Personal Information

Location

Los Angeles, CA

Biography

Melanie McGraw studied creative writing at Brigham Young University and then became an instructional designer and training consultant before pursuing her dream of filmmaking at age 30. Melanie's experience growing up in a conservative Mormon family juxtaposed with "coming out" at age 23, instilled in her a desire to deal with life's uncomfortable moments and nurtured an ongoing fascination with how we can all be broken and beautiful at once. She explores these themes through her work.

Melanie earned a MFA from the USC School of Cinematic Arts, where she focused on writing and directing with a specialty in sound design. She is the recipient of multiple awards and scholarships, including a grant from The Caucus for Television Producers, Writers & Directors Foundation, the Samuel and Lorenza Gary Memorial Award, the Albert J. Broccoli Foundation Award for Excellence in Production, the National Association of Theatre Owners, and the Tania Trepanier Memorial Scholarship. Her thesis film, "Pitstop," has earned awards at film festivals around the world, and in June 2008 won a Student Academy Award®, one of the most prestigious honors for student filmmakers worldwide. Her debut film "Coif" (16mm B&W, 6 min.) also screened in film festivals worldwide. Both films are currently in distribution through Logo/MTV Films.

While at USC, Melanie worked on over a dozen thesis films in a variety of roles, including editor, production sound mixer, supervising sound editor, re-recording mixer, and production coordinator. She held a teaching assistantship in the sound department 2005-2007 and in March 2006, she traveled to Amman, Jordan to assist a small group of USC faculty in teaching a nine-day filmmaking workshop, held in conjunction with The Royal Film Commission of Jordan.

Since graduating, Melanie spends her time writing and working on narrative feature projects while producing and directing client-driven educational and promotional films. She lives in Los Angeles.

Professional Website

http://www.vimeo.com/melmcgraw

Personal Website

http://www.pitstopmovie.com

IMDB Page

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2213081/

Caucus Film

Film Title

Pitstop

Film Website

www.pitstopmovie.com

Film Information & Synopsis

Capture Format: Super 16mm color, blow up to 35mm
Screening Formats: 35mm/5.1 sound, Digibeta, DVD
Genre: Drama
Length: 14:10

Thoughtful and introverted in comparison to her eight, high-spirited siblings, 12-year-old Maggie escapes how invisible she feels in a large family by hiding behind her snap-n-shoot, plastic camera—yet she can never find the courage to actually take a picture. While on a family road trip, she is accidentally forgotten at a rundown gas station in the middle of nowhere where she meets a desert-worn and broken-hearted recluse named June. Proving more than just a passing influence, June teaches Maggie the importance of discovering her own voice.

Festival Experience

Student Academy Award Winner (2008), USC First Look, Middle East Intnl Film Fest, Frameline, Sedona, BAFTA/LA, Playhouse West, Method Fest, Sonoma, Bruxelles Short Film Fest, Outfest, and many more.

History

Member for

3 years 2 weeks

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