June 11, 2025 • 41 mins
Chance McClain is a creative powerhouse, blending a rich background in filmmaking, radio, and theater with a passion for storytelling. As the founder of Heritage Films, Chance has created more than 800 feature-length documentaries, celebrating family stories and life legacies. His work has connected generations, preserving the essence of individuals and families through visually stunning films.
A proud Army veteran and a pioneer in narrative innovation, Chance’s career spans sports radio, Broadway musicals, and entrepreneurial filmmaking. From directing a Streamy-nominated film to writing and producing an off-Broadway musical while running a sports station, his versatility and dedication shine through.
Today, Chance leads his team at Heritage Films with a heartfelt commitment to authenticity, merging technical expertise with an artistic touch. Whether inspiring others to embrace their past or discussing the art of storytelling, he captivates audiences and helps them see the value in preserving their own legacies.
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Episode Transcript
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Claire (00:05):
What if your life story was worthy of the big screen?
Not a slideshow, not a selfiereel, but a full-length,
beautifully shot documentarythat your grandkids will
treasure like gold?
Today we're diving into theheart of legacy with a man who's
made over 800 cinematic lifestories.
(00:28):
Chance McClain is a creativepowerhouse, blending a rich
background in filmmaking, radioand theater with a passion for
storytelling.
As the founder of HeritageFilms, chance has created more
than 800 feature-lengthdocumentaries celebrating family
(00:49):
stories and life legacies.
His work has connectedgenerations, preserving the
essence of individuals andfamilies through visually
(01:10):
stunning films.
A proud Army veteran and apioneer in narrative innovation,
chance's career spans sports,radio, broadway, musicals and
entrepreneurial filmmaking.
From directing a streamynominated film to writing and
producing an off-Broadwaymusical while running a sports
station, his versatility anddedication shine through.
And, carol, this must be arecord number of documentaries
(01:33):
for one person.
Carole (01:35):
Absolutely.
That's why we're so excited tohave you with us today, Chance.
Thank you for joining.
Chance (01:41):
Carol, thank you so much .
It is so gosh.
I feel like I'm sitting insomeone else's skin as you read
the intro.
It's just you kind of stumblealong, don't you?
Carole (01:53):
Yes, well, you've done a good job stumbling along.
You've made over 800documentaries, so tell us how
you started this journey.
Chance (02:03):
Sure, well, I had already had a pretty diverse
creative background radio, theoff-Broadway show, a narrative
musical film and several otherlittle offshoots, music songs.
I got into the creative spacefrom writing a song that went
(02:24):
viral about Yao Ming thebasketball player, and that's
what set me off on this journey.
And then, a little over adecade ago, a friend of mine
basically said hey, can you filmmy dad?
He's turning 75.
And I want to make sure my kidsknow who their football is.
And I had no skill or prep, butI'm like sure, I'll sit down
(02:44):
and visit with your dad.
And and that turned into thefirst film.
About about a year later, mystepdad told us at Thanksgiving
that he had stage fourpancreatic cancer and he and my
mom had been married for a whileand very close with them.
He was my father for allintents and purposes, just a
great, great guy.
(03:05):
But I certainly didn't know alot about his background and I
had done, by this point, ahandful of these little life
story shows.
I didn't even know what to callthem at the time, but I asked
if he would sit down and do thefilm and I had a friend do the
interview and he talked to himon a Tuesday and he passed away
on Sunday.
(03:25):
So he was told he had a year to18 months to live, and it ended
up only being about two months,and it was only after that that
my wife and I recognized thatthis is something that's beyond
just another project or a gig,but it's something that people
need.
So we started what does thislook like?
How do we do it?
And now, here now, I'm visitingwith you, carol.
(03:48):
We are still figuring it out,but we definitely have a system
that works and, thank God, thereare enough people out there
that love their families andfeel like a film is a way to
lock down the stories and thevalues and the principles.
It's just, it's a good mediumfor it.
Carole (04:09):
It's an excellent medium .
So tell us how you approach thestory development when you're
working with families who'venever been in front of a camera.
Chance (04:19):
You nailed it.
My goal number one.
You certainly hit it exactlyright.
They've never been in front ofa camera.
We swoop in with lights andcameras and microphones and
clappers and all the all the funtoys of our trade, but we want
them to forget any of that crap.
Is there we?
I just want to talk to you, Iwant to visit with you and make
you forget all that's there.
(04:40):
Um, the way we approach thestory is we have the subject,
the key subject, or as well asthe people that care most about
them fill out some forms or havesome conversations with me
ahead of time.
So I know, I know just enoughto be dangerous about them.
I have a.
(05:00):
I have a going back to 2014.
I wrote up like genericquestions that I would want to
ask my great grandma or mygrandma, and so I have this raw
starting place.
But then, when I start gettingfeedback from their children,
from their siblings, from theirhigh school friends, college
roommates, anybody, anybody thatcares about them, you start to
(05:22):
develop a composite of who theyare as a person, and my goal as
a filmmaker is to present whothey authentically are as a
person, and that's where thestory comes from.
You start to see patterns,trends Like, for example, if
four or five people want somelady to talk about her high
(05:44):
school years or being on thedrill team or whatever it may be
.
Well, I realized that wasimportant to her and it's
important to her family.
So I need to linger on that alittle bit while we're visiting.
As far as creating an actualnarrative story, which is what
we do, using all of the tools ofall of the Robert McKee and
Joseph Campbell, all of thosestuff of what is the Robert
(06:04):
McKee and Joseph Campbell, allof those stuff of what is a
movie, what is a story, we wantto stick with that.
At beginning, middle and end,payoffs, emotional swings we
want all of that in there.
That all happens in post.
We have the long conversationand I have an idea of where it's
going.
I take notes while I'm visitingwith a subject or subjects, and
then we have a post-productionmeeting of you know, here's the,
(06:27):
here's the film we thought wewere making, here's what
actually happened in theinterview, and then here's the
story that is.
Carole (06:37):
Wow, so it really comes to life in post, like everybody
says, that's where the film wasborn.
That's great to know.
So what you're doing is you'reblending high-end film equipment
with deeply personal stories.
So, uh, can you tell us more ofwhat the production is like
behind the scenes, when you comein with all your equipment, etc
(06:59):
.
Chance (06:59):
yeah, absolutely yeah, so we'll show.
Well, I, I can use it and I sowhen we started, like I make,
I've made films, I've mademovies, I've made, I like, I
like production, I like gear, Ilike, I like the whole scene of
showing up.
I've worked on big movie sets.
I know that jam and I like it.
So when I started I wanted tobring that to the families.
(07:22):
So we would roll in with fiveor six people in a crew and set
up and boom mics and all youknow it was just this big old
calamity in their living room.
And in fact when we firststarted we would go to a
soundstage in Bel Air and thenyou hit a few breaks and you
realize you don't know what todo, kind of like the Ron
Burgundy I don't know what to dowith my hands.
(07:42):
The person would be sittingthere on a break and it was
awkward.
So then we started going topeople's homes.
But yeah, so as the company hasevolved, we've made it less
intimidating.
We still have all the sameequipment, but rather than
having five or six lights, we'vegot three really, really good
(08:04):
ones.
The right equipment, the righttool.
And then we used to havecameramen behind every camera.
Well, now technology has madeit so that we can build my
little.
I'm doing the interview and I'vegot monitors from each of the
cameras two, three, four,however many it is.
Where I can, I'm watchingautofocus and if they drift out,
I can make the changes withtechnology so that there's not
(08:28):
so that I'm talking to you,you're not performing to me, and
three cameramen, we're justtalking and um.
But we come in, we show up onsite while the crew, which may
be two or three people tops um,is setting up.
I'm in a different room withour key subject or subjects and
we're just chit-chatting.
(08:48):
I've read all about them.
I know that she was in drillteam, I know that he got into
the oil business or whateverthey did.
We're just kind of looselytalking, talking, chit-chatting,
and then eventually we carrythat very casual conversation
into where all the equipment is.
We don't make a big deal aboutit, we plop down and I said,
okay, we, and now we're.
