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.  

ELEMENTS OF MISE-EN-SCENE IN JOKER (2019)

Lighting

In this shot, the light from the fridge acts as a key light, casting light on Arthur’s scrawny physique. The dark room is illuminated solely by the blue light from the fridge, creating a dark, uncomfortable atmosphere. The room is in low key light, making the scene more dramatic. This scene succeeds the scene where Arthur finds out he is adopted, so the dark and blue also help build a tragic, depressing atmosphere.

Space

This shot utilises space to show the relationship between the clowns at the office. None of the clowns are close together despite the size of the room. The room also features a lot of empty space, creating a dull atmosphere in the shot.

Composition

This shot of Arthur attempting a performance at the comedy club is a good example of composition in the film. The lamps and people in the foreground are out of focus, making the audience focus on Arthur on stage. The people in the foreground are also silhouetted, creating the sense that you are in the club with them watching Arthur mess up his show.

Hair + Makeup

In this scene, Arthur is opening the door for two of his old co-workers midway through putting on makeup. His face is halfway through the clown make up process, giving him a patchy white face, which unnerves the viewer. His hair is freshly dyed green as well, making Arthur look unnatural and not human. It also represents where Arthur is in his character arc, as he is not yet the homicidal maniac in full makeup he is at the end, but no longer the anxious man just trying to scrape by in life like he was at the beginning.

Costume

The Stairway Dance scene is a great example of how costume is used in this movie. First there is Arthur in his full “Joker” persona’s outfit. It is wild and colourful and extravagant: there’s a lot going on, from the warm colours on his overcoat and waistcoat, to the decorated shirt, and the full clown makeup and green hair. He stands out and is very easily seen as eccentric. Meanwhile the detectives attempting to book him for the murders of the men on the train are in much more standard and boring clothing. Brown and blue coats, plain white shirts, ties: they resemble the men on the subway. They are dull and like everyone else, and Arthur’s outfit contrasts them by being loud and noteworthy.

 Aspect Ratio

Joker is usually shot in 1.85:1, giving the shots of the grimy Gotham streets more focus and importance. The above shot, for example, shows off the grimy streets of Gotham, showing the rubbish, the homeless, the sporadically placed cars etc. The wider aspect ratio is also useful in closeups as it gives us a better look at the actor’s facial expressions and movements.

However, for the scenes showing the Live With Murray Franklin program, the aspect ratio is shrunk to 1.33:1, making those shots feel like you’re watching them on an old CRT screen, thus putting you in the shoes of somebody watching the show, not a movie.

Film Stock

The camera in Joker is very sharp. The shots are very clear, and the camera shows detail as well as it can. Take the shot above: You can see Arthur’s face in extreme detail; the viewer can see the white makeup fading away, the smudging of the eye makeup, the lines in his face formed by his grin, the light reflecting off his hair. It’s a clear picture that shows a lot of subtle detail. Even the shine on the side of the police car and the reflection of the neon lights in the window are shown in a very high quality. However, similar to the aspect ratio, I love the changes made to the film during the Live With Murray Franklin segments.

Like how the aspect ratio was shrunk to simulate a CRT, a grain is added to the camera, these bars across the screen, as well as dampening the colours, to further emulate the style of an old TV set. This definitely adds to the impact of this intra-diegetic shot, as you are made to feel like you are watching this live on TV, not as part of a movie. It puts you in the shoes of the people in Gotham who have watched this beloved figure get murdered live on air. I love this detail of the CRT Franklin segments, as it adds some individuality and unique style to the film.

Example that uses all elements of Mise En Scene well

This scene/shot, which takes place directly after Arthur kills the ‘three wall street guys’ (as they are called in the film), is when Arthur flees into a dingily lit bathroom and melancholically slow dances to a moving score of cellos. The lighting within this scene is low key, which is most likely used to add to the dark mood of the scene. As I said earlier, the score accompanying this scene is very simplistic, with just a cello playing long drawn-out notes. This is once again to add to the poignancy and dark mood of the scene. In terms of composition, Arthur’s reflection is in focus, where his actual self is not. This may symbolise him seeing himself as this new persona of the Joker. Another element of the shot that may support this is the space of the scene, and where his real self and his reflection are positioned. His reflection is in the background, with Arthur, in the foreground, out of focus, looking upon it. This once again tells us that he is realizing that he is becoming something new, something that may gain him recognition in his world, which throughout the film he constantly craves. Furthermore, his pose is one of triumph, with his arms spread out, as if he’s receiving applause. This once again supports that he feels like the killing of these men is perhaps the first meaningful thing he’s done in his life. His costume and makeup are another element that symbolises his transition into the Joker persona, as compared to his makeup and red suit in the stair scene, and the last act of the film, his outfit and makeup here are partially complete and unfinished, showing he has not fully transformed into this joker persona.

