Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix’s Joker: Folie à Deux is under limelight since it’s released and bombed in its box office debut with an opening of $37.8 million.
The main leads expected it to open at least $50 million to $60 million, but projections were continually downgraded
During a tittle-tattle with Variety, the director of photography, Lawrence Sher reminisced a scene while shooting the film.
The cinematographer generally conversed about a scene where Joaquin Phoenix’s Arthur fleck is shown waiting for being sentenced. He’s just fired his defense attorney and decide going to represent himself. His lover Harleen ‘Lee’ Quinzel (the role played by Lady Gaga) comes to visit him in jail cell. Giving him a kiss as guard yells, ‘No Touching’.
The cinematographer termed the scene simple and explained how it was shot comprising two-camera setup.
While elaborating how he shot and lit the scene together, Sher stated, “We did something slightly unconventional, which is, I cross-shot them.”
He further explained, “We put clear story windows along one side. They were small enough that I knew that it would allow light to feed in towards Arthur and be a nice backlight for Lee. We added a little fluorescent down the center of the hallway, as well as over his cell, and that would be a motivating source for her close-up. She represents the love in the movie and warmth.”
Moreover, Lawrence explicated that he use ARRI’s Alexa 65 large format to shoot the film. “It provides a portraiture feeling to the close-ups, the way the background down the hallway really goes soft, and you feel like the characters are the one focal plane in whatever shot you’re in, even if we’re in a wider lens, and that’s what I love about this format.”
Moreover. “Joker 2” is a romantic movie and this made it unique for Sher as he said, “It’s a character study of two human beings (Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix) with a shared madness as they meet each other, and struggle with his shadow self.”
Joker: Folie à Deux is a sequel to Joker (2019), which revolves around a failed comedian Arthur Fleck struggling with his dual identity, meets the love of his life, Harley Quinn, while incarcerated at Arkham State Hospital.
