Litewave Studios Opens FL Virtual Production LED Wall

Litewave Studios just expanded their services to include virtual production with the installation of a LED volume wall in the Florida video studio. Virtual production is at the cutting-edge of film technology, allowing for scenes to be filmed against a virtual background, almost indistinguishable from reality and can be more natural-looking than traditional green screens. The LED wall makes it easier to film virtually anywhere in the comfort and control of a studio setting – and with limitless customizability. Instead of traveling to distant filming locations and dealing with weather and lighting conditions, an LED video studio can bring the location to you.

This addition of virtual production came about from a team-up between Litewave Studios and Tom Jordan of Full Frame Digital, who used this LED wall in Atlanta for a variety of different projects, one of which was a Netflix television series. Creator of Litewave Media, Christian Cashmir says: “Using virtual production on our projects has opened up the possibilities of filmmaking and commercial production. We’re excited to be one of the first to have this technology in the Tampa Bay area.”

Litewave Studios already has some projects for their LED studio in the works: two upcoming features will utilize the volume as well as a commercial for a luxury car brand.

This 30′ x 15′ LED volume sound stage will build onto the services their Tampa Bay studio offers. Litewave Studios also features two other studios in their facility, including a 46′ x 46′ white cyc and green screen. Custom sets are also offered on site.

This LED video studio technology is already making waves in the film community. Particularly, it made its presence known after being used for the Star Wars television shows The Mandalorian and The Book of Boba Fett. Instead of traveling to distant countries like the original Star Wars films did (using Tunisia to double as alien planet Tatooine) the LED wall placed actors right into this fantastical backdrop in real time.

In a post-COVID world, virtual production helps film crews continue to work amid the many travel restrictions around the world. A virtual studio environment also can benefit from smaller crews and more efficient production workflows.

So, how does the LED wall work? The LED video studio uses Unreal Engine, known for creating video game worlds, along with disguise servers. Productions can create virtual backgrounds in real time or load plate shots which are especially useful in filming car scenes. Plate shots allow driving scenes to be shot safely and in a more controlled environment while still maintaining realistic motion and lighting. Filming in a virtual studio simplifies the process. Closing down roads and highways becomes a thing of the past. See a sample of this virtual production in the video below.

The Tampa LED wall utilizes a Stype camera tracking system to sync the camera’s movement to the screen. It is fully gen-locked, leading to precision frame-by-frame recording.

The processor in their Florida LED studio has four 4K outputs and 10-bit color RX, providing an ultra-high quality image pipeline. The disguise XR workflow enables realtime set extension/AR overlay as well as camera color and lens calibration. The backgrounds that the program generates are fully customizable and scalable, meaning individual elements can be aligned to perfect your shot. Scenes can also look more realistic with the foreground elements and virtual background blending seamlessly. In other words, at their Tampa virtual production studio, the possibilities are endless.

Are you in need of a Tampa virtual production studio? Contact us today to check out our LED video wall or see how we can help you on your next production. Be sure to like us on Facebook to see more of our projects and head over to our blog to stay up to date on all our St Petersburg virtual production studio news!

Photo Shoot with Come Back Alice at our St Petersburg Photography Studio

Over the years, our St Petersburg photography studio has collaborated with many musicians, ranging from multi grammy award-winner Chick Corea to pop musicians like Mat Kearney and the Band Perry! One of our more recent endeavors included a unique photo shoot with rock band Come Back Alice for their upcoming music releases and tour.

Tony Tyler (lead singer, guitar) & Dani Jaye (fiddle, guitar, vocals) of Come Back Alice in our studio

For the shoot, the band came in with stylistic ideas for the portraits, and together collaborated with our photographer to bring their vision to life. The band was looking to create something with a classic rock vibe- with a little inspiration from Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours album. But also something that had a current feel and appeal. All the photographs were taken in our Tampa white cyc studio.

Tony Tyler, lead singer of Come Back Alice, gives some classic rock attitude in our Florida photography studio.

