Shameless Plug: Marbles with Thoreau

by Leslie Foster



What does it mean to live simply, to be motivated by more than material needs? American author, essayist, poet, and philosopher Henry David Thoreau found his answers at Walden Pond and the answers he found are what have driven filmmaker Melody George to return to Walden. I worked on Melody's crew back in 2005 when “Marbles with Thoreau” was her senior project at Southern's film school. The story of Ace and Eva Calloway, two children who stumble onto Thoreau and his search for a life of simplicity captured the imaginations of everyone on the project.

Melody and producer Thomas Wentworth are currently in the process of raising funds to shoot a 15-20 minute short film based on that original senior project. The short itself is part of a long-term process to turn the story into a feature film. They have raised just under half of their projected $25,000 budget and are currently looking for someone to complete that budget and come on board as an executive producer. The “Marbles” team would like to finish up their fundraising by January '08 so that can really get rolling with pre-production and shoot in May. (Melody and Thomas are also well on their way to casting an actor for Thoreau and have started looking for actors to play Ace and Eva.)

The "Marbles" team is exploring the journey towards contentment. They are breathing new life into the ideas Thoreau explored, making them exciting and relevant for a new generation. As humans, it's so easy to get bogged down in material pursuits, to forget simplicity; but Thoreau and the Marbles filmmakers call us to a journey beyond the things that keep us earthbound. They call us to embrace a simplicity that leads to a hope greater than anything in this world can give us.

Keep this film and the filmmakers in your prayers. I believe they have amazing things to offer. We're seeing the rise of a generation of artists who are going to change the world and every step counts.

If their goals inspire you, if this is a journey you're on and you are in a position to help, please visit their website and get in contact with them. If you can make this dream a reality, you're giving these artists a foothold into a world that needs them very much.