Melody (7 min cut)
Melody and her friend Ethan share a special bond. When tragedy strikes, Ethan's guilt compels him to seek absolution in a unique way. Melody is written, produced, directed, edited, scored, coloured and starring 12 year-old Harrison Thomas.
Watch an interview with Ridgewood International Film Festival here: https://youtu.be/uUDk7-xsPgM?si=YOrxwgGR_eBmPJLO and find more interviews, BTS and content on YouTube @MelodyFilm2024 and Instagram/Facebook #MelodyFilm2024
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Harrison J ThomasDirectorSelma, The Wanderer, Isolated, I Can't
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Harrison J ThomasWriterSelma, The Wanderer, Isolated, I Can't
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Harrison J ThomasProducerSelma, The Wanderer, Isolated, I Can't
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Jasmin WatkinsProducer
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Harrison J ThomasEditorSelma, The Wanderer, Isolated, I Can't
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Harrison J ThomasScore, Sound Design and Original MusicSelma, The Wanderer, Isolated, I Can't
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Jack BloomfieldDirector of Photography
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Harrison J ThomasKey Cast"Ethan"Selma, The Wanderer, Isolated, I Can't
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Emily ConstantineKey Cast"Melody"
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Brendan CooneyKey Cast"Jim"
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Cheryl DouglasKey Cast"Liz"
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James McCluskey-GarciaKey Cast"Detective Stark"
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Rosanna MangiarelliKey Cast"herself"
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Colin J PearceSound Recordist
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Project Type:Short, Student
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Runtime:6 minutes 58 seconds
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Completion Date:April 22, 2024
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Production Budget:2,250 USD
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Country of Origin:Australia
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Country of Filming:Australia
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Language:English
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Shooting Format:RED
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:Yes - Prince Alfred College
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Ridgewood International Film FestivalRidgewood, New Jersey
United States
April 25, 2024
North American Premiere
Official Selection -
Sparrowland Film FestivalBrisbane
Australia
May 11, 2024
Queensland Premiere
Young Filmmaker Award -
Adelaide Film Festival YouthAdelaide
Australia
October 31, 2024
Finalist, Best Film (Middle School) -
International Film Festival AustraliaMelbourne
Australia
November 5, 2024
Finalist, Best Film (Under 18) -
Screen It International Film FestivalBrisbane
Australia
August 25, 2024
Best Editing, Best Sound -
Setting Sun Film FestivalMelbourne
Australia
May 18, 2024
Victorian Premiere
Official Selection -
Fleurieu Film FestivalMcLaren Vale
Australia
Honourable Mention -
Kids First! Film FestivalSanta Fe, New Mexico
United States
Official Selection -
Princes Film FestAdelaide
Australia
Best Film - Secondary (3-minute cut) -
Hervey Bay Film FestivalHervey Bay
Australia
September 21, 2024
Official Selection
Harrison, now 13, is an award-winning actor, filmmaker, musician and vocalist. His self-produced, written, directed, edited and scored short films (5 to date) have won numerous awards at Australian & international festivals, including Ridgewood International Film Festival (New Jersey), Adelaide Film Festival, Fleurieu Film Festival, Sparrowland, Setting Sun, San Antonio, Moscow, Prague and many more. Harrison has twice been awarded the Young Filmmaker Award at Sparrowland Short Film Festival (Queensland) and won Best Young Filmmaker Under 26 at Fleurieu Film Festival (South Australia). As a writer, actor and director, Harrison is unique in that he also undertakes all post-production work on his own. Harrison has performed leading roles in over 30 stage productions since 2020, including multiple seasons at Adelaide University's Elder Conservatorium, Adelaide Fringe, the Royal Show, Pelican Productions, Adelaide Youth Theatre, Northern Light, Shane Davidson, etc. Harrison recently starred as Young Elvis in the Adelaide season of Elvis: A Musical Revolution (David Venn Enterprises) at Her Majesty's and Little Sally in Prince Alfred College's production of Urinetown, and will take on the iconic role of Jack Kelly in Newsies Jr with Pelican Productions in September. Harrison enjoys writing songs as much as he enjoys writing scripts and produces under his own label, Fastest Fox Films. He must often be wrestled from the piano and guitar at bedtime.
The film reveals a song’s composition as Ethan grapples with grief and guilt, paying tribute to his friend in the only way he can control. Melody is the embodiment of the song she inspired.
"My script went through six revisions between my first draft in July 2023 and the October shoots, but the dialogue was pretty much the same from the beginning. I made some pretty big changes to the scene order while editing to arrive at the final version you see today. One of the things I grappled with in the editing process was when to introduce the scene where Melody's fate is revealed. In my original script, this happened pretty far along in the film. When I was populating the timeline in DaVinci Resolve, the story was pulling me in a different direction. The film is primarily about Ethan's journey to release his guilt and the obligation he feels to Melody, so when editing, that's where I decided to direct the audience's attention."
“Composing the soundtrack is one of my favourite aspects of filmmaking, and the song Ethan composes for Melody is so central to the film. As soon as I started dropping the scenes into a timeline, the song started fully taking shape in my mind. Lyrically, the song recalls several key moments in their relationship as it developed. The chorus kicks in with 'You're the one- my once in a lifetime' at the key moment where Ethan finally presents the completed song to Melody and he finally allows his emotions to be released.”
“I knew I couldn’t realise my vision for Melody without help, and I’m so grateful my mentor, Jasmin Watkins, was there to guide me. The shots captured by Jack Bloomfield are just beautiful. Along with the sound Colin J Pearce captured and the outstanding performances of my cast, I had so much great content to work with. I hope I’ve done them justice with my edit and score. And of course, I hope people enjoy my theme song. The film doesn’t really work unless the song causes some emotional response.
- Harrison Thomas (writer, producer, director, editor, composer and actor)
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