Now we're making a movie asopposed to having coffee in the
(09:08):
kitchen.
Carole (09:11):
Wonderful.
You've got them all relaxed andand they will allow you to work
in one room while they're inanother.
That's perfect.
That's when they're comfortablewith you.
Chance (09:21):
Yes, ma'am.
Carole (09:22):
Well, tell us one of the most unexpected or touching
moments that you've captured ina heritage film.
Chance (09:31):
Boy.
There's 800 of them, everyone,every.
I'm telling you.
It's so trite to say everyonehas a story to tell, but I'm
telling you they do.
You just got to get authentic,get real.
Real, I didn't prepare one, butwhen you said it, the first one
that came to my mind was I wasdoing a film for a gentleman
who's a in his early 80s.
(09:52):
He had two sons.
The youngest son is the onethat that wanted the film of dad
.
Well, the two boys, when theywere young like 16 and 18, got
into some big pissing matchabout something, got in a fight
and they literally hadn't talkedfor 35 years.
It was a true fracture in thefamily.
Now dad got along with bothboys, but they don't.
(10:17):
And I don't mean grandma diedand they said hello at the
funeral.
The men had never talked.
Well, dad mentioned this riftin the show we call it a show in
the interview and so I kind ofjust stored that there.
And then we get done and I'mtalking to my client, the son,
(10:37):
after and I told him it wentreally well.
I said you know he had a lot ofgood things to say about you
and your brother and I know youguys went really well, I said
you know he had a lot of goodthings to say about you and your
brother, and I know you guysdon't talk and he's like, yeah,
expletive, expletive, that guy.
And, by the way, the fight, thefight was literally over a car
and a girl, a car and a girl.
When they were teenagers theyjust took different paths in
life and hated each other.
(10:57):
Well, what makes it touching iswhen the film was done, my
client sent it to his father,who sent it to the other son and
the other son watched it andabout a month after we had
wrapped and it was all notwrapped the film was done.
(11:19):
I get a text from my client, oneof these texts you ever get,
these that are this long andlong story.
Short, long text, short.
His brother reached out to himand they had reconnected and
their families were together.
He was te makes me more crythat he texted me from the
family being together and it was.
And it was because it wasn't me, it was because dad told his
whole story and buried in hisdad's story was some tension
(11:43):
between his dad and his brotherthat they solved anyway.
So that's, that's one, that'sjust some.
Some guy down the street fromfrom you.
Right now, those types ofstories are sitting right there.
Carole (11:57):
That's terrific.
And they got together againbecause they were missing.
What a deal they missed allthat time in life together.
So your background includessports, radio, broadway and
filmmaking.
So how do all these inform yourstorytelling process?
Chance (12:15):
Yeah, gosh Well, sports.
I think it goes further thanthat.
You touched on some of thecreative endeavors I worked in,
but I also I was in the army forfour years.
I had several different salesjobs.
I worked in the oil patchselling downhole drilling tools.
For a couple of years I workedin industrial sales in uniform
(12:37):
business.
I worked in restaurants.
I have this crazy, crazybackground where none of it
seems to click together theLegos that God dumped in my lap.
I did not build one set.
I made something really weirdand it never made sense until I
had been doing my Heritage Filmsfor a couple years, where I
(12:57):
basically have the ability tofind some common ground with
about anybody.
Have the ability to find somecommon ground with about anybody
.
You know in Dale Carnegie howto Win Friends and Influence
People.
There's two key things thatcome out of that book.
Number one is find commonground with somebody.
Now you've got something tohook into and then ask short
(13:21):
questions with long answers.
Well, that's my company.
I want to ask short questionswith long answers.
I want to find common ground sothat you'll open up to me, and
all of that disparate backgroundis what allowed to do it.
You know I've got Broadwaychops.
I lived in New York for a whilewhile my show was failing.
That put me super attenuatedwith a high, high, high arts
community.
Very, very and I love thesepeople, the artsy, fartsy people
(13:46):
.
They're great, the people thattheir emotion is right on the.
It's right there.
Oil and gas background Well,heck, I'm in Texas.
About a third of my films Ispeak oil and gas right.
Ranches, farms.
I've got background there.
I'm comfortable there.
(14:25):
Sports radio what I think sportsradio did because I didn't just
work in sports radio, I alsoworked for the've done have been
with famous people politicians,celebrities, athletes.
Well, you don't wanna walk inthere or just like crazy rich
people that have their own wayof going about life.
You can't be starstruck or youlose credibility.
Well, I had my exposure.
I got to meet Kobe.
I got to meet Shaquille O'Neal.
(14:46):
I got to all these people.
Um, help me in in that regard.
The internet component I gotinto video.
Um, I got when technology kindof allowed it, when you could
afford it.
I sold my four, I cashed in my401k to buy a bunch of equipment
because I had to make thiscrazy musical movie that we were
going to release online.
That was kind of the beginningof my.
(15:09):
I've always liked technology,but that that's when the wave
started where I've tried to stayon top of technology the whole
time and through it, all through, through all of the creative
endeavors.
At the root of it is that storystructure.
I mentioned Joseph Campbell,robert McKee, the best book in
the world on it.
To me it's the simplest.
(15:30):
Okay, it's like coloring booklevel, simple, but it's called
Invisible Ink by Brian McDonaldand it's just another way to
break down what a story is.
You know the save the cat,those types of things to break
down what a story is.
You know the save the cat,those type of things.
What a story is?
What are the beats of a story?
And and whether whether it's ajoke, like a joke is a story or
(15:51):
it's a.
It's Game of Thrones, eightseasons, multi arc.
At the root of it is what astory is and and we take all of
that into I'm talking to grandmaand grandpa for a day or two
and we're going to stuff thatinto the Invisible Inc story or
we're going to stuff it intoJoseph Campbell, or we're going
to stuff it because it's there.
(16:12):
It's there and the proper storyformat is what makes it
accessible to people now andfuture generations.
Carole (16:19):
Wow, that's wonderful.
What I like best is that you'vehad all the sales jobs, because
filmmakers have to beparalegals, they have to know
law, they have to be able to dotheir accounting, they almost
have to be a bookkeeper, andsales is the one thing they
(16:40):
don't want to have anything todo with it oh gosh.
Without sales.
Chance (16:44):
Don't, I know it.
So the first thing I ever didthat I could say that made me
want to get into this.
It was about 2000,.
I'm going to say three or four.
I went to one of those DoveSimmons two-day seminars.
Remember Dove?
Yes, and I was a fish out ofwater.
Okay, I'm walking in there andthere's people in their berets
(17:06):
and super like, these people areartists and I'm not, but I take
things like that very seriously.
So I took obsessively, tooknotes and he he touched on what
you just said, Carol.
He was like look, to getstarted in this business, it
takes money and your number onejob you got the next blockbuster
(17:29):
.
That's great.
If you don't have money, youdon't have nothing.
And so he went into that aboutthere's some salesmanship
Getting a check from somebody.
You are selling yourself andyou're selling your vision.
Carole (17:43):
I haven't thought about that in 20 years, but he
absolutely talked about thatdove was so great at that
because he I was sellingshorthands of film at that time.
So always invite me to uh hisevents and say if you really
want good film cheap, talk togeraldine.
Oh my my.
Chance (18:02):
God.
So you knew Dove, or know Dove?
Oh, my gosh, yeah, oh, you wereroyalty to me then Because he
had this like you know, once youget into the business, people
look at it almost like a cheesyintroduction, kind of like
filmmakers with Roger Corman,they kind of, oh, he makes
B-movies, but they all watchedthem and they all liked them,
(18:23):
like, right.
So I, because I wasn't in theindustry, I held onto his every
word.
I still, I still do dude thingsI learned in that class.
I apply on every single film.
Like he's like, look, you'reoverthinking your.
Shot it in frame, is it infocus?
Hit record that's great.
Carole (18:47):
Now we sold to corman.
I loved corman because, ofcourse, he uh what they call the
b movies spielberg took a bmovie, uh, with jaws and this
and corman had to rethink how hewas going to survive because
all of the real movie makers,all the studios, then jumped on
(19:10):
to Corman for his ideas.
