Kane continued watching the video as Owen gave a quick tour of Second Take Films' new offices.
He had no idea how much it would cost to rent a place like that. But it definitely didn't look cheap. Or small.
First, they showed the reception area.
Then a storage area filled with cameras, tripods, lights, equipment cases, and various filming accessories.
There were several private offices.
There was also an open area with desks, monitors, and workstations, the kind of space you'd expect to see in a company where several people could be working on different projects at the same time.
Farther inside, they showed a fairly large room that, according to Owen, could be used for castings, script readings, or rehearsals.
Then a small screening room appeared.
A private space, with several seats and a large screen, designed for watching cuts of films or showing material to small groups.
Finally, they reached a much larger room.
A long table occupied the center with several chairs around it. A screen stood in the background and, against one of the walls, there was an enormous whiteboard.
It took Kane barely a second to recognize it.
If he wasn't mistaken, it was the same room that had appeared in the photo Owen had posted with Matt, Curry, and two other members of the team after Lights Out passed ninety million dollars at the box office.
Matt was already there.
When he saw them come in, he stood up from his chair and smiled toward the camera.
[Hey, YouTube! We meet again,] he greeted, raising one hand.
Owen walked over and the two shook hands before setting the camera on a tripod.
Jenna quickly checked the framing. Then she stepped aside.
Owen picked up a marker and walked over to the whiteboard, [Alright...] he said as he removed the cap and placed it on the table, [Let's go back to what I said earlier about changing the structure of the company.]
Kane leaned slightly forward.
Owen wrote in large letters: FILM PRODUCTION COMPANY: SECOND TAKE FILMS
[What is a film production company?] he asked.
Matt raised his hand and answered immediately, [A company that finances and manages everything involved in making a movie.]
Owen nodded slowly, [Half right...] he said as he turned back toward the whiteboard.
[It can be a company or a legal entity that finances, organizes, manages, and coordinates the different technical, legal, and logistical aspects necessary to create a movie.]
Underneath the title, he began writing several words.
FINANCING
CREW
PRODUCTION
POST-PRODUCTION
DISTRIBUTION
[The simple version,] Owen continued. [A production company gets the money needed to make a movie, whether through its own capital, investors, or some kind of external financing.]
He quickly explained that the production company hires the artistic and technical crew, manages the budget and schedule during filming. It oversees post-production and, finally, needs to find a way for that movie to reach the audience.
Normally through a distributor, whether for theaters, streaming, or both.
Kane followed the explanation with considerable attention.
[But there's something important,] Owen continued. [A production company doesn't necessarily have dozens or hundreds of people permanently employed.]
He drew a small circle around CREW.
[Each movie has its own temporary crew that the production company hires for that specific project.]
He began writing names around it.
DIRECTOR
ACTORS
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
SOUND
PRODUCTION DESIGN
EDITING
VFX
For a movie, you hire all of those people temporarily.
When the contract ends, those people can work with the production company again on another future movie, move on to another production, or simply continue with whatever other work they have.
[That's why you can have a fairly small production company on a permanent basis and still make relatively large movies. That's how Second Take Films has operated over this past period... until now,] Owen explained, looking toward the camera.
Then he began explaining a little more.
During all that time, Second Take had operated with an extraordinarily small permanent structure.
Practically nonexistent.
Because, at the beginning of each project, Owen was the one doing almost everything.
He wrote the script, decided how much money he was willing to risk, and put up all the money himself. After that, he had to start building the movie around it.
Find producers, hire the director if one had not already been chosen, assemble the technical crew, handle casting, etc.
Solve the initial problems and make sure there was actually a production capable of beginning filming.
Only once the project was sufficiently assembled and producers were already working on it could Owen stop staying on top of absolutely every detail.
That was when Owen got some of his time back to focus on something else.
That was why, from the outside, Second Take could look like a much larger company than it really was.
A movie could end up having dozens or even hundreds of people working on it.
But almost all of them belonged to the temporary crew of that specific production.
