The Cinematic Vision of Wong Kar-wai: Semiotic Multimodal Filmic Analysis

The study builds on Bateman and Schmidt’s (2011) seminal research on film as a form of
“cinematographic document”. The study applies a multimodality framework for a fine-grained analysis of
Wong Kar-wai’s key films: In the Mood for Love, Days of Being Wild, 2046, The Grand Master and
Chungking Express. A stratified semiotic model applied to the films explore the syntagmatic
configurations of filmic units through shot-by-shot analysis of the case studies. The research design
employs extensive corpus of data coupled with rigorous annotation of filmic units and detailed analysis of
paradigmatic systems. The study argues that the interaction of robust multimodal resources, well-defined
analytic units, based on dependable models, and conducted through a discursive process should all be
aligned to produce meaningful filmic discourse. The study premised on the assumption that film is more
than a “self-enclosed signification system” but a crucial “cultural practice” that “reflect and inflect
culture.” This view underscores the importance and interactivity of cinema, culture and society.
The study contributes to filmic meaning making, the New Hong Kong Cinema, and finally, the study
invariably serves as a form of “social document” or “cultural artifacts” in its exploration of Hong Kong
ever changing identity, culture and moods.