Oct 9, 2012
Our Tampa video production company recently traveled to Orlando, Florida to shoot a series of TV commercials with world champion wakeboarder, Shota Tezuka.
Wakeboarding, slotted to be a trial sport in the 2016 Olympics, involves riding a fiberglass board over water while being towed by a boat. The sport uses a combination of water skiing, snowboarding and surfing techniques. Shota, 19, held the Junior Pro Men’s title before accepting a position on the coveted MasterCraft team this year.
“We were hired by Espritline, a company that teaches Japanese people to speak English,” explains Litewave Media founder Christian Schwier. “For the last two years, we’ve filmed the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg with them and champion Japanese race car driver Takuma Sato. When they came to Florida to film Shota this summer, we were excited to be able to partner with them again for another video production.”
Christian and Makiura “Macky” Takaharu get ready to film.
The shoot took place at Shota’s house, which sits on a private lake outside Orlando. The property also serves as his training course, with two boats on the lake and a team of wakeboarders in residence. Both the TV commercials and videos are designed to show how Shota has used English to become a successful athlete. “The videos show how he uses the English language in his daily life as well as when he competes,” says Schwier.
Schwier was the only Tampa film crew member. The team included three other video production members from Japan, including Litewave Media friend Makiura Takaharu, affectionately known as Macky. The shoot required a wide range of equipment, including the Canon EOS 5D, Canon EOS 7D, the GoPro HD Hero2 for stunt shots on the wakeboard, and a Sony EX3 for video interview footage.
Christian with the crew the day of the shoot.
“We filmed a variety of different scenarios,” says Schwier, a Tampa video production professional for seven years. “One of the most interesting shots was filming Shota from one boat while he was wakeboarding off the back of another boat.” The video crew got some great footage of flips and other tricks. Splashing water was a challenge at times, but everyone was pleased with the footage, which went back to Japan to be edited.
“Shota was great to work with and made the filming easy. We were able to capture some amazing shots of him,” says Schwier, who really enjoys working with his Japanese friends. “We’re excited to include this in our Tampa video production company’s demo reel and hope to see them again soon the next time they come to Florida!”
Christian and Takaki Katano put safety first before filming on the lake.
If you have a challenging outdoor video project, let us make it easy for you. Give us a call for a free consultation and be sure to “like” our fan page on Facebook.
Aug 31, 2012
Scuzz TV, the UK’s most popular rock and metal TV station, hired our Tampa film studio to interview and film three of the bands participating in the Warped Tour this year. The international music festival with over 100 bands ranging from punk and metal to reggae and alternative stopped at Vinoy Park in St. Petersburg, FL this July.
Directory of Photography, Christian Schwier, spent a day in the Florida sun with sound engineer Mike Barnitt and production assistant Harold Hood. Together, they captured the stories and music of the bands and the energy of the fans.
Filming interviews at Warped Tour with band: Miss May I
Ronnie Radke, the lead singer from Falling in Reverse, was one of the musicians interviewed by the Tampa video crew. Part of the conversation focused on how Radke’s life-changing experience of how going to prison affected his music and has contributed to the band’s success. Litewave Media also talked to Of Mice and Men lead singer Austin Carlile and members of the band Miss May I.
“Two of the bands invited us onto their official tour buses,” says Schwier. “Ronnnie Radke actually played us an unreleased track off the band’s new record. It was an incredible experience.” The other interview was conducted in Vinoy Park with the beautiful St. Petersburg Pier as a back drop.
Christian with Beez – Channel manager at England’s Scuzz TV
Schwier and his team used two cameras to catch the essence of the bands and the tour: a Panasonic HPX-170 and a Panasonic HVX-200, both 1080p high definition video cameras capable of broadcast quality video acquisition.
Scuzz TV will use the footage in two of their brand new shows, one highlighting the diverse tattoos inked on rock stars and musicians, and the other offering intimate interviews with musicians about their journeys as artists and stars. All footage was transferred to hard drive at our Tampa production studio and express mailed to the UK, where Scuzz TV immediately began editing. Both shows will premier in September.
If your organization has a film or video project that could benefit from our Tampa video company’s expertise, please contact us for a free consultation.
