1. Affect & Representation
1.1. Representation in Film Representation has always been a tricky issue when it comes to Caribbean film. The Caribbean has been represented in early films as an exotic blackdrop, shaping the way the region is perceived. Authentic and inclusive representation has become something that many filmmakers, especially in the Caribbean strive for.
1.1.1. Race
1.1.1.1. Race has been one of the main representational issues. Early films centred narratives around white saviours/heroes, some not even having any people of colour in them. Later films then dealt with stereotypes with non-white/Caribbean characters that were being represented on screen
1.1.2. Gender
1.1.2.1. The portrayal of gender in film is just as contentious as race. The issues of representation, stereotypes, sexism, misogyny all persist. Like with race, some filmmakers are trying to tackle this issue.
1.1.3. Sexuality
1.1.3.1. Something that was once completely absent from Caribbean cinema was queer representation.
1.2. Theorists like Deleuze, Massumi and Spinoza acknowledge how affective the medium of film is. Film re-presents to us a version of our reality. This means that the image and sound of a film is body that affects the body of the viewer. What is represented on screen directly influences the affects that result from this collision between film and viewer.
2. What is affect?
2.1. Affect Theory is a relatively young area of study. The term "affect" has been used in psychology and neuroscience, to describe an "elemental state" that encompasses mood, emotions, and passions. It has also been adapted by philosophy and the humanities to refer to an "intensive force". fakjs
2.1.1. In terms of an "elemental state", affect can be defined as “immediate modes of sensual responsiveness to the work [of art] characterized by an accompanying imaginative dimension" - Charles Alteri (2005)
2.1.2. On the other side, Gilles Deleuze saw affect as "“the change, or variation, that occurs when bodies collide, or come into contact” (Coleman 2010). It deals with a body's capacity to affect and to be affected by other bodies.
2.1.3. Important thinkers involved in the study of affect in philosophy, literary, and cultural studies include: Spinoza, Deleuze, Massumi, Anderson, and Sedgwick.
2.1.3.1. Their works: