HAPPY TO REPORT I MADE IT IN THE FINAL CUT ONCE MORE, AND THATS NO BULL!
It was fun seeing my work air, especially after seeing my cameo's on Mr. Robot and Gotham not make the final cut.
And there I was I made it on air once more on CBS's new smash television series Bull. Starring Michael Weatherly and it was fun to see how they showcased my role as the Court Room Sketch Artist on this episode, entitled 'Unambiguous' as opposed to my work on the pilot.
Its always fun and suspenseful when you sit down to watch something you've worked on, because you never know which take they choose. Or how they will edit it and if you actually make the final cut. Or when the scenes you worked actually fit into the episode or film. For example I worked the remake of Alfie with Jude Law, the scene I worked opened the film, as opposed to The Wolf of Wall Street, where the scene I discovered while watching it, ended the movie.
 |
| Showcased here with actor Alex Breaux (2nd from the right), and Tony Mitchel (far left), a fellow alumni from the High School of Art and Design and The School of Visual Arts. |
You spend several days on a project and you actually have no clue what will wind up on air. I mention this because I recently worked background on both Mr. Robot, as a surgeon, and Gotham as a lawyer/businessman pedestrian, and neither work made it on camera. But it was interesting to discover that in the case of Gotham, there must have been over hundred extra's working the scene I was in, and only a handful of those actually made the final cut.
 |
| Here's the sketch with actor Alex Breaux, which I gave him after the shoot. |
Its also fun getting the chance to get to know the actors as they are preparing before, during and after scenes. How they act (pun intended), If they talk to you, how they treat the regular folk. Happily I can report that in the case of the actors on Bull, you could have not asked for a better experience. Of course it could've helped that I was sketching them, and so as artist and model, relationships form during the creation of the art. It also helps when the sketches turn our decent and you actually capture their appearances with the use of Prismacolor's on paper.
 |
| Showcased here with actor Alex Breaux (3rd from the right), and actress Adriana Degirolami (2nd from the right). |
Another great thing was, since this gig was a project I had already worked on, the set, the crew, the cast, and some of the background performers I either knew personally or were familiar with them. So it almost felt like I was a regular on the series. Years ago, when I first was attempting this madness known as a career in film and television, while I still was a non-union performer, I was lucky enough to work on the Law and Order shows on numerous occasions. In fact one day, I actually worked on two separate episodes of Law and Order.
 |
| My sketch of actress Adriana Degirolami on the witness stand, on set. |
That said, usually with this job, each new assignment is like the first day at a new job, a new school, or even a new relationship. So its always fun and you never know what that day will bring. What you will be doing, and sometimes what new friends or enemies you might acquire.
 |
| My sketch of actor Alex Breaux on the witness stand, on set. |
Now if you notice, what I'm wearing and what other people are wearing changes, in the photos showcased here. You see, on this episode I worked three days. But in regards to the story line, the scenes we shot, spanned several days. So, if you look at me, I had three looks. Similar I know, but two different shirts, and sometimes I wore my sports coat. One of the fun things on the job, is juggling wardrobe. All of a sudden, they might want to change you into something else. Or tell you instead of wearing your first outfit, this scene requires you to wear your second outfit. On a recent job, I was actually told to change three times at the start of the day, seemingly I was getting mixed messages. Eventually all worked out, and every body was happy and we rolled picture.
In the case of the light blue shirt, at one point they had me move to the other side of the courtroom, where I was sitting directly behind Michael Weatherly in the shoot. No I didn't faint, of course, inside the fan in me was screaming loudly, but on the outside I acted like a mature adult performer and this was no big deal. You see, even though the shirt I was wearing was in some sequences, it was now too bright, so they moved me to the other side of the set. As I mentioned, the best part of this was I was now directly behind the star. Of course, within minutes Michael got up and was replaced by his photo double. it was actually way cool witnessing this. True Hollywood magic. I hope I'm not giving up a secret, but sometimes when you see an actor from the back or in a distance, you aren't actually seeing the actor, but someone else whose a dead ringer from that angle.
In my career so far, I've only been a photo double for one actor, it was on the set of The Amazing Spiderman 2, the one with Andrew Garfield, besides having a little moment on screen as a doctor in a hospital scene with the great Sally Fields, I also was a photo double for actor Colm Feore. Sadly in my case, our sizes weren't the same, as I discovered when I tried not to split the seams in his costume, a beautiful suit. Both pant and jacket felt at least one size smaller then me on a slim day. So either his measurements were completely off or I was a lot fatter and heavier then the man actually was. Sadly the day I worked, Colm Feore wasn't on set, so I never had the chance to meet and/or talk to him. Or most importantly the best part of any gig, watching the actor work. Studying how they do their trade. This for me has always been the best thing about even being a fly on the wall of a set, witnessing the performances. Seeing the actors interact. And once in a while, getting the actual chance to play with your heroes and feel like you're where you actually have always belonged. Seriously it doesn't get any better then that.
The funniest part of it all was, I had spent much my time while not performing the role of the sketch artist, as a stand-in for actor Joe Grifisi, who played the judge in this episode. I luckily got the chance to spend time with the actor who was Michael Weatherly's regular stand-in on the series. So at one point, while performing as a stand-in for the Judge, all of a sudden there was Michael's stand-in talking to this person who looked amazingly like Michael Weatherly from the rear. I was a little confusing at first. I was joking to myself, that the man's such huge star now, he actually as two stand-ins. It wasn't till I went back to the role of sketch artist, as I mentioned above, that I discovered he was simply his photo-double, and once that sequence was shot, as far as I know, he left for the day.
One last thing, as I was leaving for a job on Friday early afternoon, I worked background on the newest Jeff Bridges film, yeah. Actually not knowing he was the star of it till I made it to set and yes I met the man (!), a true bucket list moment. Sometimes I seriously love my life. I only mention the gig, because as I left my apartment to go to it, I ran into one of my neighbors, who has always been nice to me. But this time, once she saw my face acted thoroughly excited to be seeing me. Honestly I was in my own world, worrying about not being late, the cardinal sin of the job. So I wasn't expecting anything, until she excitingly told me she saw me on Bull! Thats right folks, I was recognized by someone. She told me when she saw me on her television set she screamed out loud 'I know that person, he's my neighbor'. How fun was that. It put a really huge grin on my face and set me off to my latest adventure.
If you missed the episode and/or would to like to watch this episode online, here's the link, please sit back and enjoy:
If you like the art and might want to buy something with the art showcased on it, Please check out these links:
At Red Bubble and Fine Art America you can buy my art in various formats as well as clothes:
Until next time,
Neil
