We are thrilled to announce that The Skeleton Key Workshop took home the top prize at this year’s ArtsBuild Periscope Pitch Showcase. This is the 3rd year they’ve had the program in Chattanooga (it started off in Nashville). The Pitch Showcase was held at RISE Chattanooga which was a really great space.
My classmates and I started this journey back in August of last year and it’s been an incalculable resource and learning tool. One of my teachers told us “You’ll get out of it what you put into it” and I have found this to be very true. I got to meet some wonderful people and made some new friends. Yay! The community and connections have truly been the highlight of this experience.
This is a pivotal moment for the Workshop.
I am feeling an immense sense of gratitude, pride, and excitement as everything slowly starts to settle in. We have some significant projects on the horizon, and I can’t wait to show you what we’ve been building in the studio.
Thank you so much to ArtsBuild and the Periscope program for their incredible support of the Chattanooga arts community.
Photography & Video Credits: Christina Sacco, Elizabeth Thomas, Terry D. and the St. Andrews Center.
I storyboard-everything- It’s a simple way to get something down and viewable and shareable. I hand draw each shot/idea and then take a picture of it with my phone. I then import those images into my editing software and create the first storyboard. Storyboarding helps me figure out the timing and pacing of the piece as well. They’re an excellent form of communication between myself and my clients too. I often share storyboards so they can have a feel for what the video is about as well as the direction it’s heading….
Truthfully, every video I make is simply story board iteration number X. For example, the finished Red Pawn video was story board number 20.
Please enjoy a side by side comparison between Red Pawn’s first storyboard and the finished video.
How cool is this? This past weekend I was asked if I’d be interested in puppeteering a large puppet for Wayne White’s band Username Password. Naturally I said yes.
It was a total blast!
The puppet was very cleverly designed. It’s basically a long wooden pole that fit into a locking mechanism on my belt. The head can be turned via a small piece of pvc running inside the puppet alongside the wooden pole. It even had a handle.
Brilliant!
People were running up to me and taking photos! What a ball!
It was VERY hot!!!
Totally worth it!
Photos by Wayne White, Christina Sacco and Jason Reed.
You can grab Username Password’s debut album here:
Here’s a video showing some of the work I’ve done with WTCI/PBS at the Ready to Learn workshops over the past year or so.
Some of the videos were used for station identification. We also exported some and sent them directly to the families themselves!
Fun!
With some of the older kids, I would let them direct and animate themselves! One kiddo would instruct the other what to do, and then capture the animation themselves! People ALWAYS light up when they click play and see what they just created come to life. Kids and adults alike.
Please consider a donation to your local PBS station! They can use your help!
The workshop was recently mentioned on the Fangoria website for the 2025 Chattanooga Film Festival. We had the video for Night Constructions (by the Bohannons) shown at this year’s festival.
✨ Ever wonder what really goes into bringing tiny worlds to life, frame by frame?
The Skeleton Key Workshop is launching a Patreon page to take you behind the scenes of our stop motion animation process — from early sketches and set building, to storyboarding, to animation, to the magic (and chaos) of production days.
🎥 On Patreon, you’ll get:
Exclusive sneak peeks at works-in-progress
Membership shout-outs
Animation tips and techniques I’ve learned over the years
Early access to finished films before they’re released publicly
If you’ve ever been curious about how stop motion is made — or just love watching creative projects come to life — here is your backstage pass!
