A few weeks back, our Tampa video production company had the chance to write, shoot, and edit a Star Wars fan film for the official competition sponsored by Lucasfilm and Disney! The challenge, put on yearly, encourages filmmakers to write, produce, and edit their very own fan film set in the Star Wars universe. There are various categories in which filmmakers can garner recognition: best visual effects, filmmaker select, audience choice, and more. When our Tampa video production company heard about the competition, we just had to throw our lightsabers into the mix!
Our Tampa film crew getting a low angle shot of young actress Lennon Brock (just 5 years old!).
We started out with an idea from Litewave Media founder Christian Cashmir and developed it into a short story with the help of writers Mike Garland, Mario Graniello and Steffen Thiel. We wrote in a bit of mystery, intrigue, sprinkled in some tragedy, and of course an epic lightsaber battle (what Star Wars fan film is complete without one?)!
An professional team of stunt choreographers and performers helped to plan out the intricate battle scenes. After a few days of choreographing in detail, our Tampa video production crew were ready to capture our fight scenes on film.
Director Christian Cashmir, actress Mary McDonnell, and camera operator Jake Jalbert review footage on the set of our Star Wars fan film. (Photo: Courtesy of Anthony and Estelle Brock)
With scripts in hand, prosthetics and makeup on, and fight choreography fresh in our minds, the Litewave Media team drove our Tampa grip truck to our first location in Dead River, part of the Hillsborough Wilderness Reserve. Using our Tampa video equipment rental package, our fearless crew hauled gear through the dense woods to our filming location. Miles out, in the middle of a swamp, not unlike Dagobah, our crew setup camp for the first day of principle photography.
Working alongside park rangers, our Tampa independent film production went off without a hitch. Working around the clock, we were able to successfully film all scenes and finish the production on time despite the many challenges presented by the location.
Steffen Thiel, in his (potentially award-winning?) American film debut, as Stormtrooper TH-137.
Director Christian Cashmir and Cinematographer Eric Coughlin worked together using gear from our Tampa video equipment rental package including the Canon C300, and C300 mkII, SteadiCam, MoVi M5 with Sony A7s mkII, and plenty of lighting to give the film a cinematic look. We even brought out our portable generator to the forrest so we didn’t have to stop at Tosche Station to pick up more power converters!
Actor/Stuntmen M. Joshua Todd and TJ McDonnell ready themselves for battle during our Star Wars fan film shoot. (Photo: Courtesy of Anthony and Estelle Brock)
After a successful shoot, it was time to head back to our Tampa post production suites to start the editing process. We had a ton of excellent footage, but we needed to add in lightsaber effects and, of course, the epic sound design and music that makes every Star Wars film so unique. We utilized our Tampa recording studio to record ADR for the main characters, replacing their dialogue with studio quality recordings of their voices – much like the original Star Wars did.
Next, we reached out to our friend Angelo from Panetta Studios to partner with us on the sound design for the film; He and his team created soundscapes, brought the lightsaber battles to life, and transformed the swamp into a character in its own right. They gave our antagonist a unique voice effect as well! Our editors and visual effects team put in a few sleepless nights to make the deadline, and with the hard work of our dedicated team, our film was ready to compete!
Our editing and special effects teams work to finish our Star Wars fan film.
Finally, we submitted our completed film to LucasFilm and Disney for the Star Wars Fan Film Awards, and it was time to celebrate! aarrragghuuhw! That was Wookie for “Partaaaaay!”(seriously, we looked it up). We had the whole team over for a cast/crew screening of the finished film, which we projected on the large white cyc in our Tampa video production studio. What a blast!
Two young padawans (Zack with actress, Lennon) practice lightsaber skills during the cast/crew screening of our Star Wars fan film.
Check out the finished film below:
Do you have a feature film or Tampa short film you would like to produce? Please contact us for a free consultation. You can like Litewave Media on Facebook to check out our latest independent films. Be sure to keep up with the blog for more Tampa video production news!
It’s amazing how technology has evolved in the digital cinema industry the past few years. With new cameras that can practically see in the dark, to LEDs and lightweight, low energy HMI lighting, to aerial video drones, to our latest addition in camera support: The Freefly MōVI M5 with Spektrum Transmitter. Our video production company is thrilled to add this new camera support system to our Tampa video equipment rental. This new technology drastically improves the quality of hand-held camera moves and replaces, in many cases, what a very costly and heavy Steadicam system would have done in the past. If you are looking for a Tampa MoVI m5 rental give us a call today.
Litewave Media’s new camera stabilizer, Freefly’s MōVI M5 (photo courtesy: Freefly)
The Movi M5 is built with ultra lightweight construction which makes it easy to move around and get unique angles while also being strong enough to handle heavy cameras. We’ve already tested our Canon C300, C100, 5D, and the Sony A7S and FS100 cameras with great success. In addition, changing lenses or adding camera accessories is fast and easy. It’s extremely versatile and has enabled us to film creative shots without many of the stresses that other camera stabilization systems can have.
