He grew up making home movies with his friends, but couldn't figure out how professional feature films, with their big crews and set pieces which his own films lacked, compared to his own films, until he realised that all films, regardless of scale, are about story (For Damien Chazelle, it's all personal, 2017).
Thus, Chazelle mainly focuses on his personal connection to his stories (For Damien Chazelle, it's all personal, 2017). Chazelle's movies can be so personal to him as to be almost autobiographical - Whiplash was based on his own experiences as a jazz drummer, with La La Land being similar to his own experience of trying to make it in the movie business in Hollywood (Zacharias, 2017).
Because of this, the most common theme throughout his movies is characters working to make their dreams come true - such as getting to space in First Man and becoming the owner of a jazz club in La La Land (Fox, 2018).
However, his directing style depends on what story the film is telling, and what Chazelle thus wants the audience to see, hear, and feel (First Man - Damien Chazelle's Vision, 2019). Despite this, his writing and directing always aims to emotionally impact the audience - (First Man - Damien Chazelle's Vision, 2019) - which could be seen to be due to his own emotional connection to his films (For Damien Chazelle, it's all personal, 2017).
The main reason I decided to research Damien Chazelle during this unit was because of how the story of The Universe Is A Goldfish Bowl is based in character - due to focusing on meeting yourself from a parallel universe - and thus I aim for this to carry through to my directing style, in a similar way to how Chazelle's characters affect his films' aesthetic style, the pace of their cuts, the types of shots he chooses to use etc., meaning his directing style can be both detached, with extreme wide shots and quick cuts which distance viewers from the story, as well as intimate, involving point of view shots and follow shots which can place the audience in the characters' positions. Thus, Chazelle's writing and directing are grounded in the characters' emotions to achieve this, which I intend to experiment with to explore the possibilities of meeting yourself from a parallel universe, and the consequences of this.
I was also interested in how Chazelle writes about ambitious main characters, but grounds their ambition in everyday settings. I thought that this could be interesting to explore in my own film, grounding the characters' scientific ambitions in everyday settings to make their discoveries more credible for the audience.
Writing
Chazelle approaches writing as a director, so his writing process reflects how he is always thinking about the end product; he therefore believes he is better at the "thinking stage" - the stage where no decision is yet set down on paper and he can simply imagine what the film could be in the end (Myers, 2014).
However, when writing Whiplash, Chazelle finished a first draft in just ten days, since he had thought so clearly about the basic story beats he wanted to include in the film - he found the process of writing the film much more natural than some of his other screenplays because it came from his own experience, stating that, "the stuff that isn’t is still steeped in certain jazz anecdotes from history, or experiences friends have gone through", thus, "there was fodder for everything" (Myers, 2014).Nonetheless, the ten day first draft was far from ready to be made into a film, so Chazelle left it, and came back to it later to revise it, believing that distancing yourself from your writing can help you have more clarity when you later go back to make revisions (Myers, 2014).
Overall, because Chazelle approaches writing from the position of a director, he doesn't start with a theme when he writes, instead determining what emotion he wants his film to convey - for example, he wanted Whiplash to convey how he felt about a good drum solo, thus determining that he wanted the film to be fast paced and loud; he believes themes can lead from this emotion since they should grow from what makes the film: the visuals and audio (Myers, 2014).
The importance of a good opening scene
Fig. 1 La La Land (2016)
Chazelle believes that the audience are open-minded at the beginning of any film since, they have no, or little, idea of what the film is going to be; thus the opening scene sets up how they will see the rest of the film - for this reason, it is important to do two things in any opening scene: grab the audience's attention, such as in La La Land's big opening number (see fig.1) - which doesn't just make an impression on the audience, but also establishes the feelings and colours which will continue during the film - as well as introduce the film's basic premise right from the beginning - such as the opening scene of Whiplash setting up that the film involves conflict between a teacher and student (Buchanan, 2017).
This is important when making short films because the writer doesn't have much time to set up a story, however, Chazelle believes it is also essential for any film as it can encourage viewers to continue watching if they think that the film is going to be good right from the opening (Buchanan, 2017).
Combining old and new
When writing, Chazelle finds that it is a priority for him to take elements from past movies, but reinvent or subvert them so they can be changed and applied to a modern context - "learning from the past, but pulling it into the future" - since he believes this helps film as a medium stay fresh and relevant (For Damien Chazelle, it's all personal, 2017).
An example of where this has been most prolific in Chazelle's films can be seen in how he incorporated elements of old musicals into a modern romance for La La Land. Chazelle took inspiration from MGM musicals such as Funny Face and Singin' In The Rain, where the two leads meet and fall in love, combining this with the type of story from films such as The Umbrellas of Cherbourg during which the two leads are in love to begin with, but separate by the end of the movie (Zacharias, 2017).
Fig. 2 La La Land (2016)
Chazelle combined this with the modern day by using the characters to ground the story, since both main characters Mia and Sebastian are seen to be dreamers, who thus see Los Angeles as it was in the old movies, somewhere which is romantic and where it is possible to reach your dreams (Zacharias, 2017). However, he makes the present day apparent through the character's struggles - their difficulty to reach their dreams, and even make enough money, shown through elements such as their run-down apartment (see fig. 2), contrasting this 'real' version of LA with that of Mia and Sebastian's dreams (Zacharias, 2017).
It can be said that Chazelle decided to have this contrast in La La Land because to him musicals as a genre are a combination of real life and fantasy (Zacharias, 2017).
Nonetheless, it can be argued that bringing elements from old movies into the present in this way is how Chazelle was able to personally connect with the movie (Davids, 2018).
Making it personal
Chazelle believes that films should always be personal to the writer, but not necessarily autobiographical - rather, he thinks that writers should find their own emotions within the story, even if the characters' personalities and/or situations are different from their own, because this can make the story better (Myers, 2014).
