...so I snuck my videocamera onto the set while at the bar and just flashed my jacket open when the opportunity presented itself. Initially the wardrobe people just said to wear my shirt, but I figured I could at least take the jacket and put it on the back of my chair. I ended up wearing it for the scene.

 

This is where you realize "The Game" as a background person. You get seated, but haven't the fuckiest idea what's gonna be shot. Once you're there, and they do a take - you ain't movin', so for the hours of takes all you're doing is this abstract form of spacial geometry. Seein' where the camera is gonna see around the principles, off certain mirrors and where you should edge left or right to be in the shot...somehow.

 

The guy I was with, Neil, was quite a bit bigger than me and had a great shot at being seen because when he jumped up to root for the game, he towered over me. In one shot the camera was facing Tony & Paulie (where the TV is) so I think we'll both be very noticeable...as shadowy figures behind Tony. And that's alllllllll ya want.

 

BTW - the last 2 pictures are of Tony throwing peanuts at the Directors and then Paulie pointing at T as if to say: "It wasn't me!" It was surreal to watch them interract when the camera was off exactly as they would in the show.

Then, on a re-shoot they needed just the South Side of the bar (I was north side). Then they weren't sure so they brought the North side down... then they agreed with their first thought and sent us all back upstairs...

 

...except me. I saw a chair open on the North Side and jumped on it and FROZE. I knew I wasn't in the shot but if I just stayed still, no one would notice and I just wanted to be on-set as much as possible. So they started shooting the scene from an angle behind them and I was able to get the whole scene from my jacket. I was scared shitless. After the scene I closed my coat and kept watching everything when the unthinkable happened:

 

Tony turns around (sorry, Gandolfini) hunches down on that railing and stares me dead in the eye. I was only aout 10 feet from him. As serious as a heart attack he shakes his head "no", slowly, left to right about 5 times. He had somehow seen that I had a camera. I, was, frozen. I shook my head back to him in the most submissive: "I understand, I am retarded, I have piss running down my leg, please don't whack me" head shake I could muster and he just kept on staring.

 

In my mind I thought, well this was what you were risking. You had to try, here's how it worked out. He then stands up and I see him talking to one of the sound guys and then the sound guy looks at me. I'm fucked. Right at that moment they tell all background to go back to holding and I JET.

Afterwards I was able to shake his hand and said "nice workin' with ya". He kinda smiled and laughed as he said "nice workin with you too". To Sopranos fans it was that look. When Tony is being sarcastic and is making fun of you? It was like:  "Oh we worked together just then? I thought you just walked past me." LMAO. But ya know, he could've had me removed very quickly and didn't. It was very cool of him. A couple asked for pictures, I did not...

...wonder why?!! Yeah, there was just no way after all of that, that I was gonna bring out my video camera and point it at his face. Even the thought of what he'd do makes me cringe. I snuck the one dark shot of him posing with the camera by my side, but again - knew very well not to ask for anything more. Being in the scene with him was enough for me.

 

Got one final shot as he was walking away, and that ended my day on The Sopranos...