Workshops

Friday, 2:00 - 2:30 PM

Location: Education Center

You build something, move it a bit, take a picture and do it again, and again.. and again…  Somewhere in that process an inanimate object springs into life and magic happens. 

You don’t need a studio or a big set. Sometimes you just need a camera, a kitchen table, some materials, and the willingness to slow down and move sprinkles with toothpicks and tweezers.

In this talk we will discuss my process working in stop motion, and why this medium may be more important than ever.

Friday, 4:00 - 5:00 PM

Location: Main Stage

Filmanatix is a West Virginia-based video production company founded by filmmakers Caleb Akers and Benjamin Mason. Since 2015, they’ve turned their passion for filmmaking into a career creating commercials, branded content, and social media campaigns for businesses and organizations throughout the region and beyond.

Along the way, Caleb and Benjamin have worked with national and regional brands while building an online community of more than 300,000 followers by sharing their filmmaking experiences, techniques, and behind-the-scenes work.

During their session, Caleb and Benjamin will pull back the curtain on what it takes to build a career in filmmaking. From finding clients and pricing your work to navigating commercial productions, growing through social media, and lessons learned over more than a decade in business. The session will also include an open Q&A, giving filmmakers the opportunity to ask questions about the creative and business sides of making a living behind the camera.

Saturday, 2:00 - 2:30 PM

Location: Education Center

This workshop will provide you with an overview of how to structure a pitch deck to find funding and interest for your next film project

Saturday, 2:45 - 3:45 PM

Location: Main Stage

Every polished frame has a story long before the audience ever sees it. In this behind-the-scenes workshop, filmmakers Clara Lehmann and Jonathan Lacocque from Coat of Arms (Helvetia & Wheeling, WV) deconstruct a fast-paced commercial project to reveal the creative decisions, technical workflows, and collaboration that transformed a simple idea into a finished piece.

Following the project from concept through live-action production, 3D/2D animation, motion design, compositing, sound, and final delivery, participants will see how today's creative tools work together in a professional production pipeline. Rather than focusing on software tutorials, this session explores how technology serves storytelling, how production challenges become creative opportunities, and how small teams can produce work that feels much larger than its budget.

Saturday, 7:15 - 9:15 PM

Location: Main Stage

What does it really take to make a feature film outside the traditional system? In this dynamic conversation, filmmaker Pete Ohs and moderator Elaine McMillion Sheldon break down the creative and practical realities of Pete's micro-budget filmmaking process. Pete — who has made five micro-budget films in the past six years — discusses the artistic decisions, production challenges, limitations, and unexpected breakthroughs that shape his work.This panel offers an honest, behind-the-scenes look at how constraints can become creative fuel.