Film Analysis Paper: La La Land

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Film Analysis: La La Land
Film Analysis: La La Land Introduction “La La Land,” a film directed by Damien Chazelle, first surprised the public in 2016 with its vast cinematography along with the top-quality performance of the actors who portrayed the story of love and loss in the middle of one’s journey to success. The story involves two dreamers, Mia, an aspiring actress, and Sebastian, an aspiring jazz pianist-businessman. The two met and fell in love in the great city of Los Angeles, but later met the mockery of life after facing a prodigious encounter regarding the paths they need to take. One of the most notable events in the film is these two strangers’ encounter in a restaurant where Sebastian gets lost in playing his jazz music instead of the Christmas playlist that he was supposed to perform that night. His deviance led to his termination. Thus, resulting in a rude behavior demonstrated by Sebastian. This moment fulfilled the five essential parts of a mise-en-scène, including an excellent setting, décor that reflects the mood of the actors, low-contrast lighting, sufficient depth of space, and appropriate costume and make-up—all of which mirror the beginning of a love story amidst a journey (McGrail). This restaurant scene elaborates Sebastian’s passion for jazz that attracted Mia; hence, leading to a deep connection that is well-demonstrated by strategic cinematography and production design evident in this particular scene. Summary             Sebastian’s scene is silently contemplating while seated on the piano chair while his eyes continuously speculate the surroundings. He begins playing the piano using the assigned Christmas playlist while his eyes are full of misery. His melancholy and unsung worries reflected his performance. Upon realizing that he has more worth as an artist, he began engrossed with himself and started playing his real genre—jazz ballad. Sebastian concludes his performance with evident frustration and stands up, knowing that he just lost his survival chance. However, his sad eyes met Mia’s jovial eyes, mesmerized by his performance, making this scene feel ecstatic. Soon, Sebastian was fired by the restaurant manager secondary to his disobedience. He tried to persuade him to keep his job, mostly because it is Christmas, but the manager did not give in. As Sebastian was gathering his things from the piano and leaving, Mia started walking towards him, and when she was about to say something, Sebastian just rudely walked past her, leaving Mia shocked with the kind of behavior Sebastian had demonstrated (Chazelle).             Sebastian’s uneventful termination establishes his passion for music, along with focus and determination to fight for his artistic views. The scene demonstrated the importance of producing legendary jazz music for Sebastian. It was also Sebastian’s moment where he decided to persevere to achieve his dreams despite knowing that he might lose his chance to survive. His non-stop playing of jazz music, although his worries, inspired Mia, who was in the same boat. The scene emphasized Sebastian’s personality—determined but cunning at the same time. He calculated the next series of events that he might suffer from while being determined to inspire and push him to reach his limits. The inspiration he brought also created a bond with Mia toward the end of the scene. The scene is significant in the plot’s progression because it is an encounter that will lead to a re-encounter. Analysis             The film won the Best Cinematography Award in Oscars due to the genius of Linus Sandgren, who combined an excellent camera movement along with the help of the teams responsible for the colors and framing, lighting, and production design. In this specific film, the psychology of colors was used to augment the emotions of the characters. The general combination of neutral colors, such as royal blue, black, and white, perpetrated a gloomy vibe. Fusco suggests that blue portrays two sides—at one end, it can be used to show confidence, contentment, and stability, but on the other end, it also shows coldness and depression. The latter descriptions are more applicable to both Sebastian and Mia, who were wearing the same hue. Black was used as the color of the extra characters in the scene and the grand piano. This suggests unhappiness and powerlessness, which reflects the protagonists’ status (Fusco). The color combination visualized the characters’ state, especially Sebastian’s, where they are placed in a stagnant position, unsure if there will be a progression, resulting in depression and despondency. Sebastian and the c...