ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – A new futuristic sci-fi feature film has officially kicked off production in St. Petersburg, bringing advanced filmmaking technology and local economic investment to the Tampa Bay Area.
Read more Florida woman accused of drugging Haines City man she met on dating app
St. Petersburg movie production
What we know:
“The Last Earthling,” St. Petersburg-based Litewave Media’s sixth feature film, is set thousands of years in the future and explores what people would do to save humanity. The film stars local actor Paul Wilson, the brother of FOX 13’s Mark Wilson.
Tampa Bay film studio
Dig deeper:
The crew is shooting much of the feature inside the St. Pete studios using virtual production technology. The setup utilizes a massive 40-foot-wide LED wall capable of projecting custom-built digital environments, ranging from lunar landscapes to orbiting space stations.
According to Christian Cashmir, director and co-writer of the film and founder of Litewave Media, the approach radically alters independent film production.
“Using the virtual production technology and having a studio here locally is a complete game-changer for us, because we can do movies of much bigger proportions and scale than we could in the past for a much lower budget, and we can do it right here in Tampa Bay,” Cashmir said. “We’re on all these different locations and with one filming day, you can do all of that, which is pretty much unheard of for a feature film.”
Read more Florida governor’s race: DeSantis backs Byron Donalds as Republicans rally in Tampa
Cashmir estimates the technology reduces production time and overall costs by more than 50%.
Florida film incentives
The economic impact is intended to stay local. The project also qualified for incentives from both Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties, getting a cash tourism rebate.
What’s next:
“The Last Earthling” is scheduled for release in theaters and on streaming platforms in 2027.
Read more 25 Years After 9/11: How the attacks revolutionized U.S. war planning at CENTCOM
About the Author
