Shaira Mae C.

Yocogco
BAB 3B

FILM PRODUCTION DESIGN ANALYSIS

JOKER

The movie’s set design is quite dark, eerie, and chaotic as it should be, it gave life to the
world it represents. Every element is in sync with each other, it is disorderly but at the same
time, somehow, feels that everything is in place or where they should be. The set design is
done well because it keeps the emotion all throughout different scenes, whether they are at a
dark alley or in grand, luxurious places. The things mostly shown to us are mountains of trash
and vandalized walls, all this helps you connect to the main character. The kind of life he has in
the real world and how these all channel within his own thoughts. The world showing that he
has no worth, that his life and presence is just garbage; someone who can just be trampled on
and no one will notice. We also have mirrors every now and then in different scenes, he always
looks in a mirror and shapes a smile on his face with his own fingers. A mirror was even
highlighted in one scene where Arthur wrote “Put on a happy face” with a red lipstick. We
might say that a mirror shows Arthur his real life and his real emotions, sorrow and misery,
therefore he would try to forcibly show a happy expression. I have also observed how there are
only a few light source in almost every scene, inside his home, the streets, and buildings, they
don’t give off a horror movie vibe but rather a sad movie. You are made to feel like you are in a
small, cold space with light only coming from a lamps or small light bulbs and darkness mostly
Shaira Mae C. Yocogco
BAB 3B

covering the whole screen. This leads you to think how much Arthur feels crammed up inside,
mentally, with all the problems and confusion.

As for the color chosen for the film, cool colors are mostly used on the background or
the set design with some neutral colors mixed in which adds to the kind of emotion that the
story is trying to project. The use of these colors on the surrounding would give you a hint if

unhappiness, anger, arrogance, depression, power and others which are depictions that I got
mostly from the movie; these are the colors of Arthur’s life and the world he sadly lives in.
Then, we have the warm colors, which I have mostly seen used on Arthur or the Joker. He
would wear a jacket in a shade of yellow, it signals the kind of personality and life Arthur has;
joy, happiness, and imaginative. He wants to make people laugh, have them smile but then he
is surrounded by betrayal which the color also portrays. He is revealed to have deceived himself
added by his illness. The color also means hazard, in any case, he was forced to be the source
of damage and harm to his surrounding as they were towards him. When he became the Joker,
the color that stands out from his clothing is a shade of red, specifically maroon red; meaning
anger, rage, violence, or war. Everything has gone down to these very reasons. His anger to
the world caused his rage and violence, ultimately causing not only a war within himself but to
his surroundings. His green hair at the end can mean that he had self-awareness.

The make-up and costume are well thought

out. Some characters’ wear rugged, dark
layered clothing as for the poorer part of the
society, others who are rich wear black suits or
black dresses with jewelries showing their
wealth. As for Arthur, he would also wear a
clown make-up because of his occupation being
an entertainer; white painted skin, red painted
nose, red lipstick, and a green wig that is bald
in the center complete with his shabby clown
suit and a red fake flower on his left chest. It really depicts a clown vibe. When things are
getting chaotic with the citizens, the people started wearing clown masks as to somehow
represent the mistreated, poor people of their society. At some point, he was also shown
wearing just his underwear, feeling the freedom of being himself. Yet, when he became the
Joker, he wears a maroon red suit over a gold waistcoat and a green shirt. His hair was also
Shaira Mae C. Yocogco
BAB 3B

colored green. The wearing of a suit can depict hoe he has grown out from being the ‘good boy’
and that he means business to the people who has scarred him as a person.