This is because a writer can use their own emotions to inform what they want the film to convey to the audience, seeing the world of the film from their own perspective, thus making the film deeper (Zacharias, 2017).
For example, Chazelle has said that "La La Land was all about, on an emotional level, all about stuff that I'd felt, or that I'd lived through, or that I had experienced" (For Damien Chazelle, it's all personal, 2017). This is what helped him bring the past elements into the modern day, as Chazelle was, like the main characters, also trying to reach his dreams (For Damien Chazelle, it's all personal, 2017).
However, as someone who uses emotion as a starting point for what he wants his films to be like, this personal connection to the material is important for Chazelle's work since it can help him determine the pace, theme, and even aesthetic style of the film (Myers, 2014).
For example, it can be said that Chazelle's own feelings from his experience of also trying to make his dreams come true in Hollywood helped him decide to make La La Land quite optimistic, shown by the bright colours used throughout the film which signify the ambition of the characters (Buchanan, 2017) - (see fig. 3).
This is because a writer can use their own emotions to inform what they want the film to convey to the audience, seeing the world of the film from their own perspective, thus making the film deeper (Zacharias, 2017).
For example, Chazelle has said that "La La Land was all about, on an emotional level, all about stuff that I'd felt, or that I'd lived through, or that I had experienced" (For Damien Chazelle, it's all personal, 2017). This is what helped him bring the past elements into the modern day, as Chazelle was, like the main characters, also trying to reach his dreams (For Damien Chazelle, it's all personal, 2017).
However, as someone who uses emotion as a starting point for what he wants his films to be like, this personal connection to the material is important for Chazelle's work since it can help him determine the pace, theme, and even aesthetic style of the film (Myers, 2014).
For example, it can be said that Chazelle's own feelings from his experience of also trying to make his dreams come true in Hollywood helped him decide to make La La Land quite optimistic, shown by the bright colours used throughout the film which signify the ambition of the characters (Buchanan, 2017) - (see fig. 3).
Fig. 3 La La Land (2016)
Ambitious characters in everyday settings
Fig. 4 Whiplash (2014)
The main way Chazelle relates to his films is by focusing on characters who are trying to achieve their dreams, thus making ambitious characters common throughout his work (Fox, 2018).
However, Chazelle also uses everyday settings, such as the characters' homes - (see fig. 4) - to ground their ambition, making it more relatable for the audience. For example, Mia in La La Land is seen rehearsing lines in her car, while Andrew is seen rehearsing his drumming in his apartment in Whiplash.
Nonetheless, Chazelle's writing focuses on character over story (Loughrey, 2017). Thus, he doesn't only focus on these characters' ambitions, but also the sacrifices they must make in order to achieve them (Kay, 2018). Not only does this make the characters more complicated, it also serves to give them believable conflict as the stakes get higher and they want their ambition more and more.
Whiplash can be seen as an example of this as it focuses on the conflict between Andrew, and his teacher, Fletcher, showing right from the opening scene how difficult Fletcher is to impress because of his high standards. This conflict gets worse when Andrew joins Fletcher's band - Fletcher yells at Andrew during the very first practice he attends, even throwing a chair at him and making him cry. Nonetheless, Andrew only practices more, so much it makes his hands bleed, yet, still he doesn't stop drumming until he gets so good he knows the music from memory. This gives Andrew the chance to play in competition, leading the band to victory.
These sacrifices, such as dealing with Fletcher's temper and being injured due to too much practice continue, and get worse as the movie progresses, such as Andrew having to leave his girlfriend because he has to focus on drumming, and having a car accident when rushing to a competition.
Nonetheless, these sacrifices are portrayed by Chazelle as necessary for his characters to reach their ambitions. This is evident in Whiplash's ending, when Andrew joins Fletcher's new band and they play in competition. The stakes are at the highest - if Andrew does well he could have a shot at a career, but if he messes up, his ambition could be over forever as the judges will never forget his mistake.
However, Fletcher betrays Andrew by having the band play a piece of music Andrew does not know. Yet, after all of these sacrifices, it can be seen that Andrew wants his ambition so much that he doesn't give up, finally standing up to Fletcher by playing his own drum solo, and forcing Fletcher to have to help him by conducting the rest of the band around Andrew's drumming. This leaves the audience with the possibility that Andrew could reach his ambitions, because he makes sacrifices for his dreams, and uses these to improve his drumming.
The impact of an early ending
However, Chazelle also shows how the achievement of ambition(s) can lead to sacrifice through the endings of his films. An instance of this can be seen through the ending of La La Land - the two main characters both reach their dreams, but their relationship ends.
Yet, rather than wrap up each plot element, Chazelle likes to end his films early, since he believes this "leaves you awake to the possibilities of the movie" (Buchanan, 2017).
Chazelle normally does this without dialogue, having Whiplash end on a musical number with a fast-paced drum solo, creating the possibility that Andrew could make his dreams come true, even after being betrayed by his teacher, - (see fig. 5) - with La La Land ending with the main characters taking one last glance at each other after a montage where they imagine what could have happened if they were still together - but, by doing this, Chazelle ends his films at the highest emotional point of the story (Buchanan, 2017).
Fig. 5 Whiplash (2014)
Since Chazelle begins his writing process by concentrating on what emotions he wants his films to portray, it can be argued that by ending his films in this way he uses these scenes as one last chance to convey the film's main emotion(s) through visuals and sound (Myers, 2014). Chazelle believes that a film's closing scene will be what the audience think about once the film has ended (Buchanan, 2017). Thus, by conveying the emotional foundations of his films in these final scenes, such as optimism in La La Land and the fast-pace in Whiplash, he reminds the audience of what grew from these emotions during his writing process: the film's theme, and thus the characters, plot, and world of the film.
