Damien Chazelle’s American musical film, La La Land (2016), with Director of Photography Linus Sandgren, won about six awards at the Oscars. One of the awards they received is in the Cinematography category. I personally agree with this voting because this beautifully-made film shows, not tells, the story.
In the beginning of the film, the viewers see the story from Mia’s point of view, but the story later goes back and switches to Sebastian’s point of view. This is a remarkable technique that visually gives the viewers insight into both of the main characters’ lives. Most films only show the story from the point of view of one character, however, this movie is unique in that it shows two different perspectives- from Mia and from Sebastian. In addition, this switch in perspective provides more information about the characters and how seemingly parallel are Mia and Sebastian’s lives since both are struggling to make ends meet as they strive for their dreams. For example, Mia works as a barista in a coffee shop while Sebastian works in a classy restaurant as a pianist. Both of their bosses hinder their passion:
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This film specifically emphasizes Mia and Sebastian’s loneliness. They are the only ones who are alone in the film while the background always contains couples, pairs of two, or groups of people. For example, when Mia goes to a pool party in the spring, she is seen roaming through the party alone and the background full of people and couples dancing. Even when Mia walks by the city sidewalk, the viewers should notice a painting on the wall in the background, containing groups of people together. This conveys another similarity between the two- that they are single and lonely, and unknowing of the fact that they need someone to push them to achieve the dreams they have longed for- as well as, more information about the characters and how the film shows this even through the blurry yet significant