20 Things You Didn’t Know About Whiplash

It is commonly suggested in storytelling that your narrative will be well-served by drawing on your own experiences. While “write what you know’ is not the only means to craft a compelling tale, it certainly helped Damien Chazelle when he was developing Whiplash.

The La La Land filmmaker mentioned that he based the narrative on his time in band school (specifically Andrew’s struggles) on what he went through during that time. Fortunately, the director was not subjected to physical abuse as his protagonist was. That said, he did mention that he was greatly intimidated by his band leader's presence during practice.

It would be safe to say that Andrew (and Chazelle)’s experiences under a sadistic teacher/authority figure were relatable to many viewers regardless of profession/area of study.