Joker – Mise en Scene 

I selected this moment from Joker (Phillips, 2019), to show how mise en scene can be utilised in film. It is set in the last segment of the film, just before chaos is unleashed, misleading the audience into believing that things will go right this time. 

1) This scene was shot in a built set, in the frame there are colourful curtains and vanity lights in the background, the camera clearly focused on Arthur Fleck who is in the centre of the shot holding a cigarette. His serious demeanor and dark appearance, being dimly lit in comparison to the surroundings, stands out; this indicates to the audience that something awful is about to happen, wherever he goes he brings a darkness with him. 

2) In this scene I find that the makeup is coinciding with the transformative aspect of Arthur’s character and physical appearance from the beginning of the film to the end. This scene is shown at the beginning of the film, showing how he goes from Arthur to ‘Joker’, and as the film progresses his personality and behaviour becomes more impulsive and bolder, lashing out in fits of casual violence. For the audience, the makeup can show that he’s finally coming into his own skin and embracing his nature, when the makeup is on, he gains a surge of confidence in his actions, an example of this would be during the talk show scene with Murray, Arthur simply shoots him on camera. 

3) This scene shows the audience a good usage of location filming, as well as giving us an infamous scene which will forever be associated with that location. West 167^th Street Step Stairs in the Bronx (New York) was used to film this scene, adding authenticity to the scene, and the film overall even though this world is fictional. For the audience, it could convey a realistic tone to the film, especially if they’re from that area, keeping them drawn into the storyline. Filming this stairs scene in the Joker in a real location, not a studio, successfully portrayed authenticity and a ‘too-close-to-home’ feeling for a portion of the viewers. 

4) Using a wide shot, the camera is unsteady, moving slowly as if it’s a person watching Arthur, effectively making the audience feel like they’re in the room with him. It’s unnerving to watch as Arthur lethargically empties the fridge, followed by crawling into the newly vacated space himself. Additionally, the perspective is shot just outside the room he is in, indicated by the doorframe obstructing the sides of the frame.  

5) The costuming in this scene purposely highlights the growing riots in Gotham city; The crowds all wearing the same clown mask, unionizing the hatred towards the overprivileged rich population of Gotham. Another thing to point out is that Arthur stands out especially, bright red suit jacket in the centre of the shot as he’s running away from the police, a costuming design choice made to highlight that Arthur does stand out amongst the general population, even out of his joker attire he stands out as a person. 

6) The set dressing in this scene shows the stark contrast between Arthur and everyone else; he doesn’t belong there. In the frame here is him and his mother, he is a looming presence even though he’s looking after her, the pink floral wallpaper and the warm lighting is nothing like him at all – it’s his mother’s space. This sense of exclusion is a common theme throughout the film, driving home the point that Arthur does not belong, and he comes to accept that in the end. 

7) In the opening chase scene there is a good use of sound effects in the background, this was made using sound stages. As Arthur is chasing down the group of teenagers who stole his sign, there can be taxis honking and V-8 engines heard blaring in the background, stacking onto the adrenaline in the scene, making the audience get a better understanding of how he is feeling.