Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Chloe Owens. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Chloe, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. We would love to hear an interesting investment story – what was one of the best or worst investments you’ve made? (Note, these responses are only intended as entertainment and shouldn’t be construed as investment advice)
I consider myself a dreamer. I believe the best financial investment to make is in yourself. For me as a writer/director not having my own equipment was holding me back from a certain stage. Since I produce my own projects, for equipment I was always reliant on the DP and/or renting. Over the years, I’ve shot shorts on different cameras from different DP’s, where I would spend thousands of dollars for a few days worth of shooting. I was frustrated with one particular project because it didn’t look nice enough for all the money and time I had spent. In retrospect, I realized it had a lot to do with the camera we used. I was so passionate to get the film made I used my credit card, which cost me triple the amount in the long run. After that lesson, I made a decision that I would get my own cinematic camera, so that I could shoot my next short film. I did a lot of research, and in 2021 I had saved up to buy the Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 6K Pro ($2,732.30, with tax). I then got a few good lenses (initially around $1200) and spent a couple hundred more to build up the body of my rig. It took me around a year, working overtime and staying disciplined, so I could compile that equipment list. I then got a great DP, the kind who normally rents equipment, who came on my short film Catch the Bus. The truth is, because I leveled up with the cinematic 6k Pro camera, it provided a cleaner, more polished look to my film. Between 2022-2023, Catch the Bus got into over a dozen film festivals, and became a multiple award winning film. I later invested in a few more pieces of equipment (slider, jib, etc) and used it all to shoot my next short film W.I.L.S.D.M, which is currently winning awards on the film festival circuit. I can honestly say that investment in believing in myself certainly paid itself back. Every person’s situation is different, but for me buying the Black Magic 6k Pro gave me more confidence as a filmmaker. That investment was a commitment to myself, and to the projects I continue to create.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I grew up bi-coastal being raised by a family of performers. My great grandmother was in the first all-black cast on Broadway, Shuffle Along. My grandfather sang opera regularly at Carnegie Hall, and was one of the first black directors for the Masterworks Choral Group. My uncle toured in off-Broadway musicals, and my mom acted in regional theater productions. That’s just my mom’s side of the family. My dad, well in the 1990s he won an NAACP Image Award for Best Actor in a lead role and the ADA Award for Best Actor. During the years when I lived with my dad, he was protective, and forced me to come with him to every audition, rehearsal, and performance. As a kid, watching rehearsal after rehearsal, made me think “if I was directing, I would tell the actor this.” By the time I was 15, I started shooting my own short films on a VHS camera and editing them, (old-school, nonlinear) afterschool. I studied filmmaking for a year in England at Reading University, and later graduated from Rutgers University with my BA in Theater Arts: TV Drama Concentration. From there I won my first writing scholarship to a NYC screenwriting workshop, and began my own Brooklyn cable TV show and later created a webseries. I moved to Los Angeles, and well – that’s where my career turned more towards the industry. First I worked as a CBS Page, and got to be on-set for dozens of TV shows with live audiences. I later became an assistant to multiple people, from Presidents of companies, to Emmy-Award winning directors. I worked on other people’s productions ranging from PA to Scripty. Being a Script Supervisor gave me a lot of insight on “bad directors” – I saw so many mistakes that I promised myself I would never do (a lot with just being prepared!) During this time, I kept writing to formulate a body of scripts ranging from TV pilots to features. I worked with YouTube stars, created a comic book series, and I placed and won a couple writing contests.
When the pandemic hit, I wanted to encourage my dad (Peyce Byron) to continue to perform, so I wrote Catch the Bus – primarily so he’d have some new footage for his reel. Once my dad and I started rehearsing, it was clear he was incredibly talented, and his experience really shined through his performance on set. However, it wasn’t until I was in the editing booth, where my editor said – “Hey, you should really submit this to film festivals” where I started realizing how I had something special. Catch the Bus was selected in over a dozen film festivals, including Newport Beach Film Festival and LaFemme International Film Festival. My dad went on to win 3 Best Actor Awards, I won Best Director, and we won Best Short Film a few times. However, one of the greatest experiences was doing the festival circuit with my dad, and hearing the audience’s reactions to the film. People were invested, and wanted to know how the story would play out – which led me to think of Catch the Bus as a feature film.
While I was in post-production on Catch the Bus, I was in pre-production to shoot my next short film W.I.L.S.D.M, which is the most ambitious film I’ve developed to date on my own. My script had multiple locations, six cast members, and was a daring comedy revolving around intimacy. Pre-production was a beast, and I was also on a strict timeline, due to work obligations. I am incredibly proud of how everything came together, though the short took over a year to make. W.I.L.S.D.M is on the 2023-2024 film festival circuit, where we have won several awards including: Best Short Film, Best Short Comedy, Best Cinematography, and Best Lead Actress. As I continue the festival journey, my plan is to use both shorts as proof of concepts, to hopefully make them both into feature films.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
When I’m in pre-production or post production mode, YouTube is my best friend. I have learned so much from YouTube videos – from researching different equipment to buy, or understanding the mechanics to how a certain shot was created. Or knowing how to shoot it for the edit. Since I am the writer/director – during production the person I lean on the most is my DP. At the stage I’m at now, where I am also the producer of my projects – that can sometimes rub against giving the DP everything they may want. It’s important that I know some of the options in my head as the director, so I can get the aesthetic I’m looking for, and where a work-a-round can fit. This also plays a big part in production design. With W.I.L.S.D.M for various reasons we didn’t have a production designer, so I took that task myself and through conversations with my DP, and lots of YouTube videos, I created the visual aesthetic which made my film pop, and helped us win Best Production Design at Culver City Film Festival.
Besides YouTube, I would say podcasts have a tremendous place to educating indie filmmakers. Some of the ones I listen to religiously are: No Film School, Making Movies is Hard, The Filmmakers Podcast, The Wandering DP Podcast, Indie Film Hustle, Indie Wire Screen Talk, The Business, and The Town.
Lastly, one of the books I highly recommend is Becoming Supernatural by Dr. Joe Dispenza. This is not a filmmaking book, but rather a book about creating the future you wish to live in. I listen to Joe all the time on YouTube as well, and think his work truly has helped me along my creative path.
Is there a mission driving your creative journey?
Yes though it may sound silly to some; being an artist that creates and inspires, is my mission. I write because of my subversive sense of humor, that keeps me sane, can actually make others in a different part of the world laugh and feel seen. There is such a thin line between comedy and drama, which is why I’m good at writing both genres. Throughout my life, I’ve survived difficulties that have humbled and driven me to dark places. Once you are deeply intimate with the dark side– you can return when needed, like an old friend. Through my imagination, I often tap into the pain and hardship – and create other worldly stories that connect authentically and hopefully inspire. I believe connection is something all humans crave, and I seek to do that through my creative work. Right now the goal is to build bigger worlds which means sourcing more resources as a filmmaker. Whether it’s an EP that believes in me and supports my next project, or a DP that takes my vision to the next level, or perhaps an A-list actor who loves my script and breathes life and depth into the character I write. I look forward to the next expansion, so each film builds on the last in terms of: artistic development, stature, and acclaim. It’s not the simplest road, but going forward towards it makes me happy.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.wilsdm.com
- Instagram: wilsdm
- Twitter: chloesrose
- Other: IMDB https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2568696/