Chris Watson's Tracks. Affects and Performative Agency of Field Recordings in the Cinema of Climate Disaster Era

Antoni Michnik

antek_antek@poczta.onet.pl
Institute of Art, Polish Academy of Sciences (Poland)
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2279-2374

Abstract

The author examines affective dimensions and performative agency of field recordings used in contemporary cinema. The narrative is centred around the works of Chris Watson, a specialist in the field of nature recordings, and a long-time collaborator of David Attenborough in his BBC productions. The essay juxtaposes contemporary affective theories of cinema and its soundtrack (i.a. Michel Chion, Barbara Flückiger, Caryl Flinn, Danijela Kulezic-Wilson) with discourses of field recording itself (Francisco López) and different tools of current humanities, to show how field recordings co-create cinema’s affective narrations, as well as affecting the viewer through the creation of the space of cinematic worlds. The author also analyses the functioning of field recordings within broader affective landscape of uncertainty in the age of climate disaster.


Keywords:

affect, field recording, Chris Watson, sound, nature documentaries, climate disaster, sound design

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Published
2020-11-13

Cited by

Michnik, A. (2020) “Chris Watson’s Tracks. Affects and Performative Agency of Field Recordings in the Cinema of Climate Disaster Era”, Kwartalnik Filmowy, (111), pp. 105–122. doi: 10.36744/kf.431.

Authors

Antoni Michnik 
antek_antek@poczta.onet.pl
Institute of Art, Polish Academy of Sciences Poland
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2279-2374

PhD student at the Institute of Art of the Polish Academy of Sciences, he holds a master’s degree from Institute of Art History at the University of Warsaw; culture historian, performer. Founding member of research-performative group Grupa ETC. Since 2013, editor of the Glissando magazine. He published i. a. in Dialog, Konteksty, Kultura Popularna, Kultura Współczesna, Kwartalnik Filmowy, Polish Theatre Journal, Rocznik Historii Sztuki, Ruch Muzyczny, Zeszyty Literackie.



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