The latest video on the Second Take Films channel was the vlog Owen made with Matt. That video was very well received, people loved the content, the jokes, and the dynamic between the two of them. In one week, he remembered, it had reached almost four million views.
A very good number. But partly because the short films Lights Out and One-Minute Time Machine had been released not long before.
Now, however, it had been quite a while since he had uploaded anything to the channel. No new shorts. No improvised vlogs buying expensive gear with Matt.
And even so, this video ended up nearly quintupling the views of that last vlog.
The reason was quite clear. It wasn't just a simple "trip to a festival."
It was showing what the Sundance Film Festival was like from the inside, as filmmakers and competitors. They had real credentials hanging around their necks and official screenings. Owen even had a premiere and a Q&A with A24.
On top of that, Owen was beginning to be recognized more and more by the general public. Not just as the guy who made a profitable horror movie,
but as someone competing at Sundance with two short films and, at the same time, premiering a drama produced by A24.
The contrast also helped.
A group of friends talking about film, debating narrative pacing in a bathroom, competing to see who wore the cheapest outfit, while staying at a five-star hotel.
And, of course, the premiere of The Spectacular Now with Jenna.
By the second day, official photos had already started circulating: Owen and Jenna on the Step & Repeat, then the full team with Elijah and the rest.
During the Q&A, many people in the audience recorded clips on their phones. Some of those clips went viral because of the chemistry between Jenna and Owen. That was enough for the internet to do what it always does.
The next day, the first reviews arrived. Over 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, positive headlines, and surprise at his performance, along with heavy praise for their chemistry.
All of that happened before the vlog was even published.
When Owen arrived in Utah on January 20, his social media numbers were approximately:
YouTube: 2,300,000
Instagram: 2,050,000
Twitter: 950,000
Between the 20th and the 24th, just from reviews, a 94% RT score, and circulating Q&A clips, there was already noticeable growth:
On YouTube, almost +100,000.
On Instagram, almost +150,000.
On Twitter, around +60,000, finally crossing one million.
But the real jump came on January 25, the day he uploaded the vlog.
The video title was:
[We Won 3 Awards at Sundance (and Went Skiing)]
Without mentioning Jenna in the title. He could have. The algorithm would have appreciated it. But it didn't feel right. It sounded like taking too much advantage of her name. And that, besides being unprofessional, didn't fit the image he was building.
The thumbnail was a medium shot.
Owen in the center, holding the award Paperman won.
To his right, Jenna holding the Audience Award for The Spectacular Now, her other hand resting on his shoulder.
To his left, Matt with an exaggeratedly dramatic expression, one hand on his face and the other holding the award for One-Minute Time Machine.
Then Sarah posing flawlessly, fully aware of the camera.
Gaten making a peace sign.
Tyler smiling and holding another camera.
And Eric, for once, smiling normally.
From January 25 to February 1, the video accumulated 18 million views.
In that same period, the channel gained 425,000 subscribers, reaching just over 2.8 million subscribers. On Instagram, the jump was even stronger. Between clips, edits, skiing photos, Q&A screenshots, and moments with Jenna, he reached 2.5 million followers, and it kept rising.
Twitter exploded with debates, bathroom clips, indie genius talk, and constant shipping. His personal account reached 1.35 million.
All of this led to a lot of discussion about the vlog, and therefore about Owen.
@ScreenMetricsHub — 7:12 AM · Feb 1, 2023
The latest vlog from the Second Take Films channel surpasses 18.3 million views in just one week.
This came alongside a massive surge across all social platforms:
+450,000 subscribers in the last 10 days
+900,000 followers between Instagram and Twitter
One of the strongest organic growth spikes of the month for an emerging filmmaker.
What do you think? We're reading 👇
💬 Replies to the tweet:
@mountainfilmclub:
The contrast between five-star hotels, first-class flights, elegant festivals, and absurd film debates in a bathroom with normal outfits, was the best part of the video.
@wayoff1:
His socials are growing at an insane pace. They're already talking about his next movie without spending on marketing, he won awards at Sundance, what more could he ask for?
@markdelej:
2023 is going to be Owen's year. Bookmark this.
@HDTVidsa:
His channel is almost at 3 million and it's less than a year old… I've been fighting for 100K for two years 😭
@Kaissy6:
I love Owen and the guys' dynamic! They feel real.
@alexa1994:
The vlog is hilarious! I've never cared about film festivals and I still watched the whole thing. It felt like seeing cinema from the inside, but without that cold Hollywood vibe. More like a group of normal friends living something huge.
@RaphanYagami:
It's easy to grow when Jenna is in the thumbnail, even if she's not in the title.
@The_Guy_Who_Thinks (replying to @RaphanYagami):
Mimimi he grew because of Jenna, mimimi thumbnail, mimimi algorithm 😭
Bro, he won 3 awards and the vlog is almost thirty minutes long. Jenna wasn't even in five minutes total. Use your brain.
