Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1538148
Fall 2025 – LOCAL695.COM 35 use much of the existing practical kitchen lighting (all on SCR dimmers), which further trashed what little RF bandwidth we had left to operate in (Note: Chicago is an RF hellhole). So, armed with nothing more than a stack of wireless mics, a seasoned Boom Operator (Jason Johnston) and a prayer, we jumped in. Thankfully, when the show was cut, the editors managed to avoid the worst of the problems that plagued us. That, along with some masterful work by Dialogue Editor Evan Benjamin and Re-recording Mixer Steve "Major" Giammaria, led to a finely honed pilot. Season 1 The world of television pilots is a fickle one. Dozens of TV pilots are pitched to the networks every season, but most never go before the cameras. Of the few that do, fewer still get green-lit for a full season. I had no reason to think that a show involving a restaurant and feuding cousins would ignite much interest on the part of the viewers. So, I was surprised to receive another call from the same unit manager in November of 2021, asking if I would be interested in doing a full season of the show. Having already experienced the pitfalls of the pilot, I was a bit more wary when it came to doing a full season. Where would we be shooting? Was it going to be all practical sets again? How many cameras? How many actors? The only firm answer was in regard to the restaurant set, which is based in part on an actual sandwich shop called Mr. Beef, located in the River North section of Chicago. I was assured this would be built as a stage set at Cinespace Studios in Chicago. What wasn't mentioned was that it would be an exact replica of the restaurant itself. Same kitchen, front entry area, same counter, same practical lights, and same working neon signs. In other words, the show set would present identical constraints and issues we had encountered during the pilot. The only major concession was that the exhaust fan required for stove ventilation would be moved to the roof area of the stage but would not be a variable speed fan. With the cooperation of the SFX department, however, we were able to convince the powers- that-be to install a system which was higher air intake and lower in velocity than what would typically be used in a commercial kitchen. While not completely silent, it did at least reduce the noise to a level that was manageable for many scenes. What we didn't anticipate was the plan to shoot one episode (EP 7 "Review") in a single continuous 18-minute take, which contained multiple complications for every department. Thanks to some incredible boom work on the part of my crew, we made it through, with virtually no ADR. RF Constraints Like some other major metropolitan areas in the post-repack era, Chicago is a nightmare when it comes to the UHF spectrum. When looking at the region in its entirety, the band from 470mHz up to 604mHz is occupied by UHF TV channels with a signal strength that varies from lakefront to the suburbs. The only band left is a small slice of 470mHz, which at best will allow about eight channels of wireless, depending on modulation. Further, when working on the stages, we share the spectrum with three other shows shooting in the same stage building, making RF coordination a real challenge. To overcome these obstacles, we move whatever non-critical systems (IFB's, coms, etc.) we can to frequencies which won't cause intermod issues with the primary talent and boom wires. We employ both digital and analog systems, so it's crucial to keep on top of differences in modulation schemes. When moving to various locations around the city and suburbs, wireless assignments need to be changed to accommodate the spectrum available, so it's not unusual to have to re-tune a dozen or more channels of wireless to avoid problems in a given geographic area. In addition to RF spectrum issues, there were complications caused by the stage lighting system controllers, along with two neon signs, part of the design at the original location used for the show. The signs were a frequent source of wideband RF noise and EMI. Despite attempts at reducing the noise caused by the high-voltage transformer, it was virtually impossible to contain the RF spray generated by the signs themselves. In situations where the signs needed to be left on, iZotope was our friend. To aid the post crew in working around these issues, we recorded samples of just the interference (minus any set noise), providing a clean signature track that could hopefully be used to cancel the interference in the actual dialog tracks. Season 2 When it was announced that the show would be picked up for a second season, this gave us the opportunity to address a few of the issues that had plagued us during Season 1. This included a better multiple-antenna RF system, installed in and around the stage set, which aided us in covering scenes that moved from the kitchen to front-of-house and back again. We were also able to arrange for the electrical department to set up a separate set of controls for all the refrigeration equipment on set, which is frequently used to store actual prop food during shooting. All the food seen on the show is edible; its preparation is supervised by the Showrunner's sister, Coco Storer, whose experience working in high-end kitchens inspires some of the storylines. We were also able to finesse the placement of mics on some of the talent, mostly to accommodate both aprons and "street clothing" costumes. In a few instances, mics were placed in the actors' hair to avoid situations where the mics might be completely blocked.