Freie Universität Berlin, Cluster of Excellence “Languages of Emotion” 111: 2008–2011

The project investigated the affect poetics of the classical Hollywood war film. The starting point was the hypothesis that the strategies of emotional mobilization through the staging of audiovisual images can be exemplarily analyzed and represented in this genre. For this purpose, a systematic film-analytical method for the investigation of the spectators’ perception in the form of multimodal expressive movement images was developed: “electronically based media analysis of expressive-movement-images“ (eMAEX). With this procedure, a systematic and information-technological basis was created for further film- and media studies research projects.

The result of the analyses based on this method were eight basic figurations of the dramaturgical structure of Hollywood war films, which were defined as “pathos scenes.” The affect-poetical principle of the war film genre can therefore be described as a process, in which specific emotional worlds are formed and put into relation with one another – a process which aims at “community feelings”, that means at the affective integration of the individual spectator into communal values and ideas. The project “Staging Images of War as a Mediated Experience of Community,“ funded by the DFG since 2011, was able to build on the research work carried out in this project.

Collaborators:

David Gaertner, M.A

Dr. Christian Pischel

Anna Steininger

Hye-Jeung Chung, M.A

Matthias Grotkopp, M.A

Jan-Hendrik Bakels, M.A

Sarah Greifenstein, M.A

Michael Lück, M.A

Dr. Franziska Seewald

Cilli Pogodda, M.A

Project Publications:

Kappelhoff, H. (2014,). Affektmobilisierung und mediale Kriegsinszenierung. Gebauer, G., Edler, M. (eds.). Sprachen der Emotion: Kultur, Kunst, Gesellschaft. Frankfurt/New York: Campus Verlag.

Kappelhoff, H. (2012). Kalkulierte Raserei. Der Zorn des Rekruten im Kriegsfilm. Zill, R. (ed.). Von Achilles bis Zidane. Zur Genealogie des Zorns. Berlin: Akademie-Verlag.

Grotkopp, M., Kappelhoff, H. (2012). Film Genre and Modality. The Incestuous Nature of Genre Exemplified by the War Film. Lefait, S., Ortoli, P. (eds.). In Praise of Cinematic Bastardy. 29-39. Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing.

Kappelhoff, H. (2012). "Sense of Community": Die filmische Komposition eines moralischen Gefühls. Fauth, S. R., Green Krejberg, K., Süselbeck, J. (eds.). Repräsentationen des Krieges. Emotionalisierungsstrategien in der Literatur und in den audiovisuellen Medien vom 18. bis zum 21. Jahrhundert. 43-57. Göttingen: Wallstein.

Grotkopp, M. (2011). Film genre and modality. The incestuous nature of genre exemplified by the war film. Éloge de la bâtardise au cinéma / In praise of cinematic bastardy. Paris (Université Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense). Conference publication planned for Cambridge Scholars Publishing

Kappelhoff, H., Bakels, J.-H. (2011). Das Zuschauergefühl - Möglichkeiten qualitativer Medienanalyse. Zeitschrift für Medienwissenschaft 5 (2).

Kappelhoff, H. (2010). "Sense of Community": Die Filmische Komposition eines moralischen Gefühls. War – Literature, Media, Emotions. An international and interdisciplinary seminar on emotional strategies and effects of war-representations in literature and media. University of Aarhus.

Kappelhoff, H. (2010). Was ist Zuschauen? Überlegungen zur mimetischen Aktivität von Medienrezipienten. Auslassen, Andeuten, Auffüllen. Der Film und die Imagination des Zuschauers. ICI Berlin.

Kappelhoff, H. (2009). Kriegerische Mobilisierung: Die mediale Organisation des Gemeinsinns. Frank Capras Prelude to War und Leni Riefenstahls Tag der Freiheit. Navigationen. Zeitschrift für Medien- und Kulturwissenschaften 9 (1). 151-165.

Pischel, C. (2008). Grenzverläufe filmischer Topographien: Gewalt gegen die Gemeinschaftlichkeit in Elephant und Pearl Harbor. Domsch, S. (ed.). Amerikanisches Erzählen nach 2000. Eine Bestandsaufnahme. 319-337. München: edition text kritik.

Events:

Workshop „Der Hollywood-Kriegsfilm“ with Elisabeth Bronfen, Marcus Stiglegger, Drehli Robnik, Michael Wedel and Sascha Keilholz. 08. and 09.12.2007

2 Workshops on the Hollywood war film with Thomas Elsaesser and Michael Wedel, 14.05.2010 and 09.07.2010