The Creative Conference is a series of mostly FREE panel discussions, DIY presentations, and informational workshops presented by our Educational Director and his chosen panelists! Each weekday morning, March 23rd through March 27th, 7 Stages theatre will host curated themes. Come out Tuesday morning to participate in A Fist Inside the Glove: Puppetry in Independent Film, Puppeteering for the Camera, Archer: Behind the Scenes, and Silhouette Animation: 3D Printing and Laser Cutting!

Tired of those pesky human actors? Puppets are the answer! Join Atlanta's very own New Puppet Order from 10:30-11:30am to learn their methods for incorporating puppetry into independent film. Sam Carter, Darrell C. Hazelrig and Beau Brown will share insights from the 8 puppetry short films they have produced in the last 5 years. 

From 12:00-1:00pm, learn the hand-and-rod puppetry style developed for television by Jim Henson known by puppeteers as “monitor work”; the puppeteer references a live feed of their performance in a monitor rather than watching the puppet directly. Participants will learn the basics of gravity, focus, and breath as well as get a chance to see themselves on screen.

From 1:30-2:30pm, The 3D and 2D animators/illustrators from Floyd County Productions will present clips from the Emmy-nominated animated series “Archer” and discuss how they broke into the industry. There will be a Q&A and a meet-and-greet with the panelists following the program.

With help from innovative technologies like the 3D printer and laser cutter, the animation industry has opened to a world of possibilities. Join us where papercraft meets stop motion animation as we present an up close demo from 3-4pm of how Pepakura and Pop Up Pro paper craft software can create amazing effects as seen in our ATLFF film bumper.