Owen Ellis Is Alive

oh yeah, here’s a simple little music video i made for...

Tue, 07 May 2013 20:35:33 -0400

oh yeah, here’s a simple little music video i made for Chains of Love. 60s tina turner television inspired.

my 6 year old niece made her first graphic novel. it’s a...

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 23:43:23 -0500

my 6 year old niece made her first graphic novel.

it’s a story about a group of bugs saying “Hi” to each other until a giant foot tragically steps on the main protagonist. the friends of the dead bug experience a whirlwind of shock and devastation until they find out that the bug is, in fact, immortal.

obviously the plot was very luis borges inspired. it was strong set up and the development of the character’s relationship in the “Hi” scene was brilliantly executed, but i felt like the idea was very existential yet with no pay off. the ending was very forced and pretentious.

and, “The Een”? was that a mistake or was she trying to be post modern?

since i was a kid, i’ve always wanted to do my own version...

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 21:33:34 -0500

since i was a kid, i’ve always wanted to do my own version of batman vs superman. i finally accomplished that dream with the music video i made for “Showering With Wine” by SUNSHINE (http://sunshinesucks.bandcamp.com/) starring two of my best buddies, Parker McMullin & Chase Porter as gay Superman & Batman in love and getting drunk. it’s about being drunk and in a relationship. enjoy.

here’s my latest music video for johnny de courcy’s...

Wed, 09 Jan 2013 19:24:38 -0500

here’s my latest music video for johnny de courcy’s “cherry lane” (http://johnnydecourcy.bandcamp.com)

i did the concept, direction, filming & editing.

inspired by late 90s low budget/high concept soap operas.

a short film i made about my friend dolly.

Tue, 25 Dec 2012 20:44:54 -0500

a short film i made about my friend dolly.

the first (and only) legit(ish) review of 'the acquaintance'

Wed, 19 Dec 2012 01:53:12 -0500

i passed the film to a woman i know who’s involved in the vancouver international film festival and she passed it on to some people she knows. i wasn’t expecting it to get to this guy: Robert Ingram, a judge on the VIFF panel and a professor who taught cinema at a university in England. so, i’ll take this as my first legit(ish) review:

“I have just watched The Acquaintance which I thought was a well-made and engaging short. The central idea (‘polite’ interactions and their import) is carefully explored using a diversity oif film techniques which, while not unique, are used in an inventive and original manner. The film has a dry, witty humour. The acting is of good quality and the camerawork and editing display a secure grasp of those elements of filming. The Acquaintance shows considerable promise”

i guess that’s like a 3 or 3 1/2 out of five or something. that’s cool.

-o

by miles de courcy

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 05:05:53 -0500

by miles de courcy

Wed, 05 Dec 2012 05:04:38 -0500

by miles de courcy

“THE ACQUAINTANCE” (2012) written & directed...

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 15:49:18 -0500

“THE ACQUAINTANCE” (2012)

written & directed by owen ellis

starring nicholas porteous as louis

clayton pierrot as lewis

narrated by matt hogan

with suzy sabla & parker mcmullin

misery is a shitty tipper

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 19:41:56 -0500

as a server, there is nothing more soul crushing than serving a couple who’s relationship is on the brink of falling apart and the only thing holding them together is eating at restaurants.

with that, while they wait for their food and sit there in complete silence looking at everything around them except each other, minutes feel like hours.

the longer it takes for their food, the closer they get to:

“are you okay?”
“yeah, just tired”
“are you sure? you seem quiet”

that’s the moment my knees buckle and i collapse to the ground screaming:

“JUST STOP IT! JESUS FUCKING CHRIST! YOU’RE EVEN MAKING ME FEEL SEXUALLY UNSATISFIED AND NOW I FEEL THE URGE TO STAY WITH MY PARENTS FOR A LITTLE BIT TO ‘RETHINK THINGS’ AND I’VE ONLY BEEN AROUND YOU GUYS FOR 20 FUCKING MINUTES!”

hey. since “the acquaintance” is done and out of my...

