Joker, Todd Phillips released 2019 

Mise-en-scene is everything that you see in the frame of the camera, this can include the lighting, placement of characters, colours / costume and symmetry. This scene is from the key part in the middle of the movie where the joker starts the uprising after killing three men on the train. I chose this scene because of the variety of different elements that were used to capture this one scene. The first main element that stood out is the lighting, this is because the dim warm colored light gives and eerie sensation and adds more intensity to already action-packed scene, it also creates harsh shadows that make the scene appear bolder and more dramatic. Another element is the character placements in the scene, the Joker is much taller in the scene which shows his authority and power, while the man is on the floor crawling which makes him seem weak and helpless. They are both at an equal distance away from the camera which makes the audience look at both characters which signifies both of their importance in the scene.  

Colours signify a lot in this film, for example in this scene it is primarily red which shows how evil the joker is. It also makes the joker stand out in this scene since he is just a shadow figure which gives him a more sinister look. The red lights beaming at the audience makes the color the focus of the scene which also makes the evil and blood the color could represent feel unavoidable, it is also the only light in the scene which highlights its importance, it also depicts how the joker is heading down a villainous root that he can’t return from. 

Composition plays a big part in this scene because all the props, colours and characters complement each other well. The background of the scene is red and the joker (which is standing in the center) is also red .All the background characters are faded, this causes the joker to stand out, furthermore the light reflecting from the movie makes him appear brighter and more colorful which draws the audience attention to him. Everything in the scene fits together well, which turns it into a memorable scene, it is also showing its importance. 

The makeup in this scene is particularly important and represents the whole scene. The standard clown makeup the joker normally wears is smudged which shows how great the impact of the crash was, it also represents society at the time since everyone was rioting and was falling apart. The use of blood to fix his clown makeup adds gore which reminds the audience about who the joker is and what he represents. You can also see people in the background with similar makeup to the joker which shows the revolution he is starting and how important the makeup is. 

Costuming in this scene highlights how the scene is only in Arthur’s head, this is because Arthur and everyone else round him are all wearing formal clothing which we know is not normal for Arthur to wear since he cannot afford it. It also shows how Arthur views himself now, which is sophisticated and not much different from the rest of society other than his laugh. The blue colours he is wearing make him blend in with everyone instead of sticking out, which is important since it shows how he just wants to ‘belong’ with everyone. The blue could also represent his calm personality at the time and how outspoken he is because he is wearing a muted blue. The people around him are also wearing similar clothing to him like dark colored suits or polo shirts, this represents the class division in the movie where the rich are unaware of the poor and all the rich people are alike. 

The use of location filming in this scene gives the audience a visual depiction of the city of goth ham that the movie is set in. It also allows the audience to see how large the city is and how dull the atmosphere feels. The road down the middle of the scene makes the image look more symmetrical and it could also show the divide between the rich and the poor. The taller buildings in the background line up so the highest points are in the center which draws the audience into the middle of the scene. This adds height to the scene which helps make it look less flat and more realistic for the audience. 

The props in this scene are laid out towards the front, this makes them obvious and noticeable to the audience especially because of their brighter colours. The broken sign placed Infront of Arthur shows physically how he is feeling since the sign was important to him and his job. The overflowing garbage and the trash on the floor make the scene dirtier and shows how terrible the conditions of the city are especially for the lower class. 

Joker – Mise En Scene  

In the scene below of Arthur and Murray at the talk show studio, Mise En Scene can be seen through this scene very well. For example, the use of makeup for Arthur. You can clearly see that the makeup shows the joker and represent who the joker is. The use of costume is well represented as you can see the iconic suit for the joker- the use of yellow and red could connote clown and how Arthur used to work as a clown. Furthermore, the way the Murray has been dressed it shows that he is more professional and cleaner and takes his job very serious. The set design is of Murrays studio for his talk show. From the props being used like desk and chairs, you can tell that it is an interview for a talk show. The backdrop of the city is made to look like you are in a building and outside is this amazing view whereas it isn’t. You can easily tell that this has been created by people however it looks very similar to other famous talk shows which shows us that this part of the movie is quite relatable for people as many people might watch talk shows. In the scene you can see that there is space but not much. Most of the space has been filled with props like furniture for the show e.g., sofa, desk a few plants, a small table. Is this scene you can see that Murray franklin is Infront of the others telling us that he is the host but also making him seem more superior and more powerful in this moment. In this scene the lighting is high key lighting suggest that the talk show will be a comedy, and it bring a happy and upbeat mood however all the other scenes in joker the lighting is low key suggest the film is quite dark and the genre is more of a thriller and crime movie. The composition of this scene is quite balanced. You can see why the director may have chosen to film this scene from the angle and view it show who is superior and who is he guests. The aspect ratio of this scene shows that the way this has been filmed is a widescreen, this helps to capture the whole scene and shows the essence that the scene is trying to prove. The film stock has been shot in colour which really help to understand outfit choices and lighting, perhaps that why they chose to make the joker suit red and orange. Red could connote death and blood but also danger.  

In this scene it captures one of the main mise en scene categories, makeup. On his face he has been painted in white and there is red strike splattered on him from when was killing his friend. The use of red blood shows danger, blood and death. It helps emphasises what has just happened in the scene before. Normally the colour white connotes cleanness and innocence. However, most of the white face paint has been covered in red which could imply that Arthur is no longer innocent and clean. The might make the audience start to realise that he is turning into the joker.  

In the scene where he is applying his make up the lighting used is very low-key lighting this could suggest to the audience that the film is very dark, and the genre of the film is thriller and crime. The low-key lighting helps emphasises that Arthur is very depressed and sad and that he perhaps views his life as a sad, dark place. The depressing light is the starting to show how the joker is quite depressed which shows the audience that this film is about him being quite sad. 

In the Scene of the interview with Murry, the set design being used is of a studio. I like this seen for the set design because it looked very real. On the right there is a camera showing that this interview is being filmed. It looks like the set design has been made and built as it would be hard to find a place to use to film this seen, especially with a shooting seen. I really liked the use of props like a desk, sofa and table- this made the seen come alive as it looked very verisimilitude. This helps the audience to feel like that this will being a real interview even though they know something will happened at any time.  

The use of costume in this seen shows that there is a bit of happiness in the scene. We can see that Arthur is dressed in bright colour and is dancing for the children at the hospital. Through this scene you can see that Arthur seems to be innocent and is just trying to make the children smile by being a clown, however this contrast of how is normally. The scene might show the audience that he has a slight bit of innocent and wants to make those kids happy.  

In this scene, Arthur has just been fired from his job and is leaving the premises of his job. The tight and dirty space kind of represents Arthur as he is in a tight living crisis as he can’t afford many things and lives in an old apartment. This might make the viewer feel bad for him as that is how he lives.  There isn’t much in this scene except for some stairs and a sign that say, “don’t Forget to Smile”. However, Arthur rubs out forget to which starts to show his true joker self.  

The composition in Joker shows the arrangement of lighting, for example in the scene where Arthur is performing to be like a comedian. The lighting he is being used to make it look like he is on the stage with all the lights on him. The blurry background almost make it seem overwhelming for Arthur and it is quite hard trying to be a comedian. As the audience it makes you feel quite sorry for Arthur as it must be hard to be a comedian.  

Aspect ratio in this scene is used to create a tight space, in this scene the kitchen is quite messy showing that the joker is messy. This might show the audience that Arthur is quite enclosed and has not have the power to be more open and perhaps keeping his feeling quite close to him.  

In this scene Arthur Fleck was just mugged by kids in the street and brutally beaten up. The frame of the camera is effective as I makes the audience feel as if they are peeping around the corner to see Arthur. This is also a wide angle shot to she the depression and gloom to emphasise the emotion of Arthur at that moment in time.

This still shot of when Arthur Fleck had fully transformed into Joker makes his costumes and makeup stand out for the audience. The lighting in this scene is also very affective as it is dark around Joker with a bright lift light shining on his head to show the makeup and costume he is wearing. It also shows his facial expression clearly with a look of deep meaning. As the back drop is plane it makes Joker stand out for the viewer.

With this shot has an unbalanced scene with loads of the same colour in one. The composition helps the viewer understand who the directors want people to concentrate on. The Joker in the foreground is clear and easy to see for the audience. Whereas the rioters in Joker masks are blurred out so that we focus on the Joker apposed to the rioters.

