Watch: Damien Chazelle Shoots La La Land’s Huge Opener On Smart Phone

Director Damien Chazelle’s ode to the Golden Age of Hollywood, La La Land, is the most lauded film this awards season, with a record-equalling fourteen Academy Award nominations. Suffice to say, the critically-acclaimed musical comedy is favourite to win big at the Oscars this Sunday.

Arriving online is some fascinating footage which sees the filmmaker on-set in Los Angeles conducting rehearsals for the film’s big opening sequence “Another Day of Sun”, which he shot on his iPhone.

The final scene, which takes place atop a highway thick with traffic, plays alongside the never-before-seen footage, which was captured in a parking lot, before moving up to the location seen in the finished product. Speaking to USA Today, Chazelle and his choreographer Mandy Moore stated that the movement of the smart phone camera was far more freeing, enabling him to get closer to the dance, and consequently letting the visuals waltz alongside the actors. Check out the video below…

La La Land stars Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, John Legend, and J.K. Simmons. The film is out now in UK cinemas, and you can read our glowing review right here.

Source: USA Today