Chance (19:12):
Yes, oh, and his back.
I mean my gosh with, with JimCameron's background in his in
his scene shop.
I, uh, oh, you just made me so.
And, by the way, just tomention Jaws to me, you just
mentioned to me like thegreatest movie ever made, I
think.
I just think it's perfect, Ithink it's a perfect movie.
Carole (19:31):
Yes, it truly is.
Well, that brings me to funding.
So let's talk funding.
How do you usually financeheritage films and how has your
business moved since then, anddid your sales ability help you
with your financing?
Chance (19:49):
I uh to answer your question yes, yes and yes, the I
it's.
I have been in sales and I wasgood at sales, but I was never
comfortable in sales.
I had that terrible impostersyndrome and I was so excited to
visit with you because the thethe niche topic that you're
covering, is something that Ifeel I feel on the outside of
(20:12):
our industry, because you couldcall these vanity pieces almost,
but they're not.
But, but we're making filmsthat the families are funding
them.
What we create is we don't havethis giant audience.
When you make a movie, whenSteven Spielberg makes a movie,
he wants a billion people towatch it.
(20:33):
And even when Ken Burns make adocumentary, he his goal is how
broad can I be so that there's awide audience for it?
Well, my goal is very, very.
It's the family and the peoplethey love the most.
It's a very small audience andso the funding out of the gate
was done by.
People would find out about me,and I would.
(20:55):
I would tell them here's howmuch it costs and then they
would pay for it.
I have never had to go out andseek outside funding for the
productions the family fundingthemselves.
As the business has developed,it's definitely been systemized
and I have a sales guy now.
(21:16):
So when people call he handlesa lot of that.
I still do some If still, Istill stay, if I, if, if a lead
comes in and I see somethingthat's very, very germane to my
life, I I'm like, if they saythey love Dr Pepper, I'm calling
them because I love Dr Pepper.
Um, but the business itself hasbeen it's you could say it's
(21:39):
funded by the audience.
You could say it looks a lotlike a Kickstarter, because the
creation that they're makingthey're funding and so even in
our credits, when the executiveproducer line comes up, it is my
client.
Because what do we know in thefilm world?
I learned this from DoveExecutive producer does two
(22:01):
things he pays for it, he getsthe money together and and he
signs off on, signs off on it.
Well, that is what my clientdoes.
They're going to pay for themovie and then when we get to
where it's review time andthey're ready to do a client
review, they watch it and wehave an online tool that they
use to give us feedback.
You know we'll misspellsomeone's name.
(22:23):
I might spell your name one ofthe other ways to spell, carol
and you're like, hey, that's nothow I spell my name, so I think
I answered your question.
I hope, yes, you did.
Carole (22:32):
That's really great.
You had a great idea and itfunded itself.
But you had to do the work andget the referrals, because Texas
is really big on referrals.
It's who you know and peopletalk to each other.
Chance (22:48):
Absolutely.
I have no business withoutreferrals and, oddly enough, we
lump our referrals into repeats.
Also, we've had families thatwe've done four and five
different films.
We I'm a Walt Disney devotee,the man I love.
I love what he did with theparks, I love what he did in
animation, I love what he didnarrative work, documentary work
(23:09):
.
I just think.
I just think he was a one of akind guy and he believed very
deeply in not just quality ofexecution so quality of your
product, your film but also inquality of experience.
And we have brought that intoour business, where when we show
up, we want not before we showup we want you to have fun.
Look, we're about to go downmemory lane with your family and
(23:31):
you got photo albums.
You got all this crap that'sbeen sitting on shelves
gathering dust.
We'll get them out and havesome fun looking through it.
You're going to be stirringdad's memories, which is going
to be good for the production,but you need to enjoy that.
You need to watch your dad havethese memories too and, oh my
gosh, I remember that so thatwhen we come in they're bright
eyed and bushy tailed becausethey've had this little trip
(23:52):
down memory lane where they'vehad fun, and then we just do it
again over the course of a day,two or more.
Carole (23:59):
Oh, this is wonderful.
Chance (24:08):
Well, tell us how people can reach you heritage films.
Sure, yourheritagefilmcom, andwe also have um
farmandranchfilmscom, so many ofour films, like you mentioned,
we go, we're all over thecountry but we started in texas
and a lot of our productionshave been out out on the ranches
or out in the farms and theywere different enough of a
production that we started adedicated.
Basically it's the same as aheritage film, but the land is
(24:28):
one of the characters is the wayI explain it.
But yourheritagefilmcom gets tous.
Carole (24:35):
Okay, that's great.
So do clients ever licensetheir fees for public use or
festivals, or are they purelyprivate?
Chance (24:44):
they.
Thusly they've been purelyprivate.
So part of part of what Imentioned before is the, the
intimacy.
Yes, they get very intimate.
They get we I I have cried morethan most people you've talked
to.
We have.
Five to ten percent of ourfilms are people at the level of
hospice.
Now, 90% are just regular folks, perfectly normal, great.
(25:05):
But given the nature of what wedo, there are certain people
that get really really bad newsand they know they can call us
so.
Because we get so intimate,they keep them personal.
They really do this iscommunicating with the key
person and the family.
(25:25):
I can tell you this we've donesome that should.
We did a film for this fella.
He was telling me a story.
I could talk about him forever,but the culmination of this one
story was when he was about 40years old.
He had a backpack and satchelswith a million dollars and he
was jumping out of an airplaneinto Colombia to go rescue a
(25:48):
kidnapped engineer in the oilworld.
And, mind you, when he'stelling me this story, I'm
thinking this is a fishing story, this is a lie.
He's full of it, he's totallyfull of it.
He's living this story.
He wants to be the cool grandpa.
Well, we get done with thefilming, we're going through
looking at pictures and then,sure enough, there's a picture
(26:10):
of him with skydiving goggles onand a backpack and I'm like,
wow, that's boy, he's really,really, really going, he's going
far on this one.
Well, we get intopost-production where we're
doing research and stuff.
And I'll be damned if thereisn't a 1983 New York Times
story about the director ofsecurity for xyz oil company who
(26:32):
made a daring jump intocolombia and I'm like, holy crap
, made me want to go back andget deeper into the story
because I just kind of let himtell his I thought he was lying.
Well, there's been time.
His life could be a story.
There's so many that that wouldbe.
And the lessons and stuff thatare coming out of the again, the
, the guy down the street, theyshould, they should all be
(26:53):
silver screen stories oh wow,that sounds so good.
Carole (26:57):
Well um, have you ever thought of turning heritage
films into a franchise model?
Chance (27:04):
a hundred percent.
Yes, there are other peoplethat do things similar to to.
I would argue and maybe it's myown hubris, but that we do it
better, at a higher level andmore of them.
But there are people that aredoing fantastic work in this
space and we have a system Now.
You asked me the question halfan hour ago about my background.
(27:25):
Well, the Army part of it.
That is where I learneddiscipline.
That is where I learnedprocesses.
That is where I learnedprocesses.
That is where I learned systems.
We use things literally from mytime in the 90s in the Army.
Right now, in 2025, we use SOPs, standard operating procedures.
We have manuals for stuff.
We PMCS our equipment, primarymaintenance, checks and services
(27:46):
.
Our cameras damn, it are ingood shape, right, things like
that and I believe that thesystem itself, as far as a
business, beyond just filmmaking, that the system that we've
created is scalable and isfranchisable.
So that is, you're reading intomy future.
So yes, ma'am.
Carole (28:07):
That sounds fantastic.
So when you handle sensitivestories of family drama on
camera, do you have anyboundaries you set?
Chance (28:19):
I don't, but the families do.
So I mentioned the forms thatthey fill out.
Every form has a behind thescenes.
We call them landmines, butwithin, within the families,
it's because of Vietnam there'sso many people of the of the
Vietnam War generation that youknow I did a few films where I
walked, I stepped on landminesand realized that I triggered
(28:40):
some guy that really had sometough stuff in his background.
