La La Land Question

Discuss how important cinematography is in establishing strong responses from spectators to a key character in La La Land. Refer to one scene in detail. 

In the ending scene, Mia and Sebastian are shown in the cinema, watching what could have been if their relationship worked out. This scene includes yellow lighting, which connotes happiness. I think this could also represent 'golden hour' which is the time of day when the sun starts to set. This could convey reality, where the sun has began to set on any hope of a future for Mia and Sebastian. Another colour that I believe has been used to show feelings is blue. When Mia is pregnant, herself and Sebastian are both wearing blue. This could suggest calmness and peace or even the gender of their child, who is shown five seconds later in a blue blanket. When the dream sequence has ended, the blue lighting used has a different meaning. I think the darker blue conveys sadness or misery. The close up shot of Sebastian shows the audience the shadows on his face, and the blue light creates an outline whilst also being the only light source. The lighting in this shot contrasts the 'What Could Have Been' sequence because the emotions conveyed in both are oppositional. The 'What Could Have Been' sequence is full of happiness, which is portrayed by yellow, high-key lighting and the actors' facial expressions. When the sequence ends, the audience is taken back to reality, where blue lighting and shadows are used to convey melancholy. Mia's dress further implies this emotion and contrasts the dress she wears in the sequence. 

This sequence also includes references or parallels to other musical films. An example of this is a reference to "Broadway Melody of 1940". Fred Astaire and Eleanor Powell danced across a starry stage in "Broadway Melody of 1940" and Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone waltz through a romantic, star-filled room. 


Another scene in the sequence references "Singin' In The Rain". Both films have a monochromatic colour scheme and large-scale public dance scenes. La La land appears to be heavily influenced by the 1952 film. 

This scene allowed me to respond actively because I can relate to Mia's wish fulfilment and question how the couple could have made things work. I can also feel sympathy for her because her 'happily ever after' with Sebastian is now unreachable and reality has taken over. This scene has allowed me to align with Mia because she dreams about a happy, working relationship but knows that her dream career is important to her as well and in this scene she realises that she could not have had both. 

notes (what to include):
-spectatorship
-alignment
-preferred reading