April 16, 17 & 18, 2007 - Nor'Easter's Last Laugh

Monday: Morning was a real treat. Despite continuing heavy rain from the Nor’Easter (8.5 inches total in Central Park), the crew decided to film outside a coffee shop. So, everybody arrived, set-up, got the cast wired. Then, after standing in the rain for an hour, getting soaked, somebody decided the downpours and wind were prohibitive to filming, and canceled that shot.

We spent the rest of the day on the soundstages, drying off and shooting in the Squadroom. The coffee shop scene was moved to a restaurant within Chelsea Piers (where the PAs had to fight off an ungodly number of gawkers).

Tuesday: We were back in the Bronx, again. Except, this time, the location wasn’t quite as nice. It was in a somewhat downtrodden neighborhood on top of the train tracks. And, by train, I mean the subway train. In this area of the Bronx, the subway is actually above ground, the tracks hovering thirty feet above the road. Every five minutes, a train would come rumbling by. I wonder how anybody can stand living next to that?

Wednesday: The crew filmed in the East Village, at a park and bar. As far as breakfast goes, they made the unfortunate decision to have their catering truck serve food on the corner where local homeless are fed through charitable causes. Catering asked me to turn them away, which I felt bad about, but had to comply. Some of them were hungry and just looking for scraps of food. One man even rummaged through the garbage bin. Others, weren’t so nice (the drug addicts suffering from withdrawal). From what I understand, one person even spat on the cook.

April 15, 2007 - Raindrops

I’m glad to be inside and that I got out and did something yesterday. A nor’easter is centered over the east coast, bringing heavy rain to the tri-state area. Many areas are flooded or will be, by the time the storms end. As of the time of this writing (quarter after nine pm), Central Park has had 5.55 inches of rain.

One week left to go. So bittersweet. I can’t wait to return home, but I’m also going to miss Manhattan.

(Pictures 2, 4, 5, & 8 borrowed from the New York Times web site.

April 14, 2007 - Hangin' with Ms. Liberty

I got up around eleven thirty and decided to make the most out of today. I only have a little over a week left, so my time to explore the city is running short. After stopping by Malibu Diner for a turkey, mushroom, and cheddar omelet, I took the 1 Train to Rector Street. My destination? The Statue of Liberty.

I walked to Battery Park, which was bustling with activity. Anti War and Bush protesters were peacefully walking around, as were environmentalists. I quickly veered away from the crowds and bought a ferry ticket from Castle Clinton. I wasn’t able to get into the actual statue, though, as they have limited observation tours which must be requested early in the day.

The line to board the Liberty Island ferry was exorbanently long, stretching all the way around Castle Clinton and into the park. It moved pretty quickly, though. In the mean time, a black guy with a clown wig and a ukulele entertained the crowds, asking where they were from and making up songs on the fly about their home states. I was probably on-board within a half hour. Anybody who’s taken a ferry ride to Mackinac Island will find the trip familiar. The boat ride was much the same, except with some truly spectacular views.

I strolled around Liberty Island for an hour and a half, taking dozens of snapshots and several movies. People were more than willing to take my picture (and I did the same for them, of course). In fact, one lady even offered without my asking. Don’t ever say New Yorkers aren’t nice. By the time I got back to Manhattan, my memory card was already full – and I still wanted to explore Downtown! I’d done all right for a little while, deleting pictures I knew didn’t turn out well, but I eventually only had good pictures left. So, I went to the J&R electronics superstore and bought another memory card (2gb for $20 isn’t bad at all).

Walking through some familiar territory near Ground Zero, I headed down Wall Street. Going East, I enjoyed the sights of the Brooklyn Bridge and Brooklyn itself from a nearby pier. Finally, I winded my way back to Battery Park and prepared to head home. On the way to the subway, a man who’d just arrived in the city from China today approached me. He was looking for the 1 Train. As that was where I was headed, I showed him how to get there. We chatted for a bit on the train. He had a thick accent, but was fairly fluent in English.

I ended the evening by ordering dinner from Blue Moon, a Mexican restaurant near my apartment. I had a Mexican chicken stir fry, which was excellent. It was a traditional stir fry, with meaty mushrooms, chicken, red and green peppers, and zucchini.

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April 7-13, 2007 - I'm on TV!

I’ve been working twelve hour days, so I haven’t had a chance to do daily updates. Here’s a big ol’ update on my week.

Saturday: After a busy Friday, I took it easy on Saturday. Aside from stopping for a reuben, fries, and a milkshake from Eisenberg’s Sandwiches, I did nothing terribly productive.

Monday: The cast and crew was on-location in the Bronx all day. This was my first time through the north end of Manhattan and the Bronx. North of Central Park, Manhattan is mainly residential, it seems. The Bronx itself was pretty safe looking (except for one person who, it was rumored, walked down the sidewalk that night showing his gun to a couple friends).

Morning was incredibly chilly and I was under prepared, leaving my gloves at home. Sal had me stand by the catering truck and take orders until they closed shop, so I really felt the cold. Thankfully, Gary had an extra pair of gloves he lent me.

Tuesday: A tandem day (the end of an episode and the beginning of a new one are shot concurrently), with two separate crews. I was assigned to the filming in the Bronx again. This was Vincent’s last day for the season.

Wednesday: We were on-location in my neighborhood. Local noise (ambulances, construction) made shooting a little difficult, but the Locations Department was good about sorting through hindrances. This was my first day working on the next episode (last one of the season).

