‘La La Land’s’ creative team goes behind the scenes of the Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone musical

“I’m sorry, I was stuck in traffic,” director Damien Chazelle said, apologizing for arriving late to a discussion of his new film, “La La Land.” It was a classic L.A. start to the panel and also an apt one since the film’s dazzling first scene is set in the middle of a traffic jam. When one young woman breaks into song and dance, many others join her, weaving in and out of their cars and leaping around on the highway. It was one of the most difficult, and important, scenes to shoot, according to Chazelle, who shut down a ramp connecting the 110 and 105 freeways to capture the sequence.

“Just in terms of the logistics of it — a real freeway ramp, a hundred plus cars, [a] hundred dancers, heat wave, camera crane, single take or simulated single take,” Chazelle said, reflecting on the intricate coordination necessary to get it just right.

About 150 people showed up to NeueHouse on Saturday, an arts work space in the heart of Hollywood, to learn more about the making of the critically acclaimed film, which opened in limited release this weekend and set a box office record by earning $855,000 from five theaters.

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Justin Chang reviews ‘La La Land,’ directed by Damien Chazelle and starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling. Video by Jason H. Neubert.

Before the three panels began, attendees mingled, surrounded by imagery from the film while the musical score filled the room. In addition to Chazelle, cinematographer Linus Sandgren, production designer David Wasco, composer Justin Hurwitz and others delved into the inner workings of a film that some are calling one of 2016’s best.

From the 1950 film “Summer Stock,” starring Judy Garland and Gene Kelly, to “The Band Wagon” featuring Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse, several of the panelists joked about just how many references Chazelle sent to help craft the perfect music, costumes, choreography and color palette for the film. With “La La Land,” Chazelle’s goal was to take the feeling of old Hollywood — the Technicolor, the elaborate sets, the romance — and bring it into contemporary times.

“We wanted to really emphasize that aspect of musicals, that emotions dictate the reality — that if you feel enough you break out into song,” Chazelle said. “[We were] always trying to find a balance between real life and fantasy.”

Chazelle also wanted to ensure that the main characters were relatable, despite the dream-like nature of the plot. To that end, one of the film’s key characteristics is that its stars, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, are not highly trained singers or dancers.

“I wanted actors who would learn to sing or dance, rather than singers or dancers who learned to act. I really wanted the core of the movie to be this love story,” Chazelle said.

Stone and Gosling trained between six to eight weeks with choreographer Mandy Moore— not to be confused with the “This is Us” actress— to learn the basics of movement and dance routines for the film. “For me, dance doesn’t live only in people that are really good at it. I really love to watch people dance that aren’t necessarily trained dancers,” Moore said.

Gosling, who plays a virtuoso jazz pianist in the film, took lessons six days a week, and worked with another person to study the physicality of playing the piano. The actor even surprised Chazelle with his proficiency: Unlike many other actors playing musicians, Gosling did not need a hand double.

One panel, “Love Letter to L.A.” highlighted the ways the film paid homage to its namesake. From jokes about Prius owners, to a night time scene at Griffith Observatory, to the local artists featured in subtle ways, Los Angeles is everywhere in the movie. Even the panel itself took place in a landmark 1938 CBS building where classic TV programs from the Hollywood Golden Age were shot.

“This movie is now being praised by the mayor as saying this is a great advertisement for Los Angeles,” said Wasco, the film’s production designer. “We’re not showing the underbelly of LA. There’s such a spectrum of this city, but [the film] wanted to capture a different aspect.”

However, some of the movie’s secrets will remain that way. When pressed about the film’s original title, “So Long Jupiter,” Chazelle’s response was short. “Save it for my book,” he said, laughing.

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