Documentary
Becoming Kaz Smith | 2021
Director, Writer, Editor, Director of Photography | Owen Johnson
Becoming Kaz Smith was my first professional documentary. While at the time I was not the director of the TSF department, I creatively managed nearly every aspect of this project.
Kaz was first featured in a special edition of The Rocky Mountain Collegian in November of 2020. I wanted to meet Kaz and do my best to not only bring his story to another platform, but also to further humanize him and his experiences.
This film was shot in the Spring of 2021 and was completed in November of 2021, then viewed as the frontrunner in the first CSU student documentary showcase at the Lyric Cinema in Fort Collins on December 2nd 2021
Complexity of Life | 2021
Director of Photography, Producer |
Owen Johnson
Complexity of Life is based on an unreleased film I Co-Created in the Spring of 2021 entitled The Complex Life Theory. In the Summer of that year I turned the project over to my Assistant Director Max Straub in the hopes that fresh eyes would revitalize the project.
Under his Direction, we shifted the focus and shot additional content. Max completed the final cut of the film in November of 2021 and that December was shown at the CSU Student Documentary Showcase at the Lyric Cinema in Fort Collins.
Reclamation | 2021
Co-Editor, Producer | Owen Johnson
Reclamation was journalist Anna Von Pechmann's first documentary. With the help of the fantastic team at Tree Stump Films, Anna produced this heartfelt piece about Claire McWilliams and her connection to her Navajo roots and Culture. I'm proud to have had the opportunity to be a part of this project.
Reclamation began production in Summer 2021 and was viewed at the CSU Student Documentary Showcase at the Lyric Cinema in December 2021.
Since the founding of Tree Stump Films (TSF) in 2020, and my subsequent placement as Director of the program, I've had the opportunity to work on several fantastic projects as a part of a talented and dedicated team.
Since graduating Colorado State University, I do my best to find time to work on my own documentary projects, including The Bitter Sweet Archives