Our St Petersburg photography studio was the perfect place to bring out the mystery and intrigue that makes their music so much fun to listen to.

Tony Tyler and Dani Jaye of Come Back Alice in our St Petersburg white cyc studio.

Our Florida photography team experimented with lighting and effects to create a variety of looks for the band. Some gritty filters and post processing were done to give the photos a visceral feel.

Our studio photographer captured this black and white image of Come Back Alice’s Dani Jaye.

Photographer Christian Cashmir directed the shoot and captured the photos utilizing gear from our Tampa photography rental package– like our Canon 5D MkIII camera, Canon L-Series Lenses, and Profoto D2 500w strobe light kit. Our Tampa photography crew used a combination of natural and strobe lighting to give each photo a distinctive feel.

One of the Profoto D2 500w lights from our Tampa photo rental kits.

After a funky, cool photo shoot the band selected their favorite photographs and we took them back to our Tampa photo editing suite to retouch them. Our photo editors created a number of different versions of each photograph to highlight the distinct characteristics of each image.

Dani Jaye poses in our St Petersburg photography studio.

Rumor has it that our Litewave Studios’ team may be filming another music video with Come Back Alice later this year- if you haven’t caught their last Tampa music video we produced, check out their song “Coraline“. You can also check out another St Petersburg live music video that we produced for them in 2014.

There’s no mistaking Come Back Alice’s whimsical charm.

Are you in need of a Florida photography studio or Tampa video studio? Contact us today to schedule a visit or see how we can assist on your next production. Be sure to like us on Facebook to see more of our projects and head over to our blog stay up to date on all our St Petersburg photography studio news!

Tampa Video Production Studio Films Web Series In-House

Our Tampa video production studio recently wrapped principal photography on a web series we created and filmed right here in our own studio! The series combines the documentary style of NBC’s The Office with a behind-the-scenes look at an Independent film-making studio. In conjunction with the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Film Commission (FilmSPC), we were able to bring our web series, “BTS” (short for “Behind The Scenes”) to life. The dedicated talents of local actors, crew, community partners and screenwriters all working together made the project possible. The film-within-a-film concept allowed us to show the process of filmmaking from a highly satirized and comedic (at least we hope so!) perspective.

Director Christian Cashmir and the BTS cast perform a read through of the script at our Tampa video production studio.

“BTS” follows a local group of filmmakers at a St. Petersburg video production company as they attempt to produce a big-budget science fiction musical starring an actor who was just indicted on charges of arson. The team tries to manage a multitude of unhinged actors alongside numerous production problems, money and legal issues; needless to say, hijinks ensue!

tampa video production crew white cyc studio

Our Tampa video production crew….waiting on sound….in our white cyc studio

With a finalized concept and scripts in hand, FilmSPC awarded us a generous grant and it was off to the races for a very busy and fun few weeks! We filmed nearly the entire series in-house at our Tampa video production studio, utilizing everything from our green screen studio and white cyc studio to our editing suites, nothing was off-limits. Led by director Christian Cashmir, our Tampa video production crew worked tirelessly on set (and through the holidays!) to ensure a smooth production as we hustled to film 8 episodes in only 13 days!

The BTS cast rehearses in our Tampa white cyc studio before the first take of the day.

Director of photography Eric C. helped film the series using gear from our St Petersburg video equipment rental package like our Canon C300′s and Canon CN-E cinema lenses, giving the series the high-quality look and feel of a primetime network show. Most of the principal photography took place in the office area of our studio, but a few scenes were filmed in our Tampa green screen studio. This is where the scenes for the movie-within-a-movie science fiction part of the series took place.

st petersburg video equipment rental studio

Our director of photography is always happy when he’s by a camera!

We also traveled to St. Petersburg/Clearwater’s gorgeous beaches to film part of the sci-fi movie that the team creates within the show, and thanks to FilmSPC and Visit St. Pete/Clearwater, our Tampa video production crew were able to film everything from full-blown ninja battles on the beach to tender, romantic dance numbers at sundown.

