Cinderella Idea Possible Development

Well to continue the development of the Cinderella idea, we have come up with an interesting narrative. First of all we though that we could try and make the introduction of our music video match scene in which Cinderella and Prince Charming dance with one another at the ball in the castle. To do this we thought we could match the beginning camera shots in our music video with the same shots from the original Disney Cinderella film (Create a shot by shot mini remake.) This could allow us to make the music video actually seem like the Cinderella narrative. To further the illusion that the intro to the music video is actually the Cinderella story, we should use a similar style costume for Cinderella and the Prince to wear as the ones in the actual film (Dress, Suit, Glass Slippers, etc... Also, we though of setting the location in a ballroom hall (Such as Wolaton Hall.) We also want to make the lighting and colours on screen as bright and joyful as possible to represent the happiness and 'love' Cinderella is going through. This would allow the location in our music video to be as elegant and almost as fairytale-like as the real CInderella castle. 

Obviously our idea is not to copy the Cinderella narrative but to initially make the audience aware that before the music starts, that the music video is going to be about Cinderella. This will fool the audience into thinking the music video will be about 'happy ever after' fairytales. However, we plan to surprise the audience by making the fairy tale sinister and dark! Using intertextual references (Dresses, glass slippers, etc) we can give the music video a definitive theme that relates to an older media text from 1950.

After we have made the audience aware that the music video is going to be based around the Cinderella story, we will start the music... This will trigger Prince Charming stabbing Cinderella in the chest and riper her heart from her body! This will completely take the audience by surprise, but also appeal to them as we are targeting emo/indie/goth audiences. The normal Cinderella story would not appeal to this target audience as that film is targeted at children. However, almost everyone has either seen Disney's Cinderella or herd of the fairytale at least in one moment of their lives. This means that the audience will take an interest in the music video initially, then become even more interested as it starts to appeal to their social group, due to the new sinister and dark twist we plan to add...

As we have said before, when Cinderella is stabbed and her heart is taken from her, the lighting and colour of the screen will suddenly turn dark and transform to black and white. This will symbolise Cinderella's loss of her heart and love. It will represent the sadness and emptiness she is now experiencing... Blood will run down from her chest and onto her dress as she is left alone... Wondering and staggering out of the Ballroom and outside down the steps of the building. Cinderella could perhaps loose one of her glass slippers on the building's steps to show yet another textual reference to the original Disney film. However, this time the glass slipper could have blood on it to further the sinister idea we have though of!

After Cinderella has made it down the stairs, she could wonder into the woods outside of the castle-like building and fall onto the muddy, wet ground. She could be struggling to carry on due to her injury's and her lack of heart. Her dress will be turning red and grown from all the mud and blood. This will be rather shocking as Cinderella's dress is a huge icon that represents not only her as a character, but it symbolises the magic that the fairy god mother uses to make her dreams come true. To see the dress in such a state, really shows the loss of heart and the broken dreams...

During Cinderella's struggle in the wood, we will cut to CInderella performing the song to the camera in the woods, in an isolated room preparing for the ball and the dance itself... etc... We still need to develop this idea into a step outline to get an idea of what shots and locations to use in each chorus and verse... So bare with us and that'll be up soon!

One example that has been successful at turning fairytale stories into darker and more sinister media texts is the recent Alice In Wonderland film, directed by Tim Burton in 2010. Alice in wonderland is almost a remake/sequel to the original Disney movie in 1953. In true Tim Burton fashion, he was able to transform the innocent classic fairytale/novel into a more evil and darker story that appealed and targeted an older audience to the original film. The new target audience for the new Alice In Wonderland movie are males and females aged 12-25, which is a similar target audience to what we are targeting. Also the more likely social groups to watch Tim Burtons films are emo/indie/goths, as Tim Burtons style is suited to these kind of demographic groups (dark, bizarre, sinister and unusual.)