Overall, it can be seen that Damien Chazelle's writing is based on emotion. He begins with the emotion he wants his film to convey, finds his personal connection to this, and allows this to inform the film's pace, theme, and even style. By doing this, he focuses on his characters and their ambitions, using the emotion(s) the story is based on to convey their emotional journeys as they make sacrifices for these ambitions - further backed up by the directing style he chooses depending on the story (First Man - Damien Chazelle's Vision, 2019).
Directing
Due to how Chazelle chooses to base the stories of his films in emotion, his directing style can differ from more involved with the characters, using point of view shots and close-ups to put the audience in the place of or near the characters, or can be more detached using extreme wide shots, spinning shots and whip pans to portray the nature of the film's world and the characters' reactions to it, depending on the story.
For example, La La Land has a more detached style, since the setting informs much of the story, with the characters' struggles being directly related to Hollywood, such as Mia going to audition after audition with little success. However in First Man, Chazelle chose to use a more intimate directing style, as the story is based around Neil Armstrong's struggles on the way to landing on the moon, such as the loss of his daughter, as Chazelle saw the film as "just the emotional story of a guy who's trying to be a father, trying to be a husband, while undergoing this kind of cosmic journey" (First Man - Damien Chazelle's Vision, 2019).
Thus, Chazelle approaches directing by allowing the style he chooses to be determined by the experience he aims to create for the audience in consequence of the focus of the film's story (First Man - Damien Chazelle's Vision, 2019).
For example, La La Land has a more detached style, since the setting informs much of the story, with the characters' struggles being directly related to Hollywood, such as Mia going to audition after audition with little success. However in First Man, Chazelle chose to use a more intimate directing style, as the story is based around Neil Armstrong's struggles on the way to landing on the moon, such as the loss of his daughter, as Chazelle saw the film as "just the emotional story of a guy who's trying to be a father, trying to be a husband, while undergoing this kind of cosmic journey" (First Man - Damien Chazelle's Vision, 2019).
Thus, Chazelle approaches directing by allowing the style he chooses to be determined by the experience he aims to create for the audience in consequence of the focus of the film's story (First Man - Damien Chazelle's Vision, 2019).
POV shots & close-ups
For example, since the story of First Man is based on a biography about Neil Armstrong, Chazelle aimed to tell the story from his perspective, intending for the film to be "POV driven, first person" (First Man - Damien Chazelle's Vision, 2019). This is so the audience could identify with Armstrong, backed up by the film looking at both his family and personality to allow the audience to understand his point of view through the factors which shaped him as a person (First Man - Damien Chazelle's Vision, 2019).
Due to this, Chazelle aimed to create an experience so that the audience could feel like they were on the journey with Armstrong, both in space and during the scenes with his family, leading Chazelle to chose an intimate, realistic directing style, which used point of view shots and close ups throughout the film to realise his aims (First Man - Damien Chazelle's Vision, 2019).
This can be seen during the moon landing sequence. Throughout the sequence the audience experience events from the character's perspective, seeing the same views, hearing the sounds they would, and, as Chazelle intended, feeling their emotions (First Man - Damien Chazelle's Vision, 2019).
The sequence thus changes from the audience hearing the hum of the inside of the capsule, to the hatch being opened and silence rushing in as the camera places viewers as looking directly at the surface of the moon (see fig. 6) - as the characters are from inside the capsule (see fig. 7).
Fig. 6 First Man | Moon Landing (2019)
Fig. 7 First Man | Moon Landing (2019)
The rest of the sequence continues almost entirely in silence - as the characters would have heard in space - with a point of view shot as Armstrong climbs down the ladder and places his foot on the moon (see fig. 8, 9, 10 & 11). Since this shot is from the perspective of inside his helmet, the only sound we can hear is of him breathing, as well as some dialogue between him and mission control.
Fig. 8 First Man | Moon Landing (2019)
Fig. 9 First Man | Moon Landing (2019)
Fig. 10 First Man | Moon Landing (2019)
Fig. 11 First Man | Moon Landing (2019)
This identification with Armstrong is furthered later on in the sequence when he is walking on the moon and remembers his daughter - seen by the audience through flashbacks (see fig. 12). This leads to a moment where we discover Armstrong has taken his daughter's bracelet to the moon with him, and he decides to leave it there. Chazelle chose to frame this moment when he lets go of the bracelet in close-up (see fig. 13), emphasising the importance of this action as it is symbolic of him letting his daughter go (Bordwell & Thompson, 2013:190).
Fig. 12 First Man - The Bracelet Scene (2019)
Fig. 13 First Man - The Bracelet Scene (2019)
Thus, this shooting style backs up Chazelle's aim to "capture the space events in as visceral, real feeling as possible, but also the intimacy of the family" (First Man - Damien Chazelle's Vision, 2019), especially notable during this moment, since it connects both aspects of the story, Armstrong's family and his involvement in the moon landing through the emotion of this moment.
The audience are intended to feel what Armstrong does in this moment, highlighted by Chazelle placing them in Armstrong's place through point of view shots during this sequence - such as on the ladder - up until this moment, which he then emphasises through shot size as important.
Therefore, it can be seen that this directing style reflects how Chazelle views writing, as it is based in the emotional journey of Armstrong to allow the story to be told from his perspective so the audience can understand his experience - following how the story of the film was written as an adaptation of a biography.
To capture this realistic, documentary style, Chazelle told editor Tom Cross - who he also worked with on Whiplash and La La Land - that he wanted First Man to seem as if a 16mm camera had followed the astronauts on the journey, intending to "find that balance between documentary reality and heightening where needed to sort of create this immersive, sometimes surreal, overwhelming experience" (First Man - The Editing And Sound Of First Man, 2019).
