Today we’d like to introduce you to Connor Pannell.
Connor, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I was first introduced to film with my grandfather’s VHS camcorder. As a 10-year-old, I loved two things; LEGOs and the video game, Halo. The camcorder caught my eye when I discovered I could emulate the first-person perspective by holding a water gun in one hand, camera in the other. That moment created my fascination with creating and sharing a world inside a small “box,” per se.
From that discovery, I started recreating scenes from movies I enjoyed. I shot my first 10-minute short film and walked onto a feature-film set as a craft-services PA the summer before 8th grade. The feature was shot locally in my home town of Athens, GA. Seeing the operations of a multi-million dollar set only bolstered my desire to pursue a career as a director-cinematographer. The cast and crew were some of the kindest people I had met– I’m grateful they took the time to humor the questions of a young adolescent. They inspired me to hold onto the goal of becoming a director.
High School progressed and I continued making short films along with starting my own after-school film club. During college, I filmed weddings to stay afloat financially. By my sophomore year, I was on my way to spend a month in Cannes, France for the Cannes film festival via a study abroad program through UGA’s Grady College. Before I knew it, I found myself at Gotha Club, filming a promotion for Rick Ross and Justin Bieber while they were touring during the festival. That experience gave me a taste of both the business and social elements within the film industry. It also taught me that the industry was accessible by staying committed, keeping at it, and trusting your intention. As I continued my work and studies, roughly a year later I was selected to participate on a trip to Israel with The BackStory Group. The trip functioned as an effort to further working relations between Israelis and Americans within the film industry.
About a year after graduating college, I was working on lighting and doing second-unit cinematography for Barred Owl Productions & Black Hall Studios’ independent feature, Burnt Offering. After wrap, I continued cinematography work on various shorts, commercials, and a feature. I also began writing a series. A few months later, Barred Owl Productions’ Steven Perez expressed interest in executive-producing the series I had written and planned to direct. Now, we are wrapping up post on the pilot. The pilot will air early February on THEA, a premium video content app run by Choose ATL. Moving forward, we intend to release the first season within 2019.
The path felt random, but looking back, it makes all the sense in the world.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Far from it, I’ve hit the doldrums several times. But anything in life worth doing is never easy. As you move forward in any career, you’re bound to swim with the sharks at some point. Self-doubt plagues us all– acceptance of that and keeping a clear, objective mindset is what helped me stay afloat. Film is war, and your network is worth its weight in gold. Perseverance is the key.
Midnight Rooster – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Midnight Rooster specializes in concept-drafting and direction of narrative-driven, fictional content. As my company is relatively new, we currently anticipate the premiere of our upcoming serial narrative, Americana, in association with Barred Owl Productions. What makes Midnight Rooster different is that the aim of the company is focused primarily on fictional storytelling through shorts, web-series, series, and feature content.
What initially drew me into film was its ability to bring people together at the venue and after. Midnight Rooster represents that at its core. Our end goal is just to tell a good story and share that with an audience.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success, in my eyes, is a healthy mix between a recognized body of work, along with a network I value as much as my own family. I firmly believe that the relationships we cultivate are what create meaning, happiness, and fulfillment in the work we do.
In terms of attaining a recognized body of work, release of the first season of my upcoming series and attaining an audience is an important milestone. The existence of the series alone is a significant milestone as well because I would not have been able to get it where it is now on my own. That, to me, is a sign that I’ve surrounded myself with reliable, hard-working colleagues and friends.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 7066145036
- Email: connorappannell@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/connorpannell/
- Other: https://www.thea.network/media/333093
Image Credit:
Michael Shirley
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