Steven Shaviro’s concept of post-cinematic affect highlights how advances in audiovisual technologies have not only revolutionized cinematic techniques but also reshaped our ways of feeling and experiencing media. This shift transcends rapid, non-linear editing or the integration of digital fabrication with live-action photography—it signifies a deeper change in sensibilities and subjectivities. Post-cinematic affect represents a world where images connect to audiences on a visceral, pre-conscious level, altering the emotional resonance of film.

The distinction between emotion and affect is central to understanding this phenomenon. Emotion refers to a socially and culturally coded response, while affect operates on a raw, bodily level. Films in the post-cinematic era often bypass traditional storytelling conventions to evoke immediate sensory reactions. For example, Enter the Void (2009, dir. Gaspar Noé) uses disorienting, first-person camera perspectives and neon-soaked visuals to create a trance-like experience, engaging viewers’ affective responses before intellectual interpretation.

Similarly, Mad Max: Fury Road (2015, dir. George Miller) exemplifies post-cinematic affect through its kinetic editing, relentless pacing, and color-saturated visuals. The film creates an overwhelming sensory immersion that pulls the audience into its chaotic desert world, embodying the affective intensity of post-cinematic storytelling.

Shaviro’s ideas are particularly relevant when considering films like Uncut Gems (2019, dir. Safdie Brothers), where overlapping dialogue, tight framing, and frenetic pacing heighten anxiety, reflecting how digital aesthetics intensify affective engagement. These films illustrate the transformative potential of post-cinematic forms to connect with audiences on a deeper, more visceral level, redefining the structures of cinematic feeling.

By engaging with these post-cinematic works, viewers can appreciate how emerging technologies and aesthetics offer fresh ways of perceiving and feeling, driving cinema forward into uncharted emotional and sensory territories.

References

1. Shaviro, Steven. Post-Cinematic Affect. Winchester: Zero Books, 2010.
2. Sobchack, Vivian. The Address of the Eye: A Phenomenology of Film Experience. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1992.
3. Elsaesser, Thomas, and Malte Hagener. Film Theory: An Introduction Through the Senses. New York: Routledge, 2015.
4. Keathley, Christian. Cinematic Affect. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2011.

Shanshan Li

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