My Awesome Experience on Christmas in the City!

This week I'm going to be talking about the time I was on the tv movie Christmas in the City. It was a pretty fun day and was filmed at on old Dick's Sporting Goods store. It was a little sad to see the store out of business because that was the store where my dad took me to get my baseball gear when I had just started playing baseball. It was fun being on the set because I go to meet new people and I got to play with some cool toys. The scene was basically where a bunch of parents are shopping for Christmas presents at a store and then they end up watching a commercial with a bunch of shirtless buff men singing and dancing while advertising the store. Then the camera turns to me and a couple other kids sitting on the floor and it films us looking bored and tired while their parents are watching the weird commercial. One of the kids asked if at the end of the day we could take one of the toys and keep them. The PA said yes and we all got excited about it and began to pick out which one we wanted. But at the end of the day, the prop department said that we couldn't take anything home because they still needed them for the film. So instead we got a cheap McDonald's toy because the PA felt bad. Anyway, the day was still fun and I still got payed for the job so I'm not complaining. I even got to see myself on tv so that an even bigger bonus. I felt privileged to a part of a job like that one and I hope I will have the chance to have that much fun on another job too.

My Awesome Experience on the TV show Dexter

On March 14, 2013, I had the joy of being on my dad's favorite TV show, Dexter.  Since my dad loved the show so much, he agreed to watch me on the set for the last half of the day while my mom was there for the first half.  The set I was on was pretty cool. We were in this cool Italian restaurant with wine bottles hanging from the ceiling.  The set decorators on this show did an amazing job setting up.  When the PA put me on my mark, I spoke with the people next to me who were supposed to be my TV family.  We were celebrating my TV dad's birthday.  The family was really funny and it turned out to be a really cool experience. My real dad sat up in the balcony.  He was pretty happy because he got to be right above the main actor's table. The scene was basically where Dexter, a Miami police forensics expert, tried to convince his sister that she does save peoples' lives and that she even helped this one guy from becoming a criminal.  Dexter then pointed to a guy next to me.  He was referring to my TV dad.  We basically did this scene over and over agin but it wasn't too bad considering craft services was near my mark and they had plenty of gummies to help pass the time.  Then, we were wrapped and my dad and I came home with a smiles on our faces.  So overall, this was a pretty exciting experience and my dad and I will never forget it.

My Awesome Experience on Bad Words!

The time I was on the movie Bad Words was one of the very best experiences I've ever had the pleasure of being a part of.  I was first called to be a part of this job when the casting people asked me if I was available to be a double for a kid named Rohan Chand.  Rohan Chand is a very talented kid actor who works with a lot of big time academy award winning actors and movies. He is also a very nice and fun kid with a really nice dad (Rob) too. Anyway, my first working day was a fitting at some offices.  The wardrobe ladies thought it would be funny to put a girly George Washington type wig on me...of course my mom documented the mayhem on film.  I have to admit, it was pretty silly.  They had me try on many outfits to make sure I looked like Rohan and that the clothes fit me properly.  The next work day, I got a haircut from Jose (hair stylist) so I would look exactly like Rohan's character in the movie.  I've actually seen Jose on other jobs.  It's always really nice to see familiar faces on any set.  It was so cool to get all of this personal attention on this movie.  Everyone was so nice including the set teacher Lois.  This was also the very first time where I got to meet Rohan.  I've also had the privilege to work again with Lois on a very exciting new movie called the Jungle Book.  I worked as a stand-in in the Jungle Book film by Disney and Rohan is staring in the one by Warner Brothers which is pretty ironic.  Another cool part about the movie was when I met the famous child and now adult actor/director Jason Bateman. He actually picked me up.  I actually saw Jason Bateman again on another job "Horrible Bosses 2."  This overall experience was great but unfortunately I didn't actually get to work that much.  Luckily, I still got paid, fed and hung out with really cool people.  Another day, I was at Universal Studios with my family.  We were just about to leave when we got the call to see if I was available to go to a location near the Hollywood Bowl.  When I got there, they said they couldn't really use me but they said the good news was that they were going to feed me and said I would still get paid.  They had ordered In-N-Out which is always delicious.  It was a cold night and Rob invited us to their trailer.  It was incredibly nice of them.  Who can ask for a better situation...I was called to eat some great food, get paid, and hang out with a really nice kid (that wasn't really why they called me but I'm not complaining).  I also had the opportunity to watch one of the many scenes in the movie. The scene was where Jason Bateman pulled a prank on an old man by making the old man believe that Jason had run over and killed Rohan. It was really funny because Jason Bateman put ketchup over the front of the car and on Rohan.  Rohan's body was limp and Jason was tossing him about like a rag doll.  When Jason said he was taking the kid home to eat him, the old man basically told them off.  They were cracking up.  It was so hard for us not to laugh out loud while they were filming.  It was pretty awesome and he was really funny and nice!   We try to keep in touch with Rob and Rohan as much as possible.  Rohan is very busy with his career but when they are in town, they do try to visit with us if possible.  We once met them at Universal Studios and had them over our house for dinner.  Another time, we met them at the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner.  It's always cool to hear about his amazing experiences and it's great to see nice things happen to nice people.  Meeting new friends and being a part of this project was extremely incredible and memorable.