So we included on every formanything we shouldn't discuss,
and so I know, I know where andhow to avoid those type of
things.
Now, most of the time and I domean most of the time they will
write that down and then, oncewe are talking, I'll give you a
(29:01):
perfect story, if I may.
We are filming a Vietnam era guy.
His name's Bruce, and he wroteon there absolutely will not
discuss the Vietnam conflict.
I said, done so while I wasvisiting with him.
I, uh, I talked up till he gotdrafted and I said then, you
know, you got a crappy letter inthe mail and and then you had a
(29:21):
couple of years of madness andthen, but you got, you got back
home and this girl that you hadmet, I mean clearly she's in the
other room.
It worked out well, so.
So, and this girl that you hadmet, I mean, clearly she's in
the other room.
It worked out well, so tell meabout how things picked up when
you got home and he goes.
Yeah, she was what he goes.
Let me tell you why.
I don't talk about Vietnam.
And then he spends an hourgiving the most horrible.
(29:45):
That involved taking human lifewith knives in cars, in trucks.
It was absolutely horrible.
He cried his eyes out.
He got mad.
He got mad at me, he got mad atthe world, calmed down, went
through it all, laughed.
I thanked him for his service,told him I loved him, told him
(30:06):
the world loves you.
And when he got done, he said Isaid well, bruce, you literally
said you didn't want to talkabout that.
So I'm going to honor what yousaid and we won't include that
in the film.
Um, but thank you, thank youfor that honesty and thank you
for and he said I, I, that wasthe first time in his entire
life that he had ever talkedabout it and he goes.
(30:27):
No, I think it's time.
By the way, he, he, he was oneof those hospice guys.
He was, he was, uh, he was onhis way out, um, but he said I
think it's time and I'd like foryou to include it, and so so we
did.
So that happens more often thanyou'd care to believe that the
loss of children is horrible.
(30:48):
These are the most uplifting,fun films, but their life throws
us all types of crap right.
Life does we try to find thesilver linings around things and
talk through the tough stuff.
And then how did we getstronger from it?
And, and it works.
But yeah, the sensitive stuff,it's all it's in all of our
lives.
Ex-spouses is tough.
(31:09):
The alcoholic parents abuse,abuse, everything you can fathom
.
Something happens in that roomwhere they do forget.
The cameras are there and theyopen up to me, to us, to my team
, and we defer to that, to thesubject and to the executive
producer.
Anytime something is too overthe top, we defer to that, to to
the subject and to theexecutive producer.
(31:30):
Anything, anytime something isis too, too over the top, we
defer to them and, uh, and itworks and it works.
Carole (31:39):
But they must be comfortable for you to get to
really punch that button wherethey open up.
They have to be in acomfortable place and they have
to trust you and like you.
Those are the two things theyhave to get over to give you
their heart.
Chance (31:56):
Yeah, I try to let them know that I am the surrogate for
people with your last name thathaven't been born yet.
You wish you had this of yourgreat-grandfather, right?
He grew up in the let's see1900, right at the turn of the
century.
Probably he had a life that isso foreign to you.
(32:16):
He might as well be out of amovie.
Well, your childhood, mrSo-and-so that grew up in the
50s or the 40s, your childhoodis going to be just as insane to
your great grandkids.
Don't you want to tell themwhat it was like ma'am with your
poodle, with your crazy poodleskirts, or or ma'am with your
go-go boots and you're 17,looking like that?
(32:37):
Don't you want to share thatwith your kids, great greats
that ain't been born?
And eventually it clicks intheir head that I'm doing an act
of service that I wish I had,and I think that's why the
barriers go down.
I don't think I'm magic.
Carole (32:50):
I had, and I think that's why the barriers go down.
I don't think I'm magic.
Well, you do create acomfortable place for sure.
So tell us what advice you havefor indie filmmakers who want
to create sustainable careerstelling meaningful stories
without waiting for permissionfrom Hollywood.
Chance (33:06):
Number one.
It's the same, as I'm sureyou've heard a lot Just do it.
It's like a Nike commercialJust do it.
Chase your dream, use what youhave, use what you have and do
it.
The story, the story has todominate and rule all.
Write your story first and thenpick the medium.
That's from Dove.
Yeah, write the story first andmaybe it's a movie, but maybe
it's a book, maybe it's and thisis from Invisible Ink.
(33:28):
Also, maybe it's a painting.
You know we're audio only, butthe painting behind me it's a
digital painting.
It's a buddy of mine, it's anartist.
That is how he told that story.
Embrace failure as learningopportunities.
Failure is just.
It's a stepping stone tosomething else.
Create more than you consume.
(33:51):
That's so huge.
It's something I'm 52.
Carol, I'm struggling with itnow.
I love.
There's so much wonderful stuffout there and I just want to
gobble it all up, but I want tobe somebody that makes things
more than somebody that consumesthings.
There's a saying at my company.
It's simplify and solveproblems.
(34:12):
That should be your goal as afilmmaker, whether you're a
producer, whether you're adirector, whether you're a
performer.
Simplify and solve problems arethe only two things, are two
key things that you, I couldtalk to you for.
Okay, most important thing,discipline is more important
(34:33):
than motivation.
Yes, back to the army.
You're gonna.
Motivation wanes, but if you'redisciplined, you repackage that
motivation over and, over andover and over, make it turn it
wrote.
And if you still love it, ifyou've done something 150 times
(34:54):
in a row and you still want toget it right, you're probably in
the right place.
Carole (34:59):
This is very true, very true, exactly.
Chance (35:03):
Yeah.
Carole (35:04):
Thank you so much for the guidance and the information
, and we all love your passion.
You're doing what you love todo.
Chance (35:12):
Yeah, yeah, the whole.
You know a lot of time.
Advice sounds like do what youwant to do and I think that
that's close.
But if I could use my own lifeand I am happy, I'm lovely wife,
great kids, my daughter workswith me, graduated from school
and now she works with I love, Ilove what's happened.
But I would say, rather than dowhat you want, do what comes
(35:37):
natural.
I think is better, and it maydrive you crazy that you're
really good at whatever the hellit is, but you're going to.
There's something better thanjoy and happiness.
Better than joy and happiness.
There's something it's morelike satisfaction is actually
(35:58):
more rewarding than joy, andthat might be the worst advice
ever, but it's true for me.
There are things that I do thatI'm good at, but I'm that are
maddening, but they're sosatisfying when they're done.
Carole (36:10):
Yes, yes and 800 films quite an achievement in one
lifetime.
Chance (36:16):
I feel like Carol, I swear to you, I don't even think
we've got started.
You know you're on the rightpath when you've done it 800
plus times and I'm like, guys,we can be so much better, the
families can be so much happier.
I think we're on the right path.
Carole (36:32):
You're on the right path .
Thank you very much, Chance.
We really appreciate it, Claire.
Thank you.
Claire (36:39):
Yes, and Carol, I have to say you took the words right
out of my mouth.
It's his passion.
That passion is what drivesthis whole thing that he's doing
and it's just amazing.
I'm so grateful you're doingthis work, chance.
Chance (36:53):
Thank you so much, claire and Carol.
And it's not just me, I knowfor real.
I have a team of people here,although we work under the
higher character first and thenskills later.
One of the films one of theearly films a guy told me that
people are just we're justreally smart monkeys and we can
learn to do about anything, butyou can't teach trust and you
(37:13):
can't teach character.
It's either there or it's notso um, so yeah, I've surrounded
myself with really great people,one of which is my daughter, so
I had a large hand in that onegood for you, that's's great.
Carole (37:27):
And you know story and you know like Save the Cat or
the sequel, any of these books.
You read them and you're like,yeah, that was cool.
Chance (37:56):
I picked up some good stuff.
Read the good ones.
Read the greats as if they'reholy scripture.
Take them so damn seriously.
Take notes.
They should be highlighted,sharpened.
You should try to memorizethings from them and then be
like I'm gonna get my own uhcynicism out of the way and
think, yeah, I know that soundsgood, but I can do it this way
(38:18):
because I'm special.