After a challenging two weeks, we wrapped principal photography on the entire first season! With production complete, we now move on to the next stage– post-production! Over the next few weeks the team will be editing all of the footage in our Florida video studio, prepping the series for it’s debut in 2017.

Sometimes you just gotta have a little fun after a long day!

Catch a sneak peek of season 1 below:

Stay tuned for more updates as we approach the series premiere! Be sure to like and follow the BTS: The Web Series Facebook page for more photos, videos, and behind the scenes action as we continue post-production!

Do you need a Tampa video production studio or Florida video studio? Contact us today for a consultation. You can like us on Facebook and be sure to follow our blog to stay up to date with all St Petersburg video production studio news.

Tampa Video Studio Hosts Gulf Beach Weddings Project

The Gulf Beach Wedding team celebrates a successful shoot at Litewave Studios

Where would your dream wedding be? Tahiti? The Caribbean? Mount Rushmore? Right here, in Tampa Bay, our world famous beaches offer some of the most sought-after wedding destinations in the world. Litewave Studios teamed up with Gulf Beach Weddings to photograph and film their latest line of products. Their revolutionary Wedding Builder system enables clients to completely customize their own wedding packages online and experience their very own dream wedding.

Brandon Wheeler, Gulf Beach Weddings founder, directs the crew (we may have forgotten to put the batteries in)

Gulf Beach Weddings arrived at our Tampa video studio and preparations began. With ample parking behind the studio and the convenient loading bay, the Gulf Beach Weddings’ team was able to unload both of their trucks with ease. The project included a photo shoot for their new wedding packages as well as interviews of their staff for a promotional video. Our 3200-sq ft full-service video studio provided plenty of space for filming. The Litewave Studios’ production crew set the lighting and the photoshoot began. The 4 new wedding package designs included Country Chic, Margaritaville, Nautical and Miami.

At Litewave Studios interviewing Gulf Beach Weddings’ founder Brandon Wheeler

Christian Cashmir, from Litewave Studios served as photographer and captured each new item on the Tampa white cyc studio using a Canon 5D mkiii and a variety of lenses. The retouched images will be featured on the Gulf Beach Weddings’ website. The second task of the day was to interview the Gulf Beach Weddings’ team to give a face to the company in their new video. Johanne Castagan, production coordinator, spoke with each team member and set them at ease in front of the cameras. The interviews were filmed on the Canon C300 and Canon C100 cinema cameras.

Director Christian Cashmir watches monitor as Johanne interviews the Gulf Beach Weddings’ team in our Tampa video studio

Donuts were provided of course (the key to any great shoot), and overall, it was a fun-filled day. The Litewave Studios’ crew truly believes in building lasting business relationships; this marks our 7th shoot with Gulf Beach Weddings, and we look forward to more in the future!

The Gulf Beach Weddings’ team having fun on set at our Tampa video studio after the shoot

Check out the finished promotional video below:

You can also check out the individual videos Litewave Studios created for each of the three new packages Gulf Beach Weddings has to offer!

Country Chic Package:

Miami Package:

Luau Package:

If you’re looking for a space to film in the Tampa Bay area please contact our Tampa video studios for a free consultation. We invite you to like Litewave Studios on Facebook to view our latest video projects. Be sure to keep up with our blog for more Tampa video studio news!

Award-Winning Gospel Music Group Films at Tampa Video Studio

Litewave Studios has had the pleasure of working with a variety of talented musicians in our Tampa video studio over the years – from Grammy-winning jazz artist Chick Corea to country crooners The Band Perry, indie rocker Mat Kearny, Bahamian rapper Iris Stryx and more.

Behind-the-Scenes with band No Limits during their music video shoot

Recently we kept it a little closer to home. Tampa’s own Cepeda Mckay, Zachary Mckay and No limits collaborated with Litewave Studios to shoot a promotional video for their upcoming sold out concert. The award-winning group is a contemporary youthful gospel group whose songs are inspired by scripture and life experiences. They are full of energy and positivity and their sound is incredible. They have worked with some of the biggest names in the gospel industry including Tye Tribbett, Kirk Franklin, Yolanda Adams and The Legendary Clark Sisters and have their sites set on the world stage.

