La La Land – Deep Dive

Key Elements of Film Form

Cinematography

• Song and dance scenes are shot in one take just like the Hollywood musicals of the 1930’s, 40’s and 50’s allowing for the audience to appreciate the choreography of the dancers – shot on soundstages for extended tracking and crane shots.
• Panning and tracking shots allow the camera to follow the action which creates the impression that it is one of the dancers which makes it more immersive and emotional for the audience
• Opening Sequence: Camera starts on open blue sky then travels along congested traffic – the camera glides in front of the singers as they get out their cars, then over the bonnets to join in with the other dancers, matching their movements, stopping and starting in rhythm to the music, the movement changing on the beat.
• Seb on Piano Sequence: Sharp dolly into Sebs boss’ face after the camera has been calmly moving around the restaurant as he plays the piano – when Mia walks towards him the audience expects a meet-cute typical of the romantic genre – the camera tracks behind her so we empathise with her anticipation but halts when Seb brushes past her, indicating the film doesn’t follow the typical romance we expect

Mise-en-scene

• Title of the film is the nickname for the films setting and a play on the the idiom for being lost in dreams which is a core theme. Production design reflects this using LA locations both gritty and romantic.
• Opening Sequence: Singers dancing and then returning to their cars could be seen as symbolic of their aspirations but that they are frustrated as they are stagnated towards achieving their goal
• Seb on Piano Sequence: Spotlight used to pick out the character and reflect the aspiration of being on the stage.

Editing

• The extended single takes are dreamlike to make the scenes more realistic and root the film in the desires and frustrations of the characters. This results in a fast cutting rate on the scenes that aren’t song and dance to create a sense of being trapped, so that the musical numbers are where tension is released.
• Opening Sequence: The dance scene is given the impression of being in one long take but there are cuts that are masked by the camera whip panning as vehicles made it impossible
• Seb on Piano Sequence: The scene uses jump cuts which differs from the floaty nature of the editing in the opening sequence but when he begins to play the piano the camera becomes a gliding presence similar to when dancing

Sound

• Opening Sequence: Diegetic use of music to hear what each driver is listening to before resting on the first singer and turning to non-diegetic – the lyrics establish the theme of sacrifices and celebrates the ambition of LA and foreshadows Seb and Mia’s relationship
• Seb on Piano sequence: The music Seb is instructed to play and what he wants to play show the conflict theme of the film between what is popular and staying true to one’s craft

Meaning and Response

Representations

• Represents artists who struggle to achieve their dreams while attempting to work the basics of everyday life such as jobs and relationships.

• Critics focused on representation of gender in the film, saying Mia was a passive character as Seb causes key plot events such as funding her play and attending the audition

• Lack of racial diversity was criticised was criticised – only speaking role is Keith who sells out to commercialism while Seb attempts to keep Jazz pure

Aesthetics

• Shot almost entirely on location which contributes to the idea of grounding the film in reality
• Unpretty locations such as the freeway and Mulholland Drive ground the film in reality while the use of colour in production design and lighting romanticises LA
• Combination of contemporary and vintage elements of set and location dressing shows a film caught between the past and present. All the cars are modern in the opening sequence except for Seb’s which is from the 1980’s
• Costume design uses colour to capture the vibrancy of a place where people come to pursue their dreams

Contexts

Historical

Some critics criticised that the film doesn’t discuss LA’s turbulent history, especially with issues concerning race with riots happening in the 1990’s and further back. These concerns are ignored by the film which Chazelle defended by pointing out that LA constantly erases its own past and the film reflects this.

Political

The films success at the box office and wards was seen as indicative of people’s desire for escapism after a period of upheaval in the US, UK and Europe.

Technological

2:55:1 Cinemascope ratio which is rarely used today a gives sense of of the vastness of LA.

Ideology

Critics of gender representation have suggested Mia is a passive character as her decision are motivated by Seb. Sebastian encourages her to put on her show and persuades her to attend the audition that launches her career while she also watches passively at Seb’s performances. However, it is Mia who achieves the most success at the end of the film and she leads the narrative as the audience see her perspective at the very beginning.

Representations race have been criticised and critical articles have taken issue with the idea the film is ‘escapist fun’ as a return to the past is liberating for some groups such as white people but not for others such as those of minority groups.

Critics have identified that the jazz that Seb is trying to save is a symbol of apolitical nostalgia which is embodied by Charlie Parker who died in 1955 with his successors such as Coltrane who experimented with fusing funk and jazz. They were also supporters of Civil Rights and the world Seb wants to return to before jazz became political is a time when LA was filled with racism.

The treatment of nostalgia could be seen as intelligent questioning as both characters achieve their dreams but while Seb does so by living in the past, Mia embraces the new. There an element of sadness in the final scenes and the idea that living in the past isn’t as easy as the nostalgia of the film suggests.

The notion of growing up and facing reality is a central theme of the film and the urgency of chasing your dream before you’ve grown up too much. The characters are torn between their dreams and the reality that at some point they will have to grow up in order to make a living.

Spectatorship

Some have criticised gender politics, accusing the film of being a male fantasy about artistic integrity that Mia facilitates. Another view is proposed that actually the film is shot from Mia’s perspective according to Anna Leszkiewitz as initially Seb seems to be the creative one while Mia recites movie dialogue, more audience than creator. Argues the film celebrates the audience as revels in the experience of consuming art and takes these inspirations and creates something new which makes her a star. Part of the excitement of the film experience for the audience is that we can make the same leap.

• The preferred reading is that the film is a romantic exploration of the transformative power of love and the American dream, and the spectator leaves the cinema emotionally uplifted

• A negotiated reading could be that the spectator is moved by characters achieving their dream but finds the relationship unconvincing

• An oppositional reading could be that a spectator finds Seb’s obsessions with jazz as regressive and self-indulgent rather than inspiring