Movies - TV
La La Land's Production Was A 'Race Against The Clock' Despite Having Months To Prep
By MARCOS MELENDEZ
Damien Chazelle’s Oscar-winning epic musical romance, “La La Land,” dazzled viewers with its ode to Hollywood, as a pair of star-crossed lovers’ paths to stardom are split between their undying dreams. Given all its components and detail, “La La Land” was an exhaustive effort made more challenging by the amount of work that needed to be done quickly despite months of planning.
“La La Land” has scenes that transform into musical numbers, and Chazelle explained their difficulty: “Doing a musical, especially an original musical, it does feel at times like you’re trying to make three projects at once. You’re making the movie itself, but you’re also making an album and choreographing a ballet. And all those things have to ultimately exist entirely together, in unison.”
He continued, “So even though we did have this three, four-month prep, it felt like every day, we were racing against the clock.” According to The Hollywood Reporter, in one particular scene — the “A Lovely Night” sequence — the production had to wait for the sunset to film, giving them a short window to complete the complex dance number using only four takes.