In recent years, the concepts of atmosphere and mood have increasingly moved into the field of interest of media research. Against the backdrop of the writings of Gernot Böhme and Hermann Schmitz, film studies in particular has taken on the task of differentiating between atmosphere and mood and examining their function as catalysts for affective film experience.

Prof. Dr. Robert Sinnerbrink from Macquarie University Sydney will address precisely this differentiation in his lecture “Affect, Mood and Atmosphere: A Contribution to Cinematic Aesthetics”. He is particularly interested in examining both the differences and the connections between the concepts of affect, mood and atmosphere and demonstrating that there are two different meanings for both affect and the concept of mood, which make it difficult to theorize these phenomena. The concept of atmosphere, understood as “spatial feelings” (Hermann Schmitz), offers a way of articulating the intercorporeally shared, sensually perceived, expressive “presence” of things, spaces and others, which is experienced through the body (“Leib” or felt body).

Sinnerbrink turns to the German term Stimmung, which is often translated as mood in English, but whose meanings also include attunement, resonance and expression, to present a conceptualization of mood and atmosphere. The aim is to show how these two terms refer to overlapping yet distinct aspects of aesthetic experience. Based on this distinction, it will be argued that affects, moods and atmospheres can be understood as “three dimensions” of cinematic world-making, corresponding to 1) bodily-subjective affects, 2) world-making/background-enveloping moods, and 3) work/world-related atmospheres.

We are pleased to welcome Robert Sinnerbrink to Potsdam in cooperation with the newly launched ERC-Starting Grant research project CATNEMI (Cinematic Atmospheres: Towards a New Ecology of the Moving Image) at the Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF and to immerse ourselves with him in the broad field of atmospheric research.

The lecture (45 min.) and the Q&A session (approx. 15 min.) will be held in English.
We kindly ask for prior registration at .
Participation is also possible via Zoom.

Organization:
Dr. Steffen Hven, ERC-Starting Grant Forschungsprojekt CATNEMI (Cinematic Atmospheres: Towards a New Ecology of the Moving Image), Film University Babelsberg KONRAD WOLF
Prof. Dr. Jens Eder (Film UniversityBabelsberg KONRAD WOLF)
Lucia Wiedergrün (Europe University Viadrina Frankfurt/Oder)
Dr. Maximilian Gregor Hepach (University Potsdam)

Funded by the ZeM – Brandenburg Center for Media Studies