This intention affected how Cross edited the film, since he would look for snap zooms and lens flares - which Cross would typically not cut into other films - believing the seemingly unplanned nature of these elements made the film feel more naturalistic and real (First Man - The Editing And Sound Of First Man, 2019) - (see fig. 14).
Sound was also important for the film, since Chazelle would sometimes film entire sequences from only the inside of the capsule the astronauts were in so the audience could share their experience - these capsules having small windows meant sound was needed to complete the part of the experience visuals couldn't (First Man - The Editing And Sound Of First Man, 2019).
For example, the film's sound designers added creaking and groaning sounds for shots inside the capsule, to help create tension for the audience, backing up Chazelle's closely framed shots which create a claustrophobic feeling (First Man - The Editing And Sound Of First Man, 2019) - (see fig. 15).
However, to improve the experience for the viewer, Chazelle also had the sound designers add in other sounds, including horses stampeding, lions roaring, and snakes hissing to help with the balance he intended, creating a soundscape which feels real, but also somewhat heightened - yet, during some moments, such as on the moon, he wanted all sound to be taken out to create silence, thus emphasising any sound that is heard, such as Armstrong's breathing, allowing the audience to reflect on the journey to the moon (First Man - The Editing And Sound Of First Man, 2019).
Overall, Chazelle worked with the film's editor and sound designers to achieve what he intended with his shooting style, wanting "the whole feel of the film to not just capture what something was literally like, but you also want to try to get at what it might have felt like" (First Man - The Editing And Sound Of First Man, 2019). Therefore, despite editing and sound being elements of post-production, it can be seen from this that a director still needs to be thinking about their intentions for this stage when they are working on the film's development in pre-production, so all of the film's elements are consistent.
However, shooting First Man in this way was in contrast to how Chazelle chose to film La La Land, for which he filmed many long takes (First Man - The Editing And Sound Of First Man, 2019).
Directing Editing & Sound Design
This directing style chosen by Chazelle was backed up by editing and sound design added in post-production. Since Chazelle intended for a realistic style, he shot the film like a documentary, using several different types of film - 16mm, 35mm, VistaVision (a version of 35mm) and IMAX - in the end using over a million feet of film to shoot the movie (First Man - The Editing And Sound Of First Man, 2019). Thus, this made the film difficult to piece together within the edit due to continuity, but Chazelle intended for the film to have an unorganised, almost chaotic feel to convey the feeling, especially the fears, of the journey Armstrong was on (First Man - The Editing And Sound Of First Man, 2019).To capture this realistic, documentary style, Chazelle told editor Tom Cross - who he also worked with on Whiplash and La La Land - that he wanted First Man to seem as if a 16mm camera had followed the astronauts on the journey, intending to "find that balance between documentary reality and heightening where needed to sort of create this immersive, sometimes surreal, overwhelming experience" (First Man - The Editing And Sound Of First Man, 2019).
This intention affected how Cross edited the film, since he would look for snap zooms and lens flares - which Cross would typically not cut into other films - believing the seemingly unplanned nature of these elements made the film feel more naturalistic and real (First Man - The Editing And Sound Of First Man, 2019) - (see fig. 14).
Fig. 14 First Man - The Editing And Sound Of First Man (2019)
Sound was also important for the film, since Chazelle would sometimes film entire sequences from only the inside of the capsule the astronauts were in so the audience could share their experience - these capsules having small windows meant sound was needed to complete the part of the experience visuals couldn't (First Man - The Editing And Sound Of First Man, 2019).
For example, the film's sound designers added creaking and groaning sounds for shots inside the capsule, to help create tension for the audience, backing up Chazelle's closely framed shots which create a claustrophobic feeling (First Man - The Editing And Sound Of First Man, 2019) - (see fig. 15).
Fig. 15 First Man (2018)
However, to improve the experience for the viewer, Chazelle also had the sound designers add in other sounds, including horses stampeding, lions roaring, and snakes hissing to help with the balance he intended, creating a soundscape which feels real, but also somewhat heightened - yet, during some moments, such as on the moon, he wanted all sound to be taken out to create silence, thus emphasising any sound that is heard, such as Armstrong's breathing, allowing the audience to reflect on the journey to the moon (First Man - The Editing And Sound Of First Man, 2019).
Overall, Chazelle worked with the film's editor and sound designers to achieve what he intended with his shooting style, wanting "the whole feel of the film to not just capture what something was literally like, but you also want to try to get at what it might have felt like" (First Man - The Editing And Sound Of First Man, 2019). Therefore, despite editing and sound being elements of post-production, it can be seen from this that a director still needs to be thinking about their intentions for this stage when they are working on the film's development in pre-production, so all of the film's elements are consistent.
However, shooting First Man in this way was in contrast to how Chazelle chose to film La La Land, for which he filmed many long takes (First Man - The Editing And Sound Of First Man, 2019).
Extreme wide shots & long tracking shots
Due to these long takes, within pre-production actor Ryan Gosling had to learn how to play piano, since they could not cut around a double and maintain a long take (La La Land (2016 Movie) Official Behind-The-Scenes Featurette, 2016). Yet, this is why Chazelle didn't cast someone who could already play piano, wanting everything to be based in character - thus learning piano in pre-production allowed Gosling to approach it as his character, Sebastian would (Loughrey, 2017).
However, Chazelle chose a less realistic style than First Man for La La Land, because it was inspired by classic musicals - he believes that “musicals fit into that vision of cinema as not having to be so literally reflective of real life. Musicals require a certain suspension of disbelief” (Loughrey, 2017).
