Across a dorm room table sits Jeremy Cropf and Patrick Cannell, sophomores of New York University’s Film and Music Composition programs, respectively. They casually talk of action movies, music, and the typical all-nighters college students experience in producing a finished academic product. As they begin discussing their latest project, Cropf and Cannell confidently embrace the director and composer within themselves to describe with passionate eloquence, the process by which they and other fellow students, produced a full length feature action film, The Disk: Code Zero.
The Disk: Code Zero is the second installment of Cropf’s short 2007 film, continuing with the story of young CIA recruits whom are all after “the disk,” exploring their dramatic interactions and varying motivations behind seeking the disk. With a meager budget of 7,000 dollars, Cropf covered the costs of camera equipment, securing film locations and non-professional actors, and recruited a production team that included Patrick Cannell, whose compositional talent conveniently resided a few steps down the hall.
Provided with the simple theme written for the first movie, Cannell was given the creative freedom to compose an original score. The goal: to achieve a feel and mood for the film that was driven by vibe and ambiance. He drew inspiration from the music of Bourne Ultimatum, explaining, “Composer John Powell, did a wonderful job of combining a rhythmic element that added tremendous tension and motion.” With The Disk: Code Zero’s fast-paced action and motion, Cannell crafted a soundtrack inspired by similar scores that blurred the boundaries between classical and contemporary to incorporate ethnic drums and synthesizers with a full orchestra.
Cannell’s concept of the music was well received by Cropf, who would provide feedback and guidance in the form of descriptive ideas rather than specific musical qualities. Cannell experimented thoroughly in his creative processes to discover that sometimes the music would flow, and other times it simply would not. “The small, nitty-gritty stuff does matter. With slower passages, one chord can shift it so much.” To exemplify his point, Cannell described how composer Hans Zimmer would work in his studio until 11 in the morning trying to come up with a melody, which in the end was only three seconds long.
Cropf, who debuted his first feature-length in St. Louis, spoke about the impression the music made on both himself and his audience. “One of the things I am most proud of is the soundtrack. For every scene of the movie, I immediately think of the music that goes along with it.” He mentions a specific scene of the movie, where a massive raid on a government building cuts back and forth between characters as people are being killed left and right. Cropf explains that this scene was written specifically with music in mind, as all sound effect audio is cut and overtaken by the music to create an eerie and twisted effect. Feedback from the St. Louis audience included comments that the music did not overpower, but complemented the scenes with a beautiful and haunting score.
As Cropf divulged the grueling process of filmmaking, he described the consecutive late nights invested in the production of the film, adding that Cannell had written the score to his two-hour film within a week. Commenting on his ability to do so, Cannell explained his theory on the wonderful aspects of time, and how enough of it can allow you to listen to and draw musical inspiration from everyday experiences. He emphasized that time is always a tremendous driver, and that the mind can produce amazing things under intense pressure. He advises fellow composers not to become too attached to specific scenes. “Do what you can when you can, and don’t get caught up on something. A movie is in constant progressive motion, and you must always move with the movie.”
Cropf advises fellow directors in a similar way, explaining that some of the best work in any artistic medium is created under last-minute conditions of pressure. “Over 350 people showed up for the screening in a theater for 400. I was 30 minutes late and told the crew to stall because I was still working on it. I had such little time but had to make sure everything was perfect. And it wouldn’t have been as good if I hadn’t polished it.” Cropf also implores future directors to work with a team that genuinely cares about the project, assuring them that quality of work is directly associated with one’s passion and devotion. He could tell that Cannell was passionate and dedicated to his craft, and the evidence is written in the astoundingly effective score he wrote for the film.
Cropf is already pondering what Cannell will do for his next film. The musical success of The Disk: Code Zero has solidified a working relationship between the two that will continue to mature with their growing careers. As they continue to surpass the boyish aspirations of typical 19-year olds, Jeremy Cropf and Patrick Cannell can rest assured that their presence in the film industry has only just begun. But for now, they must return to their dorm rooms to face a challenge more typical of regular college students: finals week.
LINKS:
The Disk: Code Zero
http://cornerfilmproductions.com/
Official Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWUO9XcWERw
Interviews With Actors
http://www.schooltube.com/video/15182/The-Disk-2-Code-Zero-Interview-with-the-Actors
Articles on The Disk: Code Zero
http://suburbanjournals.stltoday.com/articles/2008/12/23/west/special_feature/1224wcj-codezero0.tx
http://podcast.kmox.com/kmox/1495466.mp3
http://stlouis.ujcfedweb.org/page.aspx?id=188993
http://toastedrav.com/post/5599_trickset_debuts_their_parkour_moves_on_the_big_screen_in_the_disk_code_zero
Contact Information
Both Jeremy Cropf and Patrick Cannell can be found on Facebook and LinkedIn
Patrick Cannell’s Myspace page, featuring his music
http://www.myspace.com/patrickcannell
