The Atmospheric Worlds of Cinema
Final Report Abstract
The main thesis that “The Atmospheric Worlds of Cinema” set out to explore stated that the concept of atmosphere could prove valuable for a new theory of thinking about the narrative worlds of films. Moreover, that the concept of atmosphere would contribute to our understanding of the reciprocal relation of the film and its embodied spectator. Early on two shortcomings were identified as potential impediments to the integration of the concept of atmosphere to film studies and narratology. One pertaining to the state-of-the-art in atmosphere research, the other in film studies: 1) the fact that the interdisciplinary resurgence in atmosphere research and atmosphere philosophy had not considered media-generated atmospheres such as those pertaining to the cinematic diegesis; 2) the dominant dichotomization in film studies between the representational, narrative, signifying, cognitive, and semantic versus the sensorial, affective, nonrepresentational, nonsignifying, and non-narrative that the concept of atmosphere necessarily disobeys. Although much work remains to be done in a) carving out a viable and sustainable concept of atmosphere for the study of cinema, b) for understanding their specific media-generated nature as based upon the affordances of cinema, and c) for developing ethical and critical positions against harmful, stereotypic forms of atmosphere production, this research project has outlined a post-textual position for the study of the narrative film that overcomes the main obstacles identified above and thus paves the way for the introduction of the atmosphere concept to film studies and film narratology. The two main contributions of this research project are thus: 1) The development of the concept of the ‘diegesis-as-environment’ as constituting a new way of thinking about film worlds. 2) The development of a concept of atmosphere specifically designed for the study of film and the qualification of how this concept differs from the cognitive film theoretical concept of ‘film moods.’
Publications
- 2020. “Under Siege: The Home as Battleground in Aquarius.” In: 16:9 filmtidsskrift, November
Hven, Steffen
- 2021. “Narrative Architectures and the Diegesis-as-Environment.” Imago. Studi di cinema e media 22 (Fall)
Hven, Steffen
- 2021. “The Puzzling Film Environments of Fellini’s 8 1/2.” In Puzzling Stories, edited by Miklós Kiss and Steven Willemsen. New York and Oxford: Berghahn Books
Hven, Steffen
