Three-time Emmy® award-winning filmmaker Melody George views cinema as a powerful catalyst for social change. A high school student at the time of the Columbine shootings in 1999, Melody was deeply affected by the tragedy and others that followed in its wake. These events motivated her to think seriously about a career path that would confront societal problems and attack them at the root.
Melody trained at the School of Visual Art and Design in Chattanooga. Some of her notable projects include the PBS documentary series Life on the Line, Crystal Heart award-winner Marbles with Thoreau, the feature film Old Fashioned, and the Emmy® award-winning documentary Understanding & Preventing Child Abuse.
Melody now resides in Northern California. She recognizes cinema as an important tool, and her greatest passion is to tell stories that galvanize positive social change and draw people to the heart of God.
ANSWERING THE CALL OF GOD
I was 13 years old when I dutifully sat in front of our TV & VCR with a pencil and lined paper. I repeatedly fastforward/rewinded through every section of our beloved VHS copy of “The Muppet Christmas Carol,” punching the buttons hundreds of times. The goal? To transcribe the entire script… by hand.
I wrote the entire script out, stapled it, then submitted it to my middle school teacher, asking if I could direct it for our school play. At the time, I certainly had no inkling of what this little scriptwriting escapade was a precursor to.
Fastforward to age 17. I was sitting in the middle of a prayer service at my Christian academy. I honestly don’t remember what the preacher was saying, but I vividly remember my thoughts. I sat there thinking, “I have no idea what I want to do for a career, but I want it to be 100% in service to God. I don’t want to work a 9 to 5, pay my tithe, and go on a mission trip once every ten years. I want my entire career, every day, to be spent in God’s service.”
It was one of those moments you can remember so vividly in your mind’s eye. The service ended. I stood up and started walking down the aisle toward the exit. Suddenly I heard these words download into my mind: “I’m going to be a filmmaker.”
At that time, I had no experience in film. I’d never touched a video camera. I had never shown any interest in filmmaking outside of a strong love for movies and a possible interest in acting. But I immediately bought a video camera and some editing software. I taught myself to edit, and produced our senior class video.
As the vision for my life crystalized, it wasn’t just to make films but to make films with a missional purpose. The year I graduated high school, my cousin David opened a Christian film program in Chattanooga and I got to learn the craft in a faith-based setting.
I’ve been living my greatest passion as professional filmmaker for 20 years now, all due to the call of God. I found the thing that that I’m gifted at, the thing I’m desperately passionate about, the thing I would do for fun… and I get to make a living at it to boot.
It has not been easy. I’ve had to walk by faith. I’ve often had to turn my back on reliable jobs and income in order to pursue the Kingdom projects. I’ve had to trust God for provision in the most extreme circumstances. I’ve had to take risks that terrified me. At times it's been absolutely grueling; at times, it's felt impossible. But every crazy leap of faith I’ve taken, God has met me and only blessed me more. The film I’m directing right now, I feel, is probably one of the greatest things I will ever accomplish in my lifetime. Authored and funded by the Lord. What a profound privilege to get to partner with him.
I’m sharing this message from Derek Prince, one of my personal heroes, because it so beautifully captures the journey of walking out a divine call from God. I deeply believe every single believer has a purpose to fulfill while on this earth, a calling which is holy, which no one else can accomplish. But it requires a true "dying" to one's own agenda and the world's way of doing things, and absolute surrender to Christ's agenda. Hope this message blesses someone as much as it blessed me:
