Narrativas modulares y cultura visual digital en el cine contemporáneo. El caso de Open Windows (Nacho Vigalondo, 2014)

Luis Cemillán Casis; Francisco Jiménez Alcarria

doi:10.31921/doxacom.n39a2022

Authors

Luis Cemillán Casis University Carlos III of Madrid, Spain https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9704-6907
Francisco Jiménez Alcarria University Carlos III of Madrid, Spain https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1809-7942

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31921/doxacom.n39a2022

Keywords:

Database, contemporary cinema, visual digital culture, post-media aesthetics, modular narratives, split-screen narratives

Abstract

In the present day, digital visual and convergence culture permeate the modes of production, circulation, and consumption of audiovisual representations, following the postulates of authors such as A. Darley or H. Jenkins. In this context, A. Cameron defines modular narratives as those in which classical narrative causality is replaced by a database aesthetic, dividing the narrative into discrete elements subject to manipulations of order, frequency, and duration. Focusing on the case of Open Windows (Nacho Vigalondo, 2014), this study aims to explore the imprints of digital visual culture on contemporary Spanish cinema incorporating modular narratives. The methodology employs an analysis model adapted to this narrative and aesthetic specificity within the framework of Computational Media Aesthetics. The film's mechanisms of representation are scrutinized through a multi-screen interface, where simultaneous events are juxtaposed within the same visual field. Finally, the discussion encompasses the necessity of applying such models to the analysis of audiovisual content associated with digital visual culture, as well as their potential utility for future research.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Global Statistics

1461 Views	1426 Downloads
2887 Total

Downloads by format:

PDF (Spanish) 802 PDF 256 EPUB (Spanish) 106 EPUB 151 HTML (Spanish) 54 HTML 57

Author Biographies

Luis Cemillán Casis, University Carlos III of Madrid, Spain

Professor and predoctoral researcher (FPU) in the Department of Communication Studies at University Carlos III of Madrid. Member of the research group TECMERIN (Television-cinema: memory, representation and industry), he develops his research on the study of contemporary Spanish cinema, as well as aspects related to cultural studies and collective memory. He also specializes in the study of family sagas in theater and cinema. He has participated in several international conferences and made an international research stay at the Université Paris-Nanterre between September and December 2023. He holds a degree in Audiovisual Communication from University Carlos III of Madrid and a Master's degree in Art History and Visual Culture (Autonomous University of Madrid and Complutense University of Madrid, 2018). In addition, he has held a collaboration scholarship in the Department of Journalism and Audiovisual Communication at UC3M in 2017. Since 2021 she has been writing curatorial texts for Proyector video art festival.
Francisco Jiménez Alcarria, University Carlos III of Madrid, Spain

Professor and predoctoral researcher (FPU21/02957) in the Department of Communication Studies at the University Carlos III of Madrid. He is part of the research group TECMERIN (Television-cinema: memory, representation and industry) and his fields of research are linked to film and television studies. Graduated in Journalism and Audiovisual Communication at the same university (2016-2021), he specialized his profile in the audiovisual field through the completion of the Master's Degree in Film and Television at UC3M (2021-2022). He was awarded the Extraordinary Prize for the best record in both degrees and is currently studying the Doctoral Program in Media Research at the same institution. He is also a beneficiary of a FPU grant (Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities). He is a member of the editorial committee of Tecmerin. Journal of Audiovisual Essays. As for his teaching profile, he currently teaches the subject of Digital Postproduction in the Degree in Audiovisual Communication and participates in teaching innovation projects consisting in the production of MOOCs and SPOCs related to video editing and postproduction.

References

Bešlagić, L. (2019). Computer Interface as Film: Post-Media Aesthetics of Desktop Documentary. AM Journal for Art and Media Studies, 20, 51-60. https://doi.org/10.25038/am.v0i20.323

Borges-Rey, E. (2015). News Images on Instagram. The paradox of authenticity in hyperreal photo reportage. Digital Journalism, 3(4), 571-593. https://doi.org/10.1080/21670811.2015.1034526

Brea, J. L. (2005). Estudios visuales: la epistemología de la visualidad en la era de la globalización. Akal.

Brütsch, M. (2018). Complex Narration in Film: Reflections on the Interplay of Deception, Distancing and Empuzzlement. En: S. Schlickers y V. Toro (Eds.), Narratological Studies on Deception, Paradox and Empuzzlement (pp. 135- 154). Universität Bremen.

Brütsch, M. (2021). Loop Structures in Film (and Literature): Experiments with Time Between the Poles of Classical and Complex Narration. Panoptikum, 26(33), 83-107. https://doi.org/10.5167/uzh-213772

Buckland, W. (2014). Hollywood puzzle films. Routledge.

Bustamante, E. (2008). Comunicación y cultura en la era digital. Industrias, mercados y diversidad en España. Gedisa.

Cameron, A. (2008). Modular narratives in Contemporary Cinema. Palgrave Macmillan.

Català, J. M. (2005). La imagen compleja. La fenomenología de las imágenes en la era de la cultura visual. Servei de Publicacions de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.

Ceballos, N. (2013). "Open Windows". Fotogramas. https://bit.ly/3uHV9vU

Darley, A. (2002). Cultura visual digital. Espectáculo y nuevos géneros en los medios de comunicación. Paidós.

Elsaesser, T. (2021). The mind-game film. In The Mind-Game Film. Routledge.

Everett, A. y Caldwell, J. T. (2003). New Media. Theories and Practices of Digitextuality. Routledge.

