The work of cinematographer Linus Sandgren in “La La Land” is breathtaking. With its vibrant colors, creative camera work, and meticulous attention to detail, the movie is a visual feast. Long takes are used in the dance sequences to give the performance a sense of immersion and continuity.
The movie is celebrated for its enchanting blend of nostalgia and modernity, seamlessly marrying the classic charm of Hollywood musicals with a contemporary storyline. The film's stunning cinematography captures the magic of Los Angeles and enhances the emotional impact of the narrative.
The film is ultimately everything it had the potential to be - an unashamedly romantic musical, infused not only with great song and dance numbers but with intense emotion and charisma from Gosling/Stone, wonderful visuals and a unique pacing and tension from Chazelle. Oh, and it's hilarious throughout too.
The use of instruments such as flutes, harps and clarinets perfectly captures the innocent and romantic nature of Mia & Sebastian's relationship. Once the warm and elegant orchestration comes in you can even imagine the likes of the iconic dance duet Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers waltzing in a ballroom in the 1940's.
Jazz fans see this as a false depiction of important debates within the jazz community. At Vulture, Seve Chambers accuses writer-director Damien Chazelle of “ideological snobbery”, noting that most real jazz fans actually agree with Keith that traditionalism is not the best way to revive the genre.
It turns out that, once again, La La Land is at the extreme low end of the spectrum. The entire film had a 132-minute runtime, but only 23 minutes and 23 seconds were devoted to singing, or 18% of the movie.
This movie demonstrates the dilemma people face in pursuing their dreams while giving up what they love and making sacrifices. Achieving your dreams sometimes comes at a price. It hurts to see the characters fall in love, then split off into the world to perhaps never see each other again.
You can make an argument, then, that La La Land is overhyped, but I would also disagree with that, as well. Though the film can be as negatively deconstructed as any other creative property, it's still incredibly well-realized and well-made.
La La Land's teachings are simple: Be true to yourself, chase your dreams, marry the right person, and accept that things don't always go according to script. Because, really, how else is life well-lived?
In the final category of the evening, presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway incorrectly called it for the Damian Chazelle-directed movie-musical. Beatty opened the envelope and paused before passing it to Dunaway, who declared La La Land the winner of Best Picture.
The camera follows the characters through all their actions and dances. This technique directly mirrors Old Hollywood scenes, which were Damien Chazelle's primary influence. In Old Hollywood movies, the camera would move in on the characters and the spotlight as if they were on stage.
Every time they share a significant moment or go through a new relationship stage we see a different blue depending on intensity of emotion. The downfall of their relationship is surrounded in green: jealousy, mistrust, a twisted variant of the purple we love.
Musicals use song to open a window into the characters' emotions, but every once in a while, a piece comes along that uses the music as a mechanism to give greater meaning to the narrative. In La La Land, the music isn't a reflection of the characters' emotion, but rather, it's their passion.
Did Ryan Gosling know how do you play piano for La La Land?
Gosling spent four months learning how to play the piano every day to get to a level that would make his jazz musician character Sebastian convincing. The film was shot with many long takes, so if you think there was room for CG manipulation or a pianist look-alike, think again.
While Emma Stone can carry a tune, her voice lacks any real power. This becomes most noticeable in her dramatic solo "Audition (The Fools Who Dream)." Her vocals lack the emphasis of the bittersweet lyrics, but her passionate acting still provides plenty of emotion to carry the number the rest of the way.
La La Land's ending subverts romantic expectations and emphasizes the importance of pursuing one's dreams, even if it comes at the expense of a relationship. Mia and Sebastian broke up because they both wanted to pursue their dreams, showing that sometimes sacrifices must be made for personal fulfillment.
B. If you love old Hollywood musicals, or traditional jazz, or both, you are the intended audience of La La Land, a love letter Old Hollywood musicals, jazz, and a retro-postcard version of Los Angeles (not the real version of LA, because that doesn't come in primary colors).
Kissing; a couple wakes up together in bed. Social drinking by adults. Parents need to know that La La Land is a beautiful, moving romantic musical set in modern-day Los Angeles, with the feel of old-time Hollywood.
Although the twosome were never romantically involved in real life, Gosling and Stone developed a fast friendship on set of the rom-com. “She's everything, all the time,” Gosling shared with MTV News at the Crazy, Stupid, Love premiere in July 2011. “There's no one like her.
The film ends with the success of both Mia and Sebastian in their respective careers, albeit at the cost of losing each other. What is so poignant about the short-lived romance of Mia and Sebastian is the irony that what prevented the two from being together was their shared aim of pursuing their passion.
It won six, Best Director (Chazelle), Best Actress (Stone), Best Cinematography (Sandgren), Best Original Score (Hurwitz), Best Original Song ("City of Stars"), and Best Production Design (the Wascos).
Did Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling do their own dancing in La La Land?
They said: “Ryan had three stunt doubles — two were dancers — and Emma's dancing was done by Emilie Livingston. The sequence where they danced in the clouds was filmed on a platform and was not Ryan and Emma.
They fall in love because of their distinct passions, and their eventual success rips them apart. Mia becomes an accomplished actress, while Sebastian finally creates his jazz club called Seb's — the name Mia proposes to him before their split.