Nonetheless, as La La Land is based in an everyday setting, it can be seen as a "straight musical", since the musical numbers take place whilst the characters' go about their daily lives (Bordwell & Thompson, 2013:344). Yet, due to La La Land's focus on the two main characters' relationship, the film can also be seen as a romantic comedy, also typical of straight musicals - this is because the musical numbers typically convey "the characters' fears, longings, and joys" (Bordwell & Thompson, 2013:345).
An example of this in La La Land can be seen during the sequence set on the pier - shot in one long take - when Sebastian sings 'City of Stars'.
The sequence begins with a long shot which follows Sebastian from behind (see fig. 16), creating the impression that the audience follow Sebastian into the location - as viewers often see the movement of the camera as their own (Bordwell & Thompson, 2013:200) - while also establishing where he is, and his relationship to the location (Mercado, 2012:59).
Fig. 16 La La Land - "City of stars" scene (2017)
This somewhat distances the audience from Sebastian, because of the wide frame, yet long shots can be used with other shot sizes to allow for the "emotional involvement of the audience" to build over a sequence (Mercado, 2012:59). Chazelle does this by following this establishing long shot with a medium close-up as Sebastian reaches down to pick up a hat - this close framing highlighting this action as important (Mercado, 2012:155) - (see fig. 17) - similar to the bracelet shot in First Man.
Fig. 17 La La Land - "City of stars" scene (2017)
Fig. 18 La La Land - "City of stars" scene (2017)
However, the wide frame again somewhat distances the audience from Sebastian. Yet, it can be suggested that the style used in this sequence, despite still being based in emotion, is detached as the characters are detached from reality, as they are both dreamers.
In the scene preceding this sequence, Mia tells Sebastian she has a call-back for a TV show, putting her one step closer to her dream, thus he asks her to the movies - setting up this pier sequence where he dreams about the possibilities which could come from this ("who knows? Is this the start of something wonderful and new... Or one more dream, that I cannot make true").
Fig. 19 La La Land - "City of stars" scene (2017)
Fig. 20 La La Land - "City of stars" scene (2017)
Fig. 21 La La Land - "City of stars" scene (2017)
Whilst dreaming about these possibilities, Sebastian comes across a couple on the pier - the man being the owner of the hat (see fig. 19). The importance of the hat is thus revealed, since the couple show how consumed Sebastian is in his dream, as he dances with the woman, as if he is imagining her to be Mia ("Is this the start of something wonderful and new?") - (see fig. 20). Yet, he is brought back to reality by the couple's annoyance ("Or one more dream, that I cannot make true...") - (see fig. 21).
Chazelle allows a reverse tracking shot to linger on his reaction to this as he walks away from the pier - allowing the emotional involvement of the audience to culminate at this point, since this is the closest Chazelle frames Sebastian's face - and thus as evident as he makes his emotions - in the whole sequence (Mercado, 2012:155) - (see fig. 22). This therefore highlights the sequence's focus of Sebastian's dream, as he seems somewhat disappointed, conveying how much it means to him.
Fig. 22 La La Land - "City of stars" scene (2017)
Fig. 23 La La Land - "City of stars" scene (2017)
However, Chazelle allows the shot to linger for so long that Sebastian walks out of the frame, allowing other elements of the setting to become the focus - such as the couple dancing and the old fashioned street lights (Mercado, 2012:155) - (see fig. 23). The dancing couple highlights the sequence's idealism, further backing up the focus of Sebastian's dream.
Yet within the film's script, Chazelle wrote in small details, such as that the street lights of locations would need to be intentionally changed to more old fashioned ones, such as these (La La Land (2016 Movie) Official Featurette - The Look, 2017), because of how Mia and Sebastian are dreamers - Chazelle aimed for these details to thus be grounded in the characters' perspective of how they see LA as the idealistic version from old fashioned musicals, as they are stuck in their own heads (Zacharias, 2017) - furthering his intention for everything to be based in character (Loughrey, 2017).
Filming this pier sequence as one long tracking shot further fits the characters' perspective of LA, as this type of shot was a trope of classic musicals (Bordwell & Thompson, 2013:346). Yet, Chazelle also chose to do this so that the camera could move with the music, and be fluid as dreams are (La La Land (2016 Movie) Official Featurette - The Look, 2017).
Using different shot sizes within this tracking shot to build emotional involvement highlights how Chazelle bases his films in emotion - this carries through from his writing to his directing - despite the wideness of many of the shots. However, this distancing of the audience could be to help remove the audience from the film's reality, as the characters' dreams are removed from the film's reality - backed up by some of the film's other sequences, such as when Mia and Sebastian visit the planetarium and dance in space - which are set completely in fantasy (Zacharias, 2017) - (see fig. 24).
Fig. 24 La La Land (2016)
Therefore, although Chazelle intended to place the audience in the characters' positions in First Man, it can be seen from his directing style for La La Land that he intends for the audience to see the world as the characters do, despite not taking their places.
For example, a spinning shot, which fits to the song being performed by the characters during a musical number, shows how overwhelming the amount of people are to Mia at a Hollywood party (see fig. 25 & 26) - which Chazelle also uses in First Man to convey the risks of the mission and how overwhelming these are for the characters, when the capsule starts spinning uncontrollably (see fig. 27). Each shot spins faster and faster, eventually reaching a speed where the frame becomes blurred.
Fig. 25 La La Land (2016)
Fig. 26 La La Land (2016)
Fig. 27 First Man (2018)
Chazelle also designed La La Land's continuous tracking shots to mirror the tempo of the music, and display the choreography of the numbers (La La Land (2016 Movie) Official Featurette - The Look, 2017). For the opening number which takes place on the freeway (see fig. 1), this took rehearsal, which Chazelle held in a parking lot, using his iPhone to figure out the camera movement (La La Land (2016 Movie) Official Featurette - The Look, 2017) - (see fig. 28 & 29).