Litewave Media’s new MoVI M5 rental package now in Tampa, FL
“The MōVI has amazing stability. We can control its sensitivity using the Freefly Configurator App which also gives us the ability to have two people operating the camera. One focuses on maneuvering the camera while the other can concentrate on framing the shot,” says Litewave Media founder Christian Cashmir. “It also has a solo mode for when you only have one camera operator on smaller jobs. It’s really amazing technology.”
Our Tampa video production team films with Freefly’s MoVI M5 at Fort De Soto
The MōVI M5 has really enabled our DP’s and directors to get shots they were not able to in the past either because of cost, weight or speed. We’ve had a great experience using it on a recent pirate-themed film, that Litewave Media filmed at historic Fort De Soto in St. Petersburg, FL. Our Tampa video production company is excited to use the M5 next on an upcoming music video shoot.
Our Tampa video crew films with the MōVI M5 on a pirate-themed short
Do you need a Tampa MōVI rental, or Tampa camera equipment for your next video project? Please contact us for a free consultation. You can like Litewave Media on Facebook to check out our latest video projects. And be sure to keep up with the blog for more Tampa video production news!
Litewave Media is excited to add new HMI lighting to our Tampa grip truck and lighting equipment rental packages. Our video production company has just added the K5600 Joker-Bug 800 HMI kit to our lighting arsenal which is a powerful daylight balanced fixture. If you are looking for a Tampa HMI lighting rental or Tampa Joker 800 rental give us a call today.
Litewave Media’s new lighting addition, K5600 Joker-Bug 800 kit with accessories
The Joker 800 has the ability to produce 50% more light than other daylight fixtures, including the Joker 1200. The light is small and light (it only weights 38lbs!) which makes it perfect for on-location lighting and traveling. While the many 1200 watt fixtures takes an entire circuit to power, the Joker 800 only draws 11 Amps!
The Joker 800 in action (photo courtesy: K5600 Lighting)
The Joker 800 has many benefits of smaller lights, but with the power of larger fixtures, which has made the K5600 Joker-Bug 800 an industry standard HMI light and a perfect addition to our Tampa lighting rental. We look forward to using it on many shoots to come and renting it out to anyone looking to add a little extra punch to their productions!
Our new daylight HMI, Joker-Bug 800, at our Tampa video studio
Do you need a Tampa HMI rental, Joker 800, or a Tampa grip truck for your next video project? 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!
A sassy girl selling a toilet? A barbarian parting ways with his favorite codpiece…yes, read on!
Over the years, Litewave Media has enjoyed producing fun comedy videos, from our feature film Jules Dongu Saves the World, to our Binaca TV Commercials, Fantastics Sams TV Commercials, and many others. And so when Offerdat founder, Richard Wakeel came to our Tampa video company looking to produce a unique, fun, and quirky commercial to market his new mobile app, a lasting partnership was formed. Litewave Media founder recalls, “I remember when Richard walked in our doors. It felt like we were brothers from another time. We instantly clicked and our ideas just kept building together. This is one of the most fun projects we’ve ever worked on.”
Richard founder of Offerdat (left) with the Litewave Media video production crew on location
Offerdat offers a modern alternative for online classifieds and is available for both iOS and Android. Our Tampa Video Production Company scripted the video with Jeff and Christian co-writing the script along with Richard and his team. A number of top notch actors were hired, and filming took place at Brocante, an antique warehouse in St. Petersburg, FL. Our Tampa video crew found many unique items at the warehouse that were featured in the commercial.
Actors Lexi and Josh with our Litewave Media grip, Pinky
Our film crew arrived early in the morning to the location with our Tampa grip truck and Tampa production equipment. Christian directed and DP’d the shoot. Our gaffer, John Jones, and grip, Harold “Pinky” Hood, set up lighting. Jeff Zampino worked as script supervisor while Ana Christina Sanchez was production assistant. Mike Barnett was in charge of audio. Malachi Cull was behind-the-scenes video camera, and Maylin Morera was on-set photographer.
Litewave Media crew Pinky, John and Christian, Offerdat founder Richard and actors Josh and Linda
Our Tampa production crew filmed a variety of off-the-wall scenes, including a scenario where Richard (Offerdat founder) buys a used cod-piece from a barbarian, played by Josh Todd. The most challenging scene was the party scene that incorporated 15 actors and extravagant props.
Our Tampa commercial crew films the party scene
Our Tampa post production company edited the commercial video for Offerdat. Jordan Conely and Christian Cashmir composed the Offerdat theme song (feature at the end of the commercial) with both of the writers recording vocals and instruments at our Tampa recording studio. Jordan mixed and mastered the track. Check out the commercial below!
Our post production team also edited a “Don’t show yo mama” director’s cut version of the Tampa web commercial. Check out the video below to see why! Let us know which version you like better on our Facebook page.
The Litewave Media team had a blast filming Offerdat’s video commercial in Tampa, Florida and we are excited to share this fun project. Why waste your time selling stuff through a yard sale, or Craigslist when you can just snap a picture, price it and sell it with Offerdat!?
Are you looking to film a Tampa web or TV commercial video? 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!
