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Feature Film about Mother Nature Films in Tampa Bay

Litewave Studios recently wrapped production on a feature film called Mother Nature and the Doomsday Prepper. The film stars Brock O’Hurn, Kate Amundsen, Andrew Key, and Tik-Tok superstar and comedian Danae Hays. Filming took place in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties and now enters Post Production in Pinellas County at Litewave Media.

Tampa Film Crew Works on Mother Nature Movie

Tampa Film Crew Works on Mother Nature Movie

The film was directed by Christian Cashmir, founder of Litewave Studios, and the project was created by Laurie Criego who also penned the script and Executive Produced. The Tampa Bay film crew utilized new LED Wall Technology to film fantasy-based scenes in the St Petersburg Florida video studio where Mount Olympus was brought to life.Mother Nature Movie

Mother Nature Movie Cast

Mother Nature (Kate Amundsen) with Zack Vazquez (Olympus Guard) and Eric Freeman (Alexandros)

A Variety of Projects Filmed in our Tampa Green Screen Video Studio!

Litewave Studios rounded out 2014 with three green screen projects from three diverse companies. Our clients enjoy the freedom and infinite possibilities that the green screen provides to their video projects. Litewave Studios’ Tampa green screen rental is perfect for projects of all shapes and sizes.

Brandon Honda was looking to create a modern television campaign with their owner/spokesperson interacting with the Brandon Honda web site. This series of 10 TV commercials, filmed in both English and Spanish, was filmed in our Tampa green screen studio and the visual effects were created in one of our Tampa post-production editing suites. Litewave Studios used a combination of Adobe After Effects and Premiere to achieve the high-end visual style our client was looking for. See the commercial below:

HealtheSystems, a longtime client of Litewave Media, was looking to film a series of informational videos on healthcare with their medical directors. The Litewave Studios’ crew created a two-camera setup in our Tampa green screen studio. The green screen was keyed out and the Tampa skyline background added in post-production. Additional voice-overs were then recorded in the sound booth of our Tampa Recording Studio to complete the project.

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The green screen studio crew preps the talent.

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A screen grab with green screen effects applied.

EdTraining Centers is an instructional video company focusing on compliance training and professional development videos. Actors ‘role-play’ situations, which are then discussed in the videos.

Using our Litewave Studios’ teleprompter, the cast was able to quickly deliver a series of 20 scripts. The quick setup and break down of our green screen studio enables us to create high-quality projects in an efficient manner.

The Cast

The cast and crew after another successful EdTraining Center shoot at the studio.

Litewave Studios enjoys working with a wide variety of clients. Whether your business sells automobiles, pharmacy benefits, or training videos – let our experienced crew help you with your next green screen video project. To keep up with our latest studio news, please like us on Facebook. For more information, contact us for a free consultation.

Litewave Studios Shoots in Living Color!

We love it when our clients come up with ideas as crazy (or crazier) than we do! Our client, The Crossings Church, wanted to create a “Color Powder” battle, and film it at Litewave Studios.

We knew the powder might get everywhere so for this production, our Tampa video studio crew wrapped our sound stage and cameras in plastic. The studio looked like a scene from Dexter before we started. And once the powder started flying it didn’t stop.

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A freeze frame of the color powder caught in mid-air

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The color powder battle begins at the studio!

We shot for an entire day in the studio, and filmed some really amazing footage. Craig Bolt, the creative director at Crossings Church had a vision to film everything in slow motion, so we geared up, lit the scene and let our trusty Sony FS-700 cameras (that film in ultra slow motion – up to 960 frames per second!) do the rest of the work.

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Behind the scenes after the battle!

To enhance the powder’s color, Litewave Studios’ Tampa white cyc wall was covered with black drapes. The floor was also painted black to create a seamless look on camera.

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Just before the explosion!

Christian Cashmir our studio co-owner was DP on the shoot with Sasha Sebesta assisting with lighting. Photos were taken by Johanne Castagan. Craig directed and produced the shoot, and his creative video editing team did the post production. Take a look and let us know what you think.