The highlight of my day was lunch. I was put on fire watch (basically, it’s where one of the PAs watch the equipment, when we’re on location) in front of the hotel in which they were shooting. In and of itself, that wasn’t very fun, but several people came up and talked to me. One woman, Sheila, visiting from Vancouver, was tickled to see that her hotel was being used as a location on her favorite show (it was her birthday, no less).

Thursday: Quite possibly the longest day of my life. The show went to the Lower East Side and being outdoors was incredibly miserable. Buckets of rain fell from the sky, putting a damper on the crew’s spirits. While I had a waterproof jacket to bring, I was ill prepared for any time outside. My shoes and socks were soaking wet after a few minutes outside, remaining that way all day. As there was a CVS near the catering truck, I invested in a new umbrella.

Shooting went until a quarter after midnight. The morning’s inclement weather didn’t help, and neither did the fact that they needed an animal handler for a dog appearing in the episode. From what I hear, animals and babies really slow down the filming process.

Friday: The show was back on-stage again. And I have to say I enjoyed every minute of it. The crew call was noon and we went until two in the morning. But Harry Darrow from Art made my entire day. He used my picture in a newspaper article that appears prominently in one of the filmed scenes. How exciting is that?

The first scene was shot in the sound stages for the “Mothership” (the original Law & Order). Having never been up there before, I was wowed by the sheer size and elaborateness of the sets. They’re huge (and there’s so many of them!).

Another interesting thing to note – the lighting on stage is incredibly deceptive. At nine in the evening, they were shooting a daytime scene in the CI Squadroom. The lighting in there is so good, I felt like it really was midday and was awake and alert.

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April 6, 2007 - Downtown & Ground Zero

I slumbered until noon, but decided to go out on the town today. The temperatures hovered in the mid-40’s, but it wasn’t incredibly cold. After stopping by the Malibu Diner for breakfast, I took the 1 train downtown to Rector Street. My original plan was to go north to visit Ground Zero, but I got turned around and ended-up in Battery Park. I’m glad I did, because it afforded some beautiful views of the Financial District, Jersey, and the Statue of Liberty. I bought a framed print of the Manhattan skyline, while walking around the park. Going along the park’s boardwalk, some tourists had me take their picture.

The nice thing about Manhattan is that it’s impossible to get lost, so long as you have a general sense of where you are. I may have been temporarily diverted, but I had all day to explore downtown. I walked north to Ground Zero, walking around and snapping pictures. I felt an overwhelming sense of sadness, recalling the events of September 11^th, but I felt I should visit while in Manhattan. The property line encompasses a tremendous area over several city blocks. It’s hard to imagine the towers looming over the street-line.

Across the street at St. Paul’s Chapel, I snapped some beautiful pictures of a man feeding a squirrel. It was cute. The little critter came right up to his hand. I ended my journey going north and viewing the exterior of the U.S. Courthouse, the entrance the Brooklyn Bridge, and City Hall. I also stopped at the Borders at 100 Broadway, where I found an illustrated aerial map of Manhattan, something I’d been searching for since I came to the city.

For something unreal, check out this link. It’s the Chelsea Piers soundstages pre-Criminal Intent. On 9/11 they were used to set-up a makeshift hospital.

Photo Album - More than 250 pictures!

April 5, 2007 - Jonathan Starch Wardrobe Appreciation Day

Happy Jonathan Starch Wardrobe Appreciation Day! You’re wondering what that is, I suppose. I did, too, when I first walked in. A little background: Jonathan wears incredibly eclectic clothing. He’s usually dressed in a bright-colored button-up shirt, a busy tie, a colored beanie, and unusual jeans.

Going up to the AD loft, Zach sported an outfit that looked exactly like something Jonathan Starch, the 1^st AD, would wear. I thought to mention it, but figured it was just a coincidence. Then I started noticing more and more people in similar attire. When I inquired, somebody said that I “missed the memo”. It was Jonathan Starch Appreciation Day. Everybody should dress-up like him, in honor of his wardrobe.

In actuality, there was no memo. This was an exercise in observing assimilation, at its finest. Throughout the day, people from several departments paid a visit to Wardrobe and borrowed a tie and button-up shirt. Lucky for me, I had two button-up shirts and a tie in my backpack (from when Nicole in Art took me to the Gap), so I was prepared for the event. At lunch, people from several departments gathered together for a group photo with Jonathan.

Speaking of photos, check out the albums below. With permission from Gary Rake (2^nd AD) and John Roman himself, I went on a picture spree around the main Law & Order: Criminal Intent set. Enjoy!

Photo Album 1
Photo Album 2 - With Flash

April 2, 3, & 4, 2007 - Perfect Strangers

I’ve been keeping busy on-set. Although I’m not fond of ringing bells, I really enjoy seeing how things work, touring the sets, and watching them film (when I can). When I’m not on bells, Nicole (the Director’s Guild trainee) usually has me on “lock-up”, which is basically standing by the bay door for the swing sets and making sure nobody comes in when they’re rolling the cameras. So far, I’ve been putting in 8-12 hour days. Tuesday was nice, because they wrapped at 4, one of the shortest days of filming they’ve had. Thursday’s bound to be nice, too, because it’s the last work day of the week. The Screen Actor’s Guild observes Good Friday, so everybody’s off.

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