Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/619377
76 P E R S P E C T I V E | J A N UA RY / F E B R UA RY 2 0 1 6 Coogler co-wrote and directed the film. When he and I sat down and talked about the script, Coogler told me how much his own father loved the Rocky movies. The story of the everyday man going the distance and working hard to achieve his dreams and give his family a better life is something that resonated with many people in 1976 and still touches people today. When Coogler's father became ill, they would watch the Rocky movies, not only as a distraction from the extremely difficult time they were going through, but also for the message, and during that time he and his father bonded more so than ever. It was from that experience that the idea for this movie was born. Coogler and I knew that Creed had to stand alone and be its own film, while also honoring the Rocky film series. I remember watching the first Rocky when I was seven years old, and shadow boxing with my brothers. I'd sing the Rocky theme song "Gonna Fly Now" by Bill Conti and I, unfortunately, was always the opponent, inevitably getting "knocked out" while my brothers did their victory dance around the living room. Those early films were a big part of our lives as kids. When I re-watched the films, I focused on the work of Production Designer Bill Cassidy on Rocky. There was something so organic and raw about the design and decoration of the first film that made the environment almost tangible. I realized the budget for Rocky was challenging, to say the least, and oftentimes that will inform choices for better or worse, but Cassidy's design possessed a beauty in its simplicity of tone, mood, color and theme, and I knew that simplicity was something I wanted to capture on Creed. It was a delicate balance, keeping the film in a place of modern realism without leaning into trend, while also Top, left and right: Bianca's apartment in Philadelphia, a sketch by Ms. Beachler on the Wacom Bamboo drawing pad. A hand-drawn wall detail and elevation of Bianca's apartment by Art Director Jesse Rosenthal. Above and right: The layout of Bianca's apartment was drawn in SketchUp by Duncan Smith. The finished apartment was an old Brownstone on Broad Street that had been split up into spaces. This is where Bianca and Donnie (Adonis) fall in love, he unbraids her hair, and they have their first kiss on that great Calderwood rug.