This is known as a "shooting rehearsal" - needed for this kind of sequence as it involves a lot of movement, from both the cast and the camera - thus it can be worked out if this movement is possible, if it looks good when actually filmed, as well as allowing the cast to become comfortable and learn what they need to do within the sequence, saving time when it comes to filming later on (Rabiger & Hurbis-Cherrier, 2013:257-8). However, for Chazelle this was probably also needed to work out the scene's pace and dynamic to determine if this fit with not only the music, but also the rest of the movie, this number being the opening scene, as it is the director's job "to set and maintain each scene's dynamics and pacing" so that they each build to make up the film as a consistent whole (Rabiger & Hurbis-Cherrier, 2013:255).
Fig. 28 La La Land (2016 Movie) Official Featurette - The Look (2017)
Fig. 29 La La Land (2016 Movie) Official Featurette - The Look (2017)
Overall, although Chazelle uses many elements from classic musicals within La La Land, he still intends to ground it in reality through the characters' relationship. This can be seen through shots such as the extreme wide shot before the pier sequence, which can be seen as an "emblematic shot" - a shot which is able to symbolise a wider part of the story (Mercado, 2012:107) - by foreshadowing through them walking in different directions, that Mia and Sebastian will separate by the end of the movie, although at this point their relationship is just beginning (see fig. 30).
Thus, Chazelle also carries through his intention of combining the old and new from his writing to his directing - for example, using long takes to show the tropes of classic Hollywood musicals, as well as shots, such as spinning shots, to convey the characters' reactions to modern day reality.
Fig. 30 La La Land (2016)
Production Design
Yet, so this combination of old and new was also reflected in the sets and costumes, Chazelle, the costume designer and set designers all met to go through the script together, breaking down the scenes and settling on an overall style, which was "timeless with a contemporary sensibility", shown through the variation of sets, such as Mia and Sebastian's modern apartments (La La Land (2016 Movie) Official Featurette - The Look, 2017) - (see fig. 31). This contrasted with sets which were painted for fantasy sequences, influenced by classic musicals (Loughrey, 2017) - (see fig. 32). Thus, the costumes also needed to reflect this overall style - achieved through the use of colour.
Fig. 31 La La Land (2016)
Fig. 32 La La Land (2016)
Fig. 33 La La Land (2016)
Fig. 34 La La Land (2016)
For example, throughout the first half of the film, Mia is dressed in bright colours (La La Land (2016 Movie) Official Featurette - The Look, 2017) - (see fig. 33). Chazelle intended this to be like the Technicolour movies such as Singin' in the Rain were filmed in (Loughrey, 2017).
However, as the film progresses, the costume designer created more costumes for Mia which were less colourful, and often white, since "as she becomes more mature, the colour starts to become less important" (La La Land (2016 Movie) Official Featurette - The Look, 2017) - (see fig. 34). This is because Mia is reaching her dreams, thus fulfilling her ambitions signified by the bright colours.
However, Chazelle intended for the turning point for this to be when Mia goes to an audition and gets the part because she is herself, and not trying to be someone else as she has been throughout the other auditions during the film (Loughrey, 2017). Chazelle based how he chose to direct this moment on this idea, thus using very simple camera movement - only a push in and one pan throughout the whole scene, mainly keeping the camera static - and spotlighting Mia as a way to symbolise her "journey to one’s self", since the light and minimal camera movement mean the audience's focus remains on Mia (Loughrey, 2017) - (see fig. 35).
Yet, Chazelle doesn't only use the transition from colour to black and white to show his characters' growth, since within his films, the colour green often reoccurs - green representing growth on the colour spectrum (Bourn, 2011) - (see fig. 36, 37 & 38).
However, Chazelle intended for the turning point for this to be when Mia goes to an audition and gets the part because she is herself, and not trying to be someone else as she has been throughout the other auditions during the film (Loughrey, 2017). Chazelle based how he chose to direct this moment on this idea, thus using very simple camera movement - only a push in and one pan throughout the whole scene, mainly keeping the camera static - and spotlighting Mia as a way to symbolise her "journey to one’s self", since the light and minimal camera movement mean the audience's focus remains on Mia (Loughrey, 2017) - (see fig. 35).
Fig. 35 La La Land (2016)
Fig. 36 Whiplash (2014)
Fig. 37 La La Land (2016)
Fig. 38 First Man (2018)
Overall, both Damien Chazelle's writing and directing is driven by character, as he shows the audience the film's world through their perspectives - either through putting viewers in their places or through focusing on their reactions - and takes the audience on their emotional journey by showing their struggles as they reach for their ambitions.
This sequence directly mirrors the opening sequence of Whiplash, when Fletcher first meets Andrew and he is playing a drum solo, encouraging the audience to reflect on the journey Andrew has taken to get here, backed up by Chazelle choosing to have a short moment of silence during the solo where Andrew can be seen drumming, but not heard - highlighting the endurance Andrew has faced and how it culminates in this moment.
Thus, Chazelle's writing and directing are informed by character, since their emotions, ambitions, and actions which he sets up in the screenplay affect the other aspects of the film - the pace of the music, the pace of the cuts, the tone, the theme etc. - and the process he takes to make each film, sometimes focusing on colour, sometimes on sound depending on the experience he intends to create based on these character(s).
Influence
Writing
The importance of a good opening scene
Chazelle's belief in this influenced me to use the opening scene of The Universe Is A Goldfish Bowl to challenge audience expectations by having Vera not only already working when we see her even though her alarm clock is going off to wake her up in the morning, but also to reveal that it's still the middle of the night when Vera skips out to work, emphasising her overworking straight away.
