, ‘Perspectives on Post-Cinema: An introduction’, Post-Cinema: Theorising 21^st Century Film, pp. 1-19

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