Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1521562
50 S U M M E R 2 0 2 4 I C A S Q U A R T E R L Y M E E T T H E W I N N E R S FX's half-hour series The Bear is a fan and critic favorite, garnering 10 Emmys, a CAS Award, and an MPSE Golden Reel, among many others. The series follows a young, award-winning chef who, after a successful stint working in the fine-dining world, returns home to Chicago to help with his deceased brother's sandwich shop. I had the great privilege to speak with production sound mixer Scott D. Smith CAS, re-recording mixer Steve "Major" Giammaria CAS, ADR mixer Patrick Christensen, and Foley mixer Ryan Collison about their experiences working on this year's Television Half-Hour CAS Award winner. Foley mixer Connor Nagy was unavailable due to scheduling challenges. Below are some highlights from our conversations. Thank you all for joining me. I rewatched the "Forks" episode again last night and, wow, what a good episode! From a sound perspective and from a storytelling perspective, this episode felt like a huge reset and transformation. Chef Terry's restaurant is such a huge contrast to Richie's world. I loved the juxtaposition of the chaos of Richie's old world and what he ultimately becomes. We get a glimpse of it when he's talking to Carmen on the phone and Fak is electrocuting himself repeatedly. And to me, it felt like Fak was embodying Richie in the sense that Richie seemed to be metaphorically repeatedly electrocuting himself in life. But by realizing that every detail— down to the forks—contribute to the overall experience of the restaurant, he realizes that, as a member of The Bear, his actions either contribute to or hinder their success as well. STEVE "MAJOR" GIAMMARIA CAS: We're all rooting for Richie. [It's] such an interesting arc for that character. Everybody that went on their side quests this season have these interactions calling back to the restaurant. And it's pure chaos still. It's kind of a measured monotony of that day. He's finding his purpose, and I think that routine, because it's such a difference from his day-to-day, we tried with sound to present the measured intensity-feeling that pressure in a different way with different sounds. The expeditor's 1 voice leading with a very measured calling it out. Instead of the clock and the chaos clattering driving the scene. It's more her voice, and the music driving the scene. And then you go out in the dining room and it's so calm. Everybody's talking softly. And it's a neat structure that they gave us, to be able to elevate these two environments, with sound. This show in general is also metaphorical for how we work as sound mixers. There's all this potential chaos, and I think we're most successful when we act like the expo where. She's able to manage all these moving pieces, almost like a juggler. TELEVISION SERIES – HALF-HOUR THE BEAR S2 Ep. 7 "Forks" b y C A S A s s o c i a t e S a m C a s a s 1 "A food expeditor, also called 'expo' for short, is a food service professional who is responsible for coordinating food orders and making sure they are delivered promptly and prepared accurately. Expeditors also play a vital role in keeping the kitchen organized and running smoothly." –SquareUp.com