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ANALYSIS: JOKER

Todd Phillips’ “Joker” is a cinematic masterpiece with exquisite cinematography, music, editing and colour. The four strongest elements of mise-en-scene in this film layer and merge together to create a stunning film with the most use of dichotomy of any film made in 2019. Joker also remains to be one of the most impressive films made in that year, with its constant dichotomy of emotion and tone, as well as leaving the question in the audience’s mind of whether Arthur, the main character, is a protagonist gone wrong or an antagonist in the making.

Right off the bat the tracking shots of the actors running across the street are so fluid and work so well to establish an initial fast paced action scene; this combined with the zooming out of the camera as we move away from the main character on the ground makes for an impressive start to the film, camera-wise. This continues as we see stunning shots with a shallow depth of field, making it so that although Arthur’s face is a tiny proportion of the frame, we are drawn to him and see the weariness on his face as he continues through his day.

Throughout the film, the cinematography does well to emulate the feeling of Arthur being trapped, whilst simultaneously implying that he should be in prison – we see him at work through bars, and then through a wire fence; being shielded from him in this way is eerily similar to visiting someone or seeing them through bars of a cell. In addition, during one scene in the latter half of the film, Arthur is behind a screen facing a clerk, which recalls back to these earlier scenes where he has been shielded from people, perhaps for their safety. However, in this scene his erratic performance adds to the feeling that he should be imprisoned, as this combined with the purposeful framing of the shot suggests that the clerk requires protection from him through a physical barrier. During this half of the film, we are also introduced to Arthur’s more vulnerable side where he either is freely allowed to express himself or we as an audience are given a more personal connection to him, where we understand his backstory and the events leading up to his life in the present day. This is highlighted through handheld camera shots, to perhaps break down the barrier of formal, rigid filming to soften the audience’s perception of him and, again, enhanced by his performance, we are shown these moments where we are free to make our own judgements of him. On the other hand, this type of camera technique is also used during moments where we are supposed to be scared of him or are shown the uglier side of his personality, where his horrifying actions truly come to light, for example, when he first creates this “Joker” persona at his stand-up comedy performance, just after committing his first crime. In this way, Todd Phillips’ decisions to place these events right after each other are imperative in creating the dichotomy that truly brings this whole film to light; the audience are in a near-constant conflict of trying to feel empathy for him and his tragic life, but at the same time feeling disgusted or horrified by his crimes. This dichotomy is very cleverly navigated using handheld camera shots and purposefully planting the idea of Arthur being a threat to people by shielding him from both the audience’s view and other characters’ view.

Music in the film is entirely erratic, and is heard both in a parallel way and a contrapuntal way. For example, the very beginning of the film gives us low and melancholy strings, which, after viewing the exposition and understanding the state of Gotham, is extremely parallel to the tone of the film at that moment. This music becomes loud and ominous as Arthur discovers the cause for his trauma and uncovers lies that he has been told his entire life, heightening the feeling of betrayal we feel second-hand to, as an audience. The music is then intermittent throughout the film’s climax, playing aggressively and loudly over sharp flashbacks to earlier; these editing decisions work well to create an uneasy atmosphere and thus makes the music parallel to the situation. Sound in this way is imperative in subtly and then slowly very obviously hinting to the audience that Arthur has become delusional. This is further explored as a much unexpected end to the music happens when Arthur appears on television to admit to his crimes and deliver his admissions in a terrifyingly calm manner. The audience is pulled into one side of the conflict where we are scared of him, and as the film nears to its end, the most surprising use of upbeat, contrapuntal music accompanies imagery of riots and fires. This is eventually replaced by the solemn strings heard in the beginning, to bring us full circle audibly; however, the damage has been done, and the sharp changes in music from being upbeat, happy and extremely out of place, to devastatingly melancholy brings the audience on an unpredictable audio ride that truly makes way for the madness of Arthur’s mental descent.