At the end of the day, our Tampa Video Studio Rental was covered in a thick layer of colored powder, but it was worth it! If you have an exciting video idea you’d like to bring to life, give our Tampa video studio a call, or email us today!

Tampa Video Studios’ New Recording Booth is Music to our Ears!

Litewave Studios has just expanded the capabilities in our Tampa Video Studio with the addition of a state-of-the-art sound booth for voice-overs, singers and musicians.Condenser microphone in vocal recording room

Our first recording was with Sarah Shellman, a classically trained violinist, who lent her skills by playing musical selections for our soon-to-be-released film project, The Skyship Chronicles. Sarah played Guten Abend, Gute Nacht, (also known as Brahms’ Lullaby) and some parts from Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring to accompany a surrealistic scene in the film.

The actors from The Skyship Chronicles also came into the Tampa recording studio for their ADR sessions. ADR, (or Automatic Dialogue Replacement) is where an actor comes in after filming to re-record their dialogue under more controlled conditions. Christian Cashmir (our studio co-founder and editor of the film) recorded all of the lead actors in the Litewave Studios’ sound booth. Once music and sound FX were added, it transformed the movie into a sonic feast for the ears!

Our Tampa video studio team has also used the sound booth and recording studio for vocalists as well. Two singers have already used the booth for two very different projects.

Isis Sonatra, whose hip hop music video we shot last month came in to record the hook vocals for her single Will You Be My Boyfriend. The music video for the single, which she has just released on YouTube, was filmed in our Tampa White Cyc Studio and also on location in downtown St. Petersburg, FL.

Another audio/video project we recently completed in our Tampa sound booth was for our good friend Karen Post, The Branding Diva. Local singer Corinne Oliviia laid down the vocal track for Karen Post’s music video The Branding Boogie.  Karen uses The Branding Boogie as a fun intro video for her numerous speaking engagements worldwide.

If you are in the market for a Tampa green screen studio or Tampa white cyc studio, or if you have any recording needs for our brand new recording studio, drop us a line!

Hip Hop Recording Artist Films Music Video at Tampa’s Litewave Studios

Isis Sonatra, an up-and-coming recording artist hailing from Miami, partnered with Litewave Media to produce a music video for her new single “Will You Be My Boyfriend?”.

Impressed with Litewave Media’s track record of successful music videos (with over 2 million views from our two latest music videos), Isis traveled all the way across Florida with her dance crew to film with Litewave Media and its crew. ”I am so thankful that I found a video studio in Florida with the quality of L.A. and the touch of being at home. You guys rock!” Isis said.

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One of the scenes shot at Litewave Studios, Tampa Video Studio,  features a sensuous salsa dance scene between Isis and her ‘boyfriend’, played by Leandro Freiria. Jeff, our set designer, used faux brick wall flats with parts of the white cyc exposed (saturated in red and blue lights at different points in the video) to create an urban stylized background. Anya and Melissa, our hair and makeup team, styled and created several glamorous looks for Isis throughout the video.

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Litewave Studios’ newest weapon in the arsenal is ‘The Rain Machine’ which we used to film Isis’ dance sequence. Built by Randy, our video studio engineer and Pinky, our studio tech, The Rain Machine creates a realistic rain effect in an 8′ square area. Litewave Studios’ lighting designer, Andrew, and his grip Sasha, used a strong backlight to accentuate the rain to create this unique, colorful shot.

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Isis, along with Christian, the Director and DP, found several locations in St. Petersburg, including some picturesque sunrise footage at The Getaway Tiki Bar on the water, Beach Drive downtown, and even a horse and carriage ride through Straub Park. Litewave Studios worked hand-in-hand with the Pinellas County Film Commission to secure permits to film in these locations. Our Assistant Camera, Brandon, 2nd Unit DP, John and Production Assistant, Tony also kept the wheels turning smoothly over the two-day shoot.

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Another scene features Isis and her dance crew on a downtown St. Petersburg Street. Decked out in colorful gear, the crew performs ahigh-energy dance routine, choreographed by Miami choreographer Ralph Cummings.

