I took this riding home on the 7 train one day after work. It's the SilverCup Studios sign in Long Island City.
Taken with my Treo
: : nuge : :
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Monday, March 26, 2007
Yo! Da check's in da mail
Like so many commercial and film gigs, one usually doesn't get paid right away for lending their talent on camera. More often than not it can be several months before one receives a paycheck and it's usually when one doesn't expect it or one has completely forgotten about it.Well, this ONE got his check from being an background extra on the Sopranos a couple of weeks ago. How thrilling it was to find this in the mail today. It's not a lot of money, but hey, it's something. I think I'm more excited by the fact that it says "Sopranos" on it. Never in a million years would I ever think of being on the Sopranos payroll - well, affiliated in some way with it.
People usually frame their first dollar they ever made. I'm framing my first Sopranos check, albeit in Cyberspace.
: : nuge : :
Monday, March 19, 2007
I got Whacked!
Ok, not really...but I did get to appear as an background extra on the Sopranos last Thursday night (3/15/07).
Here's a rundown on what happened:
7pm
I came to a small church basement which served as the "Holding Area" for the extras. As I walked in I was greeted to a barrage of 150 Asian extras, all waiting to go on camera. We were instructed to bring winter clothing. I grabbed my I-9 form and went to a table to fill it out. I wondered to myself if my friend John, who's costarring with me in Belly Full Of Anger would show up. Well, lo and behold, he sat down right at my table. So we chatted for a bit and met some interesting people. It's always fun to find out who amongst us were actual "actors" and who were just doing it for fun, or because someone prodded them to do it. The girl sitting next to me (Leena?) was a law student. I met an older guy named Clint who does extra work all the time. He was definitely a seasoned professional. He was very humble, not volunteering his resume like most actors do, but I did find out from him that he did a bunch of national commercials about a decade ago. I met a bunch of people who used to be actors but gave it up due to such little work. There is definitley something disturbing about that, and that moment just reminded me more of how important it is to do your own work and create your own opportunities.
7:30pm
People swarmed the craft table. Let me make this clear. There are different types of craft tables. When you are SAG and a principal, you enjoy a fine assortment of fruits, vegetables, sandwiches, and candy. When you are a non SAG extra, you get some oranges, some bananas and a bunch of Entemmann's packaged cakes and donuts. I went up to the table to get an orange and some cake. By the time I got there, all the plastic silverware was gone. People had to break off cake with their hands (gross!) I took a much more Macgyver approach and used the edge of my paper plate to cut a slice. I was really disturbed by this, seeing these people scraping for food, and felt like I was part of Steerage on the Titanic.
8pm
We all went outside and walked a few blocks to the shooting location in Chinatown. It was pouring and very cold. A PA (Production Assistant) walked by and asked each of us if we brought an umbrella. I was one out of a few, and they pulled me out of the crowd and we were put into a "splinter" group. Basically a second location shooting unit.
They had fake snow on the set, which was very cool. It was quite a simple trick. They had a PA light some kind of candle. Then he stuck it in a small bucket tied to a string. The PA swung the bucket around and white ashes came flying out and filled up the entire street with fake snow. It looked really great. And then it got in my hair, mouth, and eyes, and then it was not so great.
I got to play a couple along with this girl who had just gotten married and is a fashion designer. Our big task was to walk across a Seafood store front.
The first few shots they yelled cut before we made it on camera. Damn. We didn't give up hope. The next few shots we did make it across and we high fived each other after the director yelled cut. Sad that we felt such a feeling of accomplishment for such a small task. We did this for two more hours.
10pm
We were sent back into the holding area for a quick 10 minute break.
10:10pm
We went back to the first unit location and shot some sidewalk scenes. This time we actually got to see a Sopranos star. At first we all thought it was Tony Soprano himself, but he looked really small. I got a closer look at him later and I think it was Paulie Walnuts played by Tony Sirico. They shot his scenes with a Steadicam. They had to film him walking through the intersection of a busy street, so they would just wait until the lights turned red, the entire crew would run out into the middle of the street, they would call action, usually while the lights turned green, and they would film while a street cop would hold traffic back. Long live Guerilla filmmaking!
11pm
Back to the Steerage to dry off.
11:10pm
Last Shot. Truly beautiful words. That means we would be out there for only a couple of more hours. This was a large crowded street scene. A car driving down the street, with people crossing left and right. One of the ADs asked me and John if we could ride a bike. We said yes, and were given two bikes to ride down the street on camera. Cool! Not.
It was very very scary. The streets were wet, the pedals were wet, and the extras were all over the place, I nearly crashed just trying to avoid them.
1am
After a few hours of that, they yelled "Check the gate" which is a really good sign of that being the final shot. We were wrapped and all headed back to the holding area to hand in our I-9's. John and I decided to ask the AD if they would give us a SAG waiver since we had to ride bicycles in the shot, which technically is a special skill. Unfortunately he said they didn't have any left to give out as they met their quota for the day. Sure, give it to the guy whacking mackeral against an ice block, but not to two skilled riders of two wheeled transportation. Bummer. I think you need 3 waivers to join SAG, which would have been great. But, oh well.
Overall it was fun to be on camera and to watch the crew work, as well as meet some new people, but the weather conditions outside were pretty bad. I think I got sick from being out there for 6 hours. I didn't get whacked, but that to me was close enough.
:: nuge ::
Here's a rundown on what happened:
7pm
I came to a small church basement which served as the "Holding Area" for the extras. As I walked in I was greeted to a barrage of 150 Asian extras, all waiting to go on camera. We were instructed to bring winter clothing. I grabbed my I-9 form and went to a table to fill it out. I wondered to myself if my friend John, who's costarring with me in Belly Full Of Anger would show up. Well, lo and behold, he sat down right at my table. So we chatted for a bit and met some interesting people. It's always fun to find out who amongst us were actual "actors" and who were just doing it for fun, or because someone prodded them to do it. The girl sitting next to me (Leena?) was a law student. I met an older guy named Clint who does extra work all the time. He was definitely a seasoned professional. He was very humble, not volunteering his resume like most actors do, but I did find out from him that he did a bunch of national commercials about a decade ago. I met a bunch of people who used to be actors but gave it up due to such little work. There is definitley something disturbing about that, and that moment just reminded me more of how important it is to do your own work and create your own opportunities.
7:30pm
People swarmed the craft table. Let me make this clear. There are different types of craft tables. When you are SAG and a principal, you enjoy a fine assortment of fruits, vegetables, sandwiches, and candy. When you are a non SAG extra, you get some oranges, some bananas and a bunch of Entemmann's packaged cakes and donuts. I went up to the table to get an orange and some cake. By the time I got there, all the plastic silverware was gone. People had to break off cake with their hands (gross!) I took a much more Macgyver approach and used the edge of my paper plate to cut a slice. I was really disturbed by this, seeing these people scraping for food, and felt like I was part of Steerage on the Titanic.
8pm
We all went outside and walked a few blocks to the shooting location in Chinatown. It was pouring and very cold. A PA (Production Assistant) walked by and asked each of us if we brought an umbrella. I was one out of a few, and they pulled me out of the crowd and we were put into a "splinter" group. Basically a second location shooting unit.
They had fake snow on the set, which was very cool. It was quite a simple trick. They had a PA light some kind of candle. Then he stuck it in a small bucket tied to a string. The PA swung the bucket around and white ashes came flying out and filled up the entire street with fake snow. It looked really great. And then it got in my hair, mouth, and eyes, and then it was not so great.
I got to play a couple along with this girl who had just gotten married and is a fashion designer. Our big task was to walk across a Seafood store front.
The first few shots they yelled cut before we made it on camera. Damn. We didn't give up hope. The next few shots we did make it across and we high fived each other after the director yelled cut. Sad that we felt such a feeling of accomplishment for such a small task. We did this for two more hours.
10pm
We were sent back into the holding area for a quick 10 minute break.
10:10pm
We went back to the first unit location and shot some sidewalk scenes. This time we actually got to see a Sopranos star. At first we all thought it was Tony Soprano himself, but he looked really small. I got a closer look at him later and I think it was Paulie Walnuts played by Tony Sirico. They shot his scenes with a Steadicam. They had to film him walking through the intersection of a busy street, so they would just wait until the lights turned red, the entire crew would run out into the middle of the street, they would call action, usually while the lights turned green, and they would film while a street cop would hold traffic back. Long live Guerilla filmmaking!
11pm
Back to the Steerage to dry off.
11:10pm
Last Shot. Truly beautiful words. That means we would be out there for only a couple of more hours. This was a large crowded street scene. A car driving down the street, with people crossing left and right. One of the ADs asked me and John if we could ride a bike. We said yes, and were given two bikes to ride down the street on camera. Cool! Not.
It was very very scary. The streets were wet, the pedals were wet, and the extras were all over the place, I nearly crashed just trying to avoid them.
1am
After a few hours of that, they yelled "Check the gate" which is a really good sign of that being the final shot. We were wrapped and all headed back to the holding area to hand in our I-9's. John and I decided to ask the AD if they would give us a SAG waiver since we had to ride bicycles in the shot, which technically is a special skill. Unfortunately he said they didn't have any left to give out as they met their quota for the day. Sure, give it to the guy whacking mackeral against an ice block, but not to two skilled riders of two wheeled transportation. Bummer. I think you need 3 waivers to join SAG, which would have been great. But, oh well.
Overall it was fun to be on camera and to watch the crew work, as well as meet some new people, but the weather conditions outside were pretty bad. I think I got sick from being out there for 6 hours. I didn't get whacked, but that to me was close enough.
:: nuge ::
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
Terrance McNally Master Class Review
TERRANCE MCNALLY MASTER CLASS
Cherry Lane Theatre
March 5, 2007
It was a very informative hour and half meeting the man that I am a huge fan of. He is a soft spoken yet passionate man. He loves to write and he writes all the time. He started off by giving a short intro to New York theatre history and the Cherry Lane. Then it became a Q & A.
I've included snippets and quotes from him. Many of these are things one might already know or heard many times, but to hear it from a successful and famous playwright seems to hold so much more weight and authority than reading it from a book.