Second Take's permanent core remained minimal.
Owen, and then the basic services any company at that level needed to operate: Legal / Accounting / Finance
[That works very well until you want to have several projects moving forward in parallel and stop depending on me keeping an eye on everything twenty-four hours a day.]
Owen explained that this had just changed.
Over the past few months, he had hired permanent staff to help supervise each project and allow Second Take to move much faster and more efficiently.
On the empty part of the whiteboard, he wrote:
PRESIDENT OF PRODUCTION
The person responsible for overseeing Second Take's productions as a whole, setting priorities, and maintaining an overall view of every active project.
Underneath:
HEAD OF PHYSICAL PRODUCTION
Responsible for the practical side of producing the movies: budgets, schedules, shoots, crews, and the resources needed to turn each project into reality.
Then he wrote twice:
PRODUCTION EXECUTIVE
Two permanent Second Take executives responsible for following different projects from development through post-production, working with their producers and making sure the budget, schedule, and production were progressing properly.
It was not the same as an Executive Producer, a credit that could be given for financing, creative influence, the involvement of a star, or different reasons depending on the movie. Production Executives were internal employees of the production company.
Then he added:
PRODUCTION COORDINATOR
A support position for the Head of Physical Production and the Production Executives, responsible for coordination, schedules, documentation, and follow-up across projects.
Finally:
LEGAL EXECUTIVE
HEAD OF FINANCE / CONTROLLER
The first would handle contracts, rights, and the company's legal matters.
The second would oversee budgets, payments, internal accounting, and the financial movement of both Second Take and its productions.
[So now you'll be able to make more projects every year?] Matt asked with obvious excitement.
[As long as we have the scripts, in theory, yes,] Owen replied.
'There's the problem,' Kane thought.
A production company could have offices, executives, money, and a structure ready to move five movies forward at the same time.
But first, it needed five movies that were actually ready to be produced.
That was not so simple. You had to find scripts, develop them, work with directors and writers, rewrite them, and adjust budgets.
Only when a story was sufficiently mature did the machinery of pre-production, casting, and filming truly begin.
[For example, this year we made three projects,] Owen continued. [Two movies. Good Will Hunting, which has already been released, and Lights Out, which still hasn't been released...]
[October sixth in theaters!] Matt exclaimed.
Jenna, sitting off to the side within the frame, laughed and shook her head.
Kane smiled slightly. Matt still had no way of knowing that, by the time that video was published, Lights Out would already have had a massive opening.
Owen did not even react. He looked completely used to it, [And Black Mirror, which still hasn't been released.]
He took the eraser and wiped the whiteboard completely clean, [Alright. Now let's get to what everyone came to see. First: Instagram sketches. Tell Me Why was a success.]
The image froze.
A small box appeared on the screen showing part of the sketch.
[🎵 TELL ME WHY! 🎵] Owen sang.
[🎵 Ain't nothin' but a mistake 🎵] the five suspects replied.
Owen pointed toward the end of the line. But by then he wasn't even speaking normally anymore, [🎵 Now number five... 🎵]
[🎵 I never wanna hear you say... 🎵] number five sang with great emotion, drawing out the words.
Kane laughed.
He had seen that sketch more than once. It was very good.
The screen returned to the meeting room.
[Seventy-eight million views on Instagram,] Owen said. [Go give it a few more. We have to reach a hundred.]
Jenna looked at him from her chair, [Ambitious.]
Owen smiled. Then he held the marker out toward her, [Want to do the honors?]
Jenna stood up, amused, took the marker, and stepped into the center of the frame, [Friday, October thirteenth,] she announced as she wrote on the whiteboard.
OCTOBER 13
[New sketch.]
[Exactly,] Owen nodded. [And it's no coincidence that Jenna is writing the date.]
Kane raised his eyebrows slightly with interest. There had already been rumors about whether a new sketch was coming and who might appear in it. Since Jenna was Owen's girlfriend, a lot of people had been asking for a sketch or scene featuring the two of them together.
[We're both starring in this one.]