Set Design

I think this shot is one of the best examples of Set Design throughout the film. It is taken from the scene in which Arthur is stalking the woman who lives in his apartment block. The things it does well in terms of Set Design is that it establishes a real sense of verisimilitude, as it is not only the real-world location of William St. in Manhattan, but the features that the Production Designer has assumingly chosen, the lack of lighting, the damage on the building, really pushes home the message that this city is uncared for, and unloved.

Costume

Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker wears an outfit that still calls back to the Jokers of old, whilst bringing a uniqueness to the character, which this film, and Joaquin’s performance, perfectly does. Within in the film, Arthur’s outfit and appearance are one of the major visual tools which signify his transformation from the mentally ill Arthur Fleck to the maniacal symbol of the riots as the Joker. The costume consists of a red suit, a mustard waistcoat, and a blueish-green button-down shirt. He wears his peak lapel suit undone, which could perhaps signify his mental state.

Lighting

This shot uses lighting in an interesting way, as within the shot there are three different colours/types of lighting. The first and most eye-catching to the audience is the bright, white light shining down on Arthur as he writes his stand-up material. This probably used to bring Arthur’s frail body to attention and re-emphasise the poor physical condition he is in. The other types of lighting are blue neon light in Arthur’s kitchen, and an almost orange light coming through his window assumingly from the street. The use of these lights is up for interpretation, but I think they have been used to show the rundown state of Arthur’s home and the orange street may be used to foreshadow the rioting that will happen later in the film.

Space

Spacing is used effectively in this shot to show how, not only Arthur is disconnected from his fellow employees, but how they are disconnected from each other. This is shown by Arthur being isolated from the rest workers, but also the workers are spaced out from one another implying that they do not have any close connections with one another, which reinforces this theme of the city being rundown, and in a depressive state.  

Composition

In this shot, which takes place during the scene in which Arthur flees from the police officers on the subway station, the director unbalances the shot to bring the clown mask into focus, with the chaos of the mob beating up the police officers ensuing in the background, out of focus. The composition of this shot, I think, is trying to portray to the viewer the power that this clown movement can cause to society, which foreshadows the rioting that this movement will carry out later in the film. It also reinforces the idea of Arthur being the unknowing leader of this movement and how his actions, namely shooting Murray, a man in a position of power, lead to the climax of the film and the riots.

Hair and Make-up

Arthur’s ‘Joker’ makeup is the most obvious thing to talk about in terms of makeup, and that’s because it shows the audience so much. It shows us Arthur’s acceptance of this Joker persona, and that he now feels like he is finally his true self within society. The imagery of the clown makeup/mask that Arthur wears is that it hides his mental illness/inner struggle, which is why whenever we see Arthur as this Joker persona, he is much more confident.

Film Stock

The movie uses a grainier film stock throughout, to perhaps portray and build the atmosphere of this rundown city, which could reflect the state of Arthur’s mind and life.

Critical score: 7/10  

I personally really enjoyed this movie as it was great at portraying the mental health issues the main character (Arthur) was dealing with as the contrast between scenes was very noticeable and impactful. For example, some scenes seemed more calm and almost eerie as they were slow-moving compared to some of his more hectic and rapid scenes, making Arthur seem out of control and manic in some cases making it scary for the audience as we don’t know what he will do next but it also allows the audience to make their own assumptions about what the Joker is capable of.  

Memorable scene: In my opinion this movie had a lot of amazing scenes, however my favourite scene was the staircase scene when Arthur was first introduced to the audience as the “Joker”. I enjoyed this scene because it was a huge contrast to the first time we saw him on the same staircase (gloomy and dark) contrasting with the ‘iconic’ staircase scene with the Joker looking happier (singing, dancing and bright colours).