Scene 2

This is the most memorable scene from Joker (2019) where the joker is on a TV show. 

Aesthetic

The colours of the scene give off a 60s vibe, which was known as a time with revolutions and change. This could give off the impression of hallucinating as everything seems dreamy (due to the blur used as well) and surreal.

Space and Composition

The way this scene is shot is partially from the live audience's point of view and partially from each characters POV. When it comes to the live audience, you can see the entire set so it seems more surreal and personal, but it cuts to each characters POV whenever strong emotion is displayed.

Acting

The acting from Joaquin Phoenix really adds to this scene, especially towards the end, when his voice starts to tremor and you can also hear how shaky he is. This shows that the Joker is passionate about his stance and is nervous about the reaction of people.

Technical Aspects

Towards the final half of this scene, the majority of the shots of the joker only show half of the Joker's face, whereas the entirety of Murray's face is in shot. Now, with Murray's face, you can see both the dark side of his face and the light (the good and the bad). Whereas with the Joker, you can only see the "light" side, which because the story is told from the Joker's POV, shows how he believes he is in the right.

Sound

There is a sound of cymbals clashing as the suspense rises, and they grow louder and louder. This adds to the feel of the scene due to the fact the cymbals clashing represents conflict and anger.

Editing

Camera shots in this scene aren't quickfire cuts, they remain on the characters quite a while before switching. This leaves the viewer enough time to really take in the characters emotions, for example, once Joker started to say "...you just wanted to make fun of me..." it is on the Joker's face, thus portraying his anger. Whilst after that, it cuts to Murray to show his rage towards Joker for the things he is saying.

Narrative

The way this scene plays out, leads the viewer (or at least me personally), to believe that this is the final scene. The tension that is built up and the climax of the scene is almost overwhelming, thus leading us to believe that something bad is going to happen and there is no coming back from it.

Representation

The entire movie is about showing how mental illness can cause real problems if neglected, and how they believe that they are in the right no matter what. This scene takes it to the extreme by presenting the Joker's realisation of who he really is and how it has caused him to change.