Jul 10, 2012
Litewave Media, Tampa’s leading video production company recently produced a series of video testimonials for Ideal Image , the fastest growing laser hair removal company in the world. The footage will be edited and ultimately become part of a series of national TV commercials.
The ladies of Ideal Image.
The filming took place at Litewave Media’s partner studio, WEDU, the largest video studio in Tampa Bay. Our video crew designed and built three film sets for the commercials. Lead set designer, Jeff Zampino, transformed the empty white studio space into three lavish living room sets. Our design team brought in pictures, couches, furniture and set decorations to create the unique spaces the client required for the production.
Litewave Media team members Mike Barnitt-right (Sound Tech) and Bridget Desjarlais-center (Assistant Set Designer) on the set with a lighting tech.
A number of the Ideal Image guests were local to the Tampa area, while others were flown in from around the country to participate in the testimonial video shoot. The spots were filmed on two high definition video cameras, and the Tampa video crew included camera operators Jamie Parslow and Ryan Zarra, and gaffer Andrew Ortoski.
Gaffer Andrew Ortoski adjusts the lighting controls.
Video editing and post production work begins next week at Litewave Media’s video studio in St. Petersburg, FL. Our Tampa post production crew will use Final Cut Pro and Adobe’s Creative Suite 6 to edit and color grade the footage.
Director of Photography Christian Schwier, Gaffer Andrew Ortoski and Camera Operator Jamie Parslow.
A Litewave Media client since 2006, Ideal Image has grown from a single location in the Tampa Bay area to over 90 centers throughout the U.S. and the world. “It’s a great experience to grow together with a client,” says Christian Schwier, founder of Litewave Media. “We’ve built our video production business on creating lasting partnerships with our clients, and Ideal Image is a great example of that.”
If you’d like to grow your business, contact our Tampa video production company today. Call or e-mail us at [email protected] for a free consultation.
Jun 14, 2012
Pre-production has begun on Litewave Media’s next independent film project,
The Skyship Chronicles
, scheduled to begin shooting this fall in the Tampa Bay area.
Concept art for one of the villains in the movie.
After completing the feature film Jules Dongu Saves the World in early 2012, the premier Tampa video production company is already hard at work scouting locations and building partnerships with local crew, actors, and artisans for the new production.
“We love filming here in Tampa Bay,” says director and Litewave Media founder Christian Schwier. “We have the most amazing talent here, and the potential shooting locations are top notch.”
Screen tests for make-up and costume with Rachel Lappe, one of the film’s actors.
Local crafts people like ADEQ Firearms of Tampa and the St. Petersburg Wood Guild have already signed on to assist in building sets and props that will give the film a retro-science-fiction or Steampunk look, reminiscent of H.G. Wells’ The Time Machine.
Steve, the film’s DP, with the Red Scarlet video camera.
Set at the turn of the 20th century, The Skyship Chronicles is an action/adventure film with plenty of humor. “The plot revolves around two misfit time travelers and a hapless postal worker,” explains the film’s writer, Jeff Zampino. “Together, they battle a mad scientist bent on destroying the world.”
As a leader in video production, Litewave Media will shoot with the new Red Scarlet® cinema camera, one of the most innovative digital film cameras available. Its 4k resolution is double that of HD. With a wide range of video equipment in their arsenal, Litewave Media is a true one-stop resource for professional video and film production in the Tampa Bay area.
Behind the scenes pic with some of the film’s actors testing out costumes.
The video production company is using the Web site Kickstarter.com, a funding platform for creative projects, to generate additional funding for the film. For more information on the progress of the film visit http://www.skyshipchronicles.com/.
Jeff Zampino adjusts a gun prop during a video screen test with Rachel.
If you are looking for a professional video crew, contact Litewave Media for a free consultation.
Nov 29, 2011
We got at a chance to do some filming for a week in the Cayman Islands for an upcoming TV production. Our Tampa production company filmed during Pirate week and got some great footage of the Island festivities. The team consisted of three camera operators and a sound tech. Shot on the Panasonic HVX-200, Canon 5D, and Canon 7D.
Video Production Crew
Costume Contest
Pirate Week – Video Production
