My Surprise Film: Ashes

Surprise!

You weren’t really surprised that I popped up with a new vid, were you?  I didn’t think that you would be.

How goes it everyone?  I’m doing well and looking forward to the current semester ending in the next 2 weeks. 

Anyway, less about me, more about the film.

Like many of my other music videos, Ashes was indeed inspired by the music.  The featured song, “God Loves Ugly” by Jordin Sparks,  jumped out and grabbed me the instant I heard it for the first time.  Of course the song resonated with me and called up several images in my head that I could not shake until I got this movie done.  So, I placed myself on a strict filming schedule.  Making time for myself to film almost everyday, and the released product is the result.  It surprisingly wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be to pull off technically and didn’t take half as much time as it would’ve taken while going back and forth messaging people. (Just sayin. lol)  It helped me a lot to focus strictly on my filming in my minimal freetime.  And that’s something that I don’t think I’ve done since I started in 2005.  So, so long ago…

But yeah, the twist on this version of Cinderella is not just that she’s black. lol  The main thing that I’d like the audience to notice here is that though Cinderella (or as I like to call her, Ella May) is darker than her stepsisters, stepmother and practically everyone in the kingdom, and though they consider her ugly, she is in fact a very beutiful human being–erm, sim.   She spends the whole film putting herself down and believing that simply because she doesn’t measure up to the kingdom’s standard of beauty, she is unworthy of anyone’s affection. 

The angel’s role here (not her fairy godmother) is to inform Ella May of her true beauty.  The angel comes to remind Ella May that God created her as a beautiful creature, and of all the wonderful things she deserves.  When Ella May doesn’t believe what the angel says, the angel transforms her into exactly what she wants to be:  the ideal standard of beauty in the kingdom.

When Ella May goes to the masquerade, the Prince immediately falls in love with her “beauty”.  But when the real Ella May is revealed, the true inner ugliness of the Prince, as well as the rest of the kingdom, is revealed too.  Ella May is humiliated and upset that no one appears to love her for who she is.  But along comes the Knight, whom has been watching her all along.  And he loves her with or without the mask.  (Yeah, I was going for some symbolism in there…)

So, motto of the story: Be yourself, love yourself and someone else will love you just as much; Someone always has.

 Hope you guys enjoyed this one as much as I enjoyed making it.  It was stressful at times, but I’m glad I made the time to get it out of my system before Finals.  I’m not sure if I’ll be releasing my next film (or the next ep of The Mansion) over the Holiday break, after I graduate in April, or somewhere in between.  So just keep a look out and watch for random updates.

Thanks guys!

 ~Kim