Little Black Dress. - A Musical Film Adaptation
Publication Date
2025
Presentation Length
15 minutes
College
Mike Curb College of Entertainment & Music Business
Department
Entertainment Industry Studies
Student Level
Undergraduate
Faculty Mentor
Kacie Hittel
Metadata/Fulltext
Metadata ONLY
Presentation Type
Talk/Oral
Summary
This film pitch is an adaptation of British singer-songwriter Raye's debut studio album My 21st Century Blues. The album details Raye's processing of her traumatic experiences including sexual assault, substance abuse, and body dysmorphia, as well as social issues in the music industry and climate crisis. The album received critical praise and accolades, including Album of the Year at the BRIT Awards and earned Raye the title of most wins in a single ceremony. My 21st Century Blues presents a clear approach to being adapted into a film. The songwriting style is narrative-driven, with each song being a clear and carefully crafted story. The topics, although sometimes uncomfortable and taboo, are relatable to audiences. The themes of perseverance, reclamation of one's power, and feminism leaves room for takeaways and inspiration for audiences. This story is also culturally important: it has an existing context within the music and entertainment industry with its central theme of exposing predators in power. From the Me-Too movement, the ongoing cases with Jeffrey Epstein and P. Diddy, and the countless controversies surrounding Donald Trump, it is evident that this is a story that needs to be told on a larger scale. This presentation will be a film pitch for little black dress., the title of the adaptation. It will begin by explaining the background of My 21st Century Blues, the reasoning behind the adaptation, and the changes between the album and film. It will then explore the synopsis of the film's plot, reference images with the visual aesthetics necessary to further the storytelling, potential casting and location suggestions, and will conclude with a brief excerpt of the script.
Recommended Citation
McCarthy, Keegan, "Little Black Dress. - A Musical Film Adaptation" (2025). SPARK Symposium Presentations. 718.
https://repository.belmont.edu/spark_presentations/718
