For the world of cinema, “The Golden Hour” is sacred and magical. This is the name of a short period of time before sunset or just after sunrise. The sunlight for a few minutes is ideal for taking intense pictures and, although the results are excellent, very few people dare to shoot for this short period of time: it takes a lot of organization to achieve this. Luckily for us, Damien Chazelle took a chance and recorded one of the most iconic scenes from La La Land and cinema in general. The film won six Academy Awards, including Best Cinematography.
- This live mistake is the biggest in the history of the Oscars!
You know the controversial scene: It’s the one where Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling dance as they walk to their car after the party. The iconic duo – who could have been played by these two other actors… – then have a great view of Los Angeles from Griffith Park, the same spot where the magical scene was filmed. The film’s cinematographer, Linus Sandgreen, was responsible for making sure everything was perfectly organized. In an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, he talked about this topic.
“We found a very isolated place – a paved road with no street lights. We wanted to shoot it in one shot so that the audience felt it was really happening. For this we had to shoot with a crane. There were 27 different marks on the crane that had to be reached and the actors had to reach their marks as well.“
Shot in Super 35mm, this ambitious scene matches the overall color palette of the film – lots of pinks, blues, greens – and also draws inspiration from the Technicolor films of the ’50s and ’60s.This scene must have been a very romantic moment after the party. We wanted to take a real place and make it more dreamy: blues and magic hour with green street lightsSandgren said about the lighting.
After much rehearsal and much planning, Damien Chazelle Managed to get two shots: one at 19:20 and one at 19:30. To make sure they captured the perfect scene – which lasted six minutes – they returned to the same location the next day. The next day at 19:30 they shot the scene seen in the movie.
careful preparation
until you get there Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling She underwent intensive dance training for three months before the shooting. They learned the sequence first in the studio, then on location, before coordinating with the camera, which the director called the “third dancer.”
“My cinematographer and I wanted the sky to look like this, with that otherworldly technicolor glow, we had to shoot it at magic hour, which is basically a half-hour window. We only had five takes and had to rush between them,He told the New York Times in 2016.
and craftsmanship Linus Sandgren He was justly rewarded. Not only did it win the Oscar for Best Cinematography, but it was also one of the most recurring names in the awards race that took place in 2016 and 2017. Since then, he has not parted. Damien Chazelle After they worked together again on the first man – the first man on the moon (2018) and Babylon (2022).
You can still watch La La Land on VOD.
Source: Allocine

Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.