Nov 24, 2014
Litewave Media was honored to film again with our long time clients and friends at Health-e-Systems. Our Tampa video production company has filmed several projects for Health-e-Systems over the last few years and their latest project was a blast to produce. We filmed the risk scenario corporate video in two days and in 5 different locations all around Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater. The video just premiered last week at a medical convention in Las Vegas.
Josh and George get ready to film. Mike readies the audio.
Our film crew arrived early to the first location with our Tampa grip truck. We set up the lighting and filmed a variety of scenes, including a wrestling scene and a hunting scene. One of the most challenging scenes was a bar fight sequence.
Christian films the wrestling scene
We hired 4 time American Ninja Warrior contestant, Christopher “Shinobi” Poli, to choreograph the bar scene. In order to create a realistic fight, our Tampa production company brought breakaway beer bottles. It took a few takes to get the timing right, but with Christopher’s choreography and the actors’ dedication, the scene went smoothly.
Actor George Vricos rehearses the bottle smash sequence
After the two days of shooting, the Litewave Media team went back to the studio to record the additional dialogue from the script in our Tampa Recording Studio.
Lead actor, George Vricos, recording audio in our Tampa sound booth
Our Tampa photography studio was also used to create a doctor’s office scene. Director/ Director of Photography Christian Cashmir says, “this project was unique as our team incorporated video, photography and voice-over to create the finished project.”
Litewave Media founder Christian Cashmir capturing photos for the project at our Tampa video production studio
Health-e-Systems marketing director, Jill Knight, along with our Tampa post production company spent a number of long days editing the video. Sound design, color correction and editing were all finished at Litewave Media’s HD/4K editing suite.
Our Tampa post-production team edits the Health-e-Systems corporate video
Check out the Health-e-Systems Risk Construction video below!
Litewave Media enjoyed bringing Health-e-Systems vision to life on the big screen. With 2 Bon Jovi songs, a choreographed bar fight, and a hand full of stunts, what more could you ask for!?
Litewave Media crew member Jordan Conoly slates the first scene
If you are looking for a corporate video production in Tampa, contact us for a free consultation. Please like Litewave Media on Facebook and be sure to keep up with our blog for more Tampa video production news!
Nov 6, 2014
Our Tampa video production company had the opportunity to work with some amazing musicians this year. We filmed multi-Grammy award-winning jazz pianist Chick Corea last April for a live multi-cast and this month we had the incredible opportunity to film Justin Hayward lead singer of legendary classic rock band The Moody Blues for a PBS special. The special will be televised in the next few months. The project was directed by LA based documentary filmmaker and musician David Minasian, who came to Litewave Media for his Tampa video crew and Production Coordinating.
Litewave Media films a live performance of Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues
He hired Litewave Media’s founder Christian Cashmir to coordinate the shoot and film, and also rented 5 of our Panasonic P2 camera packages, lighting and grip truck, and audio equipment. Our Tampa film crew and our Tampa grip truck arrived early in the morning to the location and began setting up for the event.
Kenny and Christian from our Tampa Video Crew setting up for the live performance
We also brought our camera jib to get unique angles of the concert performance. Christian Cashmir was jib and camera operator, Kenny Strawn was also a camera operator and Harold “Pinky” Hood was Grip for the production.
Camera Operator/Production Coordinator Christian Cashmir filming the live performance
The performance took place at the Historic Capitol Theater in Clearwater. Tickets for the show were sold out and the venue was completely packed. People from all over Florida came to Clearwater to watch the music legend play all their greatest hits including Nights in White Satin, Tuesday Afternoon, Your Wildest Dreams and more.
The audience gives a standing ovation for Justin’s performance as Christian captures the action on the jib
After the amazing performance by the band, our Litewave Media team had the unique opportunity to meet the lead singer of The Moody Blues, Justin Hayward, for a private interview. Justin talked about the history of the band, how they wrote their songs, and his solo career.
Behind-the-scenes of Justin Hayward’s Interview
Litewave Media founder Christian Cashmir says, “I remember listening to Moody Blues records as a kid on my Dad’s record player. It was quite an honor to meet Justin Hayward and film this concert.” Justin is currently on tour around the country, and we hope to have the opportunity to see him again live soon!
David (director), Christian (Camera/Production Coordinator) with Moody Blues lead singer, Justin Hayward and crew.
Do you have a live Tampa concert performance or Tampa music video production you would like to film? Please contact us for a free consultation. Visit Litewave Media on Facebook, and be sure to keep up with our blog for more Tampa video production news!
Oct 5, 2013
With her debut in 2014 approaching, singer/songwriter Sara Alina was seeking a Tampa film production studio to produce a series of music videos to coincide with her album release. After meeting with the Litewave Media team and touring the studio, Sara Alina’s management company formed a partnership, and collaboration began.
