Jake Seal: About ORWO Studios

Jake Seal: About ORWO Studios

As an advisor at ORWO Studios, Jake Seal leads a unique film studio occupying a serene and tranquil space in rural Louisiana. This article will provide an overview of the services offered by ORWO Studios, as well as exploring some of the hit movies filmed there and in the surrounding areas, using the studio as a base of operations – for cameras, stages, offices, sets, accommodation and more.

Conveniently located just a 15-minute drive from Baton Route airport, ORWO Studios offers excellent accommodation and transportation links, including a private airport just next door. Despite its accessibility, lying right in the heart of Louisiana, the studio’s rural location provides a peaceful and secluded setting.

Constantly evolving and expanding, ORWO Studio currently offers:

  • Multiple sound stages
  • Set design and build services
  • Product placement and branding
  • Large and varied backlot
  • Antebellum backdrops
  • Fishing pond
  • Office buildings
  • Antique props and furnishings
  • Catering
  • Cameras
  • VFX department
  • 35mm lab
  • Full postproduction (QTake, Nuke, Resolve, Avid DS, Speedgrade, etc.)
  • Accommodation

Production services include set support on all stages, as well as in-house crew, locations, transport, DI equipment and QTake, camera equipment rental, a CNC prop workshop, 360 RIGS, hi-speed cameras, 3D stereo, gimbals and heavy drones. In addition, ORWO also offers craft services and catering, 3D scanning and printing, costume and prop rental, storage and film production offices.

From an American diner standing set to an outlaw country treehouse buried in the backlot, ORWO offers a range of different standing sets that are all shoot ready.

Boasting a worldclass render farm and production pipeline, ORWO Studios’ VFX and CGI labs’ strategic tie-ups enable the studio to provide review in London, Los Angeles and several cities across Europe. The venue also comprises a 30-seat cinema incorporating a full-size cinema screen and onsite DCI Compliant Barco projection system, as well as 12 separate editing suites for QC review and grading.

ORWO Studios’ unique movie production workflow enables moviemakers to edit as they shoot. Capable of processing footage onset, in real time, ORWO uses mobile internet links to upload footage in real time to its FTP and RAID for editorial, rushes and dailies. With daily backups to LTO7, the studios benefits from more than 10 Petabyte of footage processing and storage with 10 Gbit accessible onset.

ORWO Studios delivers domestically and internationally, as well as via DCP and online services, ensuring prompt delivery according to domestic and global standards. The studio offers multilingual subtitling services and DCPs created in real time for same day delivery. ORWO Studios caters for all file formats and tape formats.

The studio’s boutique world sales agency offers an array of different titles, all with boasting theatrical ability in select territories, including the United Kingdom and United States.

A studio steeped in history, some of ORWO’s buildings are more than 200 years old. Here, movie stars can mix with the locals, enjoying the region’s hospitality and stunning surroundings. With more than 20 self-catering suites for hire and historic antebellum buildings on site, ORWO Studios can accommodate crews of up to 500, providing meeting rooms and an on-site bar and grill.

Each of the studio’s three sound stages feature drive-in access, full lighting grids, 100A three phase power, WiFi and playback. In addition to its unique stages, ORWO also offers access to more than 30 shooting locations available in all shapes and sizes, both on and off the property. Presenting access to drones of up to 32K RAW 360, ORWO’s experienced aerial cinematography unit has shot for numerous high profile movies, including Blaze, Jeepers Creepers, and Grand Isle.

Other movies shot at ORWO Studios over the years include Willy’s Wonderland (2020), Back Roads (2018), The Magnificent Seven (2016), and Born to be Blue (2015), and Twilight (2008). ORWO Studios also hosts numerous public events annually, including film festivals, fashion shows, photo shoots, and events with political luminaries.