Mon, 12 Nov 2012 01:22:39 -0500

hey.

since “the acquaintance” is done and out of my life (http://youtu.be/O4Xmu6re0bo) and i completed a couple of other videos, one being a music video for SUNSHINE and their forthcoming debut album, i’ve taken a long break from projects and my day job.

this break has included: beer, eating long johns, people, gameboy, watching “BRIDEZILLA” (which is the most amazing reality show i’ve ever seen) and working on new ideas.

i’ve reached the tail end of doing nothing and being guilt free about it, so it’s time to go back to work. here’s what’s next:

next week i’ll be releasing an america’s funniest home video’s style *~*~bLoOoOoPeR reEeEeL~*~* for ‘the acquaintance’ which i will be hosting.

i’m in preproduction for a music video for JOHNNY DE COURCY and his fucking awesome upcoming album. the video involves giving birth.

http://johnnydecourcy.bandcamp.com/

i’m in developing a music video for my dear friends THE NEW VALUES and their recent debut album (which i did the album art for) the video will involve teen girls getting drunk for the first time and throwing up on each other.

http://thenewvalues.bandcamp.com

aaaand i’m also developing/writing a sketch show with my long time friend and star of ‘the acquaintance’ Nicholas Porteous. buuuuut i shouldn’t be talking about that yet.

anyways. keep posted. i’m all good, you guys.

here’s my favourite song right now, Big In Japan’s “Nothing Special” http://youtu.be/8XwYpUho2zk

-o

i recently shot a little pleasant afternoon show for zulu...

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 18:10:56 -0400

i recently shot a little pleasant afternoon show for zulu records this month with Hannah Georgas. i did it in trade for some tickets to see faust. it was a good trade.

“THE ACQUAINTANCE” BAD CAPTIONING youtube has a...

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 15:16:00 -0400

“THE ACQUAINTANCE” BAD CAPTIONING

youtube has a feature for close captioning. this is how it did with close captioning my recent short film “The Acquaintance”

http://youtu.be/O4Xmu6re0bo

“THE ACQUAINTANCE” this is the short film i’ve...

Fri, 19 Oct 2012 17:44:00 -0400

“THE ACQUAINTANCE”

this is the short film i’ve been working on for the past 6 months.

i wrote it, directed it, shot it and edited it.

it stars Nicholas Porteous, Clayton Pierrot, Suzy Sabla & Parker McMullin. Narrated by Matt Hogan.

it’s a short film about two men, louis & lewis, who are introduced to each other at a party and have a painfully uninteresting conversation. as the weeks go by, they run into each other everyday and are obligated to engage in forced mundane conversations, which inevitably leads to one of them to descend into insanity. it’s a film about the brutality of being polite.

please enjoy. it you like it, reblog it.

my momma vs yo momma

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 17:26:10 -0400

i thought i should write this about my mom because she birthed me 24 years ago tomorrow and she recently told me this story which i thought was funny.

so, when i was in elementary school all the way to mid-high school, i used to get bullied a lot because i was scrawny and awkward and barely spoke.

this one day, when i was 8, i was waiting for my mom after school at this big round about where all the parents would drive up and pick up their kids, these kids started unleashing a slew of “yo momma jokes” on me.

this was the age when we all discovered “yo momma” jokes but didn’t have the creative capacity to go past “yo momma so fat”

so these kids were basically yelling “owen, yo momma soooo fat!” at me for 10 minutes and all i could do was hang my head and yell “SHUT UP!” then they’d kick me in the back of the leg or throw a rock at me like the little shit heads they were.

then my mom pulled up and they all started laughing and saying “OH MY GOD! THERE SHE IS SHE’S SUCH A FAT ASS!”

i got into the car and was on the brink of tears.

“what’s wrong?” my mom asked.

“those kids were saying mean things about you” i quietly said

“like what?” she asked

“they were saying you were fat”

“oh…okay, well, which kids were they?”

i pointed them out behind us.

my mom then immediately did a u-turn and went back to the round about, pulled up in front of the kids and got out of the car.

i remember seeing the look of frozen horror on the kids faces.

she walked right up to them with her finger extended out as far as she could.

