Genre Research: Joker

       For the final film I decided to analyze is the movie Joker. Joker is a film that came out in 2019 and follows the backstory of DC villain, The Joker. The movie was produced by Todd Phillips, Warner Brothers, and DC Comics. The film was a drama-crime thriller since most of the movie was about the psychology and mind of how a man became a ruthless villain. The film was part of the Batman Universe, guaranteeing success, resulting in over a billion dollars at the box office. The film was a dramatic-crime which is different than most DC Comics films but was emotional for a thriller.

        The camera work on this film was well. This was mostly a drama in my mind so there were some but no too many intense action scenes. Most shots were medium but some low angles, pans, eye-level, and many close shots were used. The close shots were used to show emotion, such as looking sadly out a window. Reaction scenes were shown a lot especially since the Joker had a laughing condition. One notorious scene, was a tracking shot down stairs in New York City. Most characters dressed relatively normal for New York City, suit and ties, except his coworkers and him, since they worked as clowns. The lighting was normal for the majority of the movie, matching the setting, but some scenes such as the medical scene had low lighting as well as the night scenes were dim. In one scene, Joker is seen in a taxi riding through Times Square. The neon lights and rain made the scene incredibly impact. The acting was spectacular in this film.Joaquin Phoenix starred in the film as Joker,where he did a phenomenal job. He portrayed his character as the messed up clown that the world is against but he made such an emotional impression, even the audience felt empathy for him. The makeup was notorious for his character, clown face paint with a huge smile painted. Additional special effects makeup were used. The props featured were everyday objects and weapons. This is common for horror or thriller movies. The setting was in New York City. The sound was great in this film. They used a suspenseful score to elevate the mood they were trying to interpret. Although the music during suspenseful scenes set the tone for the film. There were some piano songs and some snare drums playing during close shots to show emotion. There was orchestral themes playing throughout the entire film. The editing used many cross cutting and montages as well as establishing shots. They used a lot of reaction shots and close shots go show Joker’s reaction to how the world really was and how harsh and cruel people treated him. The overall production of the movie did a good job of dropping clues of a bigger picture which is what makes this film stand out so much. 

       This movie was under the drama sub genre of Thrillers. The conventions shown in Thrillers, suspense, violence, and plot twists, were all shown throughout the film. I liked that the film was intense and made the audience connect with a ruthless villain to really understand why he is how he is. The film challenged the conventions of a thriller by adding an emotional element to the science fiction realm of a thriller film.