Whenever I explain to someone the plot of the popular movie La La Land, released in 2016, they instantly think it would be boring. A guy and a girl meet, fall in love, and break up. However, there is so much more to it, not only in the plot, but how it was recorded, edited, and even what the characters wear. How do you think the movie grossed $448 million worldwide? Before understanding this, you should know the main storyline:

Mia (Emma Stone), a barista wishing to start a career in acting, and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), a jazz musician, fall in love because of their desire of doing what they are passionate about. Sebastian eventually opens up his own jazz club and joins a band, while Mia becomes a famous actress. However, this creates a fall out between them. They never saw each other again until 5 years later, when they realized the influence they made on each other’s success.

A friend of mine, Sophia Tran, a freshman at Pitman High School, wasn’t exactly looking forward to the idea of watching La La Land when I asked her to. However, her entire opinion on the film changed once she first watched it. 

I asked her, “What was your favorite scene from the movie? What type of emotion did you feel from it?

She said, “About an hour into the movie, a scene plays out where Mia ditches a date to find Sebastian. Together they break into a museum and dance together in a galaxy to jazz music. This specific scene has to be my favorite because it gives off a beautiful Disney-like magical vibe and beautifully displays the connection between the two main characters. The way the movie planned out the scene was beautiful both visually and in music. It also beautifully displayed two lover’s connection and the way they feel, placing a special place in my mind.”

One method creators used in order to create this feeling is through the color palette of the clothing and lighting, heavily influencing the emotion watchers have throughout the movie, also reflecting how the characters feel. An example of this is how the character Mia wears very vibrant colors during the start of the movie, then as the movie progresses, the color of her clothing becomes a lot more neutral and dark, resembling the change in her personality and feelings towards what she had been passionate about. This is how the movie is able to create so much more emotion through a simple plot.

Along with the colors, the music is also able to affect how watchers feel. The magical soundtrack for the movie consists of songs of different beats and sounds. Each song suits the scene it is played with, based on the emotion and mood of the scene. The songs aren’t just songs, but they resemble much more. One song that makes such a huge impact on the entire movie is “Mia and Sebastian’s Theme.” This song was played when Mia and Sebastian meet, as well as when they part away from each other, resembling how they’re still somewhat connected, even after separating. 

The way La La Land was filmed additionally made an effect on what makes the movie even better. A lot of creativity was used in order to direct the watchers’ eyes in a scene shot in one take. This is shown when the camera focuses on what the audience should look at without the camera having to move, and even quick camera movements of switching from one part of the scene to the other adds more to the fun and energetic scenes. These subtle parts of the movie help with developing the visual aspect of the film.

There is so much more to the movie La La Land, considering how the emotions add a lot to the plot. The creators of the movie understood how to make watchers feel a certain way through simple, but very important, details throughout the movie. With all of these little details added together, one of the most phenomenal romance movies ever created.