PERSONAL DENTISTRY and the filming of “Law & Order: Criminal Intent”
My day started at 4:30AM, not that it needed to. The set-up crew was to arrive at 7:30 but my excitement about the day’s events kept me awake.
They and I were at the gate to the office at 7:30. They proceeded to make the changes needed for the taping of the 4 segments they planned to do on my birthday, March 16. Quite a wonderful birthday present.
Changes made: All of our wall art including the great 1949 Italian Happy Tooth poster in the reception area, were changed for their pictures and paintings that had no possibility of anyone, anywhere, owning the rights to them. They also put up many pictures that were pertinent to the story line: the dentist and his adored wife’s wedding and honeymoon photos. We negotiated successfully that our grandchildren’s cherubic photo stays up.
Other changes included changing all our daylight-assimilating fluorescents for blue tint ones that compliment color taping. They removed ceiling tiles and added lights and filters. They brought in cameras, lighting and sound equipment, and monitors used by the Director, Line Producer and Script Coordinator. There were also director chairs and headsets for Ivy and myself, probably to keep us out of the way.
This photo of our grandkids which was televised.
Most amazingly, for you who know our office, by time the taping started there were at least 75 people working or what seemed to me mostly standing around. That’s a lot of people. There were also many support people in the many trucks parked on both sides of the street outside our office. Most parking was prohibited on the block beginning the previous evening. Altogether there were over 125 - 150 people involved in the day’s shoot and many more in the studio who dealt with the follow-up required after the shoot.
After a short rehearsal, taping started around 11:00AM with Bronson Pinchot, the actor playing me, OK, not me, but the dentist in the story. Ivy says she hopes not me since he may have bumped off his wife! Others in the cast who came to our office were actors Vincent D’Onofrio (Detective Robert Goren) and his partner Kathryn Erbe (Detective Alex Eames). Bronson finished and left by 12:30 and Vincent and Katie (as Kathryn Erbe is known to the crew) came in about 1:30 and finished about 5:00. The actors and the production crew then moved on to a new location and took a 1 _ hour lunch break (at 5:00 pm). I was told that taping for that day ended at around midnight.
The clean up crew stayed after everyone left and did a great job putting everything back just as it was, referring often to the many Polaroids they took upon their arrival. We were ready to see patients at 8:30 the next morning!
The day was fun. We had a few conversations with the actors and spent time with Director Frank Prinzi (our patient) and John Roman, the line producer. I saw parallels between watching Frank direct and my role as a dentist…lots of focus and attention to detail needed. (You didn’t think I could relate the two jobs, did you?) Frank was terrific. Always pleasant and always in control. Frank said they do a new show every 8 days. Work days can be 12 or more hours long. He directs about half the shows in a season and is Director of Photography for the rest. The cast and crew vacation for two weeks around New Year’s and are off in July and August.
In speaking with John Roman, the producer, he said that our office was a great space for them to work. It was roomy enough for their crew and he especially liked that it was a working dental office rather than a set made for the show. He said that a set never looks quite real. After a full day of taping, he said this would fill ten minutes of an episode.
Overall, Ivy and I are left with a new vision of our office. We reflect on 75 people being there, kind of like 7500 saffron Gates in Central Park. Once upon a time . . .
The show will air on NBC Sunday at 9pm some time in April. The episode is called, “Beast.” Watch our website for details of the air date! You can say, “I sat in that chair!”
