Local Tampa School Asks Litewave Media For Creative Career Guidance

Our Tampa video production company had the unique opportunity to produce a video presentation for Dixie Hollins High School’s 2014 graduating class. The school’s guidance counselor, Cynthia Burnett, who wanted to give the students more information on choosing Creative Career Paths and Entrepreneurship, approached us early in April about the project. Litewave Media’s founder, Christian Cashmir, gladly took on the task of advising and with the help of the company’s video production crew created an inspiring and fun video that young students could relate to. The Litewave Media team felt this was a great opportunity to help the students learn more about how to enter a creative field like film, video, photography, or music .

Our Tampa video marketing and post-production company pieced together clips of career advice along with snippets of some of our favorite video production work to give students an insight into the industry.

The video was well received and the school’s guidance counselor, Cynthia Burnett, raved about how the students and faculty enjoyed the video:

“I asked for a video presentation on Creative Career Paths and Entrepreneurship to add to my “This Could be You in 20 Years Series.”  Christian, and Litewave media went above and beyond my expectation. It was “Academy Awards” awesome! The students were very engaged in the video. The ninth and tenth grade were especially engaged. The counselors and assistant principal were also very engaged in viewing the video and said it was a very good presentation.  Thank you Litewave Media for helping to make the Dixie Hollins Spring Honor Roll Celebration a success!”

Litewave Media is proud to have been a part of this project and hopes that students will find a career they are passionate about. Cynthia has since shared the video with numerous other schools in the district in an effort to raise awareness on creative career paths.  We are very excited about helping more students and developing the arts and creative careers in the Tampa area for many years to come!

Do you have a Tampa video project coming up? You can email us at [email protected] for a free consultation. Please like our Tampa video company on Facebook, and be sure to keep up with the blog for more Tampa video production news.

Litewave Media Produces Series of Videos for Sims Crane

Litewave Media Produces Series of Videos for Sims Crane

Our Tampa video production studio had the unique opportunity to work alongside Sims Crane & Equipment Co. to produce their reality show “Heavy Lifting” which gives viewers an inside look at the crane industry. Sims Crane is Florida’s premier Crane and Equipment provider and partnered with Litewave Media to make their vision a reality. Litewave Media also produced a series of training videos at their Tampa location. The entire project spanned a total of over 20 videos.

With a number of reality shows under their production belts, including ABC’s Shark Tank, TLC’s Extreme Couponing, and the Cayman Island’s Paradise Pawnthe award-winning Litewave Media film crew brought their expertise to the “Heavy Lifting” film set. The crew explored the daily trials of Sims’ crane operators, from erecting entire buildings to lifting whales at a theme park.

When Sims Crane first contacted our Tampa video production company, we set up a series of meetings to plan the logistics of the shoot. Director and cinematographer Christian Cashmir alongside producer Andrew Ortoski collaborated with Sims Crane’s director of marketing, Dean Sims on the creative direction for the show.

Sims Crane Lot

The Crane Yard at Sims Crane in Tampa, FL

With the use of GoPro Hero 3, the Litewave Media camera crew was able to film stunning overhead shots of the crane’s movements. Other video production equipment including the Canon C100, 2 Panasonic HVX200’s, 1 Panasonic HPX-170, and a Canon 5D Mark III were used for filming.

Sims Crane Workers with Andrew Ortoski and Mike Barnett

Sims Crane Crew with Litewave Media’s Andrew Ortoski (Producer/Camera) and Mike Barnitt (Audio)

Camera operators Christian Cashmir, Taylor Girard, John Jones, and Andrew Ortoski captured all of the action, while Jeff Zampino scripted the show along with Dean Sims. Mike Barnitt and Tom Hurxthal handled audio and Jamie Parslow served as grip. Christian Cashmir and Andrew Ortoski edited and tackled post-production work at Litewave Media’s Tampa post-production company.

