7 Questions with JOKER: FOLIE À DEUX Cinematographer Lawrence Sher

IMAX In Frame ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­  Welcome to the story behind the story. This is IMAX In Frame   Dance a Deux In conversation with JOKER: FOLIE À DEUX Cinematographer Lawrence Sher, ASC   It's a vision that has cemented itself amongst the greats of the film canon. A crane shot moves fluidly over a long narrow staircase, revealing Joaquin Phoenix, smoking while suited up in full Joker garb. He flicks his cigarette as the camera draws closer and begins to boogie. Like a good dance partner, the camera supports his performance by capturing every dynamic action. Wide, up close, from above, behind, below, up front. The world is this character's stage in this moment, and the execution of the visuals gives audiences a front row seat. It's a sequence that is at once intimate and personal, while feeling impactful and larger-than-life. This is the work of Cinematographer Lawrence Sher. In a career spanning dozens of films across genres, he's lent his visual eye to everything from GARDEN STATE to THE HANGOVER series. With a diverse swath of movies under his belt, it's no surprise his efforts on director Todd Phillips' previous JOKER film netted him his first Oscar® nomination. Now he's back for the second installment in the saga of Arthur Fleck, JOKER: FOLIE À DEUX. We sat down with him to chat about the new movie, his long-running collaboration with Todd Phillips, and filming for IMAX. All photos courtesy of Niko Tavernese/Warner Bros. Pictures 1. JOKER: FOLIE A DEUX was Filmed for IMAX, with IMAX Certified Digital Cameras. Can you talk a little bit about how you approached the visual scope of this story, why you landed on the cameras you decided to use, and a favorite topic amongst IMAX’s tech-addled fandom, how you decided on what aspect ratios to use over which scenes? For this new film we wanted to both continue the language of the first film while also expanding its visual presentation. Staying with the same large format look as Joker, our main camera was the Arri Alexa 65. We complimented that with the Arri Alexa LF and the Sony Venice 2 for a specific sequence. The biggest difference in JOKER: FOLIE À DEUX is that we set out specifically to shoot for IMAX with expanded aspect ratios throughout the film. JOKER was 1.85 while JOKER: FOLIE À DEUX has a primary aspect ratio of 2.20 expanding throughout the film to 1.90 in traditional IMAX screens or to 1.43 for the 40 special theaters including 70mm film prints. Todd and I really liked the ability of the expanding aspect ratio when shot for IMAX to be another tool in the visual language of a film and bringing the audiences even further into the emotion of the characters on the largest screens possible. The music in the film and those sequences presented a natural opportunity to spotlight this unique presentation format.   2. Rumor has it, you originally planned to pursue a degree in medicine. What flipped the switch to cinema for you, and when did you know that was what you wanted to do? Yes, that’s true. When I started University, my plan was to become a doctor but quite early on, after a terrible chemistry class, I realized that was not my life’s passion. But I also didn’t discover film either right away. I actually graduated from school with a degree in Economics and found my love of filmmaking just before I finished school. I was really creative as a young kid - both in writing and drawing but pushed them both aside for sports most of my life. I guess it took some time to get back to something the young boy in me knew all along - a creative life was always my spark.  3. You’ve worked on quite a few projects with director Todd Phillips, who himself got his start in the realm of documentary. Do you find collaborating with him differs from directors who may have only worked in narrative features? What is it about your working relationship that keeps you guys returning to each other on different projects? Todd Phillips and I have done seven films together in the last 16 years. It’s been the most fulfilling creative relationship of my career. I’m always grateful when he asks me to do his next project. With each project we task each other to push ourselves to make something unique and try new things. He always sets a really high bar and wants to take a big swing.  That’s all I can ask for in a collaboration.  4. The reveal that FOLIE À DEUX would be a musical kind of broke the internet. How did the team approach introducing movement & music to a gritty place like Gotham City? Were there any particular places you looked to as a source of inspiration?  This Joker sequel takes an unexpected direction, which may surprise some, but that’s Todd’s style—he likes to push boundaries. We saw the film as a continuation of the first, maintaining its tone and bleak world, but it’s also about love, with a new character bringing warmth and hope. The music was woven into the scenes naturally, almost like dialogue. In the more theatrical moments, we used vibrant colors and fluid camera movements, letting the actors’ emotions guide us. Our goal was to create a musical experience that feels fresh and unlike anything before. 5. You’ve got an eclectic resume that includes beloved indies (KISSING JESSICA STEIN), blockbuster comedies (THE HANGOVER series), cult classics (GARDEN STATE), foreign-set crime films (WAR DOGS) - does the genre affect how you set to work on a film? Or do you have a tried-and-true process you bring to every movie? To me, every movie is approached the same way, regardless of genre. Comedy needs real stakes, and drama benefits from moments of humor. My process is always consistent: I start by finding the emotional core of each scene, then figure out how the camera and lighting can best tell that story. While the style and execution may vary from film to film, I always treat them with the same respect. 6. Say you’re sitting on a plane, and the person beside you asks what you do for a living. How would you describe your job?  I tell them "I shoot movies." Then usually that answer needs some clarity - so I say - "I’m a cinematographer, sometimes referred to as director of photography in the credits, which means I’m the person on a movie that is responsible for the camera movement and lighting." In my job I shepherd three departments - camera, grip and electric and help along with many other talented creative people, to execute the vision of the director on a film set.  7. If you could see any film in IMAX again, for the first time, what would it be? As far as any film in history, I would love to see a shot for IMAX version of JAWS - expanding from 2.39 to 1.43 in 70mm at the BFI IMAX in London.   If I could see an IMAX film from the past in the theater today it would be EVEREST - that film was one of the best IMAX films in history. I still can’t even conceive of the camera team that photographed that film executing it at the same impossible heights as the subjects they were following. Amazing.   All photos courtesy of Niko Tavernese/Warner Bros. Pictures   Experience [JOKER: FOLIE À DEUX in IMAX]( and [IMAX 70MM](. [Fan First Premieres]( in select cities on September 30th.   Each month, we’ll deliver a new exclusive piece of editorial to your inbox. 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