Abstract

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Title:: Recording and Changing the Society with Movie Wisdom: The Emerging Avant-garde Director Wang Jing’s Movie Theory

Keywords:: Wang Jing’s movies; realism; dramaticity; commercial elements; authorial style

Abstract:: Movies made by Wang Jing, a Chinese emerging avant-garde director, are mainly small and medium sized in terms of theme as well as investment. His works focus on social reality, reflecting people’s aspirations and concerns in their daily life through employing the realistic creation techniques. In terms of narrative strategy, he prefers to reduce the complicated story to its essence and strengthen the dramatic settings. In terms of characterization, his works feature not only the sketches of people in social groups but also the detailed descriptions of female individuals. In terms of artistic devices, he combines commercial elements with his personal style, trying to strike a balance between commercial pursuits and artistic achievements. Therefore, while Wang’s movies have their cultural values, they are facing an enormous marketing bottleneck.