Sims Crane also teamed up with our Tampa video crew in creating a number of training videos on crane safety called “Sims Crane Minutes”. These educational videos inform viewers on how cranes function and the potential dangers of operating a crane. Several of the videos were even selected by O.S.H.A. as official crane safety and training videos.

Candace LeRae with Litewave Media Tampa Film Crew

Candace LeRae with Litewave Media’s Tampa Film Crew

These safety videos were a unique opportunity for Litewave Media to get creative with Sims Crane. One video had the distinct style of “Film Noir”, beginning the video in black and white, as if it were an old-style detective movie. Andrew Ortoski created dramatic lighting and even simulated a thunderstorm in the rain. Candace LeRae was the beautiful femme fatale actress who brought the scene to life along with Sims Crane’s very own Safety Director, Bob Berry. The scene was shot in the Sims Crane headquarters in Tampa, Florida.

Litewave Media also produced another training video for Sims in the style of ABC’s hit TV series “Lost”. The video makes an homage to the Dharma Initiative videos within the series and was filmed as if they were found on an old film reel.

with Litewave Media Film Crew

Litewave Media’s Video Crew Sets up for the Dharma Initiative-style Training Video

Do you have a Tampa video project coming up? Give us a call for a free consultation. Please like our Tampa video company on Facebook, and be sure to keep up with the blog for more Tampa video production news!

Litewave Media Releases Trailer for New Steampunk Action Film

Litewave Media is proud to announce the trailer release for our upcoming independent film, “The Skyship Chronicles”. The movie is inspired by the Steampunk aesthetic and has elements of Sci-Fi and fantasy as well. Taking place in the late 1800’s, all aspects of the film had to look aged and authentic. The film was written & produced by our very own Jeff Zampino and directed by Christian Cashmir founder of Litewave Media.

The film was shot primarily in Tampa Bay, Florida. Movie sets including two airships and a post office were built right here in our Tampa video studio. The exterior of the downtown St. Petersburg library was also used for a climactic sword-fight battle scene. The crew even traveled to Tavares, Florida to film on one of the last steam trains in the country, as well as a ghost town set in Parish.

Post Production for the film is now nearly complete. A generous amount of visual effects has kept our our video editors and animation department on their toes. Our Tampa post production company is handling all editing here in our studio at Litewave Media. We invite you to view the trailer and let us know what you think. Please share it if you like it!

Our production company is planning a summer 2014 release for the movie online. Please check out the trailer and connect with us on facebook for more info on the film!

Fantastic Sams + Litewave Media = Fantastic Media Commercials!

Fantastic Sams + Litewave Media = Fantastic Media Commercials!

When it comes to Fantastic Sams, the client chooses their hairstyle. In the case of their advertising though, Fantastic Sams sought out Litewave Media and their award-winning Tampa film crew to write, shoot, cast and edit a series of national quality TV commercials.

Fantastic Sams Tampa Video Commercials

Fantastic Sams with the Litewave Media Film Crew and Cast

Litewave Media’s veteran Tampa video production company brought their comedic expertise to the project to create some truly unique commercials. Writer Jeff Zampino scribed three scripts, and director Christian Schwier along with the Fantastic Sams marketing team chose two which eventually became the “Night Owl” commmercial featuring a vampire who is in dire need of a haircut and the “3 Color Days” commercial featuring a Snidely Whiplash type character set in the 1920’s.

Larry The Vampire!

Larry Bukovey as The Vampire in “The Night Owl Special”

The Litewave Media team combined with the technology of their newly acquired Canon C100 camera, produced exceptional results. The commercials were filmed over a series of 3 days at the Litewave Media video studio‘s backlot and two Fantastic Sams locations. Video editing and special FX compositing took place at Litewave Media’s Tampa post production facility.

Tampa TV Commercial Production Actors

Actors Ed Olson and Serrelle Baker in “3 Color Days

The first of the two scripts promotes Fantastic Sams “3 Color Days” special, and takes place in the 1920’s and features a Snidely Whiplash character. Christian and his Tampa video company decided to give a vintage film treatment to this commercial. It begins in black and white then shifts to color when the female lead goes to Fantastic Sams to brighten up her style. The second script focuses on the salon’s late night hours and highlights characters who can only visit during the night. The main character is a friendly vampire…who needs his hair done, just like everybody else.