Sara Alina and director Christian Schwier collaborating in the studio
Litewave Media’s Tampa video company produced and filmed 5 music videos and an EPK (Electronic Press Kit) over the course of 2 months. “It was fun working with Sara and brainstorming concepts for each video, but it was also challenging because we had to maintain a consistent style and brand across all five videos. It was a big undertaking, but it was a very exciting opportunity for us,” adds Litewave Media founder Christian Schwier. One video will be released every 2 months right up until her CD release in Spring 2014.
The first two videos were filmed in Tampa Bay, Florida with three video cameras: a Canon C100, for the primary camera, a Canon 5D Mark III for additional angles, and a Sony FS100 for slow motion scenes. The Litewave Media camera crew included: director and DP Christian Schwier, camera operator John Jones and camera assistant Taylor Girard. Also on the music video team were set designer Jeff Zampino, chief lighting technician Andrew Ortoski, production assistant Harold “Pinky” Hood, choreographer Taylor Korin and make-up artist Anya Yushchenko. Editing, color grading and post production took place at our Tampa post production company with Schwier editing as well.
Christian Schwier, John Jones, and Taylor Girard ready their cameras in the studio
The first video release was Sara Alina’s EPK. An EPK is an introduction to who an artist is as a person and what they do. The Litewave Media team filmed this video at various locations around St. Petersburg, FL to give it an organic feel as well as some shots at our very own Litewave Studios. Throughout the day the video crew followed Sara around town documenting and interviewing her about her inspirations and goals as an up-and-coming songwriter. “Shooting this EPK was a learning experience. It was a great way for our team to learn more about Sara as an artist as well as for her to introduce herself to the world.” With a professional Tampa production company along with great talent and a fun positive atmosphere mixed in, it’s hard not to produce something we can all be proud of.
Here’s the EPK!
After her EPK release earlier this month, Sara debuted her first music video this week on YouTube. It’s titled “No Love” and was filmed entirely in our Tampa video studio. The video takes a modern spin on all of the stereotypes of “love”. A professional break dancer (Mario Boskovic) was brought in to be the symbolic representation of “love”, and throughout the video he gets beaten down and crushed which is displayed in his break dancing. Choreography was implemented by Taylor Korin. “For one of the more interesting shots in the music video, our crew rigged a basket of rose petals and a Canon 5D Mark III sixteen feet above the break dancer,” begins Schwier. “As he danced, we filmed the rose pedals falling in slow motion from the ceiling above. It turned out really neat.”
Break Dancer Mario Boskovic Takes a “Love” Beat Down
Seeing Sara tear a few heads off of teddy bears and smashing a vase of roses all while delivering a sassy smile surely made this music video unique, and we really enjoyed making it.
Here’s “No Love”!
https://vimeo.com/73586784
UPDATE 11.5.13
Sara’s 2nd music video “Fly” just went live this week. Be sure to check it out. It was filmed entirely in St. Petersburg, FL in downtown St. Pete, Fort Desoto Beach, and at Litewave Studios.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QMut9JNFBw
Make sure to keep a look out later in the year for the other music videos that we produced for Sara Alina!
Do you have a Tampa film project coming up? Give us a call today for a free consultation.
Please like our Tampa video crew on Facebook, and be sure to keep up with the blog for more Tampa video news!
Blog and photos by: Chris Cavalier
Jul 10, 2013
Litewave Media recently stepped onto the green as the Tampa corporate video producer for a project with Golf Magazine and Nike. We traveled to The Players Club at Sawgrass in Ponte Verde Beach, Fla. for The Players Championship – a legendary stop on the PGA Tour.
The Players Club at Sawgrass made an incredible set!
For this A-list assignment, director of photography Christian Schwier and camera assistant Jamie Parslow filmed live interviews and video segments with golf pros Russell Henley, Charl Schwartzel, and Charles Howell III who dished on their Nike gear and life on the tour.
DP Christian Schwier flashes his badge
Jamie Parslow served as camera assistant
The top-caliber athletes awed our St. Petersburg film crew. “It’s inspiring to meet people who are super-successful and at the top of their game,” said Schwier. “You can learn a lot from their work ethic and apply it to your own life whether that’s on the golf course or in the production studio.” Our Tampa video crew also enjoyed working with Golf Magazine’s video producer John Ledesma on yet another project. “We’ve worked with John for a number of years now. He led the team on the course and is always a pleasure to work with,” Schwier said.
Shooting practice tees with Charles Howell III
Christian films Russell Henley
Our Tampa video company is proud to be a go-to producer for top sporting events. Previously we worked with Golf Magazine at the Derek Jeter Golf Classic, and we’ve also filmed the New York Yankees’ spring training as well as the 2009 Super Bowl for the Associated Press. “With sports, you have to capture those special moments as they are happening – you can’t be afraid to move right into the action to get that perfect angle or shot,” said Schwier. “It’s what makes shooting sports so exciting.”
Christian and Golf Magazine’s John Ledesma at work on the fairway
The famous 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass
We always love working on new and challenging projects, and we’d love to hear from you. Contact our Tampa production studio for a free consultation. Be sure to keep up with our latest adventures on Facebook and right here on our video blog.
