Post-cinema refers to “the collection of media, and the mediation of life forms, that “follows” the broadly cinematic regime of the twentieth century—where “following” can mean either to succeed something as an alternative or to “follow suit” as a development or a response in kind”.¹

Steven Shaviro, an American cultural critic, characterises post-cinematic media as symptomatic and productive evocations.² Symptomatic in that it reflects or rearticulates complex social processes, condensing them into “blocs of affect”³ and, simultaneously, productive, in that said media actively participates in the same social processes, playing a pivotal role in the generation of ‘affect’ rather than passively representing it. He taps into Brian Massumi’s distinguishment between affect and emotion; affect can be described as “primary”, “non-conscious”, and “intensive” while emotion is viewed as “derivative”, “conscious”, and “meaningful”.⁴

Within the context of neoliberal capitalism, economic subjectivity, and post-cinema affect, emotions are framed as resources that can be commodified and invested in, and the idea of “affective labor” is critiqued as involving the sale of pre-defined and pre-packaged emotions.

KFC’s recent advertising campaign in Spain from March 2023⁵ sells an edible item – crispy Kentucky fried chicken – through a digital screen with the manipulation of ecstatic facial expressions. It directly depicts Shaviro’s discourse on how post-cinematic content is a “machine(s) for generating affect”. It renders euphoric emotions in slow-motion, with the melodic track, ‘You Are So Beautiful’ by Joe Cocker playing in the background, and actors biting into fried chicken and hamburgers, conjuring up dramatic, intimate, and stirring sentiments in viewers, and capitalising on it. While other fried chicken commercials may have focused on onomatopoeia like the ‘crunch’ and ‘sizzle’, the only audio element to this video is the passionate music. The visuals are fixated on the close-ups of seven individuals and the exaggerated expressions of unparalleled joy found in eating for them, with cinematic parallels in lighting and set-up; it is selling the feeling of raw happiness.


By Nikita Cecil [33656165]

1. Denson, S. and Leyda, J. (2016) Post-cinema: Theorizing 21st-Century film. Falmer: REFRAME Books.  ↩︎
2. Shaviro, S. (2010) Post Cinematic Affect. Ropley: Zer0 Books. ↩︎
3. Uhlmann, A. (2020) “Affect, Meaning, Becoming, and Power: Massumi, Spinoza, Deleuze, and Neuroscience,” in Houen, A. (ed.) Affect and Literature. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press (Cambridge Critical Concepts), pp. 159–174. doi: 10.1017/9781108339339.009. ↩︎
4. Shouse, E. (2005) ‘Feeling, emotion, affect’, M/C Journal, 8(6). doi:10.5204/mcj.2443.  ↩︎
5. Network, C. (2023) KFC: Enjoy, it’s beautiful • ADS OF THE WORLDTM: Part of the clio network, Ads of the WorldTM. Available at: https://www.adsoftheworld.com/campaigns/enjoy-it-s-beautiful (Accessed: 27 October 2023).  ↩︎