You're not.
Do what the greats say.
Do your best.
Don't.
Don't read for entertainment,read, read to get better.
There you you go.
More advice.
You didn't ask for that's verytrue, learn your craft.
Yes, oh, yes, I love it.
Learn while you earn.
Carole (38:39):
Learn while you earn Good job.
Okay, thank you very much.
Claire (38:46):
Thank you, Carol.
Okay, Be well everyone.
Thanks, Claire.
What if your life story was worthy of the big screen?
Not a slideshow, not a selfiereel, but a full-length,
beautifully shot documentarythat your grandkids will
treasure like gold?
Today we're diving into theheart of legacy with a man who's
made over 800 cinematic lifestories.
(00:28):
Chance McClain is a creativepowerhouse, blending a rich
background in filmmaking, radioand theater with a passion for
storytelling.
As the founder of HeritageFilms, chance has created more
than 800 feature-lengthdocumentaries celebrating family
(00:49):
stories and life legacies.
His work has connectedgenerations, preserving the
essence of individuals andfamilies through visually
(01:10):
stunning films.
A proud Army veteran and apioneer in narrative innovation,
chance's career spans sports,radio, broadway, musicals and
entrepreneurial filmmaking.
From directing a streamynominated film to writing and
producing an off-Broadwaymusical while running a sports
station, his versatility anddedication shine through.
And, carol, this must be arecord number of documentaries
(01:33):
for one person.
Carole (01:35):
Absolutely.
That's why we're so excited tohave you with us today, Chance.
Thank you for joining.
Chance (01:41):
Carol, thank you so much .
It is so gosh.
I feel like I'm sitting insomeone else's skin as you read
the intro.
It's just you kind of stumblealong, don't you?
Carole (01:53):
Yes, well, you've done a good job stumbling along.
You've made over 800documentaries, so tell us how
you started this journey.
Chance (02:03):
Sure, well, I had already had a pretty diverse
creative background radio, theoff-Broadway show, a narrative
musical film and several otherlittle offshoots, music songs.
I got into the creative spacefrom writing a song that went
(02:24):
viral about Yao Ming thebasketball player, and that's
what set me off on this journey.
And then, a little over adecade ago, a friend of mine
basically said hey, can you filmmy dad?
He's turning 75.
And I want to make sure my kidsknow who their football is.
And I had no skill or prep, butI'm like sure, I'll sit down
(02:44):
and visit with your dad.
And and that turned into thefirst film.
About about a year later, mystepdad told us at Thanksgiving
that he had stage fourpancreatic cancer and he and my
mom had been married for a whileand very close with them.
He was my father for allintents and purposes, just a
great, great guy.
(03:05):
But I certainly didn't know alot about his background and I
had done, by this point, ahandful of these little life
story shows.
I didn't even know what to callthem at the time, but I asked
if he would sit down and do thefilm and I had a friend do the
interview and he talked to himon a Tuesday and he passed away
on Sunday.
(03:25):
So he was told he had a year to18 months to live, and it ended
up only being about two months,and it was only after that that
my wife and I recognized thatthis is something that's beyond
just another project or a gig,but it's something that people
need.
So we started what does thislook like?
How do we do it?
And now, here now, I'm visitingwith you, carol.
(03:48):
We are still figuring it out,but we definitely have a system
that works and, thank God, thereare enough people out there
that love their families andfeel like a film is a way to
lock down the stories and thevalues and the principles.
It's just, it's a good mediumfor it.
Carole (04:09):
It's an excellent medium .
So tell us how you approach thestory development when you're
working with families who'venever been in front of a camera.
Chance (04:19):
You nailed it.
My goal number one.
You certainly hit it exactlyright.
They've never been in front ofa camera.
We swoop in with lights andcameras and microphones and
clappers and all the all the funtoys of our trade, but we want
them to forget any of that crap.
Is there we?
I just want to talk to you, Iwant to visit with you and make
you forget all that's there.
(04:40):
Um, the way we approach thestory is we have the subject,
the key subject, or as well asthe people that care most about
them fill out some forms or havesome conversations with me
ahead of time.
So I know, I know just enoughto be dangerous about them.
I have a.
(05:00):
I have a going back to 2014.
I wrote up like genericquestions that I would want to
ask my great grandma or mygrandma, and so I have this raw
starting place.
But then, when I start gettingfeedback from their children,
from their siblings, from theirhigh school friends, college
roommates, anybody, anybody thatcares about them, you start to
(05:22):
develop a composite of who theyare as a person, and my goal as
a filmmaker is to present whothey authentically are as a
person, and that's where thestory comes from.
You start to see patterns,trends Like, for example, if
four or five people want somelady to talk about her high
(05:44):
school years or being on thedrill team or whatever it may be
.
Well, I realized that wasimportant to her and it's
important to her family.
So I need to linger on that alittle bit while we're visiting.
As far as creating an actualnarrative story, which is what
we do, using all of the tools ofall of the Robert McKee and
Joseph Campbell, all of thosestuff of what is the Robert
(06:04):
McKee and Joseph Campbell, allof those stuff of what is a
movie, what is a story, we wantto stick with that.
At beginning, middle and end,payoffs, emotional swings we
want all of that in there.
That all happens in post.
We have the long conversationand I have an idea of where it's
going.
I take notes while I'm visitingwith a subject or subjects, and
then we have a post-productionmeeting of you know, here's the,
(06:27):
here's the film we thought wewere making, here's what
actually happened in theinterview, and then here's the
story that is.
Carole (06:37):
Wow, so it really comes to life in post, like everybody
says, that's where the film wasborn.
That's great to know.
So what you're doing is you'reblending high-end film equipment
with deeply personal stories.
So, uh, can you tell us more ofwhat the production is like
behind the scenes, when you comein with all your equipment, etc
(06:59):
.
Chance (06:59):
yeah, absolutely yeah, so we'll show.
Well, I, I can use it and I sowhen we started, like I make,
I've made films, I've mademovies, I've made, I like, I
like production, I like gear, Ilike, I like the whole scene of
showing up.
I've worked on big movie sets.
I know that jam and I like it.
So when I started I wanted tobring that to the families.
(07:22):
So we would roll in with fiveor six people in a crew and set
up and boom mics and all youknow it was just this big old
calamity in their living room.
And in fact when we firststarted we would go to a
soundstage in Bel Air and thenyou hit a few breaks and you
realize you don't know what todo, kind of like the Ron
Burgundy I don't know what to dowith my hands.
(07:42):
The person would be sittingthere on a break and it was
awkward.
So then we started going topeople's homes.
But yeah, so as the company hasevolved, we've made it less
intimidating.
We still have all the sameequipment, but rather than
having five or six lights, we'vegot three really, really good
(08:04):
ones.
The right equipment, the righttool.
And then we used to havecameramen behind every camera.
Well, now technology has madeit so that we can build my
little.
I'm doing the interview and I'vegot monitors from each of the
cameras two, three, four,however many it is.
Where I can, I'm watchingautofocus and if they drift out,
I can make the changes withtechnology so that there's not
(08:28):
so that I'm talking to you,you're not performing to me, and
three cameramen, we're justtalking and um.
But we come in, we show up onsite while the crew, which may
be two or three people tops um,is setting up.
I'm in a different room withour key subject or subjects and
we're just chit-chatting.
(08:48):
I've read all about them.
I know that she was in drillteam, I know that he got into
the oil business or whateverthey did.
We're just kind of looselytalking, talking, chit-chatting,
and then eventually we carrythat very casual conversation
into where all the equipment is.
We don't make a big deal aboutit, we plop down and I said,
okay, we, and now we're.
Now we're making a movie asopposed to having coffee in the
(09:08):
kitchen.
Carole (09:11):
Wonderful.
You've got them all relaxed andand they will allow you to work
in one room while they're inanother.
That's perfect.
That's when they're comfortablewith you.
Chance (09:21):
Yes, ma'am.
Carole (09:22):
Well, tell us one of the most unexpected or touching
moments that you've captured ina heritage film.
Chance (09:31):
Boy.
