《心灵奇旅》的多模态话语主题分析

ChapterOneIntroductionThischapterwillfocusontheresearchbackgroundandobjectives,withdifferentexplanationsprovidedtomakethebeginningofthearticlemoreclear.1.1ResearchbackgroundWiththerapiddevelopmentofmultimediatechnology,film,asanartformintegratingvisual,auditoryandtextualforms,hasreceivedmoreandmoreattentionfromacademicsintermsofitspresentationandcommunicationeffects.MultimodalDiscourseAnalysis(MDA),asanemergingresearchmethod,aimsatexploringhowdifferentmodalitiesworktogethertoconstructandconveymeaning.Inrecentyears,thismethodhasbeenwidelyusedintheanalysisofvariousliteraryworks,providingnewperspectivesandpathsforfilmstudies.Asahighlyanticipatedanimatedfilm,JourneyofSoulsconveystotheaudienceaprofoundreflectiononlife,dreamsandhappinessthroughthestoryofthemaincharacterJoey,whoaccidentallyentersthe‘spiritualworld’whilepursuinghismusicaldreamsandre-examiningthevalueoflife.Themultimodalelementsinthefilm,suchasbeautifulvisuals,movingmusic,andphilosophicaldialogue,togetherformafascinatingartworld.Thispaperaimstofillthisresearchgapbyprovidinginsightsintohowthethreemodesofvisual,auditoryandliteraryinteractinthenovelthroughtheMDAsoastojointlyconveythethemesandemotionsofthefilm.ThisstudynotonlycontributestoadeeperunderstandingofthespecificworkofJourneyofSouls,butalsoprovidesnewcasesandperspectivesforMDAoffilms.1.2ResearchObjectiveIntoday’seraofmultimediaconvergence,film,asanartformthatintegratesvarioussymbolicresourcessuchasimage,sound,andtext,hasbecomeincreasinglycomplexanddiverseinthewayitconveysandreceivesmeaning.MDA,asanemergingresearchparadigm,aimstorevealtheinteractionsandsynergisticmechanismsofdifferentmodalitiesinmeaningconstructionandcommunication.ThispaperselectsJourneyofSoulsasaresearchobject,aimingtoexplorehowthefilmconstructsitsuniquenarrativestyleandprofoundthematicconnotationthroughin-depthMDAandthesynergisticeffectofmultimodality.Firstly,thisstudyaimstorevealthenarrativefunctionandemotionalexpressionofvisualmoodinJourneyofSouls.Byanalyzingvisualelementssuchascomposition,useofcolour,charactermovementsandexpressionsinthefilm,itexploreshowthesevisualelementsworktogethertoconveythefilm’smeaningandtheirroleinbuildingthefilm’snarrativerhythmandemotionalatmosphere.Finally,thisstudywillfocusontheuniqueroleofsoundandmusicalformationsintheJourneyoftheSoul.Byanalyzingtheauralelementsofdialogue,narrative,soundeffects,andmusicinthefilm,itwillexplorehowtheseelementsenhancethenarrativeeffectofthefilmandtheiruniquecontributioninconveyingthefilm’sthemesandemotions.Inconclusion,thisstudyaimstorevealhowJourneyofSoulsconstructsitsuniquenarrativestyleandprofoundthematicconnotationsthroughanin-depthMDAbymeansofthesynergisticeffectsofmultiplemodalitiessuchasimage,soundanddiscourse.Thisstudynotonlyhelpstodeepentheunderstandingofthefilm’smultimodaldiscoursecharacteristics,butalsoprovidesusefulreferencesandinsightsforthefilm’sproductionanddistribution.1.3OutlineoftheStudyThispapertakesthefilmjourneyofthesoulastheresearchobject,andusesMDAtoexplorethefilmindepth.ThefullpaperisdividedintofourpartsThefirstchapteristheintroduction.Firstofall,thispaperexpoundstheresearchbackground,andthenexplainsthepurposeoftheresearch,thatis,throughtheanalysisoftheMultimodalDiscourseofjourneyofthesoul,revealsitsdeepmeaningconstructionandemotionaltransmission.Finally,itintroducesthestructureofthepaperandclarifiestheresearchcontext.ThesecondchapterfocusesontheconceptandliteraturereviewofMultimodalDiscourseandMDA.ReviewtheresearchresultsofMDAinmanyfieldsathomeandabroad.Thethirdchapteristhecoreofthepaper,usingMDAtoanalyzethefilm.Thispaperfirstbrieflyintroducesthestorycontentandthemesofjourneyofthesoul,andthenmakesasystematicdiscussionfromthethreedimensionsofvisualmode,musicmodeandlanguagemode.Intermsofvisualmode,itanalyzestheideographicfunctionofelementssuchascolorandpicturecomposition;Musicmodefocusesonthecooperationofmusic,soundeffectandplot;Languagemodalityanalyzesthemeaningexpressionoflanguageformssuchassubtitles.Thelastchaptermakesacomprehensivesummaryofthispaper,summarizestheresearchresults,expoundstheinnovationandlimitationsoftheresearch,andtelevisionresearchinthefuture,soastoprovidereferenceforsubsequentresearch.

ChapterTwoLiteratureReviewThischapterfocusesonthefieldofMultimodalDiscourse,deeplyexplainsthemeaningofMultimodalDiscourse,andanalyzesitsrichconnotation.Atthesametime,itcomprehensivelyintroducestheapplicationofMDAinvariousfieldsathomeandabroad,andcombsthedevelopmenttrackofthetheoryfromgerminationtomaturityunderthetimebackground.2.1MultimodalDiscourseandMultimodalDiscourseAnalysisThischapterwillsystematicallyanddeeplyfocusonthecoreconceptsandtheoreticalconnotationofMultimodalDiscourse,andcomprehensivelyrevealtheessentialcharacteristicsofMultimodalDiscoursebytracingthedevelopmentofMultimodalDiscoursetheory,analyzingitsmultiplecomponents,andcombininginterdisciplinaryperspectivessuchaslinguistics,semiotics,andcommunication.2.1.1TheconceptofMultimodalDiscourseMultimodaldiscourse,asanimportantresearchobjectinthecrossfieldofcontemporarylinguisticsandcommunication,isakindofcompoundmeaningexpressionformintegratingmultiplesymbolicmodessuchastext,image,sound,action,color,spatiallayout,etc.Thisconceptwasfirstdevelopedfromthetheoryofsocialsemiotics,whichbroketheresearchparadigmoftraditionallinguistics,andrevealedthathumancommunicationisessentiallyaprocessofcooperativeoperationofmultiplesymbolicresources.IntheMultimodalDiscoursesystem,eachsymbolicmodehasitsuniqueideographicfunctionandgrammaticalrules.Theimagemodebuildsthesituationalatmospherethroughtheconcretevisualelements,thesoundmodeusesintonation,rhythmandsoundeffectstoenhanceemotionalresonance,andtheactionmodeusesbodylanguagetoconveyattitudeandintention.Thesesymbolicmodesdonotexistinisolation,butrealizetheconstructionofmeaningthroughmultipleinteractiverelationshipssuchascomplementarity,reinforcement,substitutionandcontradiction.2.1.2TheconceptofMultimodalDiscourseAnalysisMultimodalDiscourseAnalysisisacomprehensiveanalysismethodthatnotonlystudieslanguageitself,butalsoconsidersmultiplemodalitiessuchasimages,sounds,andactionstocomprehensivelyanddeeplyrevealthemeaningandfunctionofdiscourse.Itemphasizesthesynergisticeffectoflanguageandothersymbolsystemsincommunication,focusesonhowmultiplesymbolresourcescomplementeachotherandjointlyachievecommunicationgoals,andbelievesthatvarioussymbolresourceshaveequalstatusinconstructingmeaningandachievingcommunicationgoals.Atpresent,theapplicationofMultimodalDiscourseAnalysisinfilmhasbeenwidelyapplied,andthetheory,MultidimensionalAnalysisandresearchcontinuetodeepen.Inthewidelyusedtheory,moviesaretypicalMultimodalDiscoursesthatuseauditoryandvisualresourcestocommunicatewithaudiencesthroughvariousmeanssuchaslanguage,images,andsound.IntheMultidimensionalAnalysis,MDAcoversmultipledimensions.Fromtheperspectiveofimages,thispaperanalyzeshowlenscomposition,colormatching,characterexpressionandactionconveyinformationandemotion;Fromasoundperspective,studyhowbackgroundmusic,characterdialogue,environmentalsoundeffects,etc.Itcanenhancetheatmosphereandpromotethedevelopmentoftheplot;fromalinguisticperspective,exploretheroleofdialogueexpressionandsubtitlepresentationinunderstandingthefilm.Today’sresearchcontinuestodeepen,withthedevelopmentofmultimediatechnology,multimodalelementsinmoviesarebecomingincreasinglyrich,andrelatedresearchisalsoconstantlydeepening.Scholarsnotonlyfocusontheroleofindividualmodalities,butalsopayattentiontothecollaborativecooperationanddynamicinteractionbetweendifferentmodalities,aswellashowtheyjointlyconstructtheoverallmeaningandaestheticeffectofthefilm.Atthesametime,withthehelpofcomputer-aidedanalysistoolsandothertechnologicalmeans,theanalysisofMultimodalDiscourseinmoviesismoreaccurateandcomprehensive.2.2PreviousStudiesonMultimodalDiscourseAnalysisatAbroadandHomeAsanimportantfieldofinterdisciplinaryresearch,theacademicgenealogyofMDAbetracedbacktothe1970s.Asapioneerscholarinthisfield,FrenchscholarRolandBarthes,asearlyas1977,deeplyanalyzedthemechanismofmeaningconstructionbetweenvisualsymbolsandlinguisticsystemsinhisseminalpaperTheRhetoricofImages.Kress&Leeuwen(2001)describeitasamixtureofcommunicationmodessuchassounds,images,textsandcolours.Onthisbasis,HodgeandKress(1988),relyingonthetheoreticalframeworkofM.A.K.Halliday’ssystemicfunctionallinguistics,pioneeredtheexpansionofthedimensionofsemioticresearchtotwo-dimensionalspaceintheirco-authoredSocialSemiotics,layinganimportantfoundationforsubsequentresearch.Twobookshavemarkedtheestablishmentofthisfield:O’Toole(1990),theLanguageofDisplayedArtandKress&Leeuwen(2006)ReadingImages.TheformerappliesFunctionalLinguisticstoartanalysis,whilethelatterprovidesuswithasystematicandcomprehensiveaccountofthegrammarofvisualdesign.Inthesetwobooks,thesecondbookReadingImageshashadaprofoundinfluenceonpeople’sresearchinMDA.IntheirbookKressandVanLeeuwenhavestudiedtheformalelementsandstructuresofvisualdesignincludingcomposition,gaze,perspective,framingandcolortoinvestigatethewaysinwhichimagescommunicatemeaning.Withthecontinuousimprovementofthetheoreticalsystem,Halliday(1985)pointedoutthattextordiscourseisapragmaticunit,meaningisnotonlyexpressedthroughlanguage.Halliday(2000)takeslanguageasasocialsemioticresourceforconveyingmeaningratherthanjustacodeoraseriesoffixedrulesunderwhichcorrectsentencesareconstructed.Theresearchintheearly21stcenturyshowsadiversifieddevelopmenttrend.KressandVanLeeuwen’sworkaboutvisualimagewhichisbasedonsocialsemioticinherworkSocialSemiotictoMultimodalDiscourse(2002).O’Halloran(2004)extendstheresearchfieldofviewtothemathematicalsymbolsystem.O’Tooleappliedthetheoryofsystemicfunctionallinguisticstothefieldofart,paintingandarchitecturein1994,whoanalyzedthemodesinfilmsin2004andestablishedadetailedframeworkformultimodalanalysisoffilms,Thisarticlewillalsousemultimodaldiscourseanalysistoanalyzethefilm;Baldry’sdevelopmentoftheConcordancingMethodsystempioneereddynamiccorpusanalysis.BaldryandThibaultanalyzedthediscoursecollectedfromadvertisementsandwebsitesin2006.O’Toole’sexplorationoftheinteractiveinterfaceoftheCD-ROM,andBaldryandThibault’s(2006)semioticdeconstructionofnewtypesoftextssuchaswebpagesandadvertisements,marktheextensionoftheresearchcentreofgravitytothethree-dimensionaldynamicspaceExtension.Afterwards,Caballeros(2014)examinedthecombinationoflanguage,images,andsoundstoexploretelevisionmetaphors.CapleandKnox(2015)presentedaframeworkforthemultimodalanalysisofonlinenews.In2010,Kressdiscussedtherelationshipbetweenmultimodalityandsocialculture.O’Halloran(2012)developsasoftwarewhichsucceedsinrealizingtheanalysesoftextualfeaturesandmeaning,whoindeedmakesgreatcontributionstothedevelopmentofthestudyofMDA.KodakandOtieno(2017)investigatetelevisionadvertisementsfromtheperspectiveofvisualmodeandverbalmodeincludinggesture,gaze,image,musicinordertocreativelyapplymultimodality.Katarina(2021)usedaudioandvideodatatostudygroupcommunication,showinghowtocombinepositioningtheorytoanalyzeamultimodalperspective.AttaouiaIkhlefandZahraMustafaAwad(2023),theirstudyspecificallyfocusesonH&M’sclothingpostssharedonFacebook,aimingtoexploretheinfluenceofgenderontheutilizationofsymbolicpatternsinsuchadvertisements.Itisnoteworthythattheinnovationofdigitaltechnologyhasspawnedthetransformationofresearchparadigms.ComparedwiththefruitfulresearchresultsintheWesternacademiccircles,China’sexplorationinthisfieldstartedrelativelylate.LiZhanzifirstsystematicallytranslatedKressetal’stheoryofsocialsemioticsin(2003),andalthoughthevisualanalysisframeworkheconstructeddidnotimmediatelyattractwidespreadattention,itsowedtheseedofideasforlocalresearch.Afterseveralyearsofaccumulation,ZhuYongsheng(2007)definedthecoreconceptofMultimodalDiscoursefromthemetatheoreticallevel,whileZhangDelu(2007)proposedafive-dimensionalanalyticalmodelbasedonthesystemic-functionalsyntaxthatincludestheculturalcontext,themedialayer,andtheformallayer,etc.Hedeeplyidentifiestheessentialdifferencebetweenmultimodalsemioticsandmultimediasemiotics.FengDezheng(2017)systematicallycategorizedthefundamentalaspectsofmultimodalresearchandidentifiedfuturedirectionsforMDA.AccordingtoXinZhiying(2008),inMultimodalDiscourse,languageandothersymbolicresourcescoexistandjointlyconstructmeaning.Atthelevelofappliedresearch,Chinesescholarsshowaclearpracticalorientation.Theinnovationofresearchmethodsisparticularlyprominent,WangLong(2020)usedMDAtoclarifythePowerofWar,revealinghowvariousmodalsymbolscollaboratetoachievethematicmeaninginvideos.YangMingfeng’s(2022)MDAofthedocumentaryBeautifulChinahasmadesignificantcontributionstotheadvancementofresearchonenvironmentalprotection.LanJie(2023)conductedanMDAonChengdu’sexternalpublicityshortvideos,specificallyfocusingonthesocialandculturalfactorsthatinfluencethediscourse.SpecialattentionwasgiventotheendearingcommunicationmodalitydepictedinChinesecityimagery.Theseexplorationsnotonlydeepenthetheoreticalknowledge,butalsopromotethepracticalapplicationofmultimodalanalysisinthefieldsofeducationaltechnologyandmediadesign.Currently,thefieldisundergoingaparadigmshiftfromstaticanalysistodynamicparsing,fromtwo-dimensionalplanetothree-dimensionalspace,andfromsinglemodalitytocross-mediasynergy.Withthedeepinterventionofartificialintelligenceandvirtualrealitytechnology,thetheoreticaltoolsandresearchmethodsofMDAwillcontinuetoinnovate,providinganewcognitivedimensionforunderstandingthesymbolicrepresentationmechanisminthedigitalera.Chapter3AnalysisofJourneyoftheSoul’sMultimodalDiscourseThemeThischaptermainlytellsaboutPixaranimatedfilmjourneyofsoul.StartingfromMDA,thefilmskillfullyintegratesmusic,image,soundandotherforms,settingamodelfortheresearchandcreationofanimatedfilms,andguidingustothinkdeeplyaboutthevalueoflife.3.1BasicSituationofJourneyoftheSoulInthebrightstarryskyofanimatedfilms,JourneyoftheSoulisundoubtedlyadazzlingstar,attractingtheattentionofglobalaudienceswithitsuniqueartisticcharmandprofoundthematicconnotations.Thisfantasyanimationmasterpiece,jointlyproducedbyTheWaltDisneyCompanyandPixarAnimationStudios,andco-directedbyPeteDoggettandKipPowers,hasgainedwidespreadloveandacclaimeversinceitwaslaunchedonstreamingDisneyinNorthAmericaon25thDecember2020andreleasedinmainlandChinaonthesameday.ThefilmhaswonmanyawardsincludingBestAnimatedFeatureatthe78thGoldenGlobeAwardsandBestAnimatedFeatureatthe48thAnimatedAnnieAwardsforitsexcellentproductionstandardsandprofoundthematicreflections,andhasgrossedasmuchasUS$121millionattheglobalboxoffice,makingitaclassicinthefieldofanimatedfilms.JourneyoftheSoulfollowstheextraordinaryjourneyofhighschoolmusicteacherJoeyGauntner.Joeyisanartistwithaburningdreamforjazz,andheaspirestoshowcasehistalentinhigh-endjazzclubs.However,fateplaysacrueljokeonhimjustasheisabouttogethisdreamperformanceopportunity.Anaccidentbringshisbodytothebrinkofdeath,andhissoulblundersintoamysteriousandfantasticalrealm-‘theplacewherelifecomesfrom’.Thisisastrangeplacebeyondtheeverydayhumanexperience,aplacewhereallsoulsresideandpreparebeforedescendingtoEarth.Here,eachsoulmustfinditsown’sparkinordertoqualifyforthejourneytoEarthandthebeginningoflife.Joeymeets22,alonely,precociousandmisanthropicsoulinthiswonderfulplace.Theirdestiniesarethusintertwined,andtheyembarkonanamazingjourneytoreturntoEarthandexplorelife.Duringthisjourney,theyre-examineandreconstructthevalueandmeaningoftheirownexistence,andgainadeeperunderstandingandappreciationoflife.FromtheperspectiveofMDA,JourneyoftheSoulisundoubtedlyasubtleworkofart.Themultimodalitiesofmusic,imageandsoundinthefilmintertwineandcomplementeachother,togetherconstructingarichandthree-dimensionalnarrativespace.Musicisanessentialsoullanguageinthefilm.Jazzmusic,whichJoeyloves,isusedthroughoutthefilmandbecomesakeymodalityindrivingtheplotandconveyingemotions.Inthefilm,themelodyofjazzmusicrisesandfallswiththechangesoftheplot.WhenJoeypassionatelyintroducesjazztohisstudentsinclass,thebrightrhythmandcheerfulmelodyseemtotellofhisloveandpersistenceformusic;whenhethinksofplayingonthestageofajazzclub,themusicbecomessoothingandmelodious,outlininghisinnerlonginganddesire.InWhereLifeComesFrom,themusicindifferentscenesisalsodistinctive,fromthelightandlivelymusicoflearning,fullofcuriosityandexploration,tothetenseandurgentmusicofexploration,whichcreatesasenseofadventureandexcitement.Thesemusicalelementsnotonlyenrichthenarrativelevelofthefilm,butalsogivetheaudienceamoreimmersiveexperienceduringtheviewingprocess.Themodalityoftheimagesinthefilmisalsoamasterpieceofart.FromthehustleandbustleofNewYorkCitytothefantasyof‘WhereLifeComesFrom’,everyframeisaworkofart.ThestreetsofNewYorkarecolourfulanddetailed,withskyscrapers,trafficandcrowds,showingtheenergyandfireworksoftherealworld.WhereLifeComesFrom,ontheotherhand,isfullofimaginationandcreativity,withlittleblueandgreensoulsplayinginavarietyofclassroomstyles,brightandwhimsicalcoloursthroughoutthespace,andfuturisticanddreamydesignsforthebuildingsandscenes.DuringJoeyand22’sadventures,thecompositionanddetailingoftheimagesarealsoverycarefullyhandled.Whetherit’sthedynamicimageswhentheyruninthespiritworld,orthesoftandwarmimageswhentheytakeamomenttofeelthebeautifulmomentsintheirlives,allofthemdelicatelycapturethosesmallblessingsthatcanbeeasilyoverlooked,allowingtheaudiencetofeelmorewarmthandtouchingintheprocessofwatchingthefilm.Soundeffectsalsoplayanintegralroleinthefilm.Inconjunctionwiththemusicandimages,thesoundeffectsworktogethertocreateanimmersiveviewingenvironment.Intherealworld,ambientsoundeffectssuchasthenoiseofthecity,theroaroftheunderground,andthesoundofpeopletalkingmaketheaudiencefeeltherealatmosphereoflife.InWhereLifeComesFrom,theuniquesounddesignaddsmoremysteriouscolourstothisfantasyworld.Thesoundeffectsgeneratedbythemovementandcollisionofthesouls,aswellasthesoundsofvariousstrangecreaturesandscenes,maketheaudiencefeelasiftheyareinabrandnewworld.Insomekeyscenes,soundeffectsareusedtogreateffect.Forexample,whenJoeyfinallygetsonthejazzstageandstartstoplay,theaudience’sastonishment,applauseandtheresonanceoftheinstrumentsareinterwoventogethertopushtheatmospheretoaclimax,lettingtheaudiencedeeplyfeeltheexcitementandjoyoftherealisationoftheirdreams.Inadditiontomusic,imagesandsoundeffects,thenarrativerhythmofJourneyoftheSoulalsoembodiestheessenceofMDA.Thefilmswitchesbackandforthbetweentherealworldandtheplacewherewecamefrom,andthisrhythmiccontrolmakesthestoryfulloftension.Intheplotoftherealworld,thepaceistightandfast,showingJoey’seagerpursuitofhisdreamandthebusynessandpressureoflife;whileintheplotof‘WhereLifeComesFrom’,thepaceisrelativelysoothingandrelaxing,withmoreemphasisonexploringtheworldofthesoulandportrayingtheinnerlifeofthecharacters.Thiscombinationoffastandslownarrativerhythmnotonlyavoidsaudiencefatigue,butalsomakesthewholestorymorefascinatingandexciting.Tosumup,JourneyoftheSoultellsamovingstoryaboutdreams,lifeandself-knowledgethroughthesubtlefusionofmusic,images,soundandothermodes,aswellastheskilfulcontrolofthenarrativerhythm.Itnotonlybringstheaudienceanultimatevisualandauditoryenjoyment,butalsoleadspeopletothinkdeeplyaboutthemeaningoflifeafterwatchingthefilm.Thefilmprovesthatanimationisnotjustapieceofentertainmentforchildren,butalsoanartformthatcancarrydeepthoughtsandemotionsandtouchpeople’sheartsthroughMultimodalDiscourse.Inthefutureoffilmcreationandresearch,JourneyoftheSoulundoubtedlyprovidesuswithanexcellentexample.ItshowsusthegreatpotentialofMDAininterpretingtheconnotationoffilmsandenhancingtheirartisticvalue.Throughin-depthanalysisoftheMultimodalDiscourseelementsinthisfilm,wecanbetterunderstandhowthefilmconstructsnarrativespaceandconveysemotionsandinformationthroughtheinterweavingandcomplementingofdifferentmodes.Atthesametime,wecanalsolearnfromthesuccessfulexperienceofthisfilmandpaymoreattentiontotheuseandinnovationofMultimodalDiscourseinourfuturefilmcreations,soastocreatemoreexcellentfilmswithprofoundthoughtsandemotionalconnotations.3.2JourneyoftheSoul’sVisualModalAnalysisAsananimatedfilmwithgreatdepthandconnotation,JourneyoftheSoulbuildsaworldoffantasyandrealitybyvirtueofitsuniquevisualmodality,guidingtheaudiencetothinkdeeplyaboutthemeaningoflife.Theanalysisofvisualmodalityintermsofvisualsymbols,composition,colourandotheraspectscanhelpusbetterunderstandthenarrative,themeexpressionandartisticvalueofthefilm.Thevisualsymbolsinthefilmarerichandmeaningful.Thedesignofthecharacterimageisveryingenious.Theprotagonist,Joey,isamusicteacherinordinaryclothesandfulloflifeintherealworld,andhisimagerepresentsordinarypeoplewithdreamsinordinarylife;whileinthesoulworld,hissoulformhassimplelines,formingauniquevisualcontrastwiththesurroundingenvironment,whichsymbolisesthepurityofthesoulandthetruestateofthesoulthathasnotbeencompletelysculptedbytheworld.Theuniquedesignof22,thesoulcharacter,matchestherebelliousandconfusedcharacter,andconveysthecorecharacteristicsofthecharacterthroughthevisualimage.Thefilmalsousesalotofsymbols,suchasthetwinklingstarsthatsymbolisethe“spark”ofthesoulin“WhereLifeComesFrom”,whichisavisualisationofthepassionandmeaningoflife,guidingtheprotagonistandtheaudiencetoexplorethetruemeaningoflife.Theuseofcoloursisoneofthehighlightsofthefilm’svisualmodality,andthemixingandconversionofdifferentcoloursconveysrichemotionsandthematicconnotations.Therealworldisdominatedbywarmcolours,andwarmcolourssuchasyellowandorangecreatewarmthandvitalityinlife,symbolisingtheloveoflifeandapositiveattitude.Forexample,thewarmlightsinJoey’shouseandthebustlingshopsignsonthestreetexudethefireworksoflife.Andtheworldofsoulsisdominatedbythecolourblue,whichrepresentsmystery,theunknownandthepurityofthesoul,instarkcontrasttotherealworld.In‘TheRealmofForgetfulness’,thedarkbluebackgroundismatchedwithapinkboat.Thestrongcontrastbetweencoldandwarmcolourscreatesanatmosphereoflossandfear,whilethewarmthofthepinkboatsymboliseshopeandguidance,suggestingthatonecanfindthedirectionoflifeeveninthemidstofconfusion.Throughtheuseofsubtlevisualmodes,JourneyoftheSoulperfectlyblendsthefantasyworldofthesoulwithreallife,andconveysaprofoundphilosophyoflifethroughauniquevisualnarrativeapproach.Fromthedesignofvisualsymbols,thelayoutofthecomposition,thedeploymentofcolourstotheuseofcameralanguage,eachvisualelementiscloselycoordinated,togethershapingafilmworldfullofimaginationandclosetolife,triggeringtheaudience’sdeepthinkingaboutthemeaningoflifeandthevalueoflife,showingtheuniqueartisticcharmandstrongnarrativeabilityofanimationfilms.3.2.1ColorApplicationandEmotionalExpressionInthefantasyworldconstructedbythefilmJourneyoftheSoul,colour,asapowerfulvisualmodality,isnotonlyavisualfeast,butalsoakeyelementofnarrativeandideology,profoundlydrivingthestoryandconveyingthefilm’scoretheme.Inthefilm,thecoloursoftherealworldandtheworldofthesoulareinsharpcontrast.InFigure1,therealworldisdominatedbywarmcolours,withwarmyellow,orangeandredoutliningthevitalityandlifeofthestreetsofNewYork.Theshopsignsattheendofthestreet,thebustlingcrowdsandthewarmlightsofJoey’shome,thewarmcoloursrendertherealityandwarmthoflife,representingtheloveoflifeandapositiveattitude,lettingtheaudiencefeel