Sin City Sets: Early-Fall Las Vegas Video Production Roundup
Las Vegas video production crews are bracing for a dense two-week sprint. Las Vegas video production schedules revolve around the WideScreen Film & Music Video Festival, nightly interstate work, a fresh YouTube-scale soundstage, and last-minute commercial casting—all while permits still need five working-day lead times.
Festival Spotlight
The WideScreen Film & Music Video Festival runs Sept 24-28 at the Golden Nugget, drawing global shorts, red-carpet mixers and nightly after-parties that keep ENG units parked downtown until 2 a.m. Organizers promise creator pitch sessions and awards on Sept 27, making the fest the marquee networking window of the season.
Studio Momentum
Clark County records show the 110,000-sq-ft hangar south of South Point is now an operational soundstage for Season 2 of MrBeast’s “Beast Games.” The build includes six 500-gal generators and 7,500 gal of on-site fuel, giving Vegas its largest enclosed stage since Cinelease’s Henderson campus. Producers can book overflow insert days once the June-built sets strike.
Key Dates & Deadlines
- Sept 24-28: WideScreen Festival screenings, mixers & awards.
- Sept 21-26: I-215 pavement job shrinks lanes at Windmill Ln & Warm Springs Rd nightly 7 p.m.–6 a.m.
- Through Sept 19: Harmon Ave. Grand Prix lighting work cuts lanes 9 p.m.–6 a.m.
- Oct 9 deadline: North Las Vegas commercial casting pays $1,500, rehearses late Sept.
Casting & Crew Demand
AllCasting’s $1,500 fitness-lifestyle spot closes submissions Oct 9 yet shoots mid-October, keeping local talent houses busy during the fest’s peak. Background jobs for an improvised livestream film are auditioning Sept 27-28, adding pressure on PAs and ADs who split units. Gear-rental chatter puts LED panel utilisation over 80 %, so reserve lighting early.
Road & Permit Alerts
- NDOT will drop north- and south-bound I-15 to two lanes between Tropicana Ave & Flamingo Rd on select overnights through Sept 26.
- City disruption list flags fiber trenching on Bonanza Rd & Vegas Dr until Sept 26, affecting west-side load-ins.
- Film permits need 5 business days if no traffic control and 14 days when closures or LVMPD officers are involved.
Incentives Snapshot
The Nevada transferable film-tax credit still offers up to 25 % on qualified in-state spend for productions over $500 k that keep 60 % of their budget local. Although a larger studio-zone bill stalled in Carson City this spring, GOED approved several new eligibility certificates in June to keep momentum going.
Attraction Angle
Universal’s 110,000-sq-ft Horror Unleashed maze opened Aug 14 at Area15 and is already booking overnight B-roll tours; its four IP-driven houses give second-unit crews controlled fog and show-action lighting without California rates. Producers have snagged the space for promo spots after 1 a.m., when the haunt goes dark to the public.
Looking Ahead
Formula 1 circuit prep keeps progressing along the Strip with another Harmon lighting push Oct 6-10, so plan detours for post-festival pickups. Meanwhile, Sony’s proposed Summerlin Studios remains “on track,” according to a January CES update, signalling a longer-term boom once legislative incentives come back around.