“hey, excuse me!” she yelled.

the kids didn’t respond.

“were you the ones harassing owen?”

they didn’t respond. she then hunched over so she was right in their faces.

“you were, weren’t you?”

one of them nodded and said “yeah…”

“do you know who i am?”

they didn’t respond.

“DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?”

a few of them slowly shook their heads.

“I’M OWEN’S MOM! OKAY? DO I LOOK FAT TO YOU?”

they all shook their head.

“GOOD! THEN WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU TELLING MY SON THAT I’M FAT IF YOU’VE NEVER SEEN ME BEFORE?”

one of them started tearing up and quietly replied “…i dunno”

“YEAH! YOU DON’T KNOW! SO WHY DON’T YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP, STOP CALLING ME FAT AND LEAVE OWEN ALONE?! OKAY?!”

they all nodded their heads.

my mom then marched back into the car and the whole roundabout was in dead silence.

later that night, we got a phone call from one of the kids moms. she said that my mom verbally abused her son and that her son was crying.

my mom responded with “HOW ABOUT YOU TELL YOUR SON TO STOP GOING AROUND CALLING A WOMAN GOING THROUGH MENOPAUSE FAT!”

love you, mom.

-o

editing sux~

Mon, 17 Sep 2012 01:22:15 -0400

editing sux~

here’s a highly highly enjoyable video i made of one of my...

Sun, 16 Sep 2012 23:41:08 -0400

here’s a highly highly enjoyable video i made of one of my best friends, eli.

here’s a gpoy of me in my hotel room in the middle of...

Thu, 13 Sep 2012 15:35:00 -0400

here’s a gpoy of me in my hotel room in the middle of butt-fuck nowhere quebec. i was sent on assignment for ION Magazine to take photos for a music festival called FME.

it was a very very bizarre trip.

-o

5 SECONDS OF BEING STUPID

Tue, 04 Sep 2012 19:52:19 -0400

one night i was at home editing a video.

i drank two reasonably pricey beers and smoked a quarter of a joint to get me through the never ending mind numbing world of cut watch cut watch cut render. (which seems to be one of my few skills)

i decided to have a cigarette out on my balcony to clear my head.

i stood up with a cigarette in my mouth and my beer in hand.

as i opened the sliding glass door and stepped outside, i was immediately hit with tragedy.

the beer i was holding exploded out of my hand and onto the floor.

“wwwwwwhhhhhhhhoooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaannooooooooooooooooo” was the first thing that came to mind.

i then blurted out: “iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii waaaaaaaaaaaaaas driiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiinkiiiiiiiiiiiing thaaaaaaaaaaaat” as though this was deliberately done to me on purpose.

i even went through the thought process that my body was actually physically rejecting the beer out of my hand after the years of constant alcohol abuse. i was then coming to the realization that my body was a much more powerful entity than my own consciousness.

the beer then began to spiral on the floor with foam shooting out the top. i was mesmerized by the spectacle, yet still trying to understand why it was on the floor and not in my hand.

“theeeeeeeee beeeeeeeeeeeeer waaaaaaaaaaas iiiiiiiiiiiiin myyyyyyyyyyyy haaaaaaaaaaaaandssss aaaaaaaaand noooooooooooooowwwww iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit’ssssssss—-“

then, the situation took another turn.

my face was then came into contact with a sort of soft yet firm forcefield. this then made the situation all the more disorienting.

“bbbbuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhh!” was the next thing that came out of my mouth as my face was imprinted on what felt like plastic netting. the rest of my body then entered the forcefield and i could only go into a defenceless fetal position.

what could possibly be preventing me from getting to the other side of the doorway? some strange ungovernable force which defies both physical and mental bounds?

i felt completely helpless in the situation. i came to terms with the fact that my life has enforced a boundary which i shouldn’t fight.