My Awesome Experience on Earth to Echo!

Earth to Echo was one of the very first movies I had ever done background on. As you could probably guess, I was on this a long time ago. Typically once movies are filmed, they end up in post production and are released on the big screen about two years later.  During filming, the movie didn't have a name yet so it was called WOLF Project. When I was on the shoot it was a very hot day.  It seemed like it was going to be a long day.  Luckily, it actually turned out to be a very fun and and short day.  In this scene, neighbors (background) would walk out onto the middle of the street from their homes thinking there was a big earthquake.  They are unaware that a spaceship took off and that's what caused the big shake or rumbling.  One lady actually saw the spaceship and she kept screaming that she saw it. Everyone thought she was crazy except for the boys who actually helped the alien robot get away. They hid behind a car and watched the whole scene unfold. At first it didn't make sense to me but it did when I saw the movie. It was pretty cool filming that scene because the boys were right in front of us so in between takes they would say "hi" to us. It was also funny between takes because one of the adult backgrounds showed us a funny video of a squirrel doing the Gangnam Style dance. After the earthquake scene, we went back to base camp which was in a neighborhood.  A really nice lady who lived in one of the houses gave us popsicles since it was such a hot day. It was very refreshing.  Overall that was a pretty fun day and I will always remember it. When the movie was released, my parents snuck me out on a school night after my siblings went to bed to see the movie at the Cineopolis which is an awesome theater.  We were excited to see me for a second in the movie.  It was pretty cool!

My Awesome Experience on Crash and Bernstein

Just to get in the Halloween spirit this week, I will blog about the time I was on the Halloween special for the Disney TV show "Crash and Bernstein."  For those of you who never watched the show "Crash and Bernstein," it's basically where a kid named Bernstein grows up in a house full of only girls.  He always really wanted a brother to do "guy stuff" with.  Once when he went to a Create-A-Bestie shop, he accidentally created a brother puppet.  He named the puppet Crash.  Crash comes to life and causes mayhem in their apartment complex. It was a really funny show.  Sadly, it ended last year.  The episode I was on was basically where Crash answers the door to a group of trick-or-treaters (me and a couple other kids).  He gives our costumes random names and passes out candy.  For instance, I was dressed as a fireman and he referred to me as a cool alien guy...pretty silly.  The whole scene was really funny.  During breaks between shooting, the guy puppeteering/talking for Crash was talking to us and telling us funny jokes and doing funny stuff with the puppet. It was also really cool watching the puppeteer control Crash and make him do funny stuff. Overall, that day was pretty amazing and I hope to have more just like that one.

My Awesome Experience on New Girl

The time I was on the tv show "New Girl" was a really fun and memorable time. It was for the halloween special and the set was located at the Fox Studios. The scene I was in was basically where the lead character Jess (Zoey Deschanel) and another actor in the scene (I forgot what he looked like and what his name was) were answering the door to a bunch of trick-or-treaters. Jess ends up asking a kid if she can borrow his Batman costume. The scene was pretty funny and so was Zoey Deschanel. While we were waiting for the camera to reset, Zoey Deschanel walked over toward us and decided to talk with us! It was awesome and she was also really funny. At one point in the conversation, we started talking about what time us kids have to go to bed.  When I said 7:30 (I went on this job a long time ago as you can probably tell), Zoey Deschanel responded by saying, "Your mom is strict...huh?!" It was really funny and even my mom laughed when she heard her say that (after that joke my bed time changed to a much later time). Being on this show was awesome and I often stop to remember it. It was also way cooler when my scene along with me made it in the show on TV! Usually background doesn't have lines, but in this case we got to say "Trick or Treat!" Being on the Fox Studio lots and working with a really nice cast was really cool.  I hope I get to go back there again sometime in the near future!

