New video brings Oscar to Main Street
EL DORADO — A group of filmmakers from around the country gathered in El Dorado recently to create a “La La Land” parody on behalf of El Dorado Festivals and Events.
The video was released on Tuesday and the three-minute film parodies the extended opening and feeling of the Hollywood hit “La La Land” with a tracking shot of people dancing and singing around downtown El Dorado to the movie’s opening song.
Over 50 local singers, dancers, and actors participated in the video production of “El Do Land” on April 1. The filming took place in downtown El Dorado, and included more than a dozen vendors, businesses and dance studios.
“Austin Barrow, president and COO of El Dorado Festivals and Events, wanted to do a follow up to last year’s video,” said local award-winning filmmaker Alexander Jeffery on Wednesday. “The video features primarily local talent, but Jonnie Stapleton, who comes in toward the beginning of the video, is not local, he’s from Los Angeles.”
The intent was to create an entertaining follow-up to last year’s popular take-off of “Downtown” by Macklemore by producing a fun, energetic promotional piece that captures the energy of a vibrant small town and the excitement around the upcoming music, arts and entertainment district known as the Murphy Arts District.
“We looked at what was happening in popular culture at the moment, and ‘La La Land’ was in everyone’s minds, especially after the Oscars,” Jeffery said. While “La La Land” won a number of Oscars at the 2017 Academy Awards, it did not win Best Picture, although it was mistakenly announced as winner by Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway. The film “Moonlight” actually won Best Picture.
Award-winning cinematographer Joel Froome from New York City via Sydney, Australia
was joined by Stapleton, a successful filmmaker and choreographer from Los Angeles, and Jeffery in scripting, choreographing, directing, shooting and editing the piece.
“Jonnie Stapleton wrote the lyrics, Joel Froome was the cinematographer, and I directed,” Jeffery said.
Using a combination of camera trickery, editing magic, and working with visual effects artist Nathaniel Caauwe, the final product looks as if it was filmed in one seamless take. Caauwe has worked as a visual effects artist on film franchises such as Harry Potter, Captain America, and Star Trek, according to a news release from El Dorado Festivals and Events.
The filmmakers took their lead from the opening shot of “La La Land,” piecing together six different takes to create the illusion of one continuous movement, or tracking shot.
“It took six different shots, and it took the better part of the day, from 9 a.m. until about 7 p.m. to film,” Jeffery said.
The video was released on Tuesday and in the first 24 hours, “El Do Land” has been viewed by 30,000 people and has received 190 shares.
“We like having it up there for free for people to watch and share,” Jeffery said. “It represents our hometown and gets the word out about El Dorado and what a special place it is.”
Jeffery said he is off in May to direct a short film in Australia, and in June he is back home, where he will begin working on a second film in Shreveport, La.
To see the video, visit https://youtu.be/8Ski2zYgJAo.