Matt smiled from his chair, [I'm excited to see it,] he commented.
Jenna turned her head toward him, [You directed it,] she said, giving him a strange look.
There was a second of silence.
[Excited to see the reactions,] Matt corrected himself.
Owen looked back toward the camera and continued, [You'll be able to see it in four days. Comedy? Romance? Horror? I'm not saying. You'll find out on Friday, October thirteenth.]
The date appeared huge on the screen accompanied by a brief sound effect.
OCTOBER 13
[Next announcement!]
The image cut to black. A short piece of music played, and then a single title appeared in the center.
BLACK MIRROR
A second later, the video returned to Owen beside the whiteboard, with that title written on it.
[For anyone who hasn't been keeping up, Black Mirror will be the first series produced by Second Take Films. It's a science fiction thriller anthology series. That means every episode tells a completely different story,] Owen explained.
As he spoke, he began writing several words around the title.
DIFFERENT CHARACTERS
DIFFERENT LOCATIONS
DIFFERENT STORIES
[You don't need to watch the episodes in order. Each one stands on its own. In general, they all explore the more uncomfortable, darker, or outright dangerous side of our relationship with technology.]
He paused briefly and added, [Now comes the important part.]
Matt began doing a drumroll by lightly tapping both hands against the table.
Owen waited a few seconds.
The screen went black again and a single word appeared.
NETFLIX
Kane raised his eyebrows slightly.
The video returned to the room.
[Netflix picked up Black Mirror,] Owen commented as he wrote the streaming company's name.
Kane already knew about this new series.
It was hard not to after all the noise it had generated. But this was different.
One thing was for Owen to finance and write his first series.
It was something else entirely for Netflix to decide to acquire it for its platform once it had been completed.
That meant someone there had seen the finished product and decided it was worth paying for the licensing rights.
[The first season will have three episodes,] Owen continued, and began writing:
1. WHITE BEAR
2. SHUT UP AND DANCE
3. SAN JUNIPERO
[If you're wondering, I act in one of them,] he added, lightly tapping the tip of the marker against the third title.
[When does it come out?] Matt asked.
[I'm not giving an exact date yet. But yes, it'll be this year,] Owen replied, and wrote a date underneath.
OCTOBER 27
[This is the one you need to write down. That's when the official teaser will drop on Netflix's channel, and after that we'll start releasing more information about the premiere,] Owen concluded.
Matt nodded, satisfied with the answer.
Owen stood there for a few seconds looking at the whiteboard.
Then he grabbed the eraser and wiped everything away.
[Now,] he said as he turned back toward the camera. [Those are the projects you'll still see in 2023. Now let's move on to 2024.]
The image abruptly cut away. Then white letters appeared in the center of the screen.
CURRY BARKER
FEATURE FILM DEBUT
'Seriously?' Kane thought, not having seen that coming at all.
The video returned to the room.
Owen was standing beside the whiteboard, looking toward the door, [Curry, you can come in.]
The door opened.
Curry Barker walked into the room.
His distinctive blond hair was already pretty recognizable to anyone who followed Owen's social media. He had appeared in the Fantastic Fest vlog, in Tell Me Why, and had directed Curve.
Curry greeted Owen, Matt, and Jenna first. Then he looked directly at the camera.
[Hey, YouTube.]
Owen stood beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder, [Curry will write and direct a horror movie for Second Take Films in 2024.]
Matt immediately started clapping.
Jenna joined in a second later, smiling.
Even though they both already knew, the reaction seemed completely genuine.
It was not a small announcement. It would be Curry's first feature film.
Kane watched the screen with interest. He knew Curry's work fairly well by that point.
He had seen him in several videos on the channel, had really liked Curve, and also knew that Curry came from YouTube, where he had spent years making comedy sketches with his friends before starting to experiment more seriously with horror.
His big short before Curve had been The Chair.
In a way, Kane found it pretty easy to relate to him.
Another young creator who had started by making content on the Internet.
A horror short that had attracted attention, and now a jump to a feature film.
