Date: Fri 29-Dec-1995

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDREA

Illustration: I

Quick Words:

Santa-NFL-Preview

Full Text:

Ron Dukenski/NFL Santa Claus

B Y A NDREA Z IMMERMANN

When you get the call to play for the National Football League, you just strap

on some padding, outfit yourself, and run with it - right?

That's exactly what Ron Dukenski, a strapping six-foot tall Newtown resident,

did last Friday. But it was Santa , not football, he played during the opening

piece for ABC Sports Monday Night Football.

" I remembered that Ron was always a jolly character, always outgoing, and

very friendly, " said Elizabeth Reil, production assistant for ABC Sports and

former Newtown resident. The two had met at Trinity Church, years ago, when

Liz was a teenager and both of them were actively involved in the youth group

and musical programming. " I knew he would be a good person [to play the role]

if I didn't want to go through casting agency. "

" When Liz first said she thought of me for this opportunity...I didn't know

whether to be flattered or insulted, " laughed Ron, referring to the classic

image of a very rotund Mr Claus. " But then she said it was because of my

voice and twinkly eyes. So I said, 'Okay, let's talk.' "

Ron arrived at the Sony Music Center in Manhattan - an audio/video production

center frequented by celebrities like Michael Jackson and Barbra Streisand,

and used by ABC Sports - on December 22, at 4 pm to rehearse and tape his "

seven-and-a-half-seconds of fame. " There he met up with Liz and was given "

the most elegant of Santa suits. "

A management and organization consultant, Ron is familiar with the production

of industrial videos. His experience with ABC Sports made him realize that the

objective in creating business films is the immediacy of the message, whereas

the focus of an entertainment piece is on the craft. This " perfection of the

image " is one reason they had three technical " walk-throughs, " and five

takes, he added.

There was an " army " of guild craftspeople - lighting, sound, and special

effects technicians on the set. Conversations abounded between director, crew,

and technicians as they taped, immediately reviewed the footage, and corrected

any errors.

" I always feel bad, because everyone ends up sitting around for hours and not

doing anything, " said Liz, referring to the down-time for actors. Every

Friday is dedicated to the production of the 90-second piece that appears

before the game. " It was nice that Ron was there to do it, because he has

done this kind of thing before and he knows how much sitting around there is.

It was nice that he wanted to do it. "

" Here was an opportunity to witness an outstanding, high-performance team, "

said Ron, whose work is largely devoted to examining organizational behavior

and fostering effective teamwork in the business setting. " The goal for this

team was to get the best possible image they could on screen in the minute of

production they had to work with . . . and they did it beautifully. "

After the first take, a review of the video showed a kick mark on the

backdrop. Rather than scrub the wall and wait for it to dry (it was 10:30 pm

at that point), the crew simply boosted Santa's couch with apple crates to

hide the spot.

A second take was rejected because an area of the studio outside the set was

captured during a pan. And the next shoot accidentally picked up an instrument

which pulsated light on Santa's face as if emanating from the television

(which, by the way, had rabbit ears made from two chopsticks left over from

the crew's dinner.)

In the scene, Ron is sitting on a couch, tossing a football and - " like the

rest of the world, presumably " - tuning in to watch the game. His "

television " was actually a monitor which showed the scene as it was being

filmed, and cued Ron to kick up his legs at a specific time.

" The irony is that I'm not really a football fan, " laughed Ron, who quickly

added that he does , however, always look forward to the Super Bowl. " It was

my first experience watching Monday Night Football. "

Friends and family tuned in Monday night to see Ron kick up his heels. His

mother said it went by so fast , and friends from Trinity called to ask if

they should continue watching - was there more?

For many it may have been anticlimactic, but Ron said, for him, " Certainly,

it was a wonderful moment - resulting in neither fame nor fortune! "