In an entirely different way, colour in “Joker” has been used to set the tone for the film and symbolise where it is that Arthur feels he is able to be himself, or when he truly feels comfortable with his feelings – for majority of the film’s locations, Arthur is shrouded in cool colours, with the only warm lighting being when he is with his mother or in his family home, i.e. a place he is comfortable in. Phillips’ seems to draw parallels between Arthur’s face paint and the lighting, as there are many blue, red and bright white hues used to match his clown paint. This could perhaps be symbolic of Arthur’s slow descent into madness that matches the riots and unrest in Gotham, as well as suggesting that Arthur’s influence through his crimes have bled into the city. We as an audience are again faced with a juxtaposition – on the one hand, we see Arthur’s mental health deteriorate and are subtly aware of it through the cool blue and white hues in the locations he visits, but we are also faced with the warm yellows of his apartment building where we are confronted with the proof that he is a kind soul and cares immensely for his mother. This kind of dichotomy is a constant battle for the audience, through camerawork and elements of mise-en-scene that blend together to come back to the enigma code we are presented with through most of the film (bar the ending where we are forced to accept one of these options as being true): is Arthur a protagonist gone wrong, or an antagonist in the making?

As mentioned in the exploration of the elements of this film that have worked together, dichotomy is the most prevalent concept that Phillips’ seems to want his audience to be left with: put simply, do we feel sorry for him because of the circumstances he is in/has been forced into? Or do we accept that his mental health has deteriorated but he is a true antagonist who wants nothing more than to wreak havoc in his city? A complex blend of nature vs. nurture, it is difficult to place the blame of his crimes onto Arthur without acknowledging that his mental well-being has been disregarded by his counsellor, his city and his mother. We are constantly, as an audience, viewing Arthur from afar, the camera being concealed by furniture or physical barriers, as if to say we should be afraid of him and what he has become. But we are also given moments where the narrative has unfolded so that we cannot help but feel sorrow at the state of his life – flashbacks and his own discoveries about the circumstances in which he grew up truly are an eye opener into how people are abandoned by their societies, and how people who have the power to help them turn a blind eye, as if they do not even exist within their bubble .This film truly draws on some parallels about mental health, public services and what is being done by higher powers for the lower classes and those less fortunate. The dichotomy is incredibly important, as it teaches us that we should never assume human beings to be simple, but that there are a huge amount of factors that contribute to how people become who they are, whether they be deemed significant and important, or whether they be inferior and thus “jokers” or the laughing stock of society.

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COMPARISON: KIKI’S DELIVERY SERVICE & UP

“Kiki’s Delivery Service,” was directed by Hayao Miyazaki, animated by Studio Ghibli and released in 1989. It is a story about Kiki, a witch who uses her ability to fly to make deliveries to people in her city. “Up,” was directed by Pete Docter and Bob Peterson, animated by Pixar Animation Studios and released in 2009. It is a story about Carl Fredricksen, an elderly man who wants to fulfil his dream of flying his house away by tying thousands of balloons to it. Different animation studios have certain styles and thus have different impacts – Japanese animation studios such as Studio Ghibli make films that are more event-driven and make the audience think about the themes more than the motivations of the character; whereas American animation studios such as Pixar Animation Studios make films that are more character-driven to make the audience relate to the character and feel more connected to them. 

 American and Japanese animations differ in the way that they are made to contribute to the overall style of different countries’ production companies. Kiki’s Delivery Service was made using the meticulous hand-drawn style that is commonly attributed to Studio Ghibli. Hand drawn animation is intricate and time-consuming, but incredible to watch onscreen – every stroke and line is thought out and makes the audience feel whisked away to a different time and place as a form of escapism. This effect is known to Studio Ghibli as their films have a very deliberate style to appeal to the audience through visuals – in Kiki’s Delivery Service, the extreme long shots of when Kiki is flying and the softened, tranquil-looking town is picturesque and eases the audience into the world of characters. 

 On the other hand, American animation studios such as Pixar choose to use computer animation for their films (for example, Up), which has a different impact to Studio Ghibli films. Computer animation is faster and allows for more fine detail, such as individual hairs or small details that would be otherwise difficult to reproduce in a lot of shots. It also impacts the audience as it makes them feel like there is strong verisimilitude within the world of the characters – the details make the film seem realistic, as if the characters could be in the world of the audience, making them want to watch it more. In comparison to Studio Ghibli’s hand drawn style, Pixar’s computer animation has a different impact but still manages to draw in its audience in a different way.

 Characters in Japanese animation compared to American animation contrast in their motivations and character development - characters in Japanese animations tend to be less developed and rather go on journeys to learn lessons, whereas characters in American animations tend to be more wholly developed and are given ample opportunity to pull at the heartstrings of the audience through backstory and their reactions to change and events in the film. Pixar, for example, with the film “Up” do this very well – the main protagonist, Carl, in the very beginnings of the film already develops through a flashback that presents the audience with majority of Carl’s life with his wife, Ellie, who passes away.