There's 800 of them, everyone,every.
I'm telling you.
It's so trite to say everyonehas a story to tell, but I'm
telling you they do.
You just got to get authentic,get real.
Real, I didn't prepare one, butwhen you said it, the first one
that came to my mind was I wasdoing a film for a gentleman
who's a in his early 80s.
(09:52):
He had two sons.
The youngest son is the onethat that wanted the film of dad
.
Well, the two boys, when theywere young like 16 and 18, got
into some big pissing matchabout something, got in a fight
and they literally hadn't talkedfor 35 years.
It was a true fracture in thefamily.
Now dad got along with bothboys, but they don't.
(10:17):
And I don't mean grandma diedand they said hello at the
funeral.
The men had never talked.
Well, dad mentioned this riftin the show we call it a show in
the interview and so I kind ofjust stored that there.
And then we get done and I'mtalking to my client, the son,
(10:37):
after and I told him it wentreally well.
I said you know he had a lot ofgood things to say about you
and your brother and I know youguys went really well, I said
you know he had a lot of goodthings to say about you and your
brother, and I know you guysdon't talk and he's like, yeah,
expletive, expletive, that guy.
And, by the way, the fight, thefight was literally over a car
and a girl, a car and a girl.
When they were teenagers theyjust took different paths in
life and hated each other.
(10:57):
Well, what makes it touching iswhen the film was done, my
client sent it to his father,who sent it to the other son and
the other son watched it andabout a month after we had
wrapped and it was all notwrapped the film was done.
(11:19):
I get a text from my client, oneof these texts you ever get,
these that are this long andlong story.
Short, long text, short.
His brother reached out to himand they had reconnected and
their families were together.
He was te makes me more crythat he texted me from the
family being together and it was.
And it was because it wasn't me, it was because dad told his
whole story and buried in hisdad's story was some tension
(11:43):
between his dad and his brotherthat they solved anyway.
So that's, that's one, that'sjust some.
Some guy down the street fromfrom you.
Right now, those types ofstories are sitting right there.
Carole (11:57):
That's terrific.
And they got together againbecause they were missing.
What a deal they missed allthat time in life together.
So your background includessports, radio, broadway and
filmmaking.
So how do all these inform yourstorytelling process?
Chance (12:15):
Yeah, gosh Well, sports.
I think it goes further thanthat.
You touched on some of thecreative endeavors I worked in,
but I also I was in the army forfour years.
I had several different salesjobs.
I worked in the oil patchselling downhole drilling tools.
For a couple of years I workedin industrial sales in uniform
(12:37):
business.
I worked in restaurants.
I have this crazy, crazybackground where none of it
seems to click together theLegos that God dumped in my lap.
I did not build one set.
I made something really weirdand it never made sense until I
had been doing my Heritage Filmsfor a couple years, where I
(12:57):
basically have the ability tofind some common ground with
about anybody.
Have the ability to find somecommon ground with about anybody
.
You know in Dale Carnegie howto Win Friends and Influence
People.
There's two key things thatcome out of that book.
Number one is find commonground with somebody.
Now you've got something tohook into and then ask short
(13:21):
questions with long answers.
Well, that's my company.
I want to ask short questionswith long answers.
I want to find common ground sothat you'll open up to me, and
all of that disparate backgroundis what allowed to do it.
You know I've got Broadwaychops.
I lived in New York for a whilewhile my show was failing.
That put me super attenuatedwith a high, high, high arts
community.
Very, very and I love thesepeople, the artsy, fartsy people
(13:46):
.
They're great, the people thattheir emotion is right on the.
It's right there.
Oil and gas background Well,heck, I'm in Texas.
About a third of my films Ispeak oil and gas right.
Ranches, farms.
I've got background there.
I'm comfortable there.
(14:25):
Sports radio what I think sportsradio did because I didn't just
work in sports radio, I alsoworked for the've done have been
with famous people politicians,celebrities, athletes.
Well, you don't wanna walk inthere or just like crazy rich
people that have their own wayof going about life.
You can't be starstruck or youlose credibility.
Well, I had my exposure.
I got to meet Kobe.
I got to meet Shaquille O'Neal.
(14:46):
I got to all these people.
Um, help me in in that regard.
The internet component I gotinto video.
Um, I got when technology kindof allowed it, when you could
afford it.
I sold my four, I cashed in my401k to buy a bunch of equipment
because I had to make thiscrazy musical movie that we were
going to release online.
That was kind of the beginningof my.
(15:09):
I've always liked technology,but that that's when the wave
started where I've tried to stayon top of technology the whole
time and through it, all through, through all of the creative
endeavors.
At the root of it is that storystructure.
I mentioned Joseph Campbell,robert McKee, the best book in
the world on it.
To me it's the simplest.
(15:30):
Okay, it's like coloring booklevel, simple, but it's called
Invisible Ink by Brian McDonaldand it's just another way to
break down what a story is.
You know the save the cat,those types of things to break
down what a story is.
You know the save the cat,those type of things.
What a story is?
What are the beats of a story?
And and whether whether it's ajoke, like a joke is a story or
(15:51):
it's a.
It's Game of Thrones, eightseasons, multi arc.
At the root of it is what astory is and and we take all of
that into I'm talking to grandmaand grandpa for a day or two
and we're going to stuff thatinto the Invisible Inc story or
we're going to stuff it intoJoseph Campbell, or we're going
to stuff it because it's there.
(16:12):
It's there and the proper storyformat is what makes it
accessible to people now andfuture generations.
Carole (16:19):
Wow, that's wonderful.
What I like best is that you'vehad all the sales jobs, because
filmmakers have to beparalegals, they have to know
law, they have to be able to dotheir accounting, they almost
have to be a bookkeeper, andsales is the one thing they
(16:40):
don't want to have anything todo with it oh gosh.
Without sales.
Chance (16:44):
Don't, I know it.
So the first thing I ever didthat I could say that made me
want to get into this.
It was about 2000,.
I'm going to say three or four.
I went to one of those DoveSimmons two-day seminars.
Remember Dove?
Yes, and I was a fish out ofwater.
Okay, I'm walking in there andthere's people in their berets
(17:06):
and super like, these people areartists and I'm not, but I take
things like that very seriously.
So I took obsessively, tooknotes and he he touched on what
you just said, Carol.
He was like look, to getstarted in this business, it
takes money and your number onejob you got the next blockbuster
(17:29):
.
That's great.
If you don't have money, youdon't have nothing.
And so he went into that aboutthere's some salesmanship
Getting a check from somebody.
You are selling yourself andyou're selling your vision.
Carole (17:43):
I haven't thought about that in 20 years, but he
absolutely talked about thatdove was so great at that
because he I was sellingshorthands of film at that time.
So always invite me to uh hisevents and say if you really
want good film cheap, talk togeraldine.
Oh my my.
Chance (18:02):
God.
So you knew Dove, or know Dove?
Oh, my gosh, yeah, oh, you wereroyalty to me then Because he
had this like you know, once youget into the business, people
look at it almost like a cheesyintroduction, kind of like
filmmakers with Roger Corman,they kind of, oh, he makes
B-movies, but they all watchedthem and they all liked them,
(18:23):
like, right.
So I, because I wasn't in theindustry, I held onto his every
word.
I still, I still do dude thingsI learned in that class.
I apply on every single film.
Like he's like, look, you'reoverthinking your.
Shot it in frame, is it infocus?
Hit record that's great.
Carole (18:47):
Now we sold to corman.
I loved corman because, ofcourse, he uh what they call the
b movies spielberg took a bmovie, uh, with jaws and this
and corman had to rethink how hewas going to survive because
all of the real movie makers,all the studios, then jumped on
(19:10):
to Corman for his ideas.
Chance (19:12):
Yes, oh, and his back.
I mean my gosh with, with JimCameron's background in his in
his scene shop.
I, uh, oh, you just made me so.
And, by the way, just tomention Jaws to me, you just
mentioned to me like thegreatest movie ever made, I
think.
I just think it's perfect, Ithink it's a perfect movie.
