Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1531774
J O K E R : F O L I E A D E U X | P E R S P E C T I V E 5 3 At the time, spring of 2022, I was in LA finishing my work on Barry Jenkins' CG-animated Mufasa. Even though both films are musicals, that's where the similarities end. One is a mythic tale of transcendence and survival, offering big and little kids life journeys with new possibilities. The other is a sad indictment predicting the end of our enraged society. As spent as I was from the intensity of creating parts of Africa molecule-by- molecule for Mufasa, I had little trouble finding the energy to dive into Joker 2, as very few parts of my brain worked on both films. Joker was a quintessential NY street movie, inspired by Taxi Driver and King of Comedy—gritty and real. Dirty urban. Joker: Folie à Deux added to this a heavy dose of classic Hollywood musicals. This musical would be uniquely diegetic, songs sung inside the story from one character to another. We shot on the Warner Bros. lot, with some sets on stages at Universal, locations in Downtown LA, and a two- week NY unit. By the end, with the writers' strike looming, we were the only film left on the WB lot, golf carting from one stage to another. Even as it predicted industry doom, it was still kinda cool. Supervising Art Director Dan Webster put together a talented group of Art Directors, led by Lauren Polizzi, David Meyer, Gordon Stotz, and Set Designers Hogan Lee, Sarah Contant, Al Hobbs and Jane Wuu. We added longtime collaborator Erica Hohf, who joined remotely from NY as Art Director A. HOTEL ARKHAM ROOFTOP STAGE 16 WB. HAND-PAINTED BACKDROPS. THE FOLIE À DEUX, WALTZ. PRODUCTION STILL.