Director/DP, Christian Cashmir films some close ups of Zachary at his keyboard on the Sony A7s mkii

The group arrived at our Tampa bay video studio on a Saturday evening prepared with outfit changes and musical instruments in hand – ready to make a video to wow their audiences. The video’s concept: it would play before their concerts to hype the audience before their performances. The video would consist of quick stylized cuts and all slow motion footage. The group took full advantage of our studio’s makeup room and lounge area, before shooting began, where they were able to relax and get ready to film.

Director/DP, Christian Cashmir films lead singer Cepeda McKay as Johanne Castagan, coordinator, also helps out as a dolly-grip adding some movement to the shots.

The Litewave Studios’ crew enjoys getting creative in the Tampa white cyc studio and seeing how we can transform the space. Our production designers built faux brick wall flats and added a soft rose color backlight for the first scene of the shoot. We also filmed on the white cyc background for the second scene and in post production created a black and white effect. The production studio team filmed with a Sony a7s ii and a variety of cinema lenses for the video.

Group photo with No Limits and Director/DP, Christian Cashmir as the shoot comes to an end.

After filming in the studio finished, the team saw an opportunity to capture some impromptu shots at night in the backlot. Our large industrial parking area behind the studio acted as a perfect backdrop to film the band. The crew set up a fog machine, and an intense backlight to give a dramatic look. This shot ended up being used as the first and last shot in the video.

Director/DP, Christian Cashmir searches for a unique angle of No Limits’ drummer

Once postproduction was completed on the video, we then had the opportunity to attend the concert where the video would premier. The Litewave Studios’ team provided video and photography services during the performance (along with enjoying the fantastic music). The show began with a large opening act (over 20 performers), and then the video created in our St. Petersburg video studio played to introduce No Limits. The audience received the video well and the band was ready to take the stage. The group entered and the performance hall was flooded with energy.

Grammy-nominated, Tye Tribbett performs on stage with No Limits.

As a bonus to the show, Grammy-nominated gospel recording artist, Tye Tribbett, joined the group on stage and performed some of his popular hits and then performed with No Limits for the closing number.

Zachary McKay proposes to Christina, No Limits’ band member, on stage (she said yes!)

As the show came to an end, the group surprised the whole crowd. Zachary McKay, got down on one knee and proposed to Christina, another singer of the band, in front of the sold out audience. She said yes!

The studio shoot and the concert were a blast. We greatly enjoy working with such inspiring musicians like Cepeda and Zachary McKay and the No Limits group.

Check out the video below and let us know what you think:

If you’re interested in finding out more about our Tampa video studios, please Contact us for a free consultation. We invite you to like Litewave Studios on Facebook to view our latest video projects. Be sure to keep up with our blog for more Tampa video studio news!

St Petersburg Video Studio Films Tampa Comic Con TV Commercial!

Star Lord, Thor, and Sauron all walk into a bar in downtown Tampa this weekend, it’s not a portal to Asgard …it’s Tampa Bay Comic Con! This year we had the excellent opportunity to film a TV commercial for the 2016 convention (Aug 5-7) right here in our St Petersburg video production studio. The commercial link is below, and it’s also running on TV right now!

They’re not the dancers we need right now, but the dancers we deserve.

Each year Tampa Bay Comic Con (TBCC) hosts one of the largest conventions in Florida, with exhibitors like New Force Comics, cosplayers like Jessica Nigri, and panels with famous actors and actresses like Norman Reedus (aka Daryl Dixon on The Walking Dead), Ian McDiarmid (known for playing Emperor Palpatine in Star Wars), and many others.

Last year we hosted the TBCC team in our St Petersburg green screen studio to film an exciting commercial. This year we continued the tradition in our Tampa white cyc video studio with a cosplay parody of Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off”. Heroes and characters flooded our studio- everything from The Walking Dead’s “Rick” to “Anna” from Frozen and “Barry Allen” from the DC Universe; needless to say the production went by in a Flash!