Film Stock and Aspect Ratio

The aspect ratio of a film is how the scene is shot. If it is a western for example, then the scene would be a wide angled shot to show the vastness of the landscape. If the scene is in a lift or a tight space then the shot of the camera will be tall and narrow to make the scene claustrophobic and small.

I really love the look of this scene because I think that the lighting in it looks really great. I like how the spotlight is on Fleck even though he is still behind the curtain in Murray’s studio before the interview. Furthermore, I love the look of the colourful curtains against how shadowed Fleck is and how it shines into backstage.

I like this reveal of Fleck’s new hair, makeup and clothes. I think that it is really fitting to do this in a dingy lift with the light flickering and a sad look on his face, which could hint to the deteriorating state of Fleck’s mental health after he killed someone he knew. Additionally, he was planning on taking his life on Murray’s show, where he was heading.

The set design in this scene reflects the disorder that is going on outside the building; the neat, high society looking building contrasts the riots happening in the city. This is really important to show the class divide in the film because people are killing each other and rioting violently outside the building, while these rich people are watching films, something not accessible for a lot of civilians, and not caring about their struggles. Moreover, I think that it is shot in a way that demonstrates this because Fleck is right in the centre of a completely symmetrical shot, which contrasts the discourse and violence happening outside.

I like the way Fleck feels really out of place in this scene because of his costume. I think that this works really well against the luxurious marble walls and brightly coloured flowers in the background, as well as how it contrasts Thomas Wayne’s suit. Similar to the set design showing the class divide in the city, I think this also does a good job at showing the class divide but a bit more personally.

This scene is filmed with a wide aspect ratio to show a lot of the mental hospital in the shot. This gives the viewer a deeper look into the world, and I think it contributes to the worldbuilding of Gotham City as you are able to see a wide view of the hospital as well as a bit of the cityscape.

I like the composition of this shot, as I think it looks really good with Fleck looking through the mirror at the words written with makeup off to the right side of the shot.

I like the over the shoulder shot here as it clearly shows Fleck’s expression, while covering the space of the rest of the shot. It also shows that he is having a conversation with someone, but not doing regular shots in front of his face.

Movie: Joker  

Director: Todd Phillips 

I have chosen this scene from the joker because I think the mise en scene really stands out. The director has chosen to use composition, as you can see the Joker is a vivid image and is in the foreground of the shot. However, the two police officers are blurred but you and just about still see their figures at the top of the staircase. This draws attention to the audience as it expands their viewing of the scene as the focus is on the Joker until the unfocused figures of the police offices appear in the background. The relationship between the costume and the stairs makes the iconic outfit stand out. The dull background of the stairs makes the joker in the foreground pop. 

This scene shows the make-up aspect of mise en scene. As the joker is in the reflection of the mirror you can see him doing his make-up. In this scene he is getting ready to do his original clown job on the streets. Seeing him do his make-up in the opening scene will create an impact on the audience as it reflects on how he looks in his iconic costume.  

The lighting is this scene shows several different types of creativeness. The lighting has both high key and low-key features. The main lights are off, but the above lighting is shining brightly down on Authur. The stage lights shining down is causing a shadow effect onto the black wall. This shows us he is the main subject of the scene.  

This scene is in Murray’s studio. In this moment we are waiting for the Joker to out from the wings. The set design is very over the top and has high key lighting. You can tell the set is a tv because of the stage lights, the sofas and the vast number of cameras on set. The audience also helps to create the atmosphere of a tv show.  

This scene is near the end after he has shot Murray. This scene represents makeup for a mise en scene aspect. The face paint around his mouth is originally red however, this time he is using blood to draw the smile. This shows the Jokers evil behaviour.  

Todd Philips has a wide range of aspect ratio in this shot. This wide shot shows the amount of people who disliked Murray as they are all cheering for the Joker because he shot him. The wide shot encourages the audience to look around New York city and see how busy it is and how many people follow the Joker. 

The film stock has used a grain over the scene to give it an eerie feel to it. This scene is with his therapist, and they are talking about his problems. The grain shows that this isn’t a positive scene between Arthur and his therapist.