Mya & Cedric Gervais Pay A Visit To LIMA; 8112 Studios Brings Third Major Music Video Project To D.C.!

Be sure to check out all 94 of our photographs from this event HERE!

NORTHWEST -- Washington's bold and beautiful are intimately familiar with the K Street hotspot known as LIMA Restaurant & Lounge. However, the three-tiered venue was injected with an even larger dose of glamour on Wednesday, in serving as the backdrop for the latest Mya and Cedric Gervais music video project titled "Love is The Answer".

8112 Studios films a background shot at VETRO featuring extras for Mya and Cedric Gervais' upcoming "Love is The Answer" music video.
A decidedly homespun D.C. collaboration, last week's production saw the locally-based 8112 Studios team takeover virtually every nook and cranny of the popular nighttime destination for a marathon 20+ hour video shoot.

Founded in 2008 by Nicholas Cambata and Douglas Sonders, the duo behind 8112 wasted no time in establishing themselves as two of the city's "most creative innovators" (Washington Life Magazine, November 2010), having collaborated with everyone from Lady Gaga to Kaskade.

Indeed, the "Love is The Answer" music video production represents the third music video for a major artist or record label that 8112 has brought to the District in the last six months alone! In so doing, "Nick" and "Doug", as they're known to friends (of which they have thousands), have become the city's de facto creative ambassadors to Hollywood.

Wednesday's whirlwind shoot at LIMA was the project's second and final day of production, with the first filmed the day before inside the plush interior of the very first 2011 Maybach 57 (street value $~400,000) ever to grace U.S. streets -- a production coup months in the making arranged by Mercedes-Benz USA and EuroMotorcars Bethesda.

But with 200 extras and a dozen or so different scenery changes, LIMA clearly represented 8112's Everest. The venue's tasteful ground and upper floors, normally packed with happy customers at night, were temporarily littered with case after case of expensive camera and lighting equipment the day of filming.

For purposes of the production, LIMA's ground floor served as the setting for the video's "performance pieces" (think dance routines) while the second floor's exclusive VIP area, known simply as VETRO (Italian for "glass"), functioned as the backdrop for all of the "club shots."

Sam Kavenchy's Kavenchy Spa Salon and M Street's Wink boutique, the project's respective hair/makeup and clothing sponsors, ensured that Mya and all of the extras exuded elements of both style and sophistication throughout Wednesday's shoot (Neiman Marcus' Mazza Gallerie location outfitted Mya during the Maybach scene), while Charm Georgetown provided all of the gleaming accessories featured throughout the production.

With the "Love is The Answer" song originally inspired by Adam Bouska and Jeff Parshley's NoH8 Campaign (and serving as its official theme song), 8112's treatment for the video portrays Mya and Cedric on a mission to spread love and unity throughout a divided world.

Based on the creativity, teamwork, and, dare we say it, love (hugs and high-fives were liberally doled out at the 3:30 a.m. finish), on display during last week's music video shoot, I think it's finally safe to again say, "Mission accomplished."

"Love is The Answer" is produced by Cedric Gervais and will be released next month under the Ultra Records imprint.

**********
To learn more about the NoH8 Campaign, please visit the organization's website.

Be sure to check out all 94 of our photographs from this event HERE!