In the year of 2011, Shaviro; an expert on culture reacted to a notable advancement in the film industry. He believed that due to post-cinema conventional moviemaking had become outmoded. He believed this was connected to how modern technological forms were creating new ways in the expression of emotions and their representation.  

Here, we examine the intricacies of this paradigm shift in filmmaking. Specifically, our attention is drawn to several innovative methods that characterize this new age: editing, special effects, simulation and morphing.

 As Shaviro puts it across in his study on the subject matter; these techniques play an important role in giving rise to pictures that are “discontinuous” and “non-representational.” Undoubtedly James Cameron’s phenomenal work of art, “Avatar”, encapsulates the very spirit of post-cinematic narrative style.

In 2009 “Avatar,” was released, a film that took moviegoers on an enchanting journey through Pandora’s visually breathtaking and immersive universe. By utilizing advanced technologies like motion capture and cutting-edge 3D, this production pushed filmmaking to its limits, delivering more than just a story but also transportive escapism – precisely what Shaviro refers to as non-continuous or abstract visual language.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdhEj_rG80Y

Moreover, Shaviro goes into further detail on the emotional response prompted by these avant-garde cinematic techniques. An emotional reaction occurs because of the unfamiliar images. This demonstrates how our affective engagement with storytelling is impacted by technology.

As we reflect on the consequences of entering a post-cinematic era, the lecture presents us with a choice – should we view this as a chaotic and negative development or embrace it as an essential restructuring for progress? This decision poses similar ideas to those posed by philosopher Walter Benjamin who proposes that such changes create opportunities for our perception’s adaptation during historical shifts.

After watching movies like “Avatar,” Shaviro’s ideas about the post-cinematic era are not just theoretical concepts but manifested on screen. With technology and storytelling joined together in harmony, a cinematic environment has been created that pushes boundaries, sparks thought-provoking conversations, and fully immerses its audience into the boundless realms of digital-age creativity.

Different cultural models were discussed to comprehend this transformation within cinema. These included post-continuity, chaos cinema, digital outlines, digital realism and neuro-images as means of examining the deviation from regular storytelling norms. “Avatar” effectively demonstrates these theoretical frameworks by violating continuity conventions and embracing a disorderly narrative approach.

By Olivia Camille Lynn

References

Shaviro, S. (2016) ‘Post-Continuity: An Introduction’, in Post Cinema Theorising 21st Century Film. Sussex , UK: REFRAME Books, pp. 51–64.