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Melody C. Miller is an Emmy® Award-Winning filmmaker and cinematographer. She has worked as a cinematographer for industry-leading companies such as Samsung, Sony Pictures, HBO, Discovery Channel, PBS, Amazon Prime, Starz, ESPN, Peacock/NBC Universal, and the Smithsonian Channel.
With a passion for storytelling, she has produced and directed two critically acclaimed feature documentaries that have had a profound impact on audiences worldwide. "California's Forgotten Children" shed light on an important human rights issue and received recognition for fostering a movement of change, while her uplifting documentary about one of the influential poets of the Beat Generation, "ruth weiss, the beat goddess" earned an Emmy® Award for Best Historical and Cultural Documentary. Originally from Oakland, California, Melody's artistic journey was shaped by her early exposure to French and Middle Eastern cultures, igniting the roots of her filmmaking career. Graduating from the UCLA School of Theater, Film, and Television, she specialized in Cinematography and Documentary.
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Melody is passionate about creating impactful and meaningful projects that not only engage but also spark important conversations and drive positive change. Based in both Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area, Melody operates across California and beyond. A member of esteemed organizations such as the International Collective of Female Cinematographers, Film Fatales, Women In Film, Free the Work, New Day Films, United Nations Association USA, and the International Documentary Association, Melody embraces collaboration and thrives in diverse creative environments. Whether working independently or building custom teams, Melody collaberates and nurtures a supportive creative community. This enables her to bring together talented, like-minded professionals who share the project's mission and values, ensuring seamless execution within designated timelines and budgets. Through her compelling storytelling and technical prowess, Melody continues to push boundaries, leaving an indelible mark on every project she undertakes. |
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Director of Photography
With over a decade of experience as a freelance cinematographer, Melody has demonstrated her expertise in leading camera and lighting teams, making artistic and technical decisions that enhance the visual interpretation of each project. Her portfolio spans a diverse range of genres, including documentaries, narratives, music videos, and PSAs, where she collaborates closely with production teams to ensure that the visual style, pace, and overall quality align with the story's essence.
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Winner of the Women in Film Cinematography Award Fellowship, Melody has lensed films such as the action-packed feature DIMENSIONAL SHIFT, starring Terell Tilford and Victoria Platt, for director Amber Sharp. #WHEREISBEAUTY, an art noir film starring singer Goapele, directed by Angela McCrae, premiered at the Cannes Pan African Film Festival and won Best Cinematography Idlewild International Film Festival. She frequently works with director Nate'Eya Kahsai on comedies and music videos. |
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In the documentary world, Melody collaborated with show-runner, Cionin Lorenzo on a documentary series for Peacock about the life of the award-winning Latin superstar JENNI RIVERA. She worked with director, Alexis Kadey, whose human rights film CROWNING CHANGE premiered at the Toronto LGBT Film Festival and won Best Documentary at the Los Angeles Film Awards. Melody traveled across the country and captured breath-taking images and human stories for the documentary series ON COMMON GROUND dedicated to protecting the National Parks. She worked with Academy Award Nominated Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering a HBOMax documentary series called NOT SO PRETTY SKINS episode revealing the first-ever comprehensive large-scale investigative expose of the trillion-dollar cosmetics, beauty and personal care industry. Melody documented scenes for the STARZ series, SEDUCED: INSIDE THE NXIVM CULT, directed by Cecilia Peck, about women branded and forced into sexual slavery. Melody has also respectfully worked on projects across the U.S. and U.K. for the Elizabeth Taylor Archives, produced by Stephanie Austin.
Documentarian
Currently airing on PBS, Melody's first directed feature, CALIFORNIA'S FORGOTTEN CHILDREN, follows a diverse group of resilient survivors who have overcome commercial sexual exploitation as children and are changing the world by ensuring no child is forgotten. Invited by Vice-President Kamala Harris, the film screened on Capitol Hill at the United States Senate in 2019, encouraging policymakers to create and implement laws and policies to combat trafficking. The film also screened at the United States of Women Summit, featuring guest speaker former First Lady Michelle Obama in 2018. The film won Best Documentary at the Soho International Film Festival and won numerous film awards at nineteen other film festivals worldwide.
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Melody collaborated on screenings with 100+ organizations from the government, foster care systems, juvenile detention facilities, crisis centers, tech companies, and healthcare organizations to prevent these injustices from continuing. The documentary helped fundraise for safe-homes, crisis centers, and direct services for victims of commercial sexual exploitation, sexual assault, homelessness, and HIV/AIDS. In addition to creating an Ambassador program to create jobs for survivor leaders. |
Her second directed feature documentary, ruth weiss, the beat goddess (spelled lower case), is about one of the influential writers of the Beat Generation who revolutionized and empowered the world of poetry. The film won an Emmy® for Best Cultural/Historical Documentary by The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Northern California / San Francisco Chapter. The film had it's World Premiere in Italy at the Asolo Art Film Festival, won Best Documentary at the Peekskill Film Festival, Riverside International Film Festival, Visionary Women In Film Award at the Santa Cruz Film Festival, and was nominated for Best Documentary at ten other film festivals nationwide. ruth weiss was awarded the 2020 Maverick Spirit Award by Academy Award Qualifying Cinequest Film Festival. You can watch the film on PBS, Amazon Prime, Tubi, and many more channels.
Melody is currently working on her next feature documentary about a Navy veteran's tale of resilience, conquering cancer and embarking on an extraordinary journey of motherhood, painting a vivid portrait of determination and inspiration.
Melody is currently working on her next feature documentary about a Navy veteran's tale of resilience, conquering cancer and embarking on an extraordinary journey of motherhood, painting a vivid portrait of determination and inspiration.