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COLUMBUS — The filmmakers of Motivate Pictures brought a sizable crew including 10 members from Europe to help create a feature film in the downtown area last week.
Maurice “Mo” Moore, the director and founder of Austin-based Motivate Pictures, brought his movie ‘Finding Solace’ to Colorado County after taking a visit to the town and believing that it fit his vision for the film he wanted to create. Before he left, he made contact with Chamber of Commerce member Shelley Janik and the sheriff’s office to ensure that he could film in what he considered to be the best town for their filming site.
“When I first drove through, it was exactly how I wrote it in the script,” Moore said, “Everything was exactly the way that I pictured how the town would look and feel... I absolutely loved it” ‘Finding Solace’ is a Texas-based psychological thriller based in the small fictional town of “New Liberty”. American flags populating main roads, country stores and a smalltown feel were all significant draws for Moore and his film crew. The story follows several storylines with a focus on the main character ‘Solace’ who lives in New Liberty and must reconnect with her sister in Austin after a loss in the family. Concurrently, the sheriffs and police department must solve a string of murders in the town as they look to find their connection to a bigger scandal.
To help create his vision, Moore called upon the European branch of Motivate Pictures in Spain led by his longtime business partner and fellow filmmaker Alex Rios. Rios along with several members of his crew with tech and sound specialties flew from Spain to Texas for a several month process of creating the film. With some of the top gear in the industry including the type of camera used in the making of the most recent ‘Top Gun’ film, plenty of resources have already gone into the making of this film.
Moore has always had a heart for small towns after living his childhood in the poverty-stricken town of Waynesborough, North Carolina. While living with in a house with over 10 female family members, Moore got the opportunity to be a child actor in “The Color Purple” effectively igniting his passion in film and leading to a career of acting and filmmaking.
Because of his struggles as a child, as well as the drastic positive change made by a single opportunity, Moore has resolved to provide as many people with opportunities as well to pay forward the positivity he has received in his life and career. Motivate Pictures was the culmination of his ideals as he often gives his students from the Breathe Acting Studio their first chance in movie making and roles in feature films.
“It’s important to me to inspire as much as I can and to give as much opportunity as I can,” Moore said.
Using locals as extras and even the local police department, the home of ‘Finding Solace’ has been an interactive and accepting location for the movie. While filming, the crew has patronized several establishments and Air BnB’s in the area to fulfill some of their goals of giving back to the community that accepted them as they chase their creative goals. Some businesses like the Dewberry Cafe near downtown will even be featured in scenes during the movie.
The crew returns to complete filming in mid-October as they look to film scenes at the Columbus Police Station. After filming wraps, the movie will undergo an intense editing process that is already underway and will continue throughout filming.
The movie does not come out until the summer of 2024 as Motivate Pictures has a few films and shorts already circulating the film festival circuit this year. After winning several awards this year in what has been the biggest yet for the company, Moore is motivated to breathe life into his biggest project yet in “Finding Solace”.
