A Study on the Narrative Style of Environmental Space in the Films Directed by Jia Zhangke From the Perspective of Still Life

Abstract

The film is a kind of art characterized by combination of time and space. In the film, environment refers to the space with certain functions and it contains certain prescription and specific timeliness. Environments in the film include the natural environment and social environment and have various kinds of functions, in which narrativity is one of the important functions. Environment in the film not only is the background of the film story, but also can promote the development of the plot and deepen the theme in some films indeed. As the representative figure of the sixth-generation directors in China, Jia Zhangke’s unique visual language expression and film space narrative application have become the unique style and achievement in the film directing field of the world. Mountains May Depart, released in 2015, caused widespread concern in the world and gained high praise continuously after releasing. Meanwhile, creation of visual effect and application of space environment in Mountains May Depart completely adopted those in his another representative film Still Life. Environments in Still Life are of great significance due to their particularity and fully reflect the narrative function of the film environment.

In Still Life, narrative functions of the film environments are mainly reflected in these three aspects, namely, the environment is regarded as the structure principle of the film narrative; the environment is the basis for shaping personal character and emotion; and in some plot and shot of the film, the environment is used for foiling the key person so as to emphasize the narrative function of the environmental scenery. In the film, the environment plays a role in the narrative of the film by means of above three aspects, and thereby achieving to promote the development of the plot and deepen the theme of the film eventually. The film is not only an art combining space and time, but also an art combining sound and pictures. When we study the narrative functions of the environments in the film from the perspective of audio-visual language of the film, we will find the skills of environment narrative functions in the film. Example by Still Life, both unique application of the long take and the scenery shot and adding to various ambient sounds enhance the narrative function of the environment in the Still Life. In this paper, the author will study the unique space environment narrative style of Jia Zhangke through above aspects related to Still Life.