My Awesome Experience on Girl Meets World!

It was the last week of school and I was looking forward to Summer vacation. I was pretty excited to get the call for "Girl Meets World." I really love working on Disney shows. Like many of the Disney shows, this show was taped at LA Center Studios in Downtown LA. In this episode, the students were going to a Middle School Prom/Formal. The first scene was in the student locker area. I handed the main actress (Rowan Blanchard) a rose. Recently, I actually saw myself in a trailer which was pretty exciting. The next scene was the dance scene. It took a while to complete the scene. They typically shoot the same scene over and over from different camera angles. The background cross back and forth to make the scene look natural while the actors are filmed. Between scenes, I played cards with one of the kid actors. It was fun and helped pass the time while waiting for the camera crew to reset the scene from a different angle. This last scene was the best scene. All of us kids got to dance while we got a private concert with the band Sheppard. They have the popular song "Geronimo." It was lots of fun. The only downside was that we had to dress in semi-formal attire. It was uncomfortable and hot. It was the coolest thing ever. I also had to dance with a bunch of girls and listen to a very strict (but funny) director. After the scene was over, we got to talk to the band and high-five them. The rest of the day was pretty much me eating a lot of food and playing Uno. It was a very cool experience and one that I will not forget.

My Awesome Experience on Modern Family

Today I'm going to be writing about the time I was on "Modern Family." It was really fun and exciting and I will probably never forget it (actually that's probably not true because I have a pretty bad memory of things and I already had enough trouble trying to remember this event for this week's blog).  It was a halloween special and it took place on a street near the Fox Studio's where we had parked our car.  I was dressed up as a magician with a little wand that later broke (don't mention that part to my mom). While we were in holding, which is basically where they put the background till they're ready for them, I met a boy who was dressed up as a robot. He was very nice and fun and helped pass the time.  I later got paired up with him to pretend that we were going trick-or-treating with each other.  It was a long time before we actually got to start filming because the actors kept messing up their lines in the rehearsal.  But finally, they got it right and we were able to finally start shooting. The scene was with Jay Pritchett (Ed O'Neil) and Gloria Delgado-Pritchett (Sofia Vergara). It was a funny scene where Jay was arguing to Gloria about how he had no hair and that he looked horrible and old without hair.  He was supposed to be Prince Charming but everyone thought he was Benjamin Franklin.  We filmed the scene over and over again to the point where the lines weren't even funny anymore, they were kinda annoying.  After a while, the director decided that she didn't like the scene they way it was.  So, she decided to take a few people out.  She put me and my friend next to Manny Delgado (Rico Rodriguez), and changed up a few of the actors' lines.  It was awesome being next to Rico Rodriguez!  He was very nice and asked us how our day was and if we were enjoying our time on the show.  After that, the scene was pretty much done.  We checked out and packed up our things and headed home.  It was nice because it wasn't a full work day.  We were looking forward for the episode to come out.  When it finally did, it was a disappointment. Turns out they shot close-ups of the stars.  Therefore, the background wasn't visible in the scenes.  But that's usually how it works.  Positive side, I got paid for a full day and got lots of crafty (snacks and goodies).  Either way, it was an awesome day and I will (probably) never forget it!

My Awesome Experience On "The Lone Ranger" Red Carpet!