@Rhianna2002:
The skiing was the best segment of the vlog, I want more content like that.
@itsme_editz:
Let's see if the movie is actually a box office hit or if this is all just empty hype.
@lucky.is19 (replying to @itsme_editz):
???
dude, Owen isn't even the producer this time, the movie belongs to A24.
Marketing depends on them, and Owen already did plenty…
In addition to that, there were three clips that became even more famous.
The first was the outfits segment from the first day.
@PopCultureClips – 6:48 PM · Jan 27, 2023
The "Sundance outfits" moment from the Second Take Films vlog 😭
When a group of indie filmmakers starts humble and ends up with a $1,800 bag.
It lasted about two minutes and a few seconds and already had more than 9,000 replies:
@wordlover_23:
The best part is they start with a $5 T-shirt and end at $4,000…
@haley1993:
"We're not filmmakers who care about outfits," and then Sarah shows up in Louis Vuitton and full designer lol
@brad10h:
Matt saying he prefers spending on gear rather than clothes is way too real.
@isaacrs:
Owen saying he doesn't wear overpriced brands and then showing up the next day with a $20,000+ Rolex… consistent in his own way.
@5royfran:
His sister humiliated him with one sentence and it was glorious.
@hollywoodwatch:
This kind of content humanizes more than any red carpet interview.
@hunterLee-to:
"You're not the best person to talk, Mr. 'I financed my first movie with the car my mommy and daddy gifted me'" was a technical knockout. RIP OWEN.
…
The second clip was the discussion about the film they had just watched, while they were trying to find a bathroom to save Gaten. It could be considered the most controversial, since it sparked the most debate.
@MomentscinemaHD – 11:02 PM · Jan 28, 2023
The most chaotic clip from the Second Take Films vlog: Owen trying to stay diplomatic at Sundance, Gaten on the verge of a stomach breakdown, and a film debate inside a bathroom.
The clip lasted over three minutes and had more than 150K likes and 12,000 replies.
@Moises663:
"What was the exact point?" 💀 they're about to try to cancel him in 3…2…1…
@billyVe:
I like that they didn't pretend to love the movie just to look good at a festival and actually recorded the whole conversation.
@safetysupply:
Gaten holding it in during a woke movie makes him the real hero.
@arthour_purist:
You can tell they're not the target audience for that type of narrative.
@Irhinalove1990:
Eric's comment was unnecessary. They could've criticized the pacing without questioning the film's theme.
@GUIGAOZ (replying to @Irhinalove1990):
woke comment alert ⚠️
@044thaladd:
Film theory discussion in a bathroom 🖐️
@Mainkekae:
The mom saved the moment. Without her, this clip would've been an even bigger controversy.
@kis3.4.2:
I don't get why they mock the pacing. Contemplative cinema is still cinema.
@omegakingU:
Owen's words: "We're in a free country." End of debate.
…
Then it escalated even further when celebrities started giving their opinions. The first was Jordan Peele, the well-known actor, comedian, director, and screenwriter.
@JordanPeele:
The debate about pacing vs. intention is eternal. What matters is that the conversation exists.
@Florence_Pugh:
Deep film discussion… in a bathroom. Now that's method 😂
@HaileeSteinfeld:
I need to join that group just to debate film in random places.
@TimotheeChalamet:
The true indie spirit is debating narrative while looking for a bathroom.
@jimmyfallon:
Owen should come on the show just to talk about everything that happened at Sundance 2023!
…
Besides all these celebrities commenting on the clip, someone unexpected joined in, and that's what truly detonated the algorithm:
@TomHolland1996:
Gaten wanting to go to the bathroom is me at any screening, right @Zendaya?
@Zendaya (replying to @TomHolland1996):
Absolutely. And I'm the one who has to go with him because he gets lost.
@kingtheoriesmcu:
TOM WATCHING OWEN'S CONTENT!? THE MULTIVERSE IS REAL.
@Zenshiii:
A short film made Gaten known at this level. One-Minute Time Machine, ladies and gentlemen.
@GatenM123:
😱
But then something happened that no one saw coming.
Eric, who was always the most impulsive in the group, posted from his personal account:
@EricRLive:
If every slow film with LGBT themes automatically becomes untouchable at festivals, then we're not talking about cinema anymore, we're talking about politics.
That was the mistake. He crossed the line between debating narrative pacing and directly mentioning LGBT themes + politics.
That lit the fuse.
@queerlucyy:
Reducing LGBT cinema to "politics" is exactly the problem.
@Umairsra:
This is the kind of mindset that keeps representation labeled as an agenda.
@Oldygwen:
Owen chooses his words carefully. His friend clearly doesn't.
@Ginna203:
It's not that he dislikes the pacing. He just doesn't like an LGBT movie. Just say it.
…
Edited clips began circulating. Eric saying, "What was the exact point of the movie?" + his recent tweet combined out of context made the situation worse.
@mediawatchnowxs:
Out of the five guys in that bathroom, one is now officially in the process of being canceled.