Fernández Castrillo, C. (2015). La saga Matrix como epítome de la condición digital. El Genio Maligno. Revista de Humanidades y Ciencias Sociales, 17.

Harari, Y. N. (2018). 21 lecciones para el siglo XXI. Editorial Debate.

Himmelsbach, S. (2003). The Interactive Potential of Distributed Networks. Immersion and Participation in Films and Computer Games. En: J. Shaw y P. Weibel (Eds.), Future Cinema. The Cinematic Imaginary after Film (pp. 530-535). The MIT Press.

Hudson, D. y Zimmermann, P.R. (2015). Thinking Through Digital Media. Transnational Environments and Locative Places. Palgrave Macmillan.

Ibáñez, J. C. (2016). Cine, televisión y cambio social en España. Síntesis

Jang, M-H. y Moon, J-C. (2017). The Characteristics of Spectacularity and Narrative in Digital Fiction Film Split Screen. The Journal of the Korea Contents Association, 17(1), 193-200. https://doi.org/10.5392/JKCA.2017.17.01.193

Jenkins, H. (2006). Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. New York University Press.

Jenkins, H., y Deuze, M. (2008). Editorial: Convergence Culture. The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 14(1), 5-12. https://doi.org/10.1177/135485650708441

Jerasa, S., y Boffone, T. (2021). BookTok 101: Tiktok, Digital Literacies, and Out-of-School Reading Practices. Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy, 65(3). Newark y Philadelphia: International Literacy Association, 219-226. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaal.1199

Kinder, M. (2002). Hot spots, Avatars, and Narrative Fields Forever: Buñuel’s Legacy for New Digital Media and Interactive Database Narrative. Film Quarterly, 55(4), 2-15. https://doi.org/10.1525/fq.2002.55.4.2

Kiss, M. (2017). Impossible puzzle films: A cognitive approach to contemporary complex cinema. Edinburgh University Press.

Kiss, M. (2023). Complex Film Narratives Diegetic Fictionalization in Christopher Nolan's Fantastical Puzzle Film Cycle. En: P. Taberham y C. Iricinschi (Eds.), Introduction to Screen Narrative. Perspectives on Story Production and Comprehension (pp. 71-92) Routledge.

Knochel, A. (2013). Assembling Visuality: Social Media, Everyday Imaging, and Critical Thinking in Digital Visual Culture. Visual Arts Research, 39(2), 13-27. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5406/visuartsrese.39.2.0013

Landow, G. P. (2006). Hypertext 3.0. Critical Theory and New Media in an Era of Globalization. The Johns Hopkins University Press.

Leaver, T., Highfield, T., y Abidin, C. (2020). Instagram: Visual social media cultures. Polity Press.

Mamber, S. (2002). Space-Time Mappings as Database Browsing Tools. En: C. Dorai y S. Venkatesh (Eds.), Media Computing. Computational Media Aesthetics (pp. 39-55). Springer Science + Business Media.

Mamber, S. (2003). Narrative mapping. En: A. Everett y J. T. Caldwell (Eds.), New Media. Theories and Practices of Digitextuality (pp. 145-159). Routledge.

Manovich, L. (2000). Database as a Genre of New Media. Ai & society, 14, 176-183. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01205448

Manovich, L. (2001). El lenguaje de los nuevos medios de comunicación. Paidós.

Manovich, L. (2013). Media after software. Journal of Visual Culture, 12(1), 30-37. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470412912470237

Manovich, L. (2014). Postmedia aesthetics. En: M. Kinder y T. McPherson (Eds.), Transmedia Frictions: The Digital, the Arts, and the Humanities (pp. 34-44). University of California Press.

Marzal-Felici, J. y Casero Ripollés, A. (2016). El compromiso con la cultura visual digital y con el estudio de la comunicación. AdCo-munica. Revista Científica de Estrategias, Tendencias e Innovación en Comunicación, 12, 11-19. https://doi.org/10.6035/2174-0992.2016.12.1

Novikov, V. N. (2017). Desktop Films. To Read or to Watch? Vestnik VGIK I Journal of Film Arts and Film Studies, 9(2), 102-112. https://doi.org/10.17816/VGIK92102-112

Oltra Navarro, G., y Alcalá Mellado, J.R. (2008). Una introducción a la imagen digital y su tratamiento. Universidad de Castilla La Mancha.

Palacio, M. y Rodríguez Ortega, V. (eds.) (2020). Cine y cultura popular en los 90: España – Latinoamérica. Peter Lang.

Rajas, M. (2014). Open Windows. Múltiples interfaces para contar una historia. Cameraman: Revista técnica cinematográfica, 76, 6-15.

Rueda Laffond, J.C., Galán Fajardo, E., y Rubio Moraga, A. L. (2014). Historia de los medios de comunicación. Alianza Editorial.

Simons, J. (2014). Complex narratives. En: W. Buckland (Ed.), Hollywood Puzzle Films (pp. 17-34). Routledge.

Stam, R. (2008). Teorías del cine. Una introducción. Paidós Comunicación.

Valderrama Barragán, M. (2017). El devenir de la identidad digital: del yo proteico al yo

identificado. PAAKAT: revista de tecnología y sociedad, 6(11).

Walsh, R. y Stepney, S. (2018). Narrating Complexity. Springer.

Zittrain, J. L. (2014). Reflections on Internet Culture. Journal of Visual Culture, 13(3), 388-394. https://doi.org/10.1177/1470412914544540

Zuboff, S. (2020). Capitalismo de la vigilancia. Política exterior, 34(194), 7-12.