[Thank you, thank you,] Curry said with a slightly shy smile.
Owen gave him a small gesture to explain more.
Curry explained that, after finishing Curve, he already had another project in mind.
It was not just an idea. He had written a complete script.
He had shown it to Owen, Owen had read it, and liked it enough to start moving the project forward within Second Take.
Then came the less interesting parts.
All the bureaucracy necessary before they could confirm that the movie would be made under Owen's production company.
Curry also took the opportunity to thank Owen for trusting him and, above all, for being willing to finance his first feature film.
Owen then made it clear that this time it was not a movie written by him.
It was Curry's script.
[And it'll be Second Take Films' big horror bet for 2024,] Owen commented.
That made it fairly easy to get a rough idea of when they would try to release it.
[No pressure,] Curry said, looking at the camera through clenched teeth, making Matt and Jenna laugh.
They talked for a few more minutes about the project without revealing the title, cast, or plot. It was still too early.
Finally, Curry sat back down and Owen took control of the video again.
[I don't know if you remember this clip...]
The image changed.
Now there was a red carpet.
A Collider reporter was quickly making her way through the crowd with a microphone in hand as Owen turned toward her.
[Owen! Owen, one minute, please. We just heard what you revealed about Black Mirror. But I have to ask... With Good Will Hunting breaking box office records, Lights Out ready for Halloween, and Black Mirror coming at the end of the year... do you already have your next film project in mind? What's next for you in movies once you wrap up this trilogy of releases in 2023?]
Owen let out a slight laugh at how quickly the question had come.
[Yes. Superheroes.]
The interviewer widened her eyes.
[Superheroes? A movie?]
[Yes. Nothing as expensive as what Marvel or DC do. I obviously don't have two hundred million dollars to spend.]
Owen smiled and added, [I'm a fan of the genre, and this would be a different take. Smaller and more deconstructed. It's an idea I had recently.]
The interviewer seemed to speed up even more, [Do you already have a title? A script? Anything you can tell us?]
[No. For now, it's barely more than an idea and a few pages of notes. The only thing I can say is that I'll be working with Matt as director again once he finishes post-production on Lights Out and I wrap up my remaining work on Black Mirror,] Owen replied.
The clip disappeared.
Black screen.
A deep sound played for a moment, and then a huge title appeared in the center of the screen.
CHRONICLE
Kane stared at the name.
A second later, the video returned to the room.
Now Owen and Matt were standing in front of the whiteboard.
Behind them, written in large letters, was the same title.
[Now we can finally say the name of this movie,] Owen said, pointing toward the whiteboard.
[Chronicle!] Matt exclaimed with a smile.
[Yes. I think people know how to read. Hopefully...] Owen commented, and Matt laughed.
Then they started explaining a little more.
Matt would be the director.
Owen had written the foundation of the story and the first draft of the script, while Matt had joined later to help polish scenes, structure, and certain narrative elements before they fully moved into preparing the movie.
[It also means we're working together again as director and actor,] Matt commented. [And this time we want to mix two styles. Part found footage, like we did with Paranormal Activity, and part traditional cameras.]
He paused briefly and added, [It could turn out incredibly well or terribly wrong.]
Owen nodded, [Hopefully the first one or I'll be in financial trouble,] he commented as he picked up the marker.
[It'll be the most expensive movie Second Take Films has made so far,] he added.
Kane paid closer attention.
Owen wrote a number underneath the title.
$30 MILLION
'Thirty million budget...' Kane thought, swallowing.
That was a lot of money.
Especially for such a young production company.
Owen had just explained that a company could finance a movie in many different ways, but anyone who followed Second Take knew that he tended to put up most, if not all, of the capital for his projects.
That gave him enormous creative control.
It also made every movie a much more personal gamble.
If it worked, the profits could be enormous.
If it didn't... like he said, he'd be in financial trouble.
[Alright, enough about money,] Owen said. [Matt, tell them what it's about.]
Matt adjusted his shirt, clearly much more excited about that part.