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All in a day’s work at Litewave Studios! If you are looking for a Tampa green screen or Tampa video studio rental for your next project, give us a call today for a complimentary consultation.

 

Grammy-Winning Artist Chick Corea Records at Litewave Studios

Legendary jazz pianist Chick Corea, who has won 20 Grammy awards throughout his career, came to our Tampa video studios to film a new music workshop series. Chick has been at the forefront of jazz since the mid-’60s, playing with other jazz legends like Miles Davis and Stan Getz.

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Chick getting ready to record at Litewave Studios

For the project our crew built a custom-made set to create a ‘backstage’ feel. Brick walls (built in front of our Tampa White cyc studio) surrounded his beautiful jet black grand piano, while five cameras interviewed Chick and filmed his performance. The project took place over the course of four days in our video studio.

Litewave Studios’ crew worked in cooperation with Chick’s team, who flew in from Los Angeles and New York City for filming. The project was a great success and Chick and his crew will be returning to the studio next month to film the next installment of the series.

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Above is a quick preview to the upcoming workshop. The live streaming event, which will also be filmed at Litewave Studios, runs March 28-30. If you are interested in attending, visit chickcoreamusicworkshops.com

If you are looking for a Tampa video studio rental, give Litewave Studios a call to discuss your project.

Vampire Web Series Films at Tampa’s Litewave Studios

A new web series by Stavros (author of the One Blood series), will be filmed this summer in Tampa Bay. Stavros came in to do some preliminary filming on our Tampa green screen studio as well as some studio photography for the marketing materials.

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Tampa’s own Maylin Morera, a good friend of our Tampa video studio, also stars in the series.

Jésus Mayorga (Breaking Bad, Scoundrels) and his sister Gabby, who play the lead roles in the series, flew in from Albuquerque and Los Angeles.

Gabby, Stavros and Jésus

Gabby, Stavros and Jésus

Filming begins later this spring, bringing some independent film-making to Tampa Bay. Our Tampa video crew will be sourcing locations, building the sets, as well as filming the pilot episode.

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The Tampa video studio crew vamping out!

If you are looking to shoot an independent film, need crew, or a tampa video studio rental, contact our team for more information.

Sky Pirates Invade Tampa’s Litewave Studios

Over the past seven months, our Tampa Video Studio was used as a sound stage for a new steampunk action film titled “The Skyship Chronicles.” Three unique sets were built and designed by Litewave Studios’ team, led by Jeff Zampino, and lit by our resident gaffer Andrew Ortoski.

The first set was the ship’s bridge and laboratory of the film’s main villain, Gustav. The bridge is part of a vast skyship – a hybrid of the Starship Enterprise and a Victorian era study.

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The set used large steam pipes, victorian wallpaper and a wooden captain’s wheel, backed by a radar and communications station, complete with an antique world map. In the final scene a large green screen was added to the reverse shots to show the ship’s porthole.

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Two months later, the film required an entirely different type of set: a small post office in Wichita, Kansas circa 1920. The original location, a post office in downtown St. Petersburg, wound up being too difficult to secure with the United States Postal Service, so the entire set was built from scratch in our St. Petersburg video studio.

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Litewave Studios’ graphics team created nearly 500 period specific post office boxes, each with a unique P.O. box number. The entire set was trimmed out with dark stained wood, and the floor was faux painted with a grey marble look to give it a 1920s era feel. To complement the set, our Tampa Studio team created period specific props, including: hand wrapped boxes, letters with vintage stamps, mail sacks and even a 1920s AirMail poster.

The crew

The final set built in our St. Petersburg video studio, which is also the final scene in the movie, takes place in the dank hold of yet another skyship, owned by Lucius Black, a sky pirate for hire. Lucius and his intimidating crew are interrogating our hero, so we wanted an eerie, dramatic look.

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To achieve this, we used 50 greyed and weathered pallets. Hammer and crowbars in hand, our team tore apart the pallets, and recycled them to make a fully recycled “green” set.

