Nov 18, 2016
Over the course of the last few years our Tampa production company has enjoyed participating in the 48 Hour Film Project, a world-wide competition that challenges filmmakers to write, shoot, and edit their own short films in only 48 hours. It’s become a bit of a tradition for the Litewave Media crew and we’ve met some amazing people along the way. This year, our team once again dove head first into the challenge and produced a short film called “Magazine Issues.”
DP Eric Coughlin gets set up for one of the first shots of the day filming our short “Magazine Issues”
The 48 Hour competition supplies only minimal guidelines for filmmakers, providing a genre, character, prop, and a line of dialogue that must be used in every film. Each team receives their guidelines on Friday night and must turn in their fully finished film Sunday night, only 48 hours later. Our team pulled the genre of “romance,” and writers Jason Henne and Michael Garland went to work forming a cinematic story that also captured the essence of romance. With our writers working through the night on the the script, our Florida video production crew began preparing to film at dawn’s first light.
Next, we loaded up our Tampa grip truck and drove to our first location in Clearwater, Florida to begin filming. Using gear from our St Petersburg video equipment rental package like our Canon C300 MkII and Canon cinema lenses, we hit the ground running (literally) and began production! Filming took place at various locations all over Tampa Bay, including our very own Tampa green screen studio for multiple special effects-driven scenes and a wrestling ring almost an hour from the studio.
Award-winning actress Alissa Schneider plays the melodious sounds of the key-tar in our Tampa green screen studio.
With the clock ticking down, we rushed all of our footage back to our Florida post-production suite for editing. Once our special effects team hustled to compose the visuals needed for the green screen portion of the film, director and editor Christian Cashmir brought the film together with his skill and expertise, cuttin’ up footage and taking names! With the editing finished on literally zero sleep (not even a wink!), finally it was time for submitting the finished film.
Director Christian Cashmir, steadicam operator Eric Coughlin, and lead actor Chris Cavalier review footage before sending it off to our Florida post-production suite for editing.
After waiting for what seemed like the longest 2 weeks ever, it was time for the 48 Hour Film Project ‘Best Of’ screening! With so many great films to compete against, the awards ceremony was a nail biter, but all of our hard work paid off! Our team was nominated in 9 categories and were honored to win the following awards:
- Best use of the line “You’re Next!” – Team Prairie Dogs featuring Uncle Henry’s Bowling Club (Us!!)
- Audience Favorite – “Magazine Issues” Team Prairie Dogs featuring Uncle Henry’s Bowling Club (Us again!!)
- Best Screenplay – Jason Henne and Michael Garland (Our devilishly handsome writers)
- Best Supporting Actress – Alissa Schneider (Our drop dead gorgeous actress)
- Best Song – “Salesperson of the Year” Music and Lyrics by Chuck Fonshell Jr, Christian Cashmir, and Chris Cavalier (Our extraordinarily talented musicians)
- And, drumroll please… BEST FILM!!! – “Magazine Issues” Directed by Christian Cashmir (Our fearless director)
We won Best Film out of 34 competitors! Ignite the fireworks! Wookie yell! Rejoice!
Now that our film “Magazine Issues” has won Best Film – Tampa, we move on to the next round where we’ll compete against the winners from over 100 cities worldwide at Film-a-Palooza in Seattle, Washington next March!
As with every year, we had an amazing time working on the 48 Hour Film Project, and we look forward to competing again next year. Check out our finished film “Magazine Issues” below (Made in just 48 hours)!
The Litewave Media team celebrates after the 48 Hour Awards Screening
Do you have a Tampa independent film or Florida short film you’d like to produce? Contact us today for a consultation. Be sure to like us on Facebook to watch all of our latest videos. Head on over to our blog to stay up to date on all of our Tampa video production company news!
Sep 17, 2016
Have you heard of the most prestigious dentists in the 7 kingdoms!? Litewave Media, one of Tampa’s leading video production companies, had the absolute pleasure to film a series of commercials inspired by the hit HBO TV Series, Game of Thrones (with a little bit of King Arthur sprinkled in). A group of dentists, 3 brothers from Spring Hill, known as Shuayb Dental partnered with Litewave Media to write and produce the spots titled, Game of Dentists. The TV ads began airing last week all throughout Hillsborough and Pasco counties. Check them out below!
Game of Dentists – 60 Second Version
Game of Dentists – 30 Second Version
Game of Dentists – Sword of Destiny – 30 Second Version
Our crew filmed the TV ads right here in St. Petersburg, FL at the Sunken Gardens. It may not be Westeros, but with some custom set design and intricate costumes, our crew worked to bring the medieval commercials to life. Our production company brought out our Tampa grip truck to the location where filming took place for the day. Our valiant cast and crew endured heat and a tropical storm, but we powered through it all with umbrellas and tents to ensure the whole production was completed on time!
