Scene 1 = necklace, symbolism

00:06:55 - 00:07:18
- mother in background, necklace in foreground, yet focus is on mother
- close up of necklace and transition into her adulthood, meant to signify that it has always
been with her BEFORE the change occurred
- she’s always had the ability to change her fate/to relieve herself of her curse
- necklace is meant to symbolize her faith in herself?
- could also symbolize her autonomy, once it is taken away from her she is fully in others’
control and rarely resists
- could be key scene, presence of necklace is significant but needs to be discussed
further for understanding
Scene 2 = stepsisters, necklace taken away from her
00:09:55 - 00:10:20
- necklace symbol appears again, this time she is forced to give it to Hattie
- when Hattie holds onto it, all three are presented in the shot, possibly to show that with
or without the necklace, Ella still has the ability to act on her own will? not sure
- VERY contrasting colors, more humble feeling with presence of Ella and the house and
they come in with vibrant and showy dresses. colors most likely symbolize their
extravagance as well as their snootiness, meant to stand out
- close up of Hattie to possibly draw a visceral reaction, maybe to make watcher feel
uncomfortable because of how pushy and rude she is
- possibility of key scene
Scene 3 = carriage, Char and uncle
00:12:56 - 00:14:21
- ENTIRE carriage is red and Char stands out as blue, obviously shows he is different yet
entirely in his uncle’s grasp/hand
- sits on opposite sides, full body shot of the two of them to obviously contrast who they
are
- symbol of the snake and the staff, power wielded but protected by deception
- his colors are red and black, somewhat insidious and could be a further color symbol
(black = evil, but try to go deeper than that)
- he also bears gold, most likely means to show off his royalty, wealth, posterity?
- again, close up to the camera. generally associated with evil and a sort of beckoning
- possibility of key scene
Scene 4 = Ella resists, has to tell Areida
00:23:00 - 00:24:37
- Ella resists at some point, seems to do this with those she cares about
- possible characterization? Arieda seems to be lower than her, whereas Ella has a higher
perspective
- could show that Ella knows of the situation and is omniscient, but cannot do anything in
her position
- could loss of Arieda + resistance foreshadow or symbolize Ella’s power, yet lack of
belief…?
 - Ella does not will herself to be disobedient, like with the prince
Scene 5 = Benny wants to be lawyer
00:31:56 - 00:32:35
- eye level with Benny, shows that he is equal to Ella by placing them at the same camera
angle
- another demonstration of having to comply to what you’re told to do
- Benny is similar to Ella, yet significance of scene may be harder to decode?
- could characterize as well, Benny (while seemingly a dud character) also has to abide by
rules similarly to Ella
- Ella gives Benny the power to stand up for himself, yet she doesn’t do the same for her
Scene 6 = Char gives her the choice, giant party
00:46:25 - 00:47:03
- shows them both, doesn’t ever put overwhelm on one figure. means their status and
standing is balanced, one does not have control over the other
- characterization of Char, doesn’t wish to have ultimate control like his uncle
- he also doesn’t command Ella, such as how everyone else has. there is no audio cue for
some of his “commands”, which are not actually commands but rather a request…? i
know what i mean i just… will figure out how to translate that into better words.
- Ella also finds herself staying despite the order, for once she has her own freedom to
choose
Scene 7 = Ella sings, giant party
00:49:00 - 00:49:56
- Ella begins to rise with the song, there’s a close up on her and also a top view
- the song means to show her tenacity and connection, even though it talks about loving
someone, she still feels the portion of the song where she will prevail, which seems to
foreshadow her actions in the mirror hall later on
- close up on her means she’s center of attention and that the lyrics are meant to relate to
her
- top view shows she’s in control maybe? we see her enjoying the moment and can feel
her determination through the lyrics
- also places authority…? i am still hung up on dead poets oh no
Scene 8 = KISS
00:54:35 - 00:54:55
- ew yuck smoochy smooch
- anyway suuuper significant because the direct command doesn’t register as a
command. you do not hear the little ding in the background
- could be that she does it willingly, or that the curse won’t register if the person doesn’t
want to ​force t​ hem to do such a thing
- CHARacterizes Char (aha ha), shows his more humble and understanding background.
not fully corrupted by his uncle, which may be why he wore blue in the carriage to stand
out, to show he is still his own person
 - could also be a reflection of Ella, she finds herself wanting to do it so the curse doesn’t
register. it’s not something she doesn’t ​want t​ o do, so she’s not forced to do it. she acts
on her own will, something found later on
- OH ALMOST FORGOT the shot is displaying the two of them, once again showing
they’re placed on the same level and don’t have authority over each other, especially
significant with Char since she possesses the curse yet he doesn’t take advantage of it
Scene 9 = mirror scene
1:14:37 - 1:15:54
- ohoho man i remember why i loved this movie so much
- spinning, meant to be overwhelming and tense as she holds the dagger over him. the
purity of white could possibly show her innocence at heart since it is technically not her
doing this, and eventually she pushes past the curse. colors = reflection of her true
character
- again, call back to her mother. her mother gives her the words and the power to resist,
which could be why focus was on her and not the necklace. her parting words were more
powerful and significant than what the necklace could give her, the necklace was just
supposed to be a vessel of remembrance for that?
- Ella is forced to look at herself, assess her actions, which is not something that appears.
for once, she has to stare in the mirror and look at what she’s forced to do
- slow motion of the dagger dropping, meant to signify extreme change. curse is lifted,
yay!
Scene 10 = Char coronation
1:20:37 - 1:21:11
- of course the overwhelming symbol of edgar’s stupid snake pops up, it’s meant to be an
entire coronation based on deception of the kingdom and Char
- mans (char) pops up in VERY dark colors, he’s hit a very low point and almost seems to
have started to slip and become similar to his uncle
- dark colors could signify the slow upcoming of evil
- same staple colors of gold, black, red, yet Char still holds some white within him and
more at his core (undershirt, meant to be that underneath the cloak he wears, in which
the cloak may be an evil or pain, he is still himself, which is why he rips off the cloak to
save Ella)
Scene 11 = she takes necklace back
- ok i’m clueless and missing something in this scene but it’s significant
- okay Ella gets the necklace back after the curse is lifted, and she lifted it herself
- she takes it back from the person who realized her curse in the first place and took
advantage of it
- the symbol of the necklace possibly changes? at first it’s more implied to be that the
necklace holds what is left of her mother considering its a physical item and all she
needs is the memory of her mother since that is what saves her
- the necklace seems to symbolize her grasp on her power, it is taken away early on and
when she is reminded of her mother she quickly reclaims her necklace/power/autonomy
- possible key scene