Definition December 2024 - Web

JOKER: FOLIE Á DEUX PRODUCTION

They weren’t travelling light on lenses, with the team utilising a wide variety of glass from different manufacturers to create the film’s distinctive look. Many of the same lenses were used on the first film, with a few additions for Folie à Deux including the MasterBuilt Ultra65, which are designed for delivering vintage- style images through large format cinematography. Other hero lenses included 58mm NIKKOR 213s, 35mm ZEISS Compact Primes, DNA LFs, Leica macros and Vintage 765s from ARRI Rental. Sher’s camera rental house of choice, Otto Nemenz, also built a set of Hasselblad lenses – branded Ottoblads – which he describes as ‘beautiful’. This buffet of lenses gave Sher maximum flexibility to switch between intimate close-ups and expansive wide shots. Much of the final third of the film takes place in a courtroom, as Arthur Fleck stands trial, representing himself in the form of the Joker. The approach to these scenes, particularly for Gary Puddles’ moving testimony, was centred on using camera movement to reflect emotional shifts within the scene. For most of the courtroom sequences, the camera is steady, with actors in one place – “the witness and attorneys stand still and the judge is always in a fixed seat,” says Sher – allowing for precise

scene’s emotional arc, producing one of the film’s most effective sequences.

ONER TO REMEMBER? When asked to pick a visual moment from Folie à Deux that stands out, Sher cites a later shot that appears to be a single take. While avoiding spoilers, he explains, “We did this shot that I hope people believe was one continuous take. To the audience, it had to feel like one shot. That was fun and challenging because it allowed us to construct something driven purely by emotional intent. We wanted to stay with Arthur a moment and explore, ‘What if we never left him?’ Instead of cutting to a wide shot to show where he is, we stay with him as he moves around, gets into a car and eventually runs away. “Even experienced filmmakers have reached out and asked, ‘How did you do that? Was that really one shot?’” laughs Sher. “Todd and I never do flashy things just for the sake of it. It’s always about intent: what we think the audience should feel and what serves the story. When we designed this six-minute shot that never cuts, I didn’t want the audience to just think, ‘Wow, look at that!’ but instead wonder, ‘Wait, did that cut? If not, how did they do it?’ That’s the fun part!”

LENS FRENZY The variety of glass the crew had on hand enabled easy style switching

framing and composition. This structure mirrors the controlled environment of a courtroom, but when Arthur takes on the persona of a theatrical Southern lawyer, the dynamic shifts. Here, a Steadicam introduced a sense of ‘chaos and loss of control’, swirling around the character to visually represent the spiralling tension. That freedom of movement contrasts with the earlier fixed shots, building up intensity as the camera captures the unravelling of the moment. As the scene progresses, it transitions into more tight close-ups, culminating in the poignant moment when Gary confronts Arthur with the line, ‘this isn’t you’. The evolution in camera language – fluid, chaotic motion versus closer, intimate shots – tracks the

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