THE RHYTHM-IMAGE

Steven Shaviro

shaviro@shaviro.com

Deleuze: Movement and Time

MOVEMENT-IMAGE TIME-IMAGE
Time via movement Time in its pure state
Sensory-motor circuits Pure optical/sound situations
Euclidean space Riemannian space
Continuity editing False continuity
Rational cuts Irrational cuts
Normal movement Aberrant movement
Time in montage Duration in deep focus
Chronos Aion
Classical cinema Modernist cinema

Beyond the Time-Image

Rihanna, "Disturbia" (dir. Anthony Mandler, 2008)

Cinema 3 ?

  • Chief characteristics of the third image
    • Digital production
    • Image as force and pulsation
    • Simultaneity in the space of flows
    • "Short-term and rapidly shifting"...
    • ... but also "continuous but unbounded"
  • Recent suggestions for a third image
    • Patricia Pisters: the neuro-image
    • Sergi Sánchez: the no-time-image
    • Nick Davis: the desiring-image
    • Cesare Casarino: the life-image
    • Alexander Galloway: the space-image
    • Elie During: the volume-image
    • Nico Baumbach: the data-image
### The Antinomy of Digital Reason ### + On the one hand, neoliberal society is organized spatially rather than temporally: it is simultaneous rather than sequential. + On the other hand, neoliberal society is organized acoustically rather than visually: we can hear everything at once, but not see everything at once. + But how can these both be true? + Sound comes to us from every direction at once... + ... but sound happens in time, and it necessarily *takes time*. + Rather than thinking of time as internal (Bergsonian duration) we need to apprehend it as a force of exteriority. + Sound gives us the time that we need to encompass and grasp spatial simultaneity.

Lateral Space/Time (1)

Scarface, "On My Block" (dir. Marc Clasfeld, 2002)

Lateral Space/Time (2)

Labrinth, "Let It Be" (dir. Us, 2014)

Three Images

MOVEMENT-IMAGE TIME-IMAGE RHYTHM-IMAGE
Time via movement Time in its pure state Time as pulsation/force
Sensory-motor circuits Pure optical/sound situations Machinic micro-perception
Euclidean space Riemannian space Rendered space
Continuity editing False continuity Compositing
Rational cuts Irrational cuts Concealed cuts
Normal movement Aberrant movement Suspended movement
Time in montage Duration in deep focus Occasions in lateral pan
Chronos Aion Polyrhythms
Classical cinema Modernist cinema Music video

Some Music Video Forms

  • Composited Long Takes: Labrinth/Us, "Let It Be"
  • Movement Through Virtual Space: Massive Attack/Edouard Salier, "Splitting the Atom"
  • Paradoxical Spaces: Metronymy/Callum Cooper, "Month of Sundays"
  • Superimposed Images: Rihanna/Anthony Mandler, "Disturbia"
  • Multiple Screens: Blink 182/Joseph Kahn, "Always"
  • Multiple Temporalities: Radiohead/Jonathan Glazer, "Street Spirit"
  • GIF-like Loops: FKA twigs/Tom Beard, "Papi Pacify"
  • Twitching GIFs: Allie X/Jérémie Sandoin, "Catch"
  • Replicating Figures: FKA twigs/Nabil, "Two Weeks"
  • Morphing Figures: Grace Jones/Nick Hooker, "Corporate Cannibal"
  • Erupting Digital Effects: Cibo Matto/Jean-Claude Billmaier, "Deja Vu"
  • Cyborg Replication: Dawn Richard/Kytten Janae, "Calypso"
  • Multi-camera 360° rig: Flatbush Zombies & Trash Talk/ APlusFilmz & Pier Pictures, "97.92"
  • SnorriCam: Tove Lo/Motellet, "Habits"

Cyborg Replication

Dawn Richard, "Calypso" (dir. Kytten Janae, 2015)