Steven Shaviro’s concept of post-cinematic affect describes how contemporary audiovisual media can enact sensations that reflect the realities of the 21st century. The HBO series Industry (2020-present) exemplifies these ideas by immersing viewers in the high-stakes, chaotic world of London’s financial sector. Through its frenetic editing, rapid pacing and emotionally charged performances, Industry captures the anxieties and affective flows of late capitalism. 

Shaviro is drawn to how media can now be viewed as ‘expressive’ which he explains to mean that this media doesn’t simply reflect our contemporary lives but also creates and amplifies moods and feelings. By his description media works are ‘machines for generating affect’ (Shaviro, 2010,p.3) signifying they do not simply serve the purpose of relaying an explicit message, instead they provoke sensations that resonate with broader economic and social systems. Which in the case of Industry is capitalism. The show is able to encompass the mood of late-stage capitalism reflected in its environment of ambition, exhaustion and ambiguity. The use of fragmented editing and quick cuts between chaotic workplace exchanges and intimate individual turmoil reflects the remorseless setting for these young bankers. This immersive camera work alongside a soundtrack that heightens tension embodies Shaviro’s ideas of active participation. Industry is not simply critiquing this work culture, but it is recreating it allowing for viewers to feel the intensity of the environment.

These techniques used in Industry can also demonstrate how it is an example of chaos cinema as coined by Matthias Stork. This is the disrupted idea of the classic Hollywood continuity that follows a linear narrative. Instead ‘Chaos cinema’ combines moving image to intensify sensations rather than progress the narrative. A clear example of this is in a pivotal scene where the main character Harper is confronted with her manager. The viewer can be immersed in Harpers psychological state through use of destabilised camera angles and hectic dialogue. It is these affective moments that embody Shaviro’s distinction between affect and emotion.

Olivia Coleman – 33752564

Bibliography

Shaviro, S. (2010). Post-Cinematic Affect: On Grace Jones, Boarding Gate and Southland Tales. Film-Philosophy, 14(1), pp.1–102. doi:https://doi.org/10.3366/film.2010.0001.