Dec 17, 2012
As the full moon rose on October 29th, our Tampa video production company shot the first scene from our next short film, The Skyship Chronicles, a Steampunk action-adventure. “This film is a complete story in its own right,” shares Director and Litewave Media founder, Christian Schwier. “We also hope to gain enough interest in the idea to produce a full-length feature film of the concept.”
Don Knight (left) operates boom as actors Jeff and Mick traverse through a dense fog.
Pre-production began in early October when our Tampa video crew traveled to Tommie Turvey’s Equine Extremist Liberty Horse Ranch in Brooksville, Florida. Tommie and his stunt horse, Blade, have worked on numerous films and TV shows, including The Walking Dead, Jonah Hex, and 3:10 to Yuma.
Jeffrey Gross (left) and Devin Keebler (right) set up the RED camera.
Jeff Zampino (writer/producer) with actor Jeff Shepperd at the horse ranch.
While at the ranch, our Tampa filmmakers scouted locations, filmed test shots with the actors in full Steampunk costumes, and rehearsed the riding stunts with Tommie and Blade. After making some minor modifications to the shooting script, nearly two dozen cast and crew took their places to shoot the first scene.
Actors Jeffrey Shepperd and Mick Ellis played the two guards being hunted by the film’s villain Gustav (Ed Olson). Tommie rode Blade and performed several challenging stunts including the horse rearing up and chasing the actors. “We even shot some of the chase scenes from the back of an ATV Mule!” says the Tampa film director.
Jeffery Shepperd (left) and Mick Ellis (right) let their guard down.
Co-Directors of Photography, Steve Allen and Ryan Grosjean, were behind the RED Scarlet Camera (filming in 4k) and the Canon 5D Mark III (Camera B). The camera crew (see complete list below) used a jib and dolly for action shots.
Steve Allen (co-DP) operating the jib and RED camera (shooting in 4K)
Our costume designer, Bridget, with stunt double and expert horseman, Tommie Turvey.
The intense chases required the actors to move swiftly over rough terrain while dodging trees and low hanging branches. “We were on a horse ranch in the middle of the woods, so there was no light aside from the moon and the lights we brought,” explains Schwier. “Since there was no power, we had to bring our own generator. It was quite a task hauling a multi-thousand watt generator out into the woods!”
Ryan GrosJean (Co-DP) and Andrew Ortoski (Gaffer) discuss lighting.
Thankfully Andrew Ortoski, our gaffer and movie lighting master, provided the film crew with a condor, or lighting lift, that projected moon-like rays from almost 100 feet in the air. “We’re so happy with how the chase scenes turned out,” says Schwier. “We’re looking forward to the post production process and editing the scene in our Tampa post production studio.”
Ryan Grosjean (co-DP), Jeffrey Gross (AC) and Devin Keebler (AC) make some camera adjustments.
To add texture and dimension to the scenes, the crew brought in an industrial-grade fog machine. “Getting the right amount of fog in each scene for continuity was definitely the biggest hurdle of the night,” says Schwier. “In some shots the wind would blow all the fog away, and in others there would be too much and we had to disperse it.” But by the end of the night, Jeff Zampino, our Producer/Writer, was a master at wielding the fog machine.
Mike Barnitt, our sound mixer, and some of the film crew.
Later in the night the temperature dropped into the low 40’s but our cast and crew soldiered on, and the last shot was taken as the sun began to rise. “We were all tired,” says Schwier, “but our sense of accomplishment kept our spirits up through the night. We were all definitely glad to be home in warm beds later that morning though!”
Ryan Grosjean (co-DP), Christian Schwier (director), and Steve Allen (co-DP) pause for a photo.
If you’ve got a film script that you’d like to shoot, give us a call for a free consultation. And be sure to like our Facebook page to keep up with all of our filmmaking adventures.
The Skyship Chronicles CREW
Seth Jones – Grip
Jeffrey Gross – Assistant Camera
David Bergvik – Production Assistant
Evan Zissimopulous – Camera Department
Ryan Grosjean – Co-Director of Photography
Steve Allen – Co-Director of Photography
Andrew Ortoski – Gaffer
Harold Hood – Production Assistant
David Lasky – Grip
Taylor Girard – Grip
Jeff Zampino – Producer
Bridget Desjarlais – Costumes
Rachel Lappe – Production Assistant and Craft Service
TJ Maynes – Set Photographer
Christian Schwier – Director
Devin Keebler – Assistant Camera
Tommie Turvey – Location Services
Don Knight – Boom Operation
Mike Barnitt – Sound Engineer
The Skyship Chronicles CAST
Jeffrey Shepperd – Guard 1
Mick Ellis – Guard 2
Ed Olson – Gustav
Tommie Turvey – Stunt Horse Rider
Blade – “Gustav’s Horse” & Stunt Horse
