Film Analyses #1
The film opening of Joker, a psychological thriller, is made in a way that the setting around him has a connection with the character. The film is about a man who is a clown and a stand-up comedian who suffers from a neurological disorder which causes to uncontrollable laughter at unsuitable situations.
The film opening starts with a shot of the 'joker' getting ready and the sound of tv news in the background. Moreover, there are background noises like people laughing which shows how he is seen by the people around him. The over the shoulder shot of joker where he is sitting there alone shows how he is separated from everyone else around him and trying to have a conversation with himself. Different type of close ups of the joker are seen revealing how he is trying to bring a smile on his face but is a lonely sad person inside.
A dramatic music is played as the scene changes and a busy American street is shown. Diegetic Sound is used: sound of piano, sound of cars, sound of people walking and talking which shows us how everyone is busy in their lives. The setting and environment is shown in static shots too to show the busy city life and the main character in it pretending to fit in the society. Opening sequence is shown in sans serif and decorative font which shows modern era. The font is in yellow color which represents insanity.
A ground level angle showing his feet and a static shots are shown to call attention to how he is dancing to the music and playing with his banner which clearly indicate that he is pretending to be a different person.
Match cuts can be seen when he is dancing to the music as different close-ups and mid-shots are shown of the actor. There are dynamic cuts and the music starts flaying fast as soon the young boys come and takes his banner. Very long shots of the four of them running on the road are seen with a lot match cuts. We can hear the joker shouting and running in between the cars showing how desperately he wants his banner back. This terrifying and painful scene actually describes what the whole movie is about.
A very long shot is taken when some of the bully hits the banner in her face and he falls. In this scene, the dutch angle is also used to magnify tension when the bullies are hitting the character.
The bullies leaves after hurting him. No one comes to save him which shows he is not accepted by the society and people don't really care about people like him. The camera movement Push out is used here of the joker. By using this camera movement, the focus is only the joker and his broken banner to emphasize on their importance. It is showing how the joker is lonely and no-one is there to help him.
His body language tells us how hopeless he must be feeling. A loud sad and depressing music plays in the background which goes perfectly with the situation.
The title of the movie 'JOKER' appears in a basic sans serif arial bold font at the end.