Everyone watches as Spiderman busts out his signature move: The Web Sling!

We filmed the commercial with our Canon C300, Canon cinema lenses, and state of the art studio lighting system to ensure top video quality. After principal photography, it was time to head to our Tampa recording studio to record our own Tampa Comic Con-inspired song – a version of “Shake It Off”. We then imported footage of the amazing cosplayers into our post-production suite to edit the clips to the song, and then color grade the final TV commercial!

Heroes gather to shake it in our St Petersburg video production studios!

We had a ton of fun in the studio filming the commercial, and now we look forward to attending Tampa Bay Comic Con all weekend, where we’ll also be filming a behind-the-scenes video, highlighting all of the amazing moments, panels, and of course all of the fans and cosplayers!

In the meantime, check out the finished Tampa Bay Comic Con TV Commercial below:

Do you need a St Petersburg video production studio to make a Tampa TV commercial? Contact us today to discuss how we can help you. Be sure to like us on Facebook and make sure to check out the blog to stay up to date on all the latest Litewave Studios news!

Tampa Video Studio Hosts 5 Hour Energy TV Commercial

Over the past few years our Tampa video studio has had the opportunity to host a variety of unique projects, including award-winning web series like the Skyship Chronicles, and amazing musicians like Matt Kearney, Grammy award-winning jazz artist Chick Corea, and country crooners The Band Perry. This month, two exceptional organizations came to film at our St. Petersburg video studio: 5 Hour Energy and the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF).

The Tampa video crew completes sound checks prior to filming.

5 Hour Energy filmed a commercial in conjunction with the SOWF here at Litewave Studios, allowing our Tampa white cyc studio to become the backdrop for their newest commercial, which is now airing nationwide. Litewave Studios’ founder Christian Cashmir was given the opportunity to work on the production, bringing his skill and expertise to the project.

A 5 Hour energy drink prepares for its close-up.

During the shoot the producers utilized our Tampa video studio rental and grip packages, including our Panasonic production monitors and the lighting grid that illuminates our Tampa video studios. The project was filmed on a Canon C500 camera with Zeiss CP.2 cinema lenses.

A member of the Special Operations Warrior Foundation and daughter of a fallen soldier speaks on her experience with the organization.

“It was a great experience filming the 5 Hour Energy TV spot in our St. Petersburg video studio. The charity that they’re working with is such a great cause. It makes what we do more meaningful when it’s directly helping those in need,” says Litewave Studios’ founder Christian Cashmir.

Check out the finished commercial on ESPN or watch it below:

Are you looking for a Florida green screen studio or St. Petersburg video studio rental? Please contact us today for more info. Be sure to like Litewave Studios on Facebook and check out our latest video projects. Keep up with the blog for more Tampa video studio news!

DeChoker Films National Infomercial in Our St Petersburg Video Studio

“The DeChoker is an FDA Class 2 Medical Device…” read the teleprompter when we filmed an infomercial for the new invention at our St Petersburg video studio. Inventor Alan Carver came up with the idea while sailing, where there were limited options for choking victims. Now he aims to save lives both on land and at sea. Litewave Studios was excited to host Alan and the DeChoker team at our Tampa video production studio where we filmed with a variety of equipment right on our Tampa white cyc studio, which offers a seamless backdrop of over 50 feet.

The DeChoker team celebrates a successful shoot with our St Petersburg video crew.

Litewave Studios’ director and cinematographer, Christian Cashmir, filmed the commercial using our studio’s Tampa video equipment rental package, including a Canon C300, Canon cinema lenses, and our teleprompter. For lighting, our Kino Flo Divas, and 4′ Four banks lit up our talent with a soft, stylized look. Altman LED cyc lights lit our Tampa white cyc studio and gave the shoot the clean and professional look our client was looking for.

Actress Michele Yeager as the spokeswoman for the DeChoker infomercial in our St Petersburg green screen studio.

