Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1538148
36 PRODUCTION SOUND & VIDEO – Fall 2025 Episode 1 of Season 2 starts off with a bang (literally), as the staff of "The Original Beef" take hammers and crowbars to the set. Yes, they are actually doing the real demolition of the set, which we initially thought would be filmed as an insert shot separate from the dialog. Another surprise… And, as in the first season, the finale of Season 2 features yet another continuous take which takes us from the kitchen to the front-of-house, and back again. The episode ends with Carmy being accidentally locked in the walk-in refrigerator on opening night of the restaurant. Season 3 Season 3 of the show ("Tomorrow") as aired, is a montage set to music which serves as a recap of Carmy's life up until now. Primarily backed by a needle-drop music track, interspersed with snippets of dialog, we track Carmy's torturous beginnings during his apprenticeship at the French Laundry restaurant, up until the present-day realities of a kitchen cleanup. Overall, this season is much quieter than the two previous seasons. Befitting the general emotional tone of the season, there are also scenes filmed at a Michelin-starred Chicago restaurant ("Ever"), operated by Chef Curtis Duffy. This restaurant incorporates some of the best sound treatment I've ever encountered for a front-of-house dining area. With absolutely nothing that would clue the average diner as to how the room was treated, I had to look very carefully at the walls and ceiling areas to figure out how the architect and builders had treated the surfaces. At the end, I remarked to Chef Duffy, "I would eat here based on the acoustics alone, even if the food was terrible." I wish every location where we shoot could be as good as that one. Season 3 ends with a farewell dinner, marking the closing of Ever, where Carmy is reunited with his former colleagues, along with the hateful chef (David Fields) who we've seen previously. The episode ends as a cliffhanger, with many unresolved questions facing Carmy, including whether the restaurant will survive. Most problematic from a sound standpoint was Episode 3 ("Doors"), which featured a number of scenes that were guaranteed to ignite PTSD for anyone who has ever worked in a restaurant. Dishes stacked up in the sink, orders gone wrong, someone's hand being cut with a utility knife, shouting matches and physical altercations. With frequent overlapping dialog, this episode was guaranteed to have the Dialogue Editor order up a 100-tablet bottle of Xanax. Season 4 Season 4 of The Bear opens with an episode ("Groundhog") similar in tone to that of Season 3, with a flashback sequence that takes us to Carmy's time with his brother, Mikey. Subsequently, we see snippets of The Chicago Tribune restaurant review that ended Season 3, which leads to a lot of soul- searching on the part of Carmy and the staff. The generally quiet and introspective tone of the season doesn't last for long, however. 16 Actors Under a Table? No Problem… One particularly challenging scene for sound takes place in Episode 7 of the season. This episode revolves around a reception for the wedding of Richie's Console setup for season four, episode seven, Zone Mic System Scott at Main Stage cart