Post-Cinematic Affect

 

Post-Cinematic Affect: Feeling in the Digital Age

Introduction

Coined by Steven Shaviro, Post-Cinematic Affect studies how digital and post-production technologies alter emotional experience. It argues that contemporary films generate feelings not through narrative empathy but through affective intensities — sound, movement, and visual rhythm.

Essence

• Cinema becomes sensory rather than representational.

• Digital editing and CGI alter how we feel time, space, and emotion.

• Post-cinematic works reflect global anxiety and sensory overload.

Key Points

• Affect Over Story: Emotional resonance emerges from rhythm, not plot.

• Digital Aesthetics: Hyper-saturated color, vibration, and light evoke bodily response.

• Affective Circulation: Emotions travel through screens, memes, and media loops.

Examples

• Enter the Void (2009, Gaspar Noé) — visualizes consciousness and death through pulsating light and sound.

• Spring Breakers (2012, Harmony Korine) — aestheticizes hedonism through sensory montage.

• Uncut Gems (2019, Safdie Brothers) — turns chaos and stress into immersive affect.