Politics & Government

Clearwater Production Company Helps Bring RNC Live to the Web

Ozona's Buddy Winsett and his Clearwater-based company are handling the sound for live web reports from Tampa, but his main focus is an independent film about the prescription drug abuse epidemic.

An Ozona man's production company is helping to bring coverage of the Republican National Convention to web users around the world.

Buddy Winsett's Chameleon Filmworks is handling the sound for the Huffington Post's live reports from the RNC in Tampa. On Tuesday, he stood offstage as a political correspondant chatted with HuffPost Live from a posh yoga and massage spot set up for politicians and media members in Channelside.

Winsett's been in the business for more than three decades, and his Clearwater-based company does it all, from satellite uplinks to transmission to video production. However, "independent filmmaking is what we focus on," Winsett said.

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As an example, Winsett points to an upcoming project, "RX The Movie," which is currently in pre-production. The independent drama is being filmed in Clearwater, St. Petersburg and elsewhere around Pinellas County and deals with the prescription drug abuse epidemic — a growing concern here and around the country.

"It's exposing the real reasons behind it and things perpetuating it," Winsett said.

Find out what's happening in Clearwaterwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The movie has been a labor of love for the local independent filmmakers who created it and for the actors, many of whom had some personal connection or lost someone to a prescription opiate addiction, Winsett said.

The project is funded through private donations, which makes the drama even more realistic, Winsett said.

"We can tell the truth without restrictions," he said.

Follow the project on Facebook for updates on its release.

The Huffington Post and Patch are owned by Aol.

For more RNC coverage from Clearwater Patch, see Republican National Convention in Tampa.


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