Actress Michele Yeager came on-board as spokeswoman for the commercial. We filmed her scenes on our Tampa green screen studio so we could add in dynamic graphics during post production.

One of the many testimonials we filmed for the DeChoker infomercial.

With our Florida film crew on set to light our Tampa green screen, filming for the commercial went off without a hitch. After a great shoot, we began the next objective: shaping the footage in the edit suite. The editing team cut together 10 different versions of the commercial suited for different media, and even a European version that went on air this week!

Bobby-Anne, a Tampa Bay resident, anxiously waits to give her testimonial on how the DeChoker saved her life.

Do you need a St Petersburg video studio rental or Tampa green screen studio? Please contact us for a free consultation. Be sure to like Litewave Studios on Facebook and check out all of our latest video projects. Keep up with our blog for more St Petersburg video studio news!

Tampa Comic-Con Films at Litewave Studios for TV Ad

Princess Leia in the dressing room…Daenerys Targaryen and Katniss Everdeen on-set… Superhero action figures and comic books? Just a typical shoot day at our Tampa video production studio! Tampa Bay Comic-Con visited our Tampa video studio rental to film a 30 second TV commercial to promote their upcoming 2015 convention.

Litewave Studio films commercials for Tampa Bay Comic Con

Our Tampa video studio films a TV commercial for Tampa Bay Comic Con in our white cyc studio

Our Tampa video crew lit our Tampa White Cyc studio with 2 Kino Flo Diva-Lites, 1 LED light and our state-of-the-art Altman LED Cyc lights to film the TV commercials. Our director of photography, Christian Cashmir, filmed the commercials with our Canon C100 and Litewave Media’s intern Taylor Blake took behind-the-scenes pictures with our Canon 5D mkIII from our Tampa camera equipment rental. Ana Christina Sanchez was the Production Cordinator during the shoot.

Actress, Victoria, poses as Katniss Everdeen in the Tampa video studio.

Tampa Bay Comic-Con also rented our recording studio to record their radio commercial as well. Editing and color correction for the commercials took place at our St. Petersburg video studio. You can check out the TV commercials on any major TV network in the Bay Area starting this week!

The Mother of Dragons is our biggest… FAN!

The Comic-Con convention will be held from July 31^st through August 2^nd at the Tampa Convention Center. Our Florida video studio was honored to help Comic-Con to promote this exciting local event. We’ll see you there!

Make-up finishes last looks before filming the TV commercials with Tampa Bay Comic-Con

You can see the TV commercial on cable this week or check it out below!

If you’re looking to film a Tampa TV commercial or record a radio commercial, please contact our Tampa video studios for a free consultation. We invite you to like Litewave Studios on Facebook to check out our latest video projects. Be sure to keep up with the blog for more Tampa video studio news!

The Band Perry Films in Our Tampa Photography Studio

At Litewave Studios, we’ve had the opportunity to film and photograph some amazing musicians over the years. We’ve shot music videos in a variety of genres, live concerts, musicals and many other projects in our Tampa video studio. We’ve been honored to work with talented artists such as Mat Kearney, Chick Corea and Isis Sonatra. Our latest guest was popular country band and Grammy Award-Winning, The Band Perry who rented our Tampa photography studio for a photo shoot.

The Band Perry rents our Tampa video studio

The Band Perry with Litewave Studios crew members Ana Christina and Pinky

While The Band Perry was in town for a concert, they came to take professional photos to promote their next tour at our Tampa White Cyc Studio. The band’s marketing team brought props to decorate the studio, and our Tampa photography studio tech Harold “Pinky” Hood set up the lighting for the photo shoot.

The Band Perry visits our Tampa video studio for a photo shoot while in town for a concert

Our Florida video studio was honored that The Band Perry chose our Florida photography studio to do their latest promotional photo shoot.

If you need a Tampa video studio rental or Tampa green screen studio rental, please contact us for a free consultation. We invite you to like Litewave Studios on Facebook to check out our latest video projects. Be sure to keep up with the blog for more Tampa video studio news!