This was inspired by how Chazelle makes the audience believe it is summer in La La Land's opening scene from the cast singing about another day of sun and wearing bright colours in sunny weather, but then revealing it's winter, as well as how he uses the opening scene in Whiplash to show the high standards Fletcher expects from students straight away, establishing that this will be a central part of the plot.
I thought this was important to do in a short film to draw viewers in by challenging their expectations, but I also thought it was necessary to use it as a way to introduce them to the main character quickly, since the short running time doesn't allow for much time to do this.
Ambitious characters & everyday settings
This was important to me since I aimed for viewers to relate to Vera more if her scientific ambitions were grounded in an everyday relatable setting such as her home. However, Chazelle's approach to this influenced me to focus on character over story, allowing Vera's ambition to drive the story and up the stakes as she becomes more and more determined to work out how Roni got here. Yet, as with Chazelle's characters, Vera's ambition also leads to sacrifice, for her the sacrifice of her health as she becomes more and more tired and thus sick. To raise the stakes with this, I intended for Vera's determination to culminate when her illness does, since I found this led to the turning point of the story - Vera's realisation of what her overworking is doing to her - which caused Vera to change.
[For directing influence, see director statement]
List of illustrations
Figure 1-3. La La Land (2016) [Film still, DVD] In: La La Land. California: Summit Entertainment.
Figure 4-5. Whiplash (2014) [Film still, DVD] In: Whiplash. California: Sony Pictures.
Figure 6-11. First Man | Moon Landing (2019) [Film still, clip] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpkUDzB6WEc&list=PLc9QYgv46S0PqaESmTLhM9Cji18I9PpR1&index=22&t (Accessed on 27 December 2019).
Figure 12 & 13. First Man (2018) - The Bracelet Scene (10/10) | Movieclips (2019) [Film still, clip] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUKw4qcGHZs&list=PLc9QYgv46S0PqaESmTLhM9Cji18I9PpR1&index=22 (Accessed on 27 December 2019).
Figure 14. First Man - The Editing And Sound Of First Man (2019) [Film still, clip] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPNabGwNoRw&list=PLc9QYgv46S0PqaESmTLhM9Cji18I9PpR1&index=27 (Accessed on 27 December 2019).
Figure 15. First Man (2018) In: First Man. California: Universal Pictures.
Figure 16-23. La La Land - "City of stars" scene (2017) [Film still, clip] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJjPdUagmKM&list=PLc9QYgv46S0PqaESmTLhM9Cji18I9PpR1&index=23 (Accessed on 27 December 2019).
Figure 24-26. La La Land (2016) [Film still, DVD] In: La La Land. California: Summit Entertainment.
Figure 27. First Man (2018) In: First Man. California: Universal Pictures.
Figure 28 & 29. La La Land (2016 Movie) Official Featurette - The Look (2017) [Behind the scenes clip] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXLTERdI4zs&list=PLc9QYgv46S0PqaESmTLhM9Cji18I9PpR1&index=20 (Accessed on 27 December 2019).
Figure 30-35. La La Land (2016) [Film still, DVD] In: La La Land. California: Summit Entertainment.
Figure 36. Whiplash (2014) [Film still, DVD] In: Whiplash. California: Sony Pictures.
Figure 37. La La Land (2016) [Film still, DVD] In: La La Land. California: Summit Entertainment.
Figure 38. First Man (2018) In: First Man. California: Universal Pictures.
Figure 4-5. Whiplash (2014) [Film still, DVD] In: Whiplash. California: Sony Pictures.
Figure 6-11. First Man | Moon Landing (2019) [Film still, clip] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SpkUDzB6WEc&list=PLc9QYgv46S0PqaESmTLhM9Cji18I9PpR1&index=22&t (Accessed on 27 December 2019).
Figure 12 & 13. First Man (2018) - The Bracelet Scene (10/10) | Movieclips (2019) [Film still, clip] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUKw4qcGHZs&list=PLc9QYgv46S0PqaESmTLhM9Cji18I9PpR1&index=22 (Accessed on 27 December 2019).
Figure 14. First Man - The Editing And Sound Of First Man (2019) [Film still, clip] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPNabGwNoRw&list=PLc9QYgv46S0PqaESmTLhM9Cji18I9PpR1&index=27 (Accessed on 27 December 2019).
Figure 15. First Man (2018) In: First Man. California: Universal Pictures.
Figure 16-23. La La Land - "City of stars" scene (2017) [Film still, clip] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJjPdUagmKM&list=PLc9QYgv46S0PqaESmTLhM9Cji18I9PpR1&index=23 (Accessed on 27 December 2019).
Figure 24-26. La La Land (2016) [Film still, DVD] In: La La Land. California: Summit Entertainment.
Figure 27. First Man (2018) In: First Man. California: Universal Pictures.
Figure 28 & 29. La La Land (2016 Movie) Official Featurette - The Look (2017) [Behind the scenes clip] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXLTERdI4zs&list=PLc9QYgv46S0PqaESmTLhM9Cji18I9PpR1&index=20 (Accessed on 27 December 2019).
Figure 30-35. La La Land (2016) [Film still, DVD] In: La La Land. California: Summit Entertainment.
Figure 36. Whiplash (2014) [Film still, DVD] In: Whiplash. California: Sony Pictures.
Figure 37. La La Land (2016) [Film still, DVD] In: La La Land. California: Summit Entertainment.
Figure 38. First Man (2018) In: First Man. California: Universal Pictures.
References
Bordwell, D. & Thompson, K. (2013) Film Art: An Introduction. (10th ed.) New York: McGraw-Hill.
Bourn, J. (2011) Color Meaning: Meaning of The Color Green. At: https://www.bourncreative.com/meaning-of-the-color-green/ (Accessed on 15 December 2019).