DP Eric Coughlin films with the Steadicam and Canon C300 mkii as the Knights of Shuayb enter
Our crew included makeup artists, Nikki Stefansic and Ginny Dworchak who created a prosthetic beard for a wizard and dirtied up a group of peasants; set designer Don Knight who created a real life-sized sword-in-the-stone prop as well as large stone columns; and costumer Josh Todd who created peasant outfits and custom leather armor for the three Shuayb brothers known as “The Knights of Shuayb” in the commercials.
Our Tampa Production Company’s crew after wrap on the Game of Dentists commercials
The spots were written by Mikey Garland, Mario Graniello, and Christian Cashmir. Christian and Eric Coughlin co-DP’d the commercial with Christian Cashmir, Litewave Media’s founder, directing.
The rest of the crew included Johanne Castagan as prod. coordinator, Andrew Ortoski as gaffer, Mark Farag and Jake Jalbert as ACs, Sasha Sebesta and Mikey Garland as grips, Jason Henne on sound, Jona Prenga as PA, Delon Epps did catering, and German Ponce on VFX. Christian Cashmir edited and colored the spots at Litewave Media’s Tampa post production company.
The Litewave Media crew films Game of Dentists with a Princess and the Knights of Shuayb
CAST
Mohammad Shuayb – Lord of Shuayb
Mujib Shuayb – Knight of Shuayb
Omar Shuayb – Duke of Shuayb
David Hershman – Wizard
Vanessa Tompkins – Tooth-hurt Peasant/Princess
Micah Popp – Skinny Knight Arthur
Zack Vazquez – Sir Magnus
Monster Washburn – Giant Death Knight
Heckler Peasant Boy – Chris Cavalier
Heckler Peasant Girl – Samantha Maguire
Peasants – John Archer Lundgren, Payton Booker, Jeff Sheppard, Josh Todd, Vivian Hauck, Thelma Duff, David Koepfinger, Jason Adkinson Walsh, Brian Ballance
Director of the spots, Christian Cashmir, with the Knights of Shuayb in their Tampa TV commercial production
If you’re looking for Tampa TV commercial production for your business, contact us today for a free consultation. Be sure to like us on Facebook to and catch up on our latest videos. Or follow the Litewave Media blog to stay up-to-date on all of our St Petersburg video production company’s news!
Apr 7, 2015
Open water. Sunsets on the Gulf. Wind blowing in our hair….Our latest shoot might sound more like a vacation! But our team worked hard to get some amazing shots for boating company, Beavertail Skiffs! The Litewave Media production team spent two days filming on the beautiful Gulf of Mexico capturing cinematic footage of the boats as well as interviews that will be used for both a TV commercial and web video. Beavertail Skiffs are manufactured with advanced technology making their boats top notch in performance, quality and durability – and the video will show how they use this tech to make the best boats. Beavertail Skiffs was looking to film a TV commercial to promote their product and hired our Tampa video production company to take on the challenge.
Our Tampa camera operator, John Jones, films onboard a Beavertail Skiff boat
Our Tampa video crew member, John Jones, was the cinematographer for the shoot. He filmed on the Sony FS100 video camera which enabled him to capture sweeping slow motion shots of the boats. The first day, our Tampa video production team started at the warehouse to film some interviews with Beavertail Skiffs’ owners William and Elizabeth Leslie. We brought our Litepanel LED lights and Kino Flo Divas from our Tampa grip truck to light up the interviews. “We love using the LEDs to film interviews,” says John. “They are easy to transport and quick to setup on smaller shoots. It makes us really efficient.”
Our Tampa video crew films with the Skiffs out on the water
The second day, Beavertail Skiffs brought 5 boats into the open water. John captured cinematic shots filming from a variety of angles. Some of the shots included filming the owners and employees using different fishing techniques, including flight fishing, and the boats traveling through the sea in slow-motion. At the end of the day, the team captured a perfect sunset with the boats riding off into the sunset.
John films the Beavertail Skiffs riding into the sunset
Florida is a wonderful location for boating and outdoor filming, and we love getting out of the office to enjoy a little fresh air! Our Tampa production company had a great time filming with Beavertail Skiffs and looks forward to our next adventure!
Do you have a Tampa video commercial you would like to film? Please contact us for a free consultation. You can like Litewave Media on Facebook to check out our latest video projects. Be sure to keep up with the blog for more Tampa video production news!
Mar 4, 2015
NBC is changing the history of the one the most challenging and exciting sports, professional boxing. Boxing fights have not aired on network television for 30 years, but NBC is bringing it all back to their primetime programming. On March 7th, Keith Thurman will battle Robert Guerrero along with several other high profile matches for title bouts.
Our Tampa video crew, Christian and Pinky, with WBA Champion Keith Thurman
One of NBC’s production companies, New Wave Entertainment, was looking for a video crew from the Tampa Bay Area to help film a series of interviews. Our Tampa video production company was glad to partner on the exciting project filming with WBA champion, Keith Thurman. Thurman is the undefeated champion in the Welterweight class division and is preparing to defend his position March 7th, 2015 on NBC’s boxing special.
