The Blues of La La Land
La La Land is probably one of the best films ever made. But what makes it so special is that it is not just cinema, but also art due to its colour schemes and music.
The plot of La La Land is really interesting, but the movie’s beauty is hidden mostly in the colour theory. Director Damien Chazelle reveals that its meaning is deeper than just specific symbols – different themes and ideas are found in the shades in the most important parts of the movie, which are all marked by the music pieces. That is how the mixture of colours and music creates a perfect balance on a deeper psychological level – it makes the viewer realise things visually, and not only by storytelling.
While performing Another Day of Sun at the very beginning of the film, there are a lot of vibrant colours, which introduce Hollywood, its opportunities and more specifically - Mia’s world.
Then, during the Someone in the Crowd scene, Mia is wearing a blue dress while talking about her dreams. The lights surrounding her are red. The theme that the blue represents in the entire film is the unfulfilling reality, and in contrast, the red symbolises the risks in pursuing your dreams. This is even more obvious in the scene where that successful actress Mia dreams of becoming is wearing a red dress, while Mia is stuck behind a blue counter, again showing the loop she is stuck in.
During Mia and Sebastian’s theme in the restaurant Mia enters a blue restaurant through a red door, symbolising opportunities. That is when she sees Sebastian perform for the first time. But when he starts playing his own music, the scene suddenly turns red. At the end of the song, we can see that Sebastian is wearing a blue suit, standing for his never-ending loop. However, his boss is shown mostly in red as when he fires Seb, he sets him free and pushes him to follow his own path.
The short I Ran scene, which may not seem important, shows Seb in an unnatural place for him – among the vibrant colours of L.A. He is more of a jazz person and jazz in the movie is associated with muted, monotone colours – Sebastian’s world.
In A Lovely Night, the film’s most iconic scene, Mia is wearing a yellow dress, which not only symbolises intensity, but also that there is an upcoming decision to be made. Her bag is a bright red, which as we know, is a colour of dreams and passion. Then the focus is on Sebastian, and we can see him in a dark, blue suit, which this time represents classical jazz. So, to sum up for now, in this scene we can confirm that Mia’s signature colour is red, and Seb’s – blue, which is the reason the background is a deep shade of purple – it is a symbol of their entire relationship.
During the scene Herman’s Habit, Sebastian explains the importance of jazz to Mia. Again, the predominant colours are blues, representing Sebastian and his passion for jazz music and culture. When Mia starts to understand this connection, her colours begin to fade as she matures.
In the next scene, City of Stars, which is separated in two halves, Sebastian is walking on a bridge, wearing only black and white, while the people and the sky around him are melancholy blues and pale colours. Then, in the second half, we can see how Mia brings back the colour to Seb – she is wearing a purple dress, while the green in their apartment grows from symbolising their connection to symbolising their separation later in the film – physically and mentally.
Similarly to City of Stars, in the Planetarium scene Mia is wearing a green dress, but this time the background changes slowly from a lonely blue to a warm purple.
Then, in the Summer Montage, Mia is again wearing a purple dress. When her and Seb meet John Legend, the scene goes to blue again. However, when the couple is at a classical jazz club, the scene turns red, representing Seb’s actual dream. This way the viewer knows that this is the field Sebastian is meant for.
In contrast to that, while playing Start a Fire, the colours are very vibrant and saturated, making the viewer subconsciously realise that this place is not meant for Sebastian.
After Mia and Sebastian break up, Sebastian plays at an Engagement Party, where everyone around him is separated in blue and red. That is also when Mia is shown returning to her parents’ house, again wearing blue as she has given up on her dream.
At Mia’s Audition, she is welcomed by a woman, wearing a yellow shirt. Again portending that a character is about to undergo an important change.
Finally, the most important scene of the film is the Epilogue. In the ending scene we can see a bright combination of blue and red while Mia is with her husband. However, as Mia is leaving Seb’s, she steps into a purple light, acknowledging that they couldn’t have achieved their separate dreams without their relationship.
In conclusion, La La Land ’s main scenes are marked by different music masterpieces. In these parts of the film a key aspect is the colour theory, which represents themes of the storyline. Red is for dreams, blue – for reality, purple – for Mia and Seb’s connection, green – for their relationship regression, yellow – for changes; intensity – for Mia and Hollywood’s charm, muted colours – for Sebastian and the jazz world. The melody and the palettes unwind the unnecessary fallout of two soulmates, separated by their careers – they are coincident puzzle pieces, but tragically made for different puzzles.
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