Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Wonder Child

20/02/2023

Home Applications Wonder Child

class=attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail f-align-center alt decoding=async data-lazy-srcset=https://www.litepanels.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/jt-150x150.jpg 150w, https://www.litepanels.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/jt-300x300.jpg 300w, https://www.litepanels.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/jt-140x140.jpg 140w, https://www.litepanels.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/jt-100x100.jpg 100w, https://www.litepanels.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/jt-350x350.jpg 350w, https://www.litepanels.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/jt.jpg 400w data-lazy-sizes=(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px data-lazy-src=https://www.litepanels.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/jt-150x150.jpg />Jessica TolliverJessica Tolliver developed a passion for storytelling at a young age and founded her production company, Mad Panda Lab to ensure she would have the freedom to create films, music videos, and promotional content without limitations. Her drive has led to opportunities working with major brands such as The Chicago Bulls, Nike, and The Chicago Cubs. Jessica is also a member of the ICG Local 600 union as a Camera Utility.

link

instagram

At the peak of the 2020 lockdown, most people passed the time binge watching Netflix content. Not so Jessica Tolliver. She was creating content. Fresh from a soul care retreat where she reflected upon her inner child, Jessica set about writing and producing a screenplay, Wonder Child - a message to her younger self. With a skeleton crew and an indie budget, she wore many hats, and her versatile Litepanels Gemini 2 1 Soft and Gemini 1 1 Hard panels produced a variety of creative lighting setups in each scene.

Proof positive In this age of multiple video-on-demand streaming platforms, content is king for parting viewers from their subscription dollars. Great news for filmmakers, however, the insatiable demand for content coincides with an explosion of content creators, meaning competition to get projects made has never been higher. For studios and streaming platforms looking for the next big hit, a spec script is no longer enough to pique their interest. A proof-of-concept video is often required too.

Short films made of scenes that represent the story, tone and themes of a potential film or series, a proof-of-concepts show the skill and vision of a director and screenwriter. Proof of concept shorts that have become full motion pictures include Sin City , The Babadook , 300 , and District 9 .

Contrast and collaborate Describing Wonder Child , Jessica says, It's a kind of love letter to millennial black women like me. Through a series of events, Anne, the main character, acquires a mysterious crystal that physically transports her back to her childhood. Through interactions with her creative 10-year-old self, she has new self-discoveries. Adding, It's a story to encourage people to never lose sight of their inner child and their big imagination because it's so special.

I'm a cinematographer, so I rarely direct. But with this project being so personal to me, I wanted to direct as well as DP, says Jessica. Jon Benson was the Gaffer but sometimes he would also DP, or I would go to the monitor, and he would jump on the camera. That's one of my favorite things about indie films-it's so collaborative.

alt data-nectar-img-srcset=https://www.litepanels.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/jessica-t-dp-768x432.jpg 768w, https://www.litepanels.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/jessica-t-dp-300x169.jpg 300w, https://www.litepanels.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/jessica-t-dp-600x337.jpg 600w, https://www.litepanels.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/jessica-t-dp.jpg 811w sizes=(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px title />

The proof-of-concept comprises two key scenes from the story, each with dramatically contrasting lighting. The first scene strikes a dark and moody tone. Set in a present-day yoga studio, we are introduced to the mystical Taylor' and the mysterious crystal. In scene two, we are transported back to Anne's bright and light-hearted 90s childhood bedroom. I intentionally put those two jarring lighting styles together, says Jessica.

There was a huge amount of available light, so we needed a lot of high-power, high-intensity lights. The Litepanels were perfect to balance out big, bright ambient light source.

Jessica TolliverDirector & DP

Consistency is key Two Gemini 2 1 Soft panels and three Gemini 1 1 Hard panels were the primary light sources in each scene. In the yoga studio, the two Gemini 2x1s were the key, and we used an eight-by-eight diffusion, says Jessica. The Gemini 1 1 Hard lights played a lot for the ambient light. Sometimes we would have the 1 1 bouncing into the ceiling - it just brought up the entire space. With correlated color temperature control across the full spectrum from a warm 2,700K to a cool 10,000K, the Gemini lights could take over when ambient light wasn't available. Shooting in the Fall, our hours of daylight were minimal, so every hour counts, says Jessica. We had times where the sun was setting, but we still want to keep rolling. That's when we really cranked up the Geminis to bring up the ambience to match the shots that we created earlier in the day. We relied on the Geminis to maintain a consistent daylight quality throughout the day.