Our Tampa production company films an interview with Keith
New Wave’s producer flew to St. Pete with their DP to coordinate the shoot with our Tampa video crew. The video segment and profile was filmed over the course of 2 days throughout St. Petersburg, FL. Litewave Media’s Christian Cashmir was a camera operator on the shoot while Harold “Pinky” Hood worked as a grip. The video profile on Keith included interviews with Thurman and people close to him, including his father and trainer, Dan Birmingham. One of the highlights of the production was filming in the historic St. Pete Boxing Club which Keith considers his second home.
Litewave Media founder Christian Cashmir films at the St. Pete Boxing Club
Our Tampa video company captured Keith working on his training routine for his next fight. He is only 26 years old but he’s been surrounded by the boxing environment for almost all of his life. Keith proudly explained that he now owns a portion of the St. Pete Boxing Club where he works to help younger boxers. When he is not training for his next fight, Keith helps amateur boxers train for their next fight.
Boxing glove collection at St. Pete Boxing Club where Keith trains
Litewave Media was proud to work with Keith Thurman and film his profile for NBC. Thurman is an inspiration. He’s a true fighter in body and soul who does not back down from a fight and works hard to achieve all his goals. You can watch the hour long profile on Keith and the other boxers that will be battling it out on NBC this week, and specifically on March 6th (the day before the big match). Here is the current schedule for the segment:
Wed., Feb. 25, 11 p.m. (Premiere)
Wed., Mar. 4, 11 p.m. (Encore)
Fri., Mar. 6, 6:30 p.m. (Encore)
Fri., Mar. 6, 10 p.m. (Encore)
Sat., Mar. 7, 2:30 p.m. (Encore)
Sat., Mar. 7, 7:30 p.m. (Encore)
Our Tampa video crew captures Keith Thurman training for his next fight
The main boxing event on March 7th will have several fights between professional boxers. Keith Thurman boxing against veteran Robert Guerrero is one of the most anticipated fights in a long time and it’s sure to be a great match.
Litewave Media camera operator, Christian, is up for a boxing challenge…NOT!
Do you have a Tampa video production or Tampa television segment you would like to film? Please contact us for a free consultation. You can like Litewave Media on Facebook to check out our latest video projects. Be sure to keep up with the blog for more Tampa video production news!
Nov 17, 2014
Over the past few months, Litewave Media has had the opportunity to experience the wonderful fall weather in Florida, filming several projects outdoors with our new jib and Tampa video drone. Our Tampa Video Production Company was excited to film with the DJI Phantom 2 Drone on some of our most recent projects.
The DJI Phantom 2 video drone in action filming over Bayshore Blvd. in Tampa.
The Phantom 2 video drone has changed the aerial video industry enabling production companies to get amazing aerial video footage and photography at a fraction of the cost of years passed. Litewave Media founder Christian Schwier says, “We love the Phantom 2 Quadcopter. It’s easy to use, affordable, and accessible for filmmakers including us. Our clients love the unique shots we are able to achieve too. We’re really excited about where aerial video is heading.”
The Litewave Media production crew and MBC crew members film with the video drone on Bayshore Blvd., Tampa
Korean News Station MCB recently contacted our Tampa Production Company to film an upcoming special about sinkholes and how they are affecting more and more cities. We filmed around Bayshore Blvd. in Tampa, Clearwater Beach and Winter Park. With the Phantom 2 video drone armed with a GoPro HERO4, we captured majestic aerial footage to support MBC’s news story.
Our Tampa video drone pilot and production crew films with the Phantom 2 at Walsingham Park
On another recent drone project, Litewave Media had the opportunity to work with our long-time client Health-e-Systems. Jill, their marketing director hired our Tampa Production Crew to film aerial video for a corporate brand identity project. The Litewave Media drone team captured stunning aerial footage of a stately oak tree and pond at sunrise in Walsingham Park in St. Petersburg, FL.
Pinky and Nick set up the jib
We’ve enjoyed filming with the video drone, and we’ve also been able to play with one of our other new toys this fall, the 10 foot EZ FX Jib. We captured a variety of angles for the Health-e-Systems corporate video with the jib as well as the drone, to give the editors lots of footage and angles to cut the video together with.
Nick and Jill from Healthesystems check out the EZ FX jib at Walsingham Park
We had a blast filming with the Phantom 2 and our new video jib for these two projects. Check out our Tampa video equipment list which includes the Phantom 2 video drone and the 10 ft. EZ FX Jib from our production company’s gear page.
Nick and Jill from Health-e-Systems with Litewave Media founder, Christian Schwier
If you are looking for a Tampa aerial footage or video drone company or any other type of Tampa video production services contact us today. Please like Litewave Media on Facebook and be sure to keep up with our blog for more Tampa video production news!