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The team found an old steamer trunk on CraigsList and our set decorators added buckets, rope, chains, candles and rum bottles to give it a sky pirate swagger. A 4-foot green screen porthole was added so our effects team could later superimpose a night sky through it. Two crossed swords from the film’s fight choreographer, adorned the walls. Minimal lighting with heavy shadows added to the tension.

The sets fit easily into our 1600 sq. ft. Tampa video studio rental space. Cast and crew alike had our expansive green room and lounge to relax between scenes. The hair and makeup team enjoyed our spacious makeup and changing rooms to prepare the characters. Hot meals were prepared in our craft services area, and at the end of the day, everybody relaxed in our Tampa editing studio to review dailies on our 60” plasma monitor.

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And so, on December 12, filming of Skyship Chronicles was wrapped. Nearly 100 people have been involved in the movie, and a dozen or more will now come on board to score, edit and add visual effects to the film. Litewave Studios would like to thank each and every member of the cast and crew for their hard work and dedication!

If you are looking for a top-notch team to build cinema quality studio sets, create unique props and costumes, and an experienced camera team to complete your vision, call Litewave Studios, Tampa’s premier white cyc and green screen video studio, today.

Tampa Film Studio Rental for “Qollector” App Campaign – “Pez: A Love Story”

Litewave video and film studio in St. Petersburg area recently hosted Blake Bouldin of GreenRatio to film a video for his new Qollector app.


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Blake’s goal was for our Tampa film studio to make a 1-2 minute story with a “Google/Apple” commercial feel followed by an informational video. This video would be part of their website, but also used as a fundraising campaign video on IndieGoGo.

Our Tampa video crew featured Christian Schwier as director and camera operator, Andrew Ortoski as lighting designer/gaffer and Jeff Zampino as co-writer/producer.

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Blake and Jeff wrote the script “Pez: A Love Story” about a lonely collector seeking a rare Pez dispenser, who uses Blake’s app to find not only the Pez Dispenser, but the cute owner as well.

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Andrew built the tabletop film set for the iPad shots, and Litewave Studios used our St. Petersburg film studio with a white cyc to shoot the informational portion of the video. Christian filmed the video on Litewave Studio’s new Canon C-100 camera.

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Blake and his partners loved the spot we filmed in our Tampa Bay film studio, and they successfully raised their goal amount on Indiegogo.

Hulk Hogan Rides Wrecking Ball in Our Tampa Video Studio!

Litewave Studios had the pleasure of hosting wrestling great Hulk Hogan at the St. Petersburg video studio last week.

Salt Media Group wrote, produced and directed the spot for Hostamania, a new web domain company.

The video, which already has more than 600,000 YouTube views was filmed entirely in our Tampa video studio rental on our seamless Tampa white cyc studio. The spot points to Hostamania’s site, which is scheduled for an October 30th live date.

Tampa video crew, and studio co-owners Christian Schwier (Camera Operator) and Jeff Zampino (Production Coordinator) assisted on the shoot, directed by Salt Media’s Daniel Jones and Luke James. Andrew Ortoski (Gaffer) provided the lighting on our white cyc. Anthony Brock and Harold “Pinky” Hood (Production Assistants) were also great additions to the Tampa video studio crew.

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Hulk Hogan, a worldwide celebrity noted for his professional wrestling in the WWF and WWE, was the spokesperson for the spot. Wearing his trademark yellow T-shirt and wrestling boots (and a thong. Yes, a thong! Watch the video…) Hulk flew across the studio on a wrecking ball, a parody of Miley Cyrus’ Wrecking Ball video.

The wrecking ball was made from an exercise ball wrapped in tape and covered in cement, topped with a wooden seat. The “ball” was hung from a 40-foot telescopic boom lift stationed outside the studios’ 12-foot loading bay door, which provides direct access to the studio. The basket was telescoped into the studio, and a heavy chain attached the basket to the ball.

Though Litewave Studios has a green screen studio, the video was shot in our white cyc studio. The seamless white cyc made it easy to “swing” Hulk on a wrecking ball with plenty of room to spare. Between takes, Hulk chilled out in our private green room.

Salt Media and Hostamania were very happy with the response, and with Litewave Studios’ professionalism and customer service. We wish them success on their new business venture!

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