Essay Sample: Analyzing the Music of La La Land and Its Role in the Film

La La Land is considered as one of the best romantic comedy musical films to have ever been produced. The 2016 movie is praised for its interesting screenplay and direction. The movie is mainly known for its musical numbers and the outstanding production design (Sielke 14). Justin Hurwitz was the person behind composing and orchestrating the interesting music used in the movie. Pasek and Paul were responsible for its lyrics. While reviewing how the music used in the movie supports the plot and interacts with the characters, settings, and ideas, it is important to bring more details how the music interacts with the characters on the screen, how it helps in setting up the colours of the set and considering whether there is any connection. It is also important to consider how the music conveys the specific emotions felt by the characters and the various elements of the music that make such emotions to come across.

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La La Land music in the screenplay develops an emotional reality that assists in selling the movie's fancy flights. The movie frequently takes off on the flights of romantic fancy when some of the key characters in the movie called Mia and Sebastian start being a couple. Throughout the movie, Mia and Sebastian as the leading characters, find their way through the planetarium. Music interacts with the two key characters on the movie through dancing weightlessly among the domed-in stars (Chazelle 16:45-18:37). Although even in the musical concept, it is an audacious gambit, such scenes play a significant role in the movie since they help in connecting the screenplay between the viewers of the movie and its key characters. The star dance of both Mia and Sebastian is not based on any practical reality. However, it is generally based on the specific, although relatable emotional reality.

The music used in the movie is more than just a language but rather a concept that brings out different ideas. The movie fully embraces the idea of fantasia that seems to be built throughout the movie. During the finale of the movie, the head characters seem to have both achieved their creative ambitions. That is evident for the movie when Mia owns a jazz club. At the same time, Sebastian, on the other hand, becomes a successful movie star. However, unfortunately they are not together anymore (Chazelle 46:24-48:37). It is the version of the music used in the movie that does away with tension, frustration, and the head characters eventually end up happily together.

The musical concept used in the movie plays a critical part when things go wrong, especially when it is used to mirror the emotional weather of Mia and Sebastian's relationship. That is mainly depicted in the second half of the movie when Mia and Sebastian meet for dinner in their apartment. The musical aspect of the movie is used in presenting that scene as both a gritty and a form of dark fantasia. That is when the music is used in setting up the colours of the set when the apartment glows a weird green hue. That takes place when the scene unwinds and depicts the increasing unpleasant waking dream. Music is used in that scene to show different ways through which ambition can be used in bringing couples together and drive them apart.

In conclusion, it is evident that the music used in the movie supports the plot and interacts with the characters, settings, and ideas. That is shown through how it interacts with Mia and Sebastian as the lead characters in the movie, how it is used in setting up the colours of the set and how it brings the connection between the lead characters. The music depicts tension, frustration, and contributes a lot to bring together the lead characters in the movie.

Works Cited

Chazelle, Damien. "La La Land." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fg9PxwNyhq0, 9 Dec. 2016.

Sielke, Sabine. "Retro Aesthetics, Affect, and Nostalgia Effects in Recent US-American Cinema: The Cases of La La Land (2016) and The Shape of Water (2017)." Arts. Vol. 8. No. 3. Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 2019.