 This touching assortment of mini scenes allows the audience access to a range of emotions felt by Carl, that many of the audience themselves may have felt, over a long period of time. Carl is presented as a loving, patient man who devoted his life to his bubbly, energetic wife, Ellie, until she passes away and he retreats into himself. Carl seems to represent a range of negative emotions through the film, such as anger, grief and sadness but eventually seems to radiate love and affection at the very end towards his new, albeit unusual family. Pixar as an animation studio ensure that the audience are left with an overwhelming understanding of the character’s motivations and get them to see the journey that the character goes on – particularly, in this case, of how to love and enjoy life after facing obstacles such as grief and sadness.

On the other hand, Japanese animation tends be less about the character themselves and more about the themes and how they relate to the creation of these themes, an example being Kiki’s Delivery Service. The film is about coming of age and gaining independence, as well as stamina and the challenges of growing up. Kiki is presented as a plucky young girl, who is thrust into the world of employment and self-reliance – although she is admirable for her stamina in the face of adversity, she is not particularly as relatable as other characters, as the audience probably would not relate to being a teen witch forced to get a job and live in a whole new town alone. She seems to symbolise hope and courage as she continues on with working and living, and does seem to represent the unease that comes with given big decisions at a young age, like many young people in the audience who may be watching. However, she does not necessarily develop much over a period of time – she does overcome the obstacle of being unable to fly, but that is entirely event driven as she does so to help someone rather than for her own needs. In this way, she is the same at the beginning of the film as she is at the end, and this therefore portrays her as undeveloped in comparison to, for example, Carl Fredricksen from Pixar’s “Up.”

As previously mentioned, a major difference between the different countries’ animation styles/studios is that Japanese animation seems to be event driven whereas American animation seems more character driven. For instance, a major plot device in Up is the flashback at the very beginning explaining the life (and death) of Carl’s wife Ellie and how his life played out after meeting her, and thus the audience are already given a huge insight into the character’s feelings and motivations which go on to push the narrative forward. The narrative begins fairly slow – with majority of the action happening in short bursts (for example, Carl’s backstory being revealed, Russell joining him in the house and them arriving in South America) and then an intense ending to round it off. It does not fully adhere to the Three Act Structure, although it does seem like it – the flashback at the very beginning is not necessarily the exposition, as it simply provides context about the character without adding anything to the narrative or setting anything up for the conflict later on. 

On the other hand, Kiki’s Delivery Service is event driven – the film is dictated by what happens to Kiki rather than what Kiki wants to do or how she feels; the audience also gets practically no backstory of how she came to be in the town she lives in or where she lived before she moved and are left with many enigma codes about her as a character that are only balanced by the consistently moving narrative.  The narrative has a faster pace overall, as different events push the action to happen, such as Kiki hanging out with Tombo or being suddenly unable to fly. The action happens over the course of the film, evidencing the idea that Japanese animation is event driven rather than character driven. The film and other films similar to it follows the Three Act Structure well as we are presented with exposition (Kiki starting a delivery business in her new town), conflict (Kiki going through a depressive episode where she is unable to fly and cannot understand Jiji anymore) and resolution (where Kiki saves her friend in an accident and regains her confidence in flying).

Themes are slightly differentiated between Japanese animation and American animation. In American animation, thematically, the film is about finding familial love and enjoying life again after dealing with grief and sadness; this is not entirely a juxtaposition of Kiki’s Delivery Service which has themes of growing up and maturing into an adult as well as independence and friendship. Although these are similar themes, the Japanese animation seems to be more subtle in the way they go about presenting it, and the American animation seems to be obvious in explicitly portraying these ideas. Kiki’s Delivery Service impacts a younger audience by pushing the message of believing in yourself and your abilities, and strikes an older audience with its messages of how difficult growing up can be and the moral dilemma of sticking with doing something you love when you lose the energy or ability for it. Up seems to have themes of isolation (physically and emotionally) and of the known, conventional themes of friendship and love through the way Carl creates a small family within the people he becomes stuck with in this flying house. The main messages of the film seems to be to surround yourself with people you love and learning to cope with sadness. The environments in both films are different, and have different effects on the audiences - in Up, the environment is seemingly isolating with Carl being established as a lonely protagonist, and his surroundings (his own home, his town, the mountain he ends up on) are all quiet and unassuming. This affects the audience as it makes the bond between the audience and the characters stronger - they feel empathy for Carl and develop a bond with him as they know he is lonely, and they find excitement in characters that appear later such as Russell and Dug, as they provide some comfort and friendship. In contrast, the environment in Kiki's Delivery Service is much more homely and people-oriented, thus making the audience feel comfortable and at ease; they feel this as although Kiki struggles to make more than one friend to begin with, she has a steady friendship with Osono and a loyal companion in Jiji, who understands her when no one else does (and vice versa). These constants in terms of companions and friends (and the bustling town Kiki flies over/travels through) are contrasting of the loneliness that Carl feels in Up, and has an altogether different effect on the audience - it makes them feel at ease as Kiki is not isolated or alone. 