[The movie follows three teenagers who, after a strange discovery, develop superhuman abilities.]
On the whiteboard, he wrote three names.
ANDREW
MARK
STEVE
[Andrew, his cousin Mark, and Steve, one of the most popular guys at their school. But it isn't a traditional superhero movie. There are no suits, huge villains, or people trying to save the world.]
Jenna and Curry listened attentively from their seats.
Kane, sitting on the other side of the screen, was doing the same.
[It's more science fiction, drama, and psychological thriller. The idea is to see what would really happen if three normal teenagers were given powers,] Matt added.
They did not reveal much more.
Just enough to establish the premise.
Then Owen spoke, [As for the release, we have an idea, but don't take any date as final.]
He wrote:
MAY — JUNE 2024
[That's the window we're aiming for.]
Kane looked at the budget figure once again.
Thirty million.
Found footage mixed with traditional cinematography.
Three teenagers with powers.
Matt directing after Paranormal Activity and now the success of Lights Out.
And Owen starring in another movie written by himself after Good Will Hunting.
There were definitely a lot of things working in Chronicle's favor. Although Kane still would not bet everything on it.
[But that's not all,] Owen said.
Kane, who had already expected the video to start wrapping up, focused all his attention back on the screen.
'What else can they announce?' he thought.
There was a transition.
When the image returned, Owen was standing behind the table with both hands resting on it.
In front of him was a black briefcase.
[If we released three projects in 2023, it would be a little strange if, after moving into bigger offices, hiring more people, and setting up this entire structure... we only had two in 2024,] he said with a slight smile, placing one hand on the briefcase.
He opened the latches.
Kane narrowed his eyes slightly.
Owen lifted the lid and pulled out two scripts.
Both had completely clean covers. No titles. Blank.
Owen placed them side by side on the table. Then he tapped the first one a couple of times, [This is a movie.]
He moved his hand toward the second, [And this is a series. Both will also be released in 2024.]
Kane raised his eyebrows, 'Two finished scripts? Seriously?' he thought in surprise.
[I'm not going to say anything else,] Owen continued as he closed the briefcase, [In future updates, whether here or on social media, we'll start revealing more. So that's all for now. See you in the next video.]
The image continued to darken until it became completely black.
Kane remained there for a few seconds, staring at the monitor and thinking.
In 2023, two movies and one series.
In 2024, three movies and another series.
Owen really did not seem to have any intention of slowing down.
Kane leaned back in his chair, 'How does he write so fast?' he wondered.
He had been working with A24 on The Backrooms for months, and the process was still moving slowly.
Meetings, changes, scenes that worked one moment, only to be deleted and rewritten later.
They still did not have a final script.
Owen, on the other hand, had just shown three scripts that were already far enough along to target 2024 releases, and it was not as if he were making empty promises.
This year alone, Second Take had released Good Will Hunting.
Now Lights Out.
And finally Black Mirror, which was already finished and had just been picked up by Netflix for distribution.
Three projects and three scripts.
There was something quite appealing about the way Second Take worked.
A lot of creative control, quick decisions, and a speed that, from the outside, seemed almost impossible.
And then there was Curry.
He had arrived with his own script, shown it to Owen, and after Owen liked it, Second Take had given him the green light to turn it into his first feature film.
No years of endless development.
No sense that the project had passed through twenty different hands before barely retaining a fraction of the original idea.
Kane looked back at the now-black screen, 'It wouldn't be bad to direct something for them someday,' he thought.
…
Shortly before midnight, with Tuesday about to begin, Owen was in his home office.
The laptop was still on in front of him. He took a sip of coffee while checking something on the screen. Then he turned his head slightly.
At the other end of the large desk were two scripts. The same two that, a few hours earlier, had appeared for a few seconds in the video.
The Internet was already full of theories trying to guess what they could be. There was only one small difference.
Here, the covers were not blank.
The first one read:
SMILING FRIENDS
And the second:
KNIVES OUT
-------------------------------------------------
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