Bad-to-the-bone Terminator actress Linda Hamilton, aka Sarah Conner?!
And guess who’s Back…to the Future…. star Lea Thompson?!
They’ll all be visiting this year’s pop cultural phenomenon, Tampa Bay Comic Con. This fan favorite event has been getting bigger and better every year! This year’s convention will be held from July 31st till August 2nd at The Tampa Convention Center, and it’s poised to be the biggest one yet! The convention will be bringing famed movie and TV actors as well as comic book authors and artists, and cosplay enthusiasts. Our Tampa video production company had the exciting opportunity to film TV and radio commercials for Tampa Bay Comic-Con 2015 to promote this year’s convention.
Our Tampa video company worked with Comic-Con at last year’s convention, filming a promo video for Tampa Bay Comic-Con 2014, and we were thrilled to get to work with them again this year for their TV commercials.
Litewave Media crew with the Tampa Bay Comic Con team at our Tampa video studio
Tampa Bay Comic-Con hired our production company and rented our Tampa video studio to film a 30 second TV ad that began airing Monday July 27th. The commercials were filmed on our White Cyc studio wall. Our Tampa video crew lit the studio with 2 Kino Flo Diva-Lites, 1 LED light and an array of our state-of-the-art Altman LED Spectra Cyc lights from our Tampa lighting equipment rental. Our director of photography, Christian Cashmir, filmed the commercials with our Canon C100 with cinema lenses from our Tampa camera equipment rental. Ana Christina Sanchez was the Production Coorinator during the shoot and Litewave Media’s intern Taylor Blake took behind-the-scenes pictures with our Canon 5D mark III.
Actress, Victoria, dressed as Katniss from the Hunger Games for Tampa Bay Comic-Con’s 2015 TV commercial
Tampa Bay Comic-Con had a number of costumes for the talent to dress up in for the commercials. Our Florida video company along with the make-up artist on set, did our best to emulate legendary characters from movies and TV series such as Princess Leia, Daenerys Targaryen and Katniss Everdeen.
The make-up artist transforming actress Victoria into Princess Leia
Tampa Bay Comic also came into our Tampa recording studio to record the radio commercial for the Con as well. Our Tampa post production company edited and color corrected the commercials at our Tampa editing suites. Some visual FX were also added to enhance the TV advertising including a Star Wars blaster effect.
Christian Cashmir films the Princess Leia TV spot for Tampa Bay Comic Con
Check out the TV spot below!
The commercials will be featured on the following networks ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX at the end of July 2015.
The cast and crew celebrates wrapping the Tampa TV commercial
Do you have a Tampa TV or radio commercial you would like to produce or a video production Tampa? 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 our blog for more Tampa video production news!
Our Tampa Video Production Company had the great opportunity to films this year’s Tampa Bay Comic-Con. The 2014 Comic-Con was held at The Tampa Convention Center from August 2nd – 4th. Comic-Con is an event that celebrates comic books, movies, anime, TV shows, and video games. People have the chance to dress up as their favorite characters, attend celebrity panels, meet artists and shop from vendors who offer a variety of collectibles and memorabilia.
Tampa Bay Comic-Con Costume Contest Winners
Fans were able to take pictures with the Batmobile, Scooby Doo’s Van and the TARDIS from Doctor Who. Our Litewave Media video production team filmed all the action and photographed characters, costumes and more.
One of the photo ops with the Batmobile at the Tampa Bay Comic-Con 2014
Cosplay enthusiasts surrounded the convention. At the end of the day there was a costume contest where people got the opportunity to show their personal creations to an audience and a panel of judges. Our Tampa video company filmed the contest, which had range of costumes: from TV shows like Game of Thrones and Doctor Who, to comic book characters like X-Men and Guardians of the Galaxy, and even hit movies like Lord of the Rings and Star Wars. The contest had incredible costumes and it was a hard choice for the judges to pick the winners, but the cast of the Guardians of the Galaxy won the grand prize.
Costume Contest 2nd Place Winner: Warhammer 40K Space Marine
The convention always brings celebrity guests from popular TV shows and movies. This year, Comic-Con brought two fan-favorites from popular fantasy show Game of Thrones, Richard Madden and Pedro Pascal. Other guests included Caity Lotz who plays the Black Canary on Arrow, Brighton Sharbino and Kyla Kenedy from the popular zombie show The Walking Dead. John Rhys-Davies from the blockbuster movies The Lord of the Rings and Indiana Jones, and Evan Peters from X-Men Days of Future Past also attended.
Pedro Pascal (Prince Oberyn) and Richard Madden (Robb Stark) on the Game of Thrones Panel
These actors had their own panels where they took questions from the audience. Our Tampa Video Production Crew was excited to film these panels and hear their behind-the-scenes stories from set.
Tampa Bay Comic-Con fan showing off her League of Legends costume at one of the panels
Celebrity host and Nickelodeon alum Marc Summers made his first Comic-Con appearance ever. He had the opportunity to reprise his popular Nickelodeon game show, Double Dare, with a Comic-Con exclusive called Nerdy Family Double Dare. Families competed to win amazing prizes including visiting a live taping of the popular sit-com The Big Bang Theory and a 4-night cruise vacation. Our corporate video production company enjoyed filming the competition and had fun hanging out with Marc Summers.
Our Tampa Video Production Team with Marc Summers
After shooting was completed, our Tampa post production company edited the promo video for the Tampa Bay Comic-Con, as well as all of the celebrity panels, and Nerdy Family Double Dare with Marc Summers. The videos will be live on Tampa Bay Comic-con YouTube page, but you can look at the promo video now below.
Comic-Con is a place where people can let out their inner geek and be themselves. It’s an event where fandoms can gather and people have the opportunity to meet actors who bring their favorite characters to life. Our Litewave Media Video Production Team was honored to attend. We had an incredible time at Tampa Bay Comic-Con 2014!
A young Super Fan at Tampa Bay Comic-Con 2014
Do you have a Tampa video project coming up? You can email us at [email protected] or give us a call for a free consultation. Please like Litewave Media on Facebook, and be sure to keep up with the blog for more Tampa video production news.
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 Pawn, the 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.
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 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’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.
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!
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 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 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.
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
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!
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”
Don’t forget to like and follow us on Facebook to keep up with our Tampa Video Production Company’s new projects!
And please contact our studio for any of your video production needs or for a free consultation! Until next next time… 🙂
