Cinematography in La La Land

By Jasmine Lee, 10th Grade

La La Land is a film that presents expert cinematography through camera angles, framing, and color. In the scene of Mia's audition where she sings "Audition (The Fools Who Dream)," the camera purposely stays at eye level with her to show how the viewer can relate to and connect with her as she sings of dreams and perseverance. It acts as the movie's climax and lets the audience connect with her in relation to dreaming. La La Land frequently uses the eye level angle to develop and display the realness of it, how reality is for everyone as it clashes with dreams. The low angle is used during Sebastian's first show with his new modern jazz band. It is used when showing Sebastian and Keith to make them seem more dominant and aggressive. They take up the whole screen, and power is given to them as the crowds go wild for their show. This also suggests the dominance that Mia feels Sebastian is showing, as he seems more successful than her. The high angle is used as Sebastian and Mia slowly drift as their lives grow busier and they do not see each other as often. Even though they live in the same place, they keep on missing each other as they try to pursue their passions. It shows that they feel inferior or weak because they are unable to control their fading relationship. It made the presentation more bittersweet and melancholy.

As Mia sings "The Fools Who Dream," I also noticed how they used a close-up frame to portray her emotions. The scene is very raw; it has a single spotlight upon her and a plain, black background that highlights how the main focus is Mia. The close-up again allows the audience to feel more intimacy and connection with her as it zooms into the emotions that Mia lets loose as she sings. Another scene of note is when they used a long/full shot when Sebastian and Mia are walking along a street at Warner Brothers studios. The audience can see the recording and filmmaking in the background as the camera follows Mia and Sebastian. It sets the scene for the business that is happening around them, making the film more realistic while also displaying the dreamlike quality that movie studios are portrayed as at times.

The filmmaker's use of color in the film advanced the emotions they were trying to evoke. Their use of color psychologically connected me more to the characters and story as it used red for anger and blue for sadness. A subtle scene I liked where they used color was when the blue and red lights met in Mia and Sebastian's bedroom, hinting at the calmness and happiness they found together. They blended to make purple, which advanced the emotions of how they have now blended together and found a balance, or in this case, in the eye of the storm before reality hits.