HOLD
THAT POSE Shane Murray has been called a 'natural'. Here he poses
for a scene in the upcoming I Was A Sixth Grade Alien by author
Bruce Coville. The 12-book series will be illustrated by Syracuse
artist Tony Sansevero. |
Stepping
into Character
Acting
Up Around Oswego
Tom Mayer
Palladium Times
Sunday Weekender
Shane Murray's
parents love it when he acts up. In fact, the Fitzhigh Park School student's
been acting up for more than four months, and they couldn't be happier.
This is a good thing-especially since Shane is under obligation to continue
his behavior for quite a while. "Just out of the blue, Shane's
Father Tom says, about the phone call that came inquiring if he would
agree to his son's modeling and acting in a series of books written
by internationally known children's author Bruce Coville. "I thought
it was great"
The
call came about this way. Illustrator Tony Sansevero, who works out
of Syracuse, but makes frequent forays into Oswego, was in Fitzhugh
this year teaching students how to add pictures to poems they've written.
Always on the watch for that certain look, he noticed Murray, who helped
him pass out paper, and thought he'd be perfect for a role he needed
to fill.
After
meeting Bruce Coville at a bookstore more than a year ago, one thing
led to another- serendipity and friendship ensued, and Tony was offered
the chance to illustrate a 12-book series about sixth grade space aliens.
The project
was a perfect fit for Sansevero, who had been a science-fiction buff
his whole life. But he needed the right kind of child for a lead role.
"Physically, he (Shane) was exactly what I thought the character
should look like." Sansevero says. But if he had a vision in mind
for the character, why use real people?
"I
use people and sometimes even professional actors to add believability
to the illustrations", the illustrator says "Most of the time
I hire local actors to portray many of the characters for both kids'
books and book-jackets. They'll read the story like a script,
look at my notes, and add a bit of their own art and experiences. I
want the characters to be as believable as possible, and what better
way than to hire people that get into the skin of their characters for
a living"?
But this story was different" Sansevero continues, "Because
the plot takes place in the Syracuse area, I decided to use kids from
local schools as models for the books. It can be difficult at times
since it's rare to find a kid that fits a certain physical look, and
also can act- that can give expressions and body movements that I can
incorporate into an illustration."
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FINISHED
PRODUCT. This is the finished drawing by Sansevero, who worked
from the photo and from life.
|
After finding
and testing Murray, Sansevero was convinced that he had what it took
to act out the role of Tim Thompkins, the Alien's best friend in "I
was a Sixth Grade Alien", the first in the series of 12, that's
due out in bookstores next week.
Although acting came naturally to Murray, he's met with a few challenges
since he's taken on his new role. The hardest to date?
"Licking my palms" Murray said, about a scene in which he
learns to interact with his new alien friend. "But it's been really
fun" He says about his new job.
Watching Murray work in Tony's studio, the word "Fun" and
"Great" come up a lot, they seem to be the basis for inspiration.
"You have to enjoy what you do, it needs to be fun" Sansevero
says, continuing with an explanation of a huge alien party he and Coville
had so the 'actors' could all meet.
"Fun" in Sansevero's studio equals great, and great equals
believability and some pretty wild alien illustrations.