“ooooooooookaaaaaaaay” i then proclaimed.

as i slowly projected backwards, i then began to piece together exactly what happened.

i forgot about the screen door that was closed behind the glass door and i walked into it.

i stood there for another second as my stupid brain comprehended everything:

“sooooooooo iiiiiiiiiiiii ooooooooopeeeeeeeneeeeeeeed theeeeeeeee glaaaaaaaaaaaaasssssss doooooooooooooooor buuuuuuuuuuuuuuut iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii diiiiiiiiiiiiiiiidn’tttt reeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaallllllllliiiiiiiiiiiizze theeeeeeeeeeeee sssssssscreeeeeeeeeeeeeeen doooooooooooor waaaaaaaaaaas clooooooooooooosed aaaaaaaaaaannnnnnd iiiiiiiiiiii waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas hoooooooooooooooooooolllllldiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing myyyyyyyyy beeeeeeeeeeeer aaaaaaaannnnnd theeeeeeee beeeeeeeeeeer waaaaaas…..”

then, it all made sense. i’m fucking stupid.

i then began to assess the beer spill and how i could get the beer out of my carpet.

while cleaning the mess, i began to get more and more angry at stupid me who existed 30 seconds ago.

“jesus fucking christ, owen. how could you be so god damned stupid?”

and my stupid self 30 seconds ago was like “weeeelllllll iiiiii waaaas juuuuust trryyyyyinnn’ toooooooo——”

it was one of those rare situations where i had no one else to blame but myself, which is a very difficult thing for a human to do, accepting that you’re fucking stupid.

upon reflection, what i found very fascinating about the situation, which is why i’m writing this, is that during this whole debacle which lasted 3 seconds, i was completely aware of what was going on in my head. i remembered everything i was thinking very vividly. i wasn’t drunk nor high. i was relatively sober. each thought process i was going through seemed somewhat logical in that moment. it was me trying to understand the situation. i was completely stupid for 5 seconds.

thinking about it, it was quite an amazing feeling. my reality was transformed. i actually thought my body was rejecting my beer. i thought that my balcony was a transcendental dimension that my body in this dimension was not yet ready to enter.

i then thought about the other occasions in my life where i experienced momentary stupidity. like that time i was helping a girlfriend move her mattress. i got annoyed with sliding it and tried to flip it upwards. the mattress hit a ceiling light that i didn’t see and shattered glass landed on me and cut my hand open. i thought that there was a hole in the ceiling and the sky was raining glass and blood. again, i stood in a fetal defenceless position.

i thought about the time at work when my apron hooked onto a milk jug and i spilled milk everywhere when i walked away. i thought that my crotch was projecting milk.

i thought about all the times my friends/family would surprised me when i entered a room, i would come up with about a hundred different possible ideas of who would be trying to kill me in that moment.

i then thought about the times where i was completely stupid which lasted longer than 5 seconds. hours, days, weeks, years.

i thought about all the girls i was in love with since i was 15 and how i was completely stupid to all of them.

“buuuuuuuuuut iiiiiiiiiiii thiiiiiiiiiiiink iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii looooooooove yoooooooooooouuuuuuuuu”

my punk years

“fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuckk eeeeeeevveeeeeeerrrryyyyyyyybooooooooooddddyyyyy”

my years of psychedelic drug use

“eeeeeeeeeevvveeeeeerrrrryyyyyy muuuuuuuushrooooooooom trriiiiiiiiiiiiiiip briiiiiiiiiiiiings meeeeeeeee cloooooooooooooooserrrrr toooooooooooo ennnliiiiiiiiiiiighhteeeeeenmeeeeeeeeent!”

basically my whole life as one giant stupid second

“iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii’mmmmm riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiggggghhhhhhht aaaaaaaaaallllllllll theeeeeeeee tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiime”

and before i come to comprehend what’s going on, i’ll be dead.

-o

here’s a hot new single Funky Fresh Porteous (Nicholas...

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 00:02:48 -0400

here’s a hot new single Funky Fresh Porteous (Nicholas Porteous star of “The Acquaintance”) and I recorded the other night.

It features my impression of Mike from the hit show “Breaking Bad” and Michael Caine crying in the hit movie “The Dark Knight Rises”

enjoy.