Buchanan, K. (2017) 'Oscars 2017: Damien Chazelle on His Beginnings and Endings' In: Vulture. [online] At: https://www.vulture.com/2017/02/oscars-2017-damien-chazelle-on-his-beginnings-and-endings.html (Accessed on 2 November 2019).
Davids, B. (2018) 'How Damien Chazelle's 'First Man' Took a Page Out of Christopher Nolan's Playbook' In: The Hollywood Reporter. [online] At: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/first-man-what-damien-chazelle-learned-christopher-nolan-1151847 (Accessed on 2 November 2019).
First Man - Damien Chazelle's Vision (2019) [online video] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7kRGD1-tXU (Accessed on 2 November 2019).
First Man - The Editing And Sound Of First Man (2019) [online video] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPNabGwNoRw&list=PLc9QYgv46S0PqaESmTLhM9Cji18I9PpR1&index=28&t (Accessed on 15 December 2019).
Bourn, J. (2011) Color Meaning: Meaning of The Color Green. At: https://www.bourncreative.com/meaning-of-the-color-green/ (Accessed on 15 December 2019).
Buchanan, K. (2017) 'Oscars 2017: Damien Chazelle on His Beginnings and Endings' In: Vulture. [online] At: https://www.vulture.com/2017/02/oscars-2017-damien-chazelle-on-his-beginnings-and-endings.html (Accessed on 2 November 2019).
Davids, B. (2018) 'How Damien Chazelle's 'First Man' Took a Page Out of Christopher Nolan's Playbook' In: The Hollywood Reporter. [online] At: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/first-man-what-damien-chazelle-learned-christopher-nolan-1151847 (Accessed on 2 November 2019).
First Man - Damien Chazelle's Vision (2019) [online video] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7kRGD1-tXU (Accessed on 2 November 2019).
First Man - The Editing And Sound Of First Man (2019) [online video] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPNabGwNoRw&list=PLc9QYgv46S0PqaESmTLhM9Cji18I9PpR1&index=28&t (Accessed on 15 December 2019).
For Damien Chazelle, it's all personal (2017) [online video] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGliMr2dJCI (Accessed on 2 November 2019).
Fox, K. (2018) 'Damien Chazelle: 'I liked doing something that was the polar opposite of La La Land' In: The Guardian. [online] At: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/oct/07/damien-chazelle-first-man-interview-flag-donald-trump-la-la-land (Accessed on 2 November 2019).
Kay, J. (2018) 'Damien Chazelle explains why Ryan Gosling was the perfect collaborator on 'First Man'' In: Screen Daily. [online] At: https://www.screendaily.com/features/damien-chazelle-explains-why-ryan-gosling-was-the-perfect-collaborator-on-first-man/5135075.article (Accessed on 2 November 2019).
La La Land (2016 Movie) Official Behind-The-Scenes Featurette (2016) [online video] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhDtuy-YG74&list=PLc9QYgv46S0PqaESmTLhM9Cji18I9PpR1&index (Accessed on 15 December 2019).
La La Land (2016 Movie) Official Featurette - The Look (2017) [online video] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXLTERdI4zs&list=PLc9QYgv46S0PqaESmTLhM9Cji18I9PpR1&index (Accessed on 15 December 2019).
Loughrey, C. (2017) 'La Land interview: Damien Chazelle on the death and rebirth of the screen musical' In: Independent. [online] At: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/damien-chazelle-interview-la-la-land-oscars-2017-ryan-gosling-emma-stone-a7522311.html (Accessed on 2 November 2019).
Mercado, G. (2010) The Filmmaker's Eye. Oxon: Focal Press.
Myers, S. (2014) 'Interview: Damien Chazelle' In: Go Into The Story. [online] At: https://gointothestory.blcklst.com/interview-damien-chazelle-3dd250ffbbff (Accessed on 2 November 2019).
Rabiger, M. & Hurbis-Cherrier, M. (2013) Directing: Film Techniques and Aesthetics. (5th ed.) Oxon: Focal Press.
Kay, J. (2018) 'Damien Chazelle explains why Ryan Gosling was the perfect collaborator on 'First Man'' In: Screen Daily. [online] At: https://www.screendaily.com/features/damien-chazelle-explains-why-ryan-gosling-was-the-perfect-collaborator-on-first-man/5135075.article (Accessed on 2 November 2019).
La La Land (2016 Movie) Official Behind-The-Scenes Featurette (2016) [online video] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhDtuy-YG74&list=PLc9QYgv46S0PqaESmTLhM9Cji18I9PpR1&index (Accessed on 15 December 2019).
La La Land (2016 Movie) Official Featurette - The Look (2017) [online video] At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXLTERdI4zs&list=PLc9QYgv46S0PqaESmTLhM9Cji18I9PpR1&index (Accessed on 15 December 2019).
Loughrey, C. (2017) 'La Land interview: Damien Chazelle on the death and rebirth of the screen musical' In: Independent. [online] At: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/damien-chazelle-interview-la-la-land-oscars-2017-ryan-gosling-emma-stone-a7522311.html (Accessed on 2 November 2019).
Mercado, G. (2010) The Filmmaker's Eye. Oxon: Focal Press.
Myers, S. (2014) 'Interview: Damien Chazelle' In: Go Into The Story. [online] At: https://gointothestory.blcklst.com/interview-damien-chazelle-3dd250ffbbff (Accessed on 2 November 2019).
Rabiger, M. & Hurbis-Cherrier, M. (2013) Directing: Film Techniques and Aesthetics. (5th ed.) Oxon: Focal Press.
Zacharias, R. (2017) 'Damien Chazelle on La La Land' In: Creative Screenwriting. [online] At: https://creativescreenwriting.com/la-la-land/ (Accessed on 2 November 2019).
Comments
Post a Comment