Overall, having discussed both films, it can be said that Japanese and American animation studios have a huge impact on their respective audiences but are extremely different in the way they are viewed – Japanese animation seems to be more event driven and have subtler themes to teach a lesson whereas American animation is character driven and try to make the audience connect with the character.

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ANALYSIS: THE HUNGER GAMES - How are micro elements used in the reaping scene to present Katniss and District 12 to the audience?

Within the reaping scene of The Hunger Games, micro elements of film have been woven together in order to portray two main themes to us as an audience: Katniss as a hero, and Ditrict 12 as being subdued through oppression.  The idea of the reaping itself reeks of institutionalised oppression, and is reflected at face value by costuming and lighting choices. All members of District 12 wear similar clothing (bland, faded and pastel shades) to reflect their lack of power in contrast to the gaudily dressed Effie Trinket who holds a powerful influence over them as a resident of the Capitol. This division is clear through the bright purples of Effie’s costume to contrast the washed out clothing of District 12. The binary opposition of wealth vs. poverty is painfully clear and also seems to symbolise the wearing down of the people - if they cannot express themselves in through their clothing, how can they be expected to express themselves in their actions? Effie’s garish clothing and over-the-top personality bears a striking contrast to the passivity and submission of residents of District 12, thus portraying them as oppressed, as not a single resident (bar Katniss) truly stands up to her or is defiant in any way. Residents of District 12 through the almost clinical procedure of registering with guards in orderly lines prefer to accept their fate and do nothing to rebel, highlighting their submissive natures and the hold the Capitol have over them. It is almost as if they are experiments, used and abused by the Capitol for their own selfish gain, which is extremely evident through lighting choices; harsh, artificial lighting makes District 12 look like a concentration camp: unnaturally sterilised and prison-like in its ambience. The overwhelmingly high key lighting is harsh on the eyes, and suggests an almost torturous atmosphere to the audience, thus clearly portraying District 12 as being oppressed by the Capitol.  The presentation of District 12 residents as oppressed and passive does remarkably well, as a result, in portraying Katniss to be a hero, through her sacrifice in volunteering as a tribute in place of her sister Prim. Various micro-elements do well to aid this effect - though the extremely high key lighting mentioned earlier makes the District 12 residents look oppressed, it elevates the audience’s views on Katniss as a protagonist and makes her look heroic; we see her as courageous and honest, both qualities that increase our support for her as our protagonist. The lack of shadowing on her face makes us believe she is volunteering out of her overwhelming love for Prim, as she does not seem to be hiding anything from us. Performance plays a huge part in this scene in portraying Katniss as a hero, as much of our assumptions about her come from the way she reacts to Prim being picked as a tribute. Seeing Prim walk up to the stage triggers a surge of emotion within Katniss, and we see her physically try to stop Prim, resulting at least four guards trying to hold her back. The determination with which she tries to push her way to Prim and the anger with which she says, “I volunteer as tribute,” clearly highlights her as a hero to the audience as this raw emotion comes through as meaningful and honest. The use of handheld camera as Katniss looks out into the crows implies she is beginning to understand the repercussions of her actions as she starts to feel nervous and intimidated. This realisation and display of pure human emotion makes the audience feel empathy for her, as she tries to come to terms with how much her life is about to change, the fact that she feels nervous but hasn’t gone back on her choice or said anything that suggests regret makes her look like a genuinely heroic person and sister. Moreover, the fact that she looks straight at the crowd and not up or down suggests she is brave and is willing to do what it takes to protect her sister, thus again reinforcing the idea that she is a hero through her unwavering love for her sister and her actions as a result. Overall, the reaping scene is significant in presenting District 12 as powerless and oppressed and Katniss as a heroic protagonist through the combination of micro elements such as performance, lighting and costume. These elements imply the inferiority of District 12 to the audience and create empathy for Katniss as a character whilst also portraying her as a hero.