@weslerHK (replying to @mediawatchnowxs):
What's the surprise? They literally said in the vlog they were going to get canceled. They saw it coming lol.
That alone triggered small hashtags, long threads, and exaggerated analysis. The usual for a normal day on this social media platform.
And then Owen responded. But not with a statement trying to defend or justify his friend.
He simply quote-tweeted Eric.
@owenashford:
@EricRLive
And attached to it a GIF of SpongeBob unconscious, eyes crossed, in the arms of a lifeguard fish screaming:
"WHY!? WHYYYY!?"
Nothing else. No apology, no retraction, just absurd humor.
Eric, far from immediately apologizing, responded in his own way:
@EricRLive (replying to @owenashford):
GIF of Barney from The Simpsons saying: "Don't cry for me, I'm already dead," while placing a rose in an empty bottle as the flower quickly withers.
To everyone's surprise, what was supposed to become an even bigger moral cancellation, especially since Eric and Owen were treating it like a joke, turned into a meme.
The more activist-leaning side continued criticizing. But another, much larger block appeared, people tired of what they perceived as exaggeration.
And instead of losing support, Eric regained the followers he initially lost during the cancellation wave, and then gained even more.
Paradoxically, the cancellation attempt ended up solidifying Owen and his group as something different from hyper-filtered Hollywood.
Finally, the third clip was undoubtedly the most talked about and the one that gained the most traction.
It was a simple one. Nothing scandalous. Nothing controversial.
Just Owen teaching Jenna how to ski.
In the video, it was clear he had more experience. Along with Sarah, he was the most comfortable on the snow. The Ashfords had gone skiing several times before. It wasn't new for him, or rather, for this body that fortunately had muscle memory.
So naturally, Sarah and he ended up being the instructors of the group.
Jenna, on the other hand, looked less confident. Owen held her arm when she lost balance, gave her a quick tutorial. Normal stuff.
But the internet doesn't operate on normal logic.
People took it the same way they had during the Q&A: immediate ship.
The clip filled with interpretations, glances that "lasted one second longer," laughs that "didn't seem staged," and even a snowball fight reframed as classic romantic tension.
Just like before with the Q&A clips, some called it natural chemistry; others called it marketing with staged chemistry.
Then another angle appeared, one Owen hadn't expected.
Sophie. His ex-girlfriend and his co-star in Paperman.
Since she didn't attend Sundance, that alone was enough for part of the internet to jump to conclusions.
Had they really broken up? Everything pointed to yes, especially with the light rumors from early January.
And that's when a more annoying theory emerged, and irritating than simple shipping.
A small but loud sector started saying that if something romantic developed with Jenna, there would be a pattern.
A supposed pattern of getting involved with co-stars.
Owen couldn't believe it. He had only done two films as a lead and people were already assigning him patterns.
The worst part? It wasn't entirely false. In both films he had something romantic with his co-stars. It's just that with Jenna, nobody knew yet.
'Do I have a DiCaprio pattern?' Owen thought with a slight grimace.
There was a recurring joke online about the so-called "DiCaprio Syndrome" or the "Rule of 25." The theory claimed the actor only dated young models or actresses, generally under 25, and that his relationships ended once they approached or passed that age.
But Owen knew something more uncomfortable: if anything with Jenna were confirmed in the future, the narrative would reinforce itself.
'Well, I'll break that pattern during this shoot,' he finally thought, locking his phone and slipping it into his pocket.
In Good Will Hunting, his love interest would be Skylar, played by Emma Watson.
But he had no intention of starting anything romantic with Emma. He was getting to know Jenna. That would break the pattern.
Although technically, Skylar isn't a co-lead. She's an important character, yes. Fundamental to Will's emotional arc.
But not a co-protagonist structurally speaking. If nothing happened with Emma in real life, technically the pattern wouldn't break, because the internet wasn't counting every actress he worked with.
They were counting co-stars.
The pattern wouldn't be disproven. It would simply remain on pause.
'Why am I analyzing this so seriously?' Owen thought, shaking his head.
He was on his way to shoot his next film, not standing in a courtroom where he had to explain his romantic life.
Just then, a flight attendant approached with a professional smile.
"Mr. Ashford, in approximately fifteen minutes we'll begin our descent into Boston. Would you like anything before we land?"
Owen looked up, taking a second to pull himself out of his thoughts.
He shook his head and replied with a faint, polite smile, "No, thanks. I'm good."
"Perfect. If you need anything, I'll be right here," she said before walking away discreetly.
Owen turned to look out the window.
Below, fragments of coastline began to take shape, the gray waters of the Atlantic and, in the distance, the urban skyline he recognized more from photographs than from personal experience.
Boston.
Fifteen minutes later, the plane finally touched down at Logan International Airport, the main airport serving Boston.
Sundance had been a trip to celebrate what they had achieved with friends.
Boston would be work.
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Link: https://[email protected]/Nathe07