Discuss how important cinematography is in establishing strong responses from spectators to a key character in "La La Land". your answer must refer yo one scene in detail.


The start of this sequence sees a mid shot zooming out to a long shot at a steady pace. This camera movement makes Seb the focus point of the shot and this helps me allign with the character. I see him as the cool guy who has a soft side to him and i can relate to that in a way as i see that in myself.
At this point I was experiencing a preferred reading as  I enjoyed this time of the sequence as i really like the diegetic music with it as it is quite peaceful.This is supported by the spotlight shining on him as he is the only visible thing to the audience and this emphasises how important his character is to this story of love. The idea of him also playing a piano gives off a sense of romance. The diegetic music is slow, making the scene meaningful and i experienced an passive viewing as i accepted what was happening because i enjoyed this particular experience.  
The camera continues to zoom out and the spotlight fades and lights appear to replicate an earlier scene in the movie. I'm still holding a passive viewing and i enjoy this part as this is when i first started appreciating Sebs character in the film. This is when Seb is trying to make ends meat and despite being i n different stages of ur lives i can really identify with him as this is what I'm currently experiencing. this shows a tiny bit of verisimilitude as it shows the reality of having a dead end job and struggling for money. However, The shot reverse mid-shots of Mia back to the long shot of Seb hinders the idea of verisimilitude as Mia is smiling,indicating there is happiness about the whole situation. I never identified with Mia so this may add to the reason why i think she doesn't help the feeling of the scene, where Seb achieves this for me easily.

Seb and Mia embrace in a kiss, with the camera doing a 360 round them. This is where  my viewing changed and i had an active viewing as i believe Seb is too good for Mia and she doesn't deserve him. The shot expresses their love for each other and this gives me an oppositional reading as i felt this was quite cringey and i struggle to enjoy this part of the scene. However I realise the importance of this shot to the story.
 
The next shots in the sequence are tracking over the shoulder shots following Seb and Mia as they walk through parts of their romantic past. This is when i started to gain an allignment with Mia as i see she makes my main man Seb happy, and this made me happy, Therefore i regained my passive viewing and accepted what i was seeing.

A montage follows showing all the experiences we have experienced with Mia and Seb during the film and this Gave me an oppositional reading as it would've been my preferred ending  and it was frustrating to watch what could've been. I gained my active viewing as i want to conflict what i was seeing as i wish it actually happened. Throughout this part of the sequence, the further edge lights are mostly situated at the back or the side leaving a line of light round Seb and Mia, emphasising the idea of the reason why they didn't work out was due to their own actions.





                                     

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