Separating “emotion” from “impact” is a key topic for this week. Emotions are generally specific feelings associated with recognizable stimuli, while emotions have a broader, more visceral effect. The exploration of emotion in film and television media breaks through the previous narrative mode and allows the audience to participate in the feeling and emotion level of the narrative in a creative way.

The concept of the “post-cinema effect” does hold that not only have audiovisual techniques and production methods undergone profound changes, but the aesthetics and “sensory structures” associated with them have also undergone major transformations. This shift is not just about faster and non-linear forms of editing, or the use of multiple digital ways to produce images.
In Steven Shaviro’s essay, Post-Cinematic Affect: On Grace Jones, Boarding Gate and Southland Tales, he explores this post-cinematic effect in detail. Three recent video works are mentioned – Nick Hooker’s music video for Grace Jones’ song “Corporate Cannibal” and Olivier Assayas’ film “Boarding Gate” by Asia Argento) and Richard Kelly’s film Southland Tales (starring Justin Timberlake, Dwayne Johnson, and Seann William Scott, among others) are good examples of this change.
These works show how innovations in audiovisual technology have influenced and changed our understanding and perception of stories, as well as our understanding of aesthetic value and emotional expression. As a result, it can be argued that post-cinematic effects are reshaping our moviegoing experience in entirely new ways

For example, Grace Jones is a well-known singer, actress and model, as well as a fashion trendsetter. In Steven Shaviro’s paper “Post-Cinematic Affect: In On Grace Jones, Boarding Gate and Southland Tales, Grace Jones’ work is seen as a representation of post-cinematic effects

Olivier Assayas’ film Boarding Gate is a story about migrants and refugees, starring Asia Argento. The film explores the issue of migration in modern society and how people adapt and survive in a new environment

Richard Kelly’s film Southland Tales is a story about the Los Angeles Police Department starring Justin Timberlake, Dwayne Johnson, and Seann William Scott, among others. By depicting the life of the LAPD, the film shows how police officers remain human in the face of various challenges.

Although these three works have different themes, they all explore human emotions and social relations in their respective fields, and show new changes in image effects in the post-film era. How innovations in audiovisual technology have influenced and changed our understanding and perception of stories, as well as our understanding of aesthetic value and emotional expression. As a result, it can be argued that post-cinematic effects are reshaping our moviegoing experience in entirely new ways.

By Qi Liu