alt data-nectar-img-srcset=https://www.litepanels.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/gemini-1x1-hard-bounce-768x432.jpg 768w, https://www.litepanels.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/gemini-1x1-hard-bounce-300x169.jpg 300w, https://www.litepanels.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/gemini-1x1-hard-bounce-600x337.jpg 600w, https://www.litepanels.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/gemini-1x1-hard-bounce.jpg 811w sizes=(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px title />

Shooting on an Arri Alexa Mini LF, keeping everything looking natural, was top of Jessic
LINK: https://www.litepanels.com/en/applications/wonder-child/...
See more stories from litepanels

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

12/02/2026

Spectrum News Acquires New England Cable News

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

12/02/2026

Vizrt Unveils Campus Stadium Production Bundles

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

12/02/2026

Hulu + Live TV Adds Fubo Sports Network to Channel Line-up

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

12/02/2026

FCC To Hold Open Commission Meeting on Feb. 18

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

12/02/2026

Ralph M. Oakley to Receive NAB's Chuck Sherman TV Leadership Award

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

12/02/2026

February 11, 2026

TIME100 Health list features Scripps Research Professor Darrell Irvine Irvine is recognized for his work in empowering the immune system to fight disease, which...

11/02/2026

FYI: Phone Support Maintenance

FYI: Phone Support Maintenance One thing we pride ourselves on here at Utah Scientific is our 24-hour support included with our signature 10-year hardware warra...

11/02/2026

Bitmovin Appoints Ian Baglow as Co-Chief Executive Officer

Leading provider of video streaming solutions, Bitmovin, has appointed Ian Baglow as Co-CEO alongside existing CEO and Co-Founder Stefan Lederer. Under this str...

11/02/2026

Paramount and CBS Partner to Air UFC 326

Paramount and the CBS Television Network will partner to air UFC 326: HOLLOWAY vs. OLIVEIRA 2 live on Saturday, March 7, from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, mar...

11/02/2026

MLB.TV Launches on ESPN Beginning February 10

Beginning February 10, fans can buy MLB.TV on ESPN, a new milestone in one of sports media's longest-standing partnerships. ESPN becomes the new streaming h...

11/02/2026

Fubo Sports Network Launches on Hulu + Live TV

Fubo Sports Network is available to Hulu's Live TV subscribers in the core $89.99 a month subscription plan, which also includes full access to the entire H...

11/02/2026

Rai Selects Imagine Selenio Network Processor for IP Migration

Following a competitive public tender process, Rai (Radiotelevisione Italiana), the national public broadcasting company of Italy, has awarded Imagine Communica...

11/02/2026

MLB Makes In-Market Streaming Subscriptions for 20 Clubs Available to Fans

Major League Baseball is making in-market streaming subscriptions for 20 Clubs available today for fans. Subscriptions for the following Clubs are available vi...

11/02/2026

5G Broadcast Trials Return to the Olympic Stage at Milano Cortina 2026

Building on successful demonstrations during the Paris Olympics 2024, Italian public service broadcaster Rai and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) are condu...

11/02/2026

ESPN and Disney Launch We're Going, the First Marketing Campaign for ESPN's Inaugural Super Bowl

Following Sunday's Super Bowl LX, ESPN and Disney unveiled We're Going,...

11/02/2026

Stats Perform: 2026 Super Bowl Latency Report

Delayed streams are a growing source of frustration for sports fans. During the 2026 Super Bowl, some streams lagged up to 62 seconds behind the action on the f...

11/02/2026

NASCAR Channel and FloSports to Simulcast 16 Races Live

NASCAR and FloSports announces an expanded slate of racing events that will bring FloRacing coverage live throughout the 2026 season to the NASCAR Channel, furt...

11/02/2026

Manifold Expands Sales Presence in Europe

Manifold technologies GmbH announces the appointment of Nick Tucker as Sales Manager for Europe, reinforcing the company's continued growth across broadcast...

11/02/2026

Genies and MLB Players Inc. Team Up to Create AI Characters of MLB Players

Genies, the AI avatar technology company powering the next era of interactive digital identity, entered into a landmark collaboration with MLB Players, Inc., th...

11/02/2026

ICC, Google Partner for the First-Ever AI-Powered ICC Men's T20 World Cup fuelled by Gemini & Pixel

The International Cricket Council (ICC) and Google have joined forces for an AI-...

