The chaotic yet captivating sonic landscape of The Bear is as much a character as the chefs themselves. From the clatter of pans to the rapid-fire dialogue, the show immerses viewers in the high-pressure world of a professional kitchen.
We sat down with the talented sound team behind The Bear – Supervising Sound Editor and Re-recording Mixer Steve “Major” Giammaria, Dialogue Editor Evan Benjamin, and Production Sound Mixer Scott D. Smith – to explore their philosophy, challenges, and the tools they use to craft the show’s auditory experience.
Could you tell us a little bit about your roles in creating the sounds of the restaurant and the world of The Bear?
Major: I have two roles on The Bear, supervising sound editor and re-recording mixer. As the supervising sound editor, I work with the team to set the overall tone of the show’s sound and ensure I have the necessary material for the mix stage. As the mixer, I blend the brilliant sound editorial work, production sound, and music to support and tell an exciting story. Ultimately, it’s about supporting the showrunner’s creative vision and telling a story that moves the audience.
Evan: I’m the dialogue editor for The Bear. My job is to take the vast amount of material Scott records on set from many mics and multiple takes and turn it into a cohesive, seamless-sounding scene. This also provides maximum flexibility for Major when he mixes it.
Scott: The primary role of the production sound team is to capture as much clean dialogue as possible, along with any related sound effects and ambiance specific to a scene that would be hard to recreate later.
What is your philosophy or guiding pricinpals for crafting the sonic world of The Bear?
Major: For me, it’s always dialogue first. We strive to make sure every word, even with a lot of overlapping dialogue, is heard and understood in that rapid-fire environment. The audience needs to track the story amidst the chaos. We also subtly support the scene’s emotion by adding or subtracting certain sounds. For instance, do we increase the fork clinks in a tense moment, or let a scene breathe in the alley after a long night of service? How do we show a character’s growth through sound?
Evan: Technically, before I hand off a scene to Major, I want it to play as if it was shot in one take with one mic, regardless of how many pieces it’s built from. Creatively, I aim for the most natural sound possible, using processing without it ever being apparent or intrusive. I want the actors’ performances to remain unaffected, even by extreme processing. My goal is to save as many lines as possible from needing to be ADR’d. When actors yell over each other, I want all of them audible and independently controllable. To achieve this, iZotope RX has been an invaluable part of my work on The Bear since season 1.
Scott: I strive to create a sonic landscape that conveys the acoustics of the space a scene takes place in. If a scene is in a cavernous space, it should sound cavernous, not antiseptic. I also do whatever possible to match the sound to what the camera sees, typically using boom mics instead of lavalier mics on the actors. Additionally, I like to capture stereo ambience tracks for the surround channels in the final mix to further establish the environment.
