Winter 2018
BY BRANDON KYLE GOCO
Staging a big dance sequence 110 feet high on a busy L.A. freeway? For La La Land UPM Michael Beugg, it was just the challenge he'd been waiting for. "We had to figure out how to place the cars in sequence on the freeway, how to make room for the crane, and all the while observing the safety precautions in keeping everybody six to 10 feet away from the edge," says Beugg.
After finding the perfect overpass with a great view of downtown, the next task was to persuade CHP to give them an additional weekend for rehearsals, which was difficult, Beugg recalls, "because we were working around the USC football schedule."
The rehearsals went smoothly, and two weeks later they got to film the whole sequence for real. "Everything was planned so well," says Beugg, "we were able to finish before sunset on our first day and several hours before sunset on our second day."
At the end of a long weekend, the whole crew gathered around the monitor and watched the entire two-day sequence stitched together into one shot. "Everybody applauded," reminisces Beugg. "As the sun went down, it was kind of a magic moment up there."