Here are some of my favorite frames from Valley of the Shadow from Silver Hills Pictures. The feature just had its WV premiere and is being screened to distributors in LA this week.
The film was shot in Buckhannon and Weston over the course of 13 days in July of last year and included a local and mostly WV cast and crew.
Writer/Director: Tom Whitus
DP/Colorist: myself
Gaffer: @noperberg
Grip: @jobe.geck.48
Grip/Swing: @johnfhale3
Well 2025 will go down as a tough one for me personally. After landing what I thought was a my dream job I was unceremoniously let go shortly at the beginning of the year. First time in 20 some years I was let go from a place of work. To say I was depressed was an understatement my confidence was shattered and for the first time in a long time I literally just felt lost. Then slowly but surely things began to open up. I’ve delved back into the world of freelancing but the difference now compared to when I started is almost 15 years of connections. I’ve began to lean into film, which in all honesty is something I should’ve done after I left PBS. I cut a feature film for my good friend @ddayfilms called Blood and Rust. @justinonvideo.jpg and I worked on multiple projects this year, when you treat people with kindness that comes back to you. I pivoted from DP work to audio and was able to be the location mixer for two feature films, one with at 1.7 million dollar budget and name SAG actors. I also was brought on as a production specialist and designed a podcast studio for a local business. Through all of this I was able to almost double my previous salary and spend more time with my family. What does 2026 hold? I don’t know but I’m just gonna keep my head down and keep grinding. Thank you to all of you who kept me sane this year. You have no idea how much I needed it.
