As a little kid from Pennsylvania, I used to day-dream about growing up and moving to the West Coast to work in the film industry. Damien Chazelle’s “La La Land” captured the magic and determination I believed I would one day find in California. My idea of the city matched the bright color scheme and upbeat music from the movie. It visualized my imagination of the city being one of dreamers. Although I have not made it out to Los Angeles since moving here, I have been incredibly impressed by my fellow Dodge students who share my passions and ambitions for a future creating movies and television shows in Los Angeles.
On the other hand, one of my favorite television shows, “Veronica Mars” depicts the corruption and crime of a California neighborhood that is shared by the rich and elite with the poor. Although the show takes place in a fictional town, it reminded me of Los Angeles with the divide between children of celebrities and the kids just trying to get by. Veronica herself went from social elite to living in a motel complex with her father. She met a wide range of people that depicts a more accurate picture of a diverse city.
I am very excited to take “Los Angeles in Film and Fiction” and further explore various viewpoints on the city that is still very much a mystery to me. The documentary we started on Tuesday, “Los Angeles Plays Itself”, points out that only one in every five working adults is in the entertainment industry. Although people often reduce the city to one big studio, that is not an accurate representation. I look forward to watching more of the documentary to see what sides of the city the camera turns a blind eye to. I am very excited to explore how various authors and filmmakers saw the city. The book I look forward to reading the most is “All Involved” by Ryan Gattis. As for the films, I am most interested in watching Sunset Boulevard, Chinatown, and Blade Runner (especially on the big screen!).
We'll Always Have Los Angeles 
I honestly was kind of shocked when the documentary said only 1 in 5 people work in the entertainment industry. I guess this idea that everyone moves to LA to get into showbiz isn’t as real as the media presents it to be. LA has more to offer than just Hollywood, and I am also interested in seeing what other sides of LA this documentary shows.
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I like what you said about the bright colors and upbeat music. I always pictured LA with upbeat music as well. I never really thought about the bright colors but after reading this post I see why you paralleled it with the city. Unlike “Veronica Mars” I have never thought about LA as a place of crime and corruption.
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