Carole (19:31):
Yes, it truly is.
Well, that brings me to funding.
So let's talk funding.
How do you usually financeheritage films and how has your
business moved since then, anddid your sales ability help you
with your financing?
Chance (19:49):
I uh to answer your question yes, yes and yes, the I
it's.
I have been in sales and I wasgood at sales, but I was never
comfortable in sales.
I had that terrible impostersyndrome and I was so excited to
visit with you because the thethe niche topic that you're
covering, is something that Ifeel I feel on the outside of
(20:12):
our industry, because you couldcall these vanity pieces almost,
but they're not.
But, but we're making filmsthat the families are funding
them.
What we create is we don't havethis giant audience.
When you make a movie, whenSteven Spielberg makes a movie,
he wants a billion people towatch it.
(20:33):
And even when Ken Burns make adocumentary, he his goal is how
broad can I be so that there's awide audience for it?
Well, my goal is very, very.
It's the family and the peoplethey love the most.
It's a very small audience andso the funding out of the gate
was done by.
People would find out about me,and I would.
(20:55):
I would tell them here's howmuch it costs and then they
would pay for it.
I have never had to go out andseek outside funding for the
productions the family fundingthemselves.
As the business has developed,it's definitely been systemized
and I have a sales guy now.
(21:16):
So when people call he handlesa lot of that.
I still do some If still, Istill stay, if I, if, if a lead
comes in and I see somethingthat's very, very germane to my
life, I I'm like, if they saythey love Dr Pepper, I'm calling
them because I love Dr Pepper.
Um, but the business itself hasbeen it's you could say it's
(21:39):
funded by the audience.
You could say it looks a lotlike a Kickstarter, because the
creation that they're makingthey're funding and so even in
our credits, when the executiveproducer line comes up, it is my
client.
Because what do we know in thefilm world?
I learned this from DoveExecutive producer does two
(22:01):
things he pays for it, he getsthe money together and and he
signs off on, signs off on it.
Well, that is what my clientdoes.
They're going to pay for themovie and then when we get to
where it's review time andthey're ready to do a client
review, they watch it and wehave an online tool that they
use to give us feedback.
You know we'll misspellsomeone's name.
(22:23):
I might spell your name one ofthe other ways to spell, carol
and you're like, hey, that's nothow I spell my name, so I think
I answered your question.
I hope, yes, you did.
Carole (22:32):
That's really great.
You had a great idea and itfunded itself.
But you had to do the work andget the referrals, because Texas
is really big on referrals.
It's who you know and peopletalk to each other.
Chance (22:48):
Absolutely.
I have no business withoutreferrals and, oddly enough, we
lump our referrals into repeats.
Also, we've had families thatwe've done four and five
different films.
We I'm a Walt Disney devotee,the man I love.
I love what he did with theparks, I love what he did in
animation, I love what he didnarrative work, documentary work
(23:09):
.
I just think.
I just think he was a one of akind guy and he believed very
deeply in not just quality ofexecution so quality of your
product, your film but also inquality of experience.
And we have brought that intoour business, where when we show
up, we want not before we showup we want you to have fun.
Look, we're about to go downmemory lane with your family and
(23:31):
you got photo albums.
You got all this crap that'sbeen sitting on shelves
gathering dust.
We'll get them out and havesome fun looking through it.
You're going to be stirringdad's memories, which is going
to be good for the production,but you need to enjoy that.
You need to watch your dad havethese memories too and, oh my
gosh, I remember that so thatwhen we come in they're bright
eyed and bushy tailed becausethey've had this little trip
(23:52):
down memory lane where they'vehad fun, and then we just do it
again over the course of a day,two or more.
Carole (23:59):
Oh, this is wonderful.
Chance (24:08):
Well, tell us how people can reach you heritage films.
Sure, yourheritagefilmcom, andwe also have um
farmandranchfilmscom, so many ofour films, like you mentioned,
we go, we're all over thecountry but we started in texas
and a lot of our productionshave been out out on the ranches
or out in the farms and theywere different enough of a
production that we started adedicated.
Basically it's the same as aheritage film, but the land is
(24:28):
one of the characters is the wayI explain it.
But yourheritagefilmcom gets tous.
Carole (24:35):
Okay, that's great.
So do clients ever licensetheir fees for public use or
festivals, or are they purelyprivate?
Chance (24:44):
they.
Thusly they've been purelyprivate.
So part of part of what Imentioned before is the, the
intimacy.
Yes, they get very intimate.
They get we I I have cried morethan most people you've talked
to.
We have.
Five to ten percent of ourfilms are people at the level of
hospice.
Now, 90% are just regular folks, perfectly normal, great.
(25:05):
But given the nature of what wedo, there are certain people
that get really really bad newsand they know they can call us
so.
Because we get so intimate,they keep them personal.
They really do this iscommunicating with the key
person and the family.
(25:25):
I can tell you this we've donesome that should.
We did a film for this fella.
He was telling me a story.
I could talk about him forever,but the culmination of this one
story was when he was about 40years old.
He had a backpack and satchelswith a million dollars and he
was jumping out of an airplaneinto Colombia to go rescue a
(25:48):
kidnapped engineer in the oilworld.
And, mind you, when he'stelling me this story, I'm
thinking this is a fishing story, this is a lie.
He's full of it, he's totallyfull of it.
He's living this story.
He wants to be the cool grandpa.
Well, we get done with thefilming, we're going through
looking at pictures and then,sure enough, there's a picture
(26:10):
of him with skydiving goggles onand a backpack and I'm like,
wow, that's boy, he's really,really, really going, he's going
far on this one.
Well, we get intopost-production where we're
doing research and stuff.
And I'll be damned if thereisn't a 1983 New York Times
story about the director ofsecurity for xyz oil company who
(26:32):
made a daring jump intocolombia and I'm like, holy crap
, made me want to go back andget deeper into the story
because I just kind of let himtell his I thought he was lying.
Well, there's been time.
His life could be a story.
There's so many that that wouldbe.
And the lessons and stuff thatare coming out of the again, the
, the guy down the street, theyshould, they should all be
(26:53):
silver screen stories oh wow,that sounds so good.
Carole (26:57):
Well um, have you ever thought of turning heritage
films into a franchise model?
Chance (27:04):
a hundred percent.
Yes, there are other peoplethat do things similar to to.
I would argue and maybe it's myown hubris, but that we do it
better, at a higher level andmore of them.
But there are people that aredoing fantastic work in this
space and we have a system Now.
You asked me the question halfan hour ago about my background.
(27:25):
Well, the Army part of it.
That is where I learneddiscipline.
That is where I learnedprocesses.
That is where I learnedprocesses.
That is where I learned systems.
We use things literally from mytime in the 90s in the Army.
Right now, in 2025, we use SOPs, standard operating procedures.
We have manuals for stuff.
We PMCS our equipment, primarymaintenance, checks and services
(27:46):
.
Our cameras damn, it are ingood shape, right, things like
that and I believe that thesystem itself, as far as a
business, beyond just filmmaking, that the system that we've
created is scalable and isfranchisable.
So that is, you're reading intomy future.
So yes, ma'am.
Carole (28:07):
That sounds fantastic.
So when you handle sensitivestories of family drama on
camera, do you have anyboundaries you set?
Chance (28:19):
I don't, but the families do.
So I mentioned the forms thatthey fill out.
Every form has a behind thescenes.
We call them landmines, butwithin, within the families,
it's because of Vietnam there'sso many people of the of the
Vietnam War generation that youknow I did a few films where I
walked, I stepped on landminesand realized that I triggered
(28:40):
some guy that really had sometough stuff in his background.
So we included on every formanything we shouldn't discuss,
and so I know, I know where andhow to avoid those type of
things.
Now, most of the time and I domean most of the time they will
write that down and then, oncewe are talking, I'll give you a
(29:01):
perfect story, if I may.
We are filming a Vietnam era guy.
His name's Bruce, and he wroteon there absolutely will not
discuss the Vietnam conflict.
I said, done so while I wasvisiting with him.
