Time as Constant Runner in THE BEAR
Hello all. Mel here.
I remember when, about five minutes in, I first realised The Bear 1.07 "Review" was running entirely as a oner.
I was enraptured, I was engaged, I was stressed out of my mind.
All the flurry and potential pitfalls and teamwork-on-the-edge pictured in front of the camera mirror what I know went on behind the camera; grips moving heavy objects at lighting speed yet somehow (mostly) quietly; ACs communicating in furious hand gestures; the focus puller sweating bullets; panic and professionalism, silent swears, chaos with absolute precision at the speed of light; collapse over the finish line; clean up and do it all again tomorrow.
A recipe to see film sets and back-of-house similarities: take Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential, sub skillets for C-stands and waitstaff for PAs, voila!
Putting aside the egos and drugs and sexism and sex and stories: both are industries built around the clock. Long hours, constant repetition but no day remotely the same, going in when it's dark and coming out when it's even darker, exact calibration of cook times and pacing, do it faster but still perfect but still faster, yes chef, copy that, now you're behind, we don’t pay overtime, chase the sun, turn over the tables, go go go go GO, if you stop you die.
Season 1 of The Bear focuses on building new rhythms, finding moments of triumph in the midst of grief and loss, never knowing how much time we have, whether at our current jobs or with our loved ones. Season 2 triples down on the theme and motifs of time, except in almost every instance whether opening dates or flashbacks, we know how much time is on the clock for these relationships, these people, these demolitions and refurbishings.
At every turn, The Bear reminds its characters and us that seconds matter: get the eggs out or they turn to rubber; if you're a single second late you missed the mark and have to do the entire shot over again and again and and again and AGAIN. But besides being the inescapable enemy, time is also precious: we can never have enough of it; we should savour it; we must get out of our own damn way again. and again. and again. and again.
It's not a new lesson, and it's not a subtle one, but heaven and The Bear know we haven't learned it yet, so it hammers it home with its entire construct: deadlines, flashbacks, timers.
I love the blatant, literal shots as much as the subtle ones, and also the scenes where they've cleared clocks out entirely, making a statement with their absence because of the prolificacy elsewhere.
I’ve compiled every ‘time and exit sign’ shot from Season 2 into one handy Substack post here. I hope you enjoy, and I hope you and I and everyone we know can take the lesson a little bit more to heart every time.
IMDB
THE BEAR (2022): Full Cast & Crew