Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/908245
44 F A L L 2 0 1 7 C A S Q U A R T E R L Y IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA A Case Study: or the 12th s e a s o n of FXX's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, the multitalented creator/ writer/producer/cast came out of the gate with a hilariously bold episode titled "The Gang Turns Black," in which the gang is watching The Wiz during a lightning storm and gets struck through their electric blanket, only to wake up the following morning … well, black. They spontaneously break into song throughout the episode as they try to figure out what has happened, and how to get things back to normal, all the while experiencing "firsthand" what it's like to be black in America. A sensitive subject, to be sure, and one hilariously tackled with all the trademark subtlety and tact the Always Sunny cast has become known for. And, to top it off, a fantastic cameo from Mr. Scott Bakula. All the songs were prerecorded, and then fed into earwigs for the cast to perform them live on set, with the intention of capturing and using as much of the live singing as possible. This presented some interesting challenges for everyone involved from pre all the way to post. PRE-PRODUCTION From my perspective as the dialogue/music re-recording mixer, my biggest concern was being able to match between production singing and prerecord, as a cross- over taking place at some point was inevitable. I asked Sunny's composer, Cormac Bluestone, and production mixer George Flores CAS, if they considered using boom or lavaliere mics to match the forthcoming production recordings for the prerecords. As it turned out, their focus lay elsewhere at that stage: Cormac Bluestone: For this episode, RCG F The Musical Episode