The Concept of Affective Tonality, and the Role of the Senses in Producing a Cinematic Narrative

The practice based research project presented in this thesis draws upon theoretical research in affect studies and film-­philosophy. The aim of the thesis is to reconsider the pre-­production and production process of narrative cinema and involve the rich and varied research into the area of affect and the body in the field of film studies that is currently being used to analyse the reception and meaning making process used as the foundation for producing a series of narrative films that privilege affect over traditional storytelling structures. Four films were made as part of an investigation into affective film practice. These films accompany the written exegesis and serve as a testing ground for concepts developed in the written component of the thesis. Each piece of practice is formally and conceptually more complex than the last. The fourth and final film serves as an example for the cinema of affective tonality and as such constitutes the central, visual argument. The theoretical research and experimental moving-­image practice result in the outlining of five conditions for the production of a cinema of affective tonality, which are combined with a taxonomy of affect developed by the author of the thesis. The taxonomy and guidelines offer filmmakers and researchers -­ engaged in moving-­image practice and visual methods -­ a proposition to construct cinema through affect rather than linguistics and ideology of film grammar.