Catherine Grant (2016) engages with the performative practice of audiovisual essays, also showing how they can be an extension of research in forms beyond that of traditional scholarly writing. The author draws a contrast between digital, found footage collage with more conventional film/media essays. The author’s findings suggest that the audiovisual work not only communicates knowledge but also performs it. According to Grant (2016), an audiovisual essay is not only a medium for carrying out research but is a method in itself, performing the research through material, visual, and auditory means. If we were to discuss Grant’s concept in the context of a cinematic piece, The Big Short, it can be stated that the treatment of emotion as a free-floating effect shows a performative aspect of research, as Grant discusses. The film uses humour, breaking of the fourth wall, and non-linear storytelling to convey emotion in the context of a financial crisis. Here, the performative research is evident in the absurdity and impact of the housing market collapse, using audiovisual techniques to actively engage the audience in understanding the emotional chaos behind the statistics.

The Big Short breaking the fourth wall

Similarly, Source Code’s opening scene presents a unique performative approach toward emotion. Here, the protagonist is confined to a loop in which he keeps replaying the same moments until he is free from this cycle. The narrative structure involves a kind of emotional disorientation, the same as that of the protagonist. It is neither linear nor clearly intelligible but unfolds through a fragmented and repetitive structure. This aligns with Grant’s (2016) insights that performative audiovisual work challenges the way we traditionally engage with emotion and meaning in cinema, making the viewer experience it in a fragmented, embodied manner. Grant’s framework of performative research shows that contemporary cinema engages with emotion in innovative ways.

Source Code

Reference

Grant, C. (2016) ‘The audiovisual essay as performative research – NECSUS,’ NECSUS, 5 December. Available at: https://necsus-ejms.org/the-audiovisual-essay-as-performative-research/ (Accessed 26^th November 2024).

By Xindi Zhao
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