Jeffrey Spolan's on the set... Sopranos Clocked

Tuesday's Child Gets Clocked On The Set of Sopranos

Frank is a good solid name.  George leaves a bit to be desired...

 An actor named Frank plays the character named "George"
 in Sopranos.

 When I first met Frank's character, George, he was vomiting into an
 estuary.
 I liked this character immediately.


George was one of the two dopey Mafiosi digging up a body that had been
 buried 
 for three months under the overpass.
 
 I still have no idea why they were doing that since I was not privy
 to the complete script for that episode.

 No matter.
 
 There was a lot happening I didn't understand in that episode.
 
 But I am not being hired for my mind. 
 
 This is a saving grace.

 Today - for reason's that escape me, I was with the 2nd unit shooting a
 re shoot of something that had happened many weeks ago.

 Time is always out of whack in the reality that is television production.
 
 So here we all were, re visiting the "Bada Bing Topless Bar" off Route 17
 South
 near Lodi, New Jersey...

 where the crew of Sopranos seem to be spending a lot of time...

 There is a reason for this:
 The 2nd Unit also seems to spend a lot of time re shooting scenes from
 many different pov's

 (technical babble for "point of view" - for those of you who are unfamiliar
  with such things)

 There is for example: the famous point of view of the

 "black olives sitting in a dish" shot.
    

 This means the camera takes position under an actors chin and shoots
 UPWARD
 as he speaks about the art of Northern Italian cooking... 

 this is to give the scene a flavor of artfulness I believe...
 
 or the "fly on the wall shot" 
 
 which more often than not
 requires a special lens which gives a kaleidoscope effect

 of 16 identical images at once.

 as if one is overhearing and seeing what is going on
 from an insect's point of view.

 This is especially useful in topless bar shots... which is where we were
 located today.

 George spent the day behind the bar. He was getting smacked in the head
 with a telephone receiver. 

 Tony was delivering successive blows to his head, causing George
 to collapse out of view and behind the bar.

 Once he falls, it is revealed: two topless dancers are watching this
 exchange.

 Since we had to re shoot this many many times, 
 from many pov's
 I got to watch the scene
 being played many many times.

 In truth no one who was not directly involved with the filming
 was actually watching the "work" that was going on.

 We were all watching the topless dancers.
 
 Having caused George to collapse unconscious
 Tony suddenly becomes aware
 that the dancers have witnessed this unusual display of male hormones.
 
 Without context this would seem a strange moment.

 But
 
 Just moments before, the character of Tony was reading a book (?)
 
 on caring for the aged (?)
 
 while seated at the bar (?)
 
 (this all has something to do with his mother)
 
 and had subsequently taken prozac from his medicine bottle
 and washed it down with a shot of whiskey.

 (This made me think of the "Wisdom of Jon Avner" who always uses the
  line:

  "This is why you can't mix prozac and alcohol..." in his KK scripts...)
 
 Armed with this knowledge, the fact that George gets clocked by Tony
 with a telephone receiver

 - costing $600 and made out of soft molded plastic and flown in from
   Los Angeles, California -


 made me suddenly understand more deeply
 that there is much more to this HBO series than first meets the eye...

 as it were.
 
 There IS a REASON in terns of the story line 
 WHY Tony clocks George

 but I don't think that matters.
 
 So I won't tell you...
 
 But I will tell you

....the two strippers were very nice girls

    and I had some roast beef for lunch.


 
 
> Postscript
 
 It is now 10:46 pm on Tuesday. I have called the casting office 

 to discover where I should go or where the courtesy van will be waiting to pick me up
 and drive me to tomorrow's (Wednesday's) location...

 Location, location, location.
 
 I have just listened to a taped message that informed me

 in truth

 always a good thing in such matters -
 that they -the casting office persons-

    haven't any idea where anyone is
    supposed to be tomorrow???

 But rather they suggested I call back between 7:30 and 8 a.m. 
 and then they will know...
 
 Like I said earlier: Time is always out of whack in the reality that is
 television production.

 This in no way is a denigration of Al Coulter,

 who is producing this interesting program for HBO.

 He is the calmest guy on the set.

 Always has a moment to say hello and chat.

    Except when he does not... which is sometimes

    due to the constraints of time and cellular phone

    impositions from places like L.A.

    and/or the other little things that pop up unexpectedly

    for producers.

 
    Some of his Grace may come from his extensive background in producing
    and shooting commercials

 
    and dealing with hand models. 
 

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