Amid a slew of larger studios amassing film credits left and right, many of Louisiana’s burgeoning film studios are carving their own profiles.
Jason Hewitt and Films in Motion aim to change all of that.
Films in Motion, Hewitt’s most recent entertainment venture, has been compiling its own laundry list of credits in Baton Rouge — horror films “Oculus” and “Devil’s Due,” literary adaptations “Hedda Gabler” and “The Sound and the Fury” and more recently, New Orleans Film Festival selection “Elsa and Fred” have all come to find a home with the studio within the last two years.
Earlier this year, the film “Left Behind,” starring Nicolas Cage and based on the widely popular Christian novel series of the same name, concluded its filming after taking over different parts of the city, including the Mall of Louisiana.
Films in Motion offers a variety of services to filmmakers, including visual effects, production and post-production services. Its sister company, Indie Stages, which is also owned by Hewitt, offers sound stage space for rent, usually to the same clients who work with Films in Motion.
Hewitt, 41, attributes his interest in entertainment to a high school variety show he participated in Sulphur, Louisiana, saying it “planted the seeds of where I am now.”
When the Louisiana State Legislature passed a bill meant to incentivize filmmaking in the state by offering generous tax breaks, Hewitt jumped at the chance. His first films started out with budgets of $20,000 or $30,000.
“I couldn’t have predicted the impact, but I think anytime you incentivize any industry, more than likely there’s going to be an opportunity for growth,” Hewitt said.
Now, Hewitt has nearly 40 film credits to his name and has worked with actors like Mickey Rourke and Jeff Bridges. Hewitt also oversaw the sale of tax credits for events like the Voodoo Music + Arts Experience.
Though FIM and Indie Stages have claimed relative success over their respective life spans, Hewitt warned of a fickle film industry in which many studios do well for themselves but an equal if not larger number are left without work.
“It’s a lot like migrant farm work. There’s going to be either feast or famine,” Hewitt said.
While both Indie Stages and Films in Motion are privately held companies, and as such are not required to divulge financial information, Hewitt did say that the companies had recorded yearly growth in profit and had been able to gradually expand their number of employees.
For “Left Behind,” about 90 percent of the studio’s crew came from New Orleans and other towns outside of Baton Rouge, a figure Hewitt would like to see decrease.
“Baton Rouge doesn’t have the continuous work that New Orleans does, so it’s harder to build up a steady workforce. More work means more experience, which is essential if you want to work in film or television.”