Fantastic Sams Salon Set

Fantastic Sams Salon Set

Be sure to stay tuned to your TV to see these two commercials next week!
[UPDATE 6/11/14 Videos online!]

As always, please like our Tampa film crew on Facebook, and keep up with the latest video news on the blog! Don’t forget to give us a call for a free consultation for your next Tampa video project!

Litewave Media Tampa Film Crew Receives 7 Nominations at the Annual 48 Hour Film Project

Litewave Media Tampa Film Crew Receives 7 Nominations at the Annual 48 Hour Film Project

Litewave Media’s 48 Hour Film Project Cast/Crew

Each year teams of filmmakers from around the world compete in a film competition known as the 48 Hour Film Project. In this no-holds-bar event teams have only 48 hours to write, shoot, edit and submit a short film in their randomly chosen genre. As if that weren’t enough, there’s also a list of requirements that each film must contain in order to be eligible for the competition. This year required the prop of “bubble wrap,” a character named “Charlie/Charlene Sparks,” the profession of “farming,” and the line of dialogue “He never tells me anything”. On top of all that, the Litewave Media team was chosen to be part of a documentary about the 48 Hour Film Project as the team had won last year with their award-winning film “F”. And so, a film crew documenting the madness of the film project had their cameras pointed on the team the whole weekend.

Director Christian Schwier and his Tampa production company drew the genre “Buddy film” out of a hat on Friday, July 26th. They quickly swapped “Buddy film” out for a wild card genre “B-Movie” and began their race to finish: Sunday, July 28th.  (A “B-Movie” can best be described as a lower budget, melodramatic film.) Perfect for our Tampa video crew!

A MELODRAMATIC Litewave Media 48 Hour Film Project Cast/Crew

The first thing the team had to do was decide on an idea, which Schwier said was “The most difficult part”. They looked to old 50’s B-movies for inspiration. With a room full of writers, brainstorming wasn’t an issue, instead it was picking the one idea and saying “this is it!”

Christian Schwier, Jeff Zampino and the rest of the crew brainstorming in the Litewave Studios conference room

By 3 a.m. three things were decided: the movie needed a robot, an overly dramatic kiss, and blue speckled aliens. Make-up artist Anya Yushchenko quickly got to work bringing two of those elements to life.

Anya Yushchenko applying blue speckled make-up to BobbyAnn Loper

Anthony Brock (QX-45 robotic support droid) being assembled by Anya Yushchenko

When the 48 hour time constraint started affecting the film, the team had to take action quick. “We had to edit down the script and cut two locations out in the middle of shooting to make this film doable”, Schwier stated. And so, on July 28th at 6:42pm (18 minutes to deadline) with the help of Jeff Zampino’s set design, Steve Allen’s special effects, Andrew Ortoski’s lighting, Stephen Maxwell’s original music, and an amazing crew and cast, “Man-Eating Hatchlings of Galvac-7” was born and officially submitted.

Anya Yushchenko, Maylin Morera, Linda Roser, and Karleigh Chase on set

Jim Flynn in the “hibernation pod” with Steve Allen, (Special FX) hovering over

Karleigh Chase, Jeff Sheppard and Jim Flynn stand by on set location two

All the sleepless hardwork and dedication paid off in the end. The Litewave Media crew received seven nominations: Best Film, Best Director, Best Sound Design, Best Use of Line of Dialogue, Best Special Effects, Best Costumes, and the Audience Choice Award. The winners will be announced on August 27th, Muvico Centro Ybor at 7 p.m.

For more information about the 48 hour Film Project click here, 48 hr. Film Project
Without further ado, here’s “Man-Eating Hatchlings of Galvax-7”

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And please contact our studio for any of your video production needs or for a free consultation! Until next next time… 🙂