Hello hello everyone! It's Media Mirage and I am back with another blog post about mis-en-scene. It means "to put in a scene" and it discusses how many components of a movie are able to work together to create a well working atmosphere in a movie. Many parts work together such as the costuming, location, lighting and so much more. And in this blog post I'm going to analyze a movie using these different components. I was going to stay faithful to my favorite movie, but I decided to broaden my horizons and choose a different movie. In honor of spooky season, I decided to pick my favorite horror movie: La La Land.
Costuming
I feel like aside from the storyline itself, the costuming really sets the scene for the movie. Researching information about the costuming was really important. So I found many articles that display how the costumer for the movie, Mary Zophres, meticulously budgets and chooses the articles of clothing Mia and Sebastian wear. A brilliant idea was that she tried to be as realistic with Mia's clothing choices as possible, may of her costumes were from vintage stores and outlet malls, as a struggling actress wouldn't be wearing designer realistically. Half of the reason was because of the budget, but mostly because this movie would seem unrealistic like other shows that show the actress wearing designer items "just because" rather than it fitting with their character and storyline. The goal of costumer Mary Zophres was to recreate the charm of old-school movies such as "Singing in the Rain and Sound of Music" and I believe that the charm comes though because of the costuming.
Location
Another big part of the movie is that it takes place is Los Angeles, California. A place where many striving actresses and musicians go to try to have their "big break" into the industry. So, making the loaction in an area where it makes sense to see actresses working their side job in order to make ends meet until they reach their dream. Director Damien Chazelle wanted the movie to to have an Old Hollywood feel, as explained by the costumer, but they still wanted to make it look modern and realistic. And what better place for realism than the sunny state of Los Angeles, although many movies are filmed in Los Angeles, it is vary rare for the actual movie to take place there. Therefore, making the movie locations realistic adds to how even though this is a fictional story, the characters and location pull in the watcher and they forget their even viewing a movie.
Setting:
This movie was such a setting heavy movie, Mia and Sebastian are seen many times going all over the place. But I figured I was gonna pick a location that has a huge impact on the story line, and that would be the Lighthouse Cafe. It had such a huge impact on the movie itself, it's when Mia and Sebastian go on numerous dates, where Sebastian gets the opportunity to play with a band, and where Sebastian ends up making his own jazz club under. The jazz club displays his dreams and why he is so keen on reviving the jazz gene as it is a forgotten art compared to the music that was popular during the time this movie was filmed. The setting of the jazz club is really important as it is a key location for the plot of the movie, Sebastian gets recognized by Keith and is why Sebastian was thinking about giving up his dreams of owning the jazz club. Mia also learns to appreciate jazz because Sebastian took her to the cafe, encouraging her to venture outside of her comfort zone.
Scenery:
I really like how the movie tries to make the story as realistic as possible. By seeing the boxes of sebs house and how he only uses the piano at his home shows that doesn't really live in his house. Without any context, the audience might assume that Seb is newly moved in, but after heaving the story its clear that he doesn't have time to work on his house enough to call it a home. The fact that his stuff are still in boxes despite being there for a significant amound of time displays how he is always in and out of his home and it depicts that he also could not be doing well enough financially considering that he is stiving to become a jazz musician. By showing the setting and by placing specific objects in certain places it gives Seb's apartment a "lifeless" feel in the beginning of the movie, and by seeing his apartment change when he starts to date Mia shows how set dressing is an integral part of a movie.
Props:
In the beginning of the movie a poster of "I hate L.A" - the play Mia stars in it put in the beginning where she works to promote it in hopes that someone will take it and she'll become a star. The use of the poster over and over displays how she refuses to give up and its symbolism about how Mia is still putting in work to reach her dream. In the beginning the location and size of the poster displays if she has “made” it or not. Based on the poster near the end of the movie, the poster has now evolved to a billboard which shows how much she has grown as an actress, displaying that she has made it. A billboard in California is proof enough that she has become a successful actress.
Lighting:
The lighting design in La La Land shows and highlights Mia and Sebastian's inner workings and conflicts. Mia is represented in soft light, signifying her innocence and aspirations, whilst Sebastian is depicted in darker, more private places, reflecting his internal battle between his love of classic jazz and the evolving musical environment. The the light effect in his personal scenes with Mia emphasizes his complexity as both passionate and troubled. The lighting displayed the different parts of the story, for example, when they are their most happiest, the colors are more light and very ethereal accurately reflecting their emotions, but in their big fight in Seb’s apartment, the lighting is harsh and very dark thus reflecting their inner turmoil as they try to navigate their relationship.
Actors:
Casting Emma (Stone) and Ryan (Gosling) was a brilliant idea in the casting director’s part. A good way to tell that they had good chemistry is by looking at their other projects. Funnily enough they were previous in two other movies together and one of them I have watched before and enjoyed their scenes together. You can tell that they have good chemistry with each other, so casting them for this movie was a good choice.
Framing:
The framing of the movie really is synonymous with 50’s and 60’s movies, but with a modern feel. And that goal was 100% accomplished. With help from the costuming the framing reflects similar movies such as “Singing in the Rain” and it shows that this movie brought back “old school” films. I definitely got a sense of deja vu while watching this movie because it brought me so much comfort, as if I have already watched this movie before. But it’s actually because of the vibrant colors that make the movie such a comforting watch. In an industry where mute colors are usually used to show how a movie is “serious” it adds a theme of playfulness within the movie making it more enjoyable for the audience.
Anyways, thats it for me. This was so fun to research and learn about and I hope you enjoyed!
xoxo,
Abby-Marie