11/02/2026

Dolby Highlights From First Ever Super Bowl LX Innovation Summit

Dolby's CEO Kevin Yeaman and Giles Baker, SVP of Dolby Cloud Solutions, shared how the brand's latest innovations - Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and Dolby...

11/02/2026

Detroit Tigers and Detroit Red Wings Enter Broadcast Partnership with MLB

Ilitch Sports + Entertainment has entered a first of its kind partnership with Major League Baseball, which will provide broadcast support to both the Detroit T...

11/02/2026

A Changing Landscape: MLB Local Media Brings Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels Into the Fold; ESPN Begins Distribution of MLB.TV

Broadcasts of the NHL's Detroit Red Wings will also be produced by the leagu...

11/02/2026

DAM Los Angeles

Video moves fast can your DAM keep up? Join Blue Lucy in LA for the West Coast's leading Digital Asset Management event as we explore, celebrate, and acc...

11/02/2026

Super Bowl LX Delivers 124.9 Million Viewers

NEW YORK - February 10, 2026 - An estimated 124.9 million viewers watched Super Bowl LX on Sunday, February 8, according to Nielsen's Big Data Panel measu...

11/02/2026

Scripps Selling Court TV to Jellysmack

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/02/2026

Schulze-Brakel Introduces Wireless Clip-On Branding For Mics

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/02/2026

LiveU To Showcase Expanded IP-Video EcoSystem at 2026 NAB Show

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/02/2026

Clear-Com Powers TEDNext 2025 with Gen-IC Virtual Interco...

Clear-Com provided an advanced, IP-based communications infrastructure for TEDNext 2025, supporting production, media, and editorial teams with a highly flexib...

11/02/2026

Astera Releases QuikBeam - Versatile 200W Equivalent LED...

Astera introduces QuikBeam, the newest addition to its acclaimed Quik family of focusing LED Fresnels. This ultra-compact spotlight combines the equivalent powe...

11/02/2026

Rai Selects Imagine Selenio Network Processor for IP Migr...

Following a competitive public tender process, Rai (Radiotelevisione Italiana), the national public broadcasting company of Italy, has awarded Imagine Communica...

11/02/2026

DoPchoice to Intro SNAP RABBIT Octa 5 SNAPBAG

With Convertible Mount for NL Bowens & Aputure A Mounts See it at BSC Expo Stand #133 LCA DoPchoice continues to refine light shaping tools for professional LE...

11/02/2026

ZEISS Aatma -Contemporary Full Frame Primes with a Soulfu...

World Premiere at BSC Expo, Booth #319 Oberkochen/Germany, 10 February 2026 ZEISS introduces the new Aatma, set of nine high-end full frame T1.5 cinema primes ...

11/02/2026

NUGEN Audio Plug Ins Help Nick Fry Navigate the Demands o...

As Re-recording Mixer and Head of Sound at The Farm, one of UK's leading post-production facilities, Nick Fry has built his career on making stories sound a...

11/02/2026

iSpot Introduces Agentic AI Platform iSpot SAGE

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/02/2026

NBC Sports Regional Sports Networks Taps Sportradar for NBA Coverage

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/02/2026

MLB.TV Launches on ESPN

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/02/2026

Super Bowl LX Attracts Nearly 125 Million U.S. Viewers

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

11/02/2026

Graduate Spotlight: Gabrielle Rodriguez

Graduate Spotlight: Gabrielle Rodriguez The educator, who grew up in the Philippines, shares how shes bringing what she learned at Berklee back home. Februar...

11/02/2026

Sky brings together Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max and Hayu into one single subscription, exclusively on Sky

Wednesday 11 February 2026 Sky brings together Netflix, Disney , HBO Max and Ha...

11/02/2026

Netflix Confirms Production of Love O'Clock' From the Writers of Business Proposal' and True Beauty' Director

Back to All News Netflix Confirms Production of Love O'Clock' From the...

11/02/2026

Investing in Belgian Stories: A Commitment to Culture and Choice

Back to All News Investing in Belgian Stories: A Commitment to Culture and Choice From left to right: Undercover, Ang le, Rough Diamonds, Into the Night, John...

11/02/2026

Lisbon 2026

At the end of January, ICG headed off to the Portuguese capital, Lisbon, for our annual conference. An early flight gave us plenty of time to start exploring s...

11/02/2026

ABS Strengthens Ku-Band Capacity and Expands Regional Reach Through Strategic Partnership with Horizon Teleports

ABS Strengthens Ku-Band Capacity and Expands Regional Reach Through Strategic Pa...