Fort Wayne Video Production: Casting Calls, Festivals & Permit Intel
Fort Wayne video production pros are staring at a two-week window loaded with filmable festivals, paid gigs, and skill-building workshops. From a feature shoot on 14 Sept to downtown road closures that could snarl a crane shot, here’s your verified playbook for 11-25 Sept 2025.
Casting Call Pays Crews Next Week
Producers of the indie feature “Young Jamie” are booking local talent and crew, with principal photography set for 14 Sept at multiple Fort Wayne locations. Roles pay a $50 stipend, and the call specifically requests nimble crews familiar with child-actor protocols.
Why it matters: Even a micro-budget day keeps grips, ACs and HMU artists working between larger shoots and adds fresh credit lines to résumés.
Festivals Offer B-Roll Gold
- Johnny Appleseed Festival, 20-21 Sept. Re-enactors, black-powder demos and three folk-music stages turn Swinney Park into a living period set—prime for heritage lifestyle spots or Midwest travel reels.
- Culture Fest @ Welcoming Week, 13 Sept. Amani Family Services partners with Cinema Center for multicultural shorts and live performances downtown.
- Welcoming Week (city-wide), 12-21 Sept. Dozens of pop-ups, from library tours to street food fairs, give documentary teams daily color.
Workshops Sharpen Your Lens
- Beginner’s Photography Class – 20 Sept, 10:30 AM. Downtown walk-and-shoot session focuses on manual exposure; five seats remain.
- Purdue Fort Wayne Intro to Photography – starts 24 Sept, 6 PM. Six-week evening course covers lighting, composition and critique—good cross-training for still-unit and BTS shooters.
Permits & Closures
The City lists a Creighton Ave closure 8 Sept–late Sept between Hanna and Weisser Park; avoid the corridor for truck parking or plan detours.
- Permits:* Fort Wayne routes street-film requests through its 311 portal; start with Engage Fort Wayne (260-427-8311) to confirm insurance and hold-harmless forms.
- State lands:* Shooting in nearby state parks or using drones over reservoirs triggers an Indiana DNR commercial film permit—apply 10 days out.
Looking Ahead: Hobnobben & Beyond
Mark calendars: Hobnobben Film Festival celebrates its 10th year 23-26 Oct at Cinema Center, promising regional showcases and distribution panels—submit rough cuts by 1 Oct. While outside our two-week scope, early accreditation ensures affordable filmmaker passes and puts local crews on CIFF-style red-carpet duty.
Quick Tips for Fort Wayne Video Production
- Scout early: Welcoming Week events raise downtown foot traffic; location audio may need extra lav isolation.
- Leverage festivals: Johnny Appleseed’s period props can double for historical commercials—secure vendor releases on-site.
- Network: Culture Fest’s short-film block draws Cinema Center staff—ideal for future stage rental talks.
- Monitor alerts: City road-closure RSS feeds update daily; subscribe before rolling dolly tracks downtown.
Conclusion
From casting calls that pay tomorrow to 19th-century festival sets and multicultural film pop-ups, Fort Wayne’s mid-September slate gives crews a diverse reel in just two weeks. Line up permits, sharpen lenses at weekend workshops, and you’ll hit late-October’s Hobnobben Festival with footage—and contacts—ready to roll.
