The Bear is not my favorite TV show. It’s just too loud and fast for my highly sensitive senses. I can feel the tension building in my body scene by scene, and by the end, I just want to throw a gravy pot at the wall—just like Carmy did in a scene from the pilot script that didn’t make the final cut.
I watched the pilot when it first came out, and that was it. If it weren’t the focus of CenterFrame’s Script Club this month, I probably wouldn’t have revisited it. But I did, and I’m glad I did because reading the script made me notice more of the undercurrent emotions beneath all that chaos. It also gave me the opportunity to appreciate this emotionally charged story in a way I couldn’t while watching—at least when reading, we can adjust the pace ourselves.
I could already sense that we were in the hands of someone who truly knows this world and its characters, but during last night’s session, I learned that the show’s creator, Christopher Storer, actually grew up around a restaurant like this in Chicago. He had known the owner since childhood and stayed in touch over the years, which explains the authenticity that comes through in every detail.
Last night’s discussion at CenterFrame’s Script Club was incredibly insightful, but one thing that really stuck with me was Bernhard Pucher’s advice on production notes. He said something along the lines of not being afraid to change what you’ve written based on notes, but to be careful not to compromise the narrative. In fact, challenging notes can open the door to making better choices as a writer.
I loved that piece of advice so much that I want to hang it on the wall behind my computer as a daily reminder. Hopefully, I won’t end up throwing a gravy pot at it the first time I get a production note I strongly disagree with. No, no, of course not. But… a coffee mug, maybe?
A Screenwriter’s Journey 
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