1. Producers do not like to read plays. They like to have them read.
This is why there are so many play readings in NY and why so many plays have multiple readings in the development process. It makes sense. Very little commitment from a producer. They just need to show up, sit and watch.
2. Make your own success and agents will want to work with you. The more success you have the more they will work for you.
When asked how a playwright goes about getting an agent.
3. You make your own success by doing the work. Work for tangible things.
Case in point: After Terrance McNally bombed with his first play on Broadway, he wrote another play for the famous character actor James Coco. James was a working actor that Mcnally admired greatly and asked him why he wasn't playing leading man roles? James Coco replied he did well and got very good reviews playing bit parts but no one was writing roles for him. So TM wrote a play for him but it was unproduceable. The odds were against them, with a role written for a specific actor that wasn't "leading man" quality and by a playwright whose was still trying to recover from his last bomb. So they shelved the script and worked on other projects. Than, as it happens in theatre, something always fall through. This happened at a theatre where James Coco was working and they producers said their next play of the season has been withdrawn by the writers for various reasons. James Coco was quick to give them the play TM had written for him, and it was produced and went on to great acclaim.
4. When asked about research, TM replied "I am greatly opposed to research. I would hope my writing made you believe I did the research"
5. People all the time say they want to work in the theatre, but I'm surprised by how many of them never go to the theater, and if they do, they only go to the big hits.
6. When asked what a young playwright should do, TM replied "A young playwright should form their own company to work and circle of peers so they can grow with each other. He then gave examples of many famous and growing theatre companies that started this way.
7. If the work is good, it will get done eventually. Your job is to get the play in the minds of actors, directors, producers, anyone that has a connection and interest.
8. Your life is your gunpowder, your spark - it is the quintessential bolt of lightning.
Case in point, TM wrote Master Class based on his frustrations as a playwrighting teacher at Julliard and he actually wrote the play while attending an event that was honoring himself.
9. On writing and directing, TM said his greatest teacher/mentor was Elaine May. She believed if the first 15 minutes of a play are perfect, than the train cannot derail.
10. TM also said Elaine May taught him to always ask "What is the purpose/action of any character at any given moment"
11. " Structure is what keeps an audience in their seats."
Terrance McNally concluded the night by reading some short passages from his upcoming play DEUCE, starring Angela Lansbury. The writing was, of course, wonderful.
:: www.thenuge.com ::
Cherry Lane Theatre
March 5, 2007
It was a very informative hour and half meeting the man that I am a huge fan of. He is a soft spoken yet passionate man. He loves to write and he writes all the time. He started off by giving a short intro to New York theatre history and the Cherry Lane. Then it became a Q & A.
I've included snippets and quotes from him. Many of these are things one might already know or heard many times, but to hear it from a successful and famous playwright seems to hold so much more weight and authority than reading it from a book.
1. Producers do not like to read plays. They like to have them read.
This is why there are so many play readings in NY and why so many plays have multiple readings in the development process. It makes sense. Very little commitment from a producer. They just need to show up, sit and watch.
2. Make your own success and agents will want to work with you. The more success you have the more they will work for you.
When asked how a playwright goes about getting an agent.
3. You make your own success by doing the work. Work for tangible things.
Case in point: After Terrance McNally bombed with his first play on Broadway, he wrote another play for the famous character actor James Coco. James was a working actor that Mcnally admired greatly and asked him why he wasn't playing leading man roles? James Coco replied he did well and got very good reviews playing bit parts but no one was writing roles for him. So TM wrote a play for him but it was unproduceable. The odds were against them, with a role written for a specific actor that wasn't "leading man" quality and by a playwright whose was still trying to recover from his last bomb. So they shelved the script and worked on other projects. Than, as it happens in theatre, something always fall through. This happened at a theatre where James Coco was working and they producers said their next play of the season has been withdrawn by the writers for various reasons. James Coco was quick to give them the play TM had written for him, and it was produced and went on to great acclaim.
4. When asked about research, TM replied "I am greatly opposed to research. I would hope my writing made you believe I did the research"
5. People all the time say they want to work in the theatre, but I'm surprised by how many of them never go to the theater, and if they do, they only go to the big hits.
6. When asked what a young playwright should do, TM replied "A young playwright should form their own company to work and circle of peers so they can grow with each other. He then gave examples of many famous and growing theatre companies that started this way.
7. If the work is good, it will get done eventually. Your job is to get the play in the minds of actors, directors, producers, anyone that has a connection and interest.
8. Your life is your gunpowder, your spark - it is the quintessential bolt of lightning.
Case in point, TM wrote Master Class based on his frustrations as a playwrighting teacher at Julliard and he actually wrote the play while attending an event that was honoring himself.
9. On writing and directing, TM said his greatest teacher/mentor was Elaine May. She believed if the first 15 minutes of a play are perfect, than the train cannot derail.
10. TM also said Elaine May taught him to always ask "What is the purpose/action of any character at any given moment"
11. " Structure is what keeps an audience in their seats."
Terrance McNally concluded the night by reading some short passages from his upcoming play DEUCE, starring Angela Lansbury. The writing was, of course, wonderful.
:: www.thenuge.com ::
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