I, uh, I talked up till he gotdrafted and I said then, you
know, you got a crappy letter inthe mail and and then you had a
(29:21):
couple of years of madness andthen, but you got, you got back
home and this girl that you hadmet, I mean clearly she's in the
other room.
It worked out well, so.
So, and this girl that you hadmet, I mean, clearly she's in
the other room.
It worked out well, so tell meabout how things picked up when
you got home and he goes.
Yeah, she was what he goes.
Let me tell you why.
I don't talk about Vietnam.
And then he spends an hourgiving the most horrible.
(29:45):
That involved taking human lifewith knives in cars, in trucks.
It was absolutely horrible.
He cried his eyes out.
He got mad.
He got mad at me, he got mad atthe world, calmed down, went
through it all, laughed.
I thanked him for his service,told him I loved him, told him
(30:06):
the world loves you.
And when he got done, he said Isaid well, bruce, you literally
said you didn't want to talkabout that.
So I'm going to honor what yousaid and we won't include that
in the film.
Um, but thank you, thank youfor that honesty and thank you
for and he said I, I, that wasthe first time in his entire
life that he had ever talkedabout it and he goes.
(30:27):
No, I think it's time.
By the way, he, he, he was oneof those hospice guys.
He was, he was, uh, he was onhis way out, um, but he said I
think it's time and I'd like foryou to include it, and so so we
did.
So that happens more often thanyou'd care to believe that the
loss of children is horrible.
(30:48):
These are the most uplifting,fun films, but their life throws
us all types of crap right.
Life does we try to find thesilver linings around things and
talk through the tough stuff.
And then how did we getstronger from it?
And, and it works.
But yeah, the sensitive stuff,it's all it's in all of our
lives.
Ex-spouses is tough.
(31:09):
The alcoholic parents abuse,abuse, everything you can fathom
.
Something happens in that roomwhere they do forget.
The cameras are there and theyopen up to me, to us, to my team
, and we defer to that, to thesubject and to the executive
producer.
Anytime something is too overthe top, we defer to that, to to
the subject and to theexecutive producer.
(31:30):
Anything, anytime something isis too, too over the top, we
defer to them and, uh, and itworks and it works.
Carole (31:39):
But they must be comfortable for you to get to
really punch that button wherethey open up.
They have to be in acomfortable place and they have
to trust you and like you.
Those are the two things theyhave to get over to give you
their heart.
Chance (31:56):
Yeah, I try to let them know that I am the surrogate for
people with your last name thathaven't been born yet.
You wish you had this of yourgreat-grandfather, right?
He grew up in the let's see1900, right at the turn of the
century.
Probably he had a life that isso foreign to you.
(32:16):
He might as well be out of amovie.
Well, your childhood, mrSo-and-so that grew up in the
50s or the 40s, your childhoodis going to be just as insane to
your great grandkids.
Don't you want to tell themwhat it was like ma'am with your
poodle, with your crazy poodleskirts, or or ma'am with your
go-go boots and you're 17,looking like that?
(32:37):
Don't you want to share thatwith your kids, great greats
that ain't been born?
And eventually it clicks intheir head that I'm doing an act
of service that I wish I had,and I think that's why the
barriers go down.
I don't think I'm magic.
Carole (32:50):
I had, and I think that's why the barriers go down.
I don't think I'm magic.
Well, you do create acomfortable place for sure.
So tell us what advice you havefor indie filmmakers who want
to create sustainable careerstelling meaningful stories
without waiting for permissionfrom Hollywood.
Chance (33:06):
Number one.
It's the same, as I'm sureyou've heard a lot Just do it.
It's like a Nike commercialJust do it.
Chase your dream, use what youhave, use what you have and do
it.
The story, the story has todominate and rule all.
Write your story first and thenpick the medium.
That's from Dove.
Yeah, write the story first andmaybe it's a movie, but maybe
it's a book, maybe it's and thisis from Invisible Ink.
(33:28):
Also, maybe it's a painting.
You know we're audio only, butthe painting behind me it's a
digital painting.
It's a buddy of mine, it's anartist.
That is how he told that story.
Embrace failure as learningopportunities.
Failure is just.
It's a stepping stone tosomething else.
Create more than you consume.
(33:51):
That's so huge.
It's something I'm 52.
Carol, I'm struggling with itnow.
I love.
There's so much wonderful stuffout there and I just want to
gobble it all up, but I want tobe somebody that makes things
more than somebody that consumesthings.
There's a saying at my company.
It's simplify and solveproblems.
(34:12):
That should be your goal as afilmmaker, whether you're a
producer, whether you're adirector, whether you're a
performer.
Simplify and solve problems arethe only two things, are two
key things that you, I couldtalk to you for.
Okay, most important thing,discipline is more important
(34:33):
than motivation.
Yes, back to the army.
You're gonna.
Motivation wanes, but if you'redisciplined, you repackage that
motivation over and, over andover and over, make it turn it
wrote.
And if you still love it, ifyou've done something 150 times
(34:54):
in a row and you still want toget it right, you're probably in
the right place.
Carole (34:59):
This is very true, very true, exactly.
Chance (35:03):
Yeah.
Carole (35:04):
Thank you so much for the guidance and the information
, and we all love your passion.
You're doing what you love todo.
Chance (35:12):
Yeah, yeah, the whole.
You know a lot of time.
Advice sounds like do what youwant to do and I think that
that's close.
But if I could use my own lifeand I am happy, I'm lovely wife,
great kids, my daughter workswith me, graduated from school
and now she works with I love, Ilove what's happened.
But I would say, rather than dowhat you want, do what comes
(35:37):
natural.
I think is better, and it maydrive you crazy that you're
really good at whatever the hellit is, but you're going to.
There's something better thanjoy and happiness.
Better than joy and happiness.
There's something it's morelike satisfaction is actually
(35:58):
more rewarding than joy, andthat might be the worst advice
ever, but it's true for me.
There are things that I do thatI'm good at, but I'm that are
maddening, but they're sosatisfying when they're done.
Carole (36:10):
Yes, yes and 800 films quite an achievement in one
lifetime.
Chance (36:16):
I feel like Carol, I swear to you, I don't even think
we've got started.
You know you're on the rightpath when you've done it 800
plus times and I'm like, guys,we can be so much better, the
families can be so much happier.
I think we're on the right path.
Carole (36:32):
You're on the right path .
Thank you very much, Chance.
We really appreciate it, Claire.
Thank you.
Claire (36:39):
Yes, and Carol, I have to say you took the words right
out of my mouth.
It's his passion.
That passion is what drivesthis whole thing that he's doing
and it's just amazing.
I'm so grateful you're doingthis work, chance.
Chance (36:53):
Thank you so much, claire and Carol.
And it's not just me, I knowfor real.
I have a team of people here,although we work under the
higher character first and thenskills later.
One of the films one of theearly films a guy told me that
people are just we're justreally smart monkeys and we can
learn to do about anything, butyou can't teach trust and you
(37:13):
can't teach character.
It's either there or it's notso um, so yeah, I've surrounded
myself with really great people,one of which is my daughter, so
I had a large hand in that onegood for you, that's's great.
Carole (37:27):
And you know story and you know like Save the Cat or
the sequel, any of these books.
You read them and you're like,yeah, that was cool.
Chance (37:56):
I picked up some good stuff.
Read the good ones.
Read the greats as if they'reholy scripture.
Take them so damn seriously.
Take notes.
They should be highlighted,sharpened.
You should try to memorizethings from them and then be
like I'm gonna get my own uhcynicism out of the way and
think, yeah, I know that soundsgood, but I can do it this way
(38:18):
because I'm special.
You're not.
Do what the greats say.
Do your best.
Don't.
Don't read for entertainment,read, read to get better.
There you you go.
More advice.
You didn't ask for that's verytrue, learn your craft.
Yes, oh, yes, I love it.
Learn while you earn.
Carole (38:39):
Learn while you earn Good job.
Okay, thank you very much.
Claire (38:46):
Thank you, Carol.
Okay, Be well everyone.
Thanks, Claire.
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