NYWIFT Blog

By Sofiya Saykovska and Lily Della Pietra

Welcome to our new NYWIFT member, Melody Gilbert!

Melody is an Emmy-nominated and Alfred I. duPont award-winning documentary filmmaker. Over the course of her career, Melody has directed and produced 20 documentaries that have been screened at several film festivals and distributed internationally. Melody is also an educator committed to teaching new and emerging filmmakers. She has been on the faculty at several universities (including the American University in Bulgaria), teaching documentary production, multimedia, and journalism.

Currently, Melody is traveling the world and spreading her love for film by teaching pitch training workshops and conducting her “Documentary Boot Camp” while working on her new documentary about the scandalous topless monokini bathing suit in 1964. The most recent documentary she helped produce, Queendom, was shortlisted for an Oscar in the feature documentary category.

In our interview, Melody discusses her move from chilly Minnesota to NYC, her unconventional documentary subjects, and the key lessons she shares with film students.

NYWIFT Member Melody Gilbert

What brought you to NYWIFT?

I recently relocated to NY, and the first thing I did was look for a WIFT chapter! I was a founding member of the MNWIFT in Minnesota and I know from that experience the benefit of professional connections, events, and, more importantly, the bonds that can be made with other women in this industry. We need each other.

I am looking forward to meeting many of my NYWIFT colleagues! 

Your documentaries are known for their rare intimacy with subjects and uncovering hidden worlds. How do you manage to create such deep trust with your subjects, and what is your approach to making them feel comfortable enough to share their most vulnerable thoughts? 

I think it’s because I’m genuinely curious about the lives of the people I am filming, and they can sense that. They are not a “get.” I’m still in touch with people I made films about 20 years ago.

There is another thing I do that helps, which is that I don’t have much equipment when I’m filming. I usually work with a small DSLR or video camera and a wireless mic. The whole experience is less intimidating than showing up with a big crew and lots of gear.

Melody Gilbert at Cinema Eye Honors

What inspires you to choose such unique and often unconventional subjects for your films?

I have always been drawn to outsiders, underdogs, and subcultures. I’ve made films about kids who can’t feel pain, urban explorers, amputee-wannabes, and people who live with and love life-sized and lifelike silicone dolls that look real and feel real, called Silicone Soul. That subject may not be for everyone, but I thought: “Fascinating.” It’s like the real Lars and the Real Girl movie starring Ryan Gosling. To me, this is way better than fiction.

I get excited when I have an opportunity to tell non-judgmental, non-sensationalistic stories about interesting people who bravely open up and share their secrets and stories with me. I don’t always know where that journey will take me, but I know that when I find a subject like this, I am inspired to learn more, to find out “why.” In the end, that film explores who we are and where we are going as a society while tantalizing us with questions (and maybe even doubts) about the future of human relationships. So, it turns out the film is about love, loneliness, secrets, and relationships, and that’s not what you would expect when you hear about this topic. 

I like to direct films that create conversations, not necessarily give answers.

I also make films about more predictable subjects, including a doc I directed about former Vice President Walter Mondale, and more recently, I produced a doc about an incredibly difficult ultra called 40 Below: The Toughest Race in the World that happens in Minnesota in (you guessed it) 40 degrees below zero (now available on Amazon). I have also made some brand video docs for Nat Geo and other clients. 

Melody Gilbert with Queendom

You often work solo, directing, shooting, producing, and sometimes editing your films. How does this hands-on, multi-role approach affect the storytelling process, and do you find it challenging or liberating? 

It’s liberating, mostly because I don’t have to wait to start a project. I just go. But it’s also challenging. I do hire people when I need them. For example, I have worked with an editor on all the recent films I directed. I also bring in additional crew as I need them for specific shoots and have hired animators, composers, and other collaborators. I do know my limitations. I also like having a team. But I am usually on my own at the beginning.

Melody Gilbert at Moldox

As a film professor and an independent filmmaker, how do you bring your personal documentary experience into the classroom? What key lessons do you impart to your students who are interested in creating their own character-driven documentaries?

Oh, you should ask my former students that question! I have quite a few Melody-isms, but probably these are the top four that I share in the classroom that connect to my own experience making films:

 1) Don’t wait for everything to be perfect– just start. 

 2) Find subjects only you have access to and make your film about that (make what you know).

3) You don’t get what you don’t ask for.

4) It’s okay to make mistakes. I still make mistakes. Keep trying. 

Melody Gilbert at a Moldox Pitch Class

Having worked on both feature-length films and short films, what do you think is the most important difference in approaching these two formats, and how do you adapt your storytelling techniques accordingly?

So far, the short format has created more opportunities to experiment. The most recent short I made, Judy’s Thoughts, is about a cassette tape my mom left behind 40 years ago as she was dying, and I couldn’t listen to it for 40 years. I started out making a more traditional short using her audio as VO with old home videos and photos, and I realized that just didn’t create the feeling I wanted. Working with my editor/producer Igor Myakotin, we came up with a more experimental approach that satisfied us both.

For the new feature I am working on, I hope to try some new and exciting and more interactive and participatory elements. Things are changing, and I’m excited about the future!

Learn more about Melody Gilbert at her websites www.frozenfeetfilm.com queendomdoc.com, and 40belowmovie.com; on IMDB ; connect with her on Instagram at @melodygilbert01; or contact her at melodygilbert01@gmail.com!

(All images courtesy of Melody Gilbert)