Today I will be talking about the time I went to "The Lone Ranger" red carpet. "The Lone Ranger"movie takes place in Texas in the time of cowboys and bank robberies. It was one of my favorite movies mostly because my favorite actor, Johnny Depp, was in it. The event took place at one of the Disneyland Resort's theme parks, California Adventure. My mom and I got in the theme park super early and basically sat and waited around all day for the red carpet event to start. My mom was telling me all day to not be upset if I didn't get to meet or see any great actors. Even though the event didn't start till 4:30 we still we entertained the whole way through. Lots of jugglers, drawing lessons and music helped make sure of that. When the event finally did start it instantly became another one of the best experiences of my life. It started off with a lot of Disney Channel actors from tv shows like "So Random", Jason Dolley and Bradley Steven Perry from "Good Luck Charlie", Cameron Boyce and Karan Bar from"Jessie", the mom and Blake Michael from "Dog With A Blog", and China Anne McClain and Jake Short from"Ant Farm". I managed to get pictures and autographs with all of the actors in those tv shows. Then I got even more autographs and pictures when more celebrities started to show up like Tim Murphy, Johnny Knoxville, Rick Dees, people from Scandel, people from Dancing With The Stars, Bernie Kopell,  Barry Pepper, and James Badge Dale. The last two people who I got autographs and pictures with (who are my favorite) are really famous and talented people. Their names are Jerry Bruckheimer and Johnny Depp. They were both very nice and I was particularly star-struck when I met Johnny Depp. He signed a picture I drew of his character, Tonto, and I gave him one of my drawings. After that event I came home with a dazed-face, a phone that ran out of memory because of all the selfies and pictures I took with celebrities, and a big folder full of all the autographs I got. It was the most memorable event of my life and I sometimes still think of all the fun I had there.

My Awesome Experience On A Danimal's Commercial With Odell Beckham Jr. and Matt Ryan!

Today I will be talking about the time I was on a Danimal's commercial. For any of you who don't know what Danimals is, it is good tasting smoothie-like drink with a picture of a happy monkey on it. When I first got to the set, the PA's told us that there were two kids from a Disney Channel show and to not bother them. While the grip crew was getting the scene ready, we went to wardrobe to get our shirts that read "Fuel up To Play 60! Danimals! Sponsored by the NFL!" The commercial was about a contest that involved the NFL and Danimals. The contest was that if you got a golden Danimals bottle in a Danimals package, you won the chance to win a field day with your entire school to play with Danimals and NFL stars (I learned about this way after the fact)! Then when the scene was ready, we walked onto a big football field at a private school. In the scene, we ran on a professional football practice course over and over again.  It was fun.  When the scene was over and we were waiting for the next scene to be ready, I saw Odell Beckham Jr. texting a few feet away! I was very excited and immediately thought of an idea. I quickly grabbed my phone and walked over to him. I stopped in front of him and asked him if I could take a selfie with him. He was very nice and took the selfie himself using my phone (but when the other kids saw what I was doing they ran toward me and attempted to photo-bomb the selfie)! After that, we got to play a game of football with Matt Ryan and Odell Beckham Jr.! It was really funny when a kid tried catching the football in front of Odell, he ended up doing the splits while Odell caught the football with one hand.  The kid did end up catching it when Odell dropped the ball! Then we got to talk to the two Disney Channel stars working on the commercial. Their names are Rowan Blanchard from the Disney tv show "Girl Meets World" and Jake Short from "Mighty Med" and "ANT Farm."  After that, we filmed the rest of the scene and learned how to do the Whip and the Nae Nae from Odell Beckham Jr.! Overall that day was really fun and really cool and I will never forget it!  My cell phone screen is of the selfie us kids took with Odell Beckam Jr...so cool!!!

My Awesome Experience on Iron Man 3!

When I was on the set of Iron Man three I was very ecstatic. The night before I was on Iron Man three my mom got a call from the casting agency asking if I was available the next day. My mom said yes, so the next day on January 18, 2013 my mom and I headed to Marvel studios. Once the PA (production assistant) checked us in we headed toward a small set near the edge of the studio. Now, when I go on these jobs I'm not acting in them (which would be nice) but I'm actually doing background work. Background work isn't as big or exciting or acting but it is still pretty cool. Background work is basically where you go behind the actor(s) and fill in the scene to make the movie look as natural as possible. You don't talk when you're background but you help fill in the picture which helps the movie look better. My job on Iron Man three was to sit on a woman's lap who was supposed to be my mom, while I drank Mountain Dew in a bar. We did the same scene over and over again so then the director could see if he liked it or not. Once that was done the PA had us all line up against a wall. While we were waiting we saw Robert Downey Jr. about ten feet in front of us! He was talking to the PA and kept looking over at us. After a few minutes he walked over to us and introduced himself and asked us what our names were then he shook all our hands! It was an awesome surprise and I'll never forget that moment! The rest of the day we basically waited around and ate food until they decided they were done with us. Then we went home and waited for our paychecks. Overall, that's probably one of the best experiences I've ever had on one of these jobs!