Full director's cut, scene breakdown, editing process, and behind-the-scenes on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/AlvinZhouFilms/posts/largest-buffet-169766089



some music thoughts:

2:00 - I've always liked the Ocean's movies because of how evocative their music was to the films. I particularly took inspiration from their "gathering a team" scenes, where they have this nice funk/jazz song playing. I used a similar track to emphasize the team of buffet workers required to pull of this "grand heist" of preparing breakfast, which was quite fun.



4:45 - The Donut Room. I've had this song saved for a while,  hoping that one day the right scene may come along. When I entered the Donut Room, I knew this was it. It was calm, serene, beautiful, and evocative, just like this song. The piece is Miroirs, No. 3 "Une Barque Sur L'océan" by Maurice Ravel, a beautiful waterfall-like piano track that really makes the scene shine. The climax of the piano song speaks to me like donuts being glazed, so the entire scene is built around making the glazing portion the pinnacle portion of this section.

6:49 - I liked how this track had that banjo-country feel, but also a nice trap/hi-hat beat going on the back, emulating the farmland of Lancaster surrounding the Smorgasborg, but also making the people who cook the food feel cool.

9:54 - This is a song from Genshin Impact called "After Tea Party." I love how whimsical and musical this piece is, offering a nice break from the pace of the rest of the kitchen. Deb was also hilarious to hang out with, so I liked how her humour was emphasized by the light-hearted feel of the song. Desserts always feel like a nice little tea party, which is fun.

12:22 - Things are picking up, and the crowd is coming in for lunch, so the music must feel like the same. I picked a pulsing beat, with that synth feel that starts to pick up the pace. I also like how the end of the song has a crescendo that matches the tires on the truck driving up, and hard cutting to the auction scene.

14:45 - When I shot this auction scene with Lin, the moment the auctioneers started talking, I knew immediately it was going to be a rap music video. That's all I could hear the whole time - freestyling, rapping, high energy, insanity. I found the song that matched well, and when I first listened to it while looking at the footage, it was hitting so hard that I was bopping like crazy in my room. It gave me so much adrenaline to see the two working together, that this was going to be a fun scene to edit for me. Probably my second favorite scene in the video. Took about a week to edit. I also love how the song has this kicks, hits, and gunshot sounds that dictate the different portions of the auction (buying, moving produce, both of them together, amish kids, etc.)

17:45 - I wanted something relaxing after such a high energy auction scene, so I went for the Dusk In Mondstadt scene from Genshin Impact. If you don't know, it's the night version of the first region city's theme that plays, offering a reprieve for the player to come back to. It's nostalgic and rooted in memory for me because it always felt calming to return to that town after a long few hours of grinding, fighting monsters, and battles, so I thought it was the perfect match for a more relaxed scene of husking corn with your friends and coworkers.


20:49 - The climax of the entire video, Saturday dinner. Filming at the smorgasborg felt like new things were happening left and right, getting more and more intense every single minute, so I wanted a piece of music that also felt the same. I settled on a cyberpunk-inspired song, pulsing, driving, and increasing in intensity as the song went on. I liked how the song told a story of its own, helping me dictate how the scene should flow, ultimately culminating in the dish pit. It represented the kaleidoscopic cataclysm of food that was Shady Maple to me, and I love the adrenaline and energy it brought, minute after minute.

25:57 - This song is called Angel's Share from Genshin Impact, a song that plays when you walk into a nice little bar/speakeasy. It has a light, relaxed feel that plays quite well after such an intense dinner scene. Since the employees were having fun with their creations, I also wanted the song to echo that lighthearted, playful camaraderie the employees had with each other and me.

29:02 - I have been saving this song for quite some time now. It's called Sunflowers by BigRicePiano, and when I first heard it, I only saw fields of farmland, light by the setting sun, slowly rippling in the wind. When I finally landed in Lancaster and saw the vast expanses of farmlands, fields, grain silos, and corn after corn, I knew this would be the closing song. I spent about 1-2 hours capturing scenery of the area after the sun started to set, as that was what I saw every day walking to and from the buffet to film. It had such a quite and peaceful energy, with the sky and clouds so close to you that you felt like you could just reach up and grab them. It also is a song that is delicate and powerful enough to match Phil's last sentences about what Shady Maple means to him and the guests who come there, which are ultimately his pride and joy.

More intense explanations and full breakdowns on Patreon if you're curious, and thank you all for watching.
https://www.patreon.com/AlvinZhouFilms/posts/largest-buffet-169766089

staff memebers working here for decades is a proof that this place treat their people well

i'd be dead if i lived anywhere near this buffet

I have never been to America, after seeing this I dont want to go to Hollywood or New York, I want to go to Shady Maple.

CEO driving an 18 wheeler and his daughter helping him out.  You don't see that too often.

That auction rap segment is the hardest thing I've seen on YouTube this year.

I'm glad they let employees take the leftovers they can't use. It keeps food from being wasted, and it helps the employees out too. I've had nights where having free leftovers that night meant I could make it to payday, so I appreciate it when an employer doesn't just throw perfectly good food out.

The beat behind the autioneers is crazy lol

Breakfast: $14.99
Lunch: $20.99
Dinner: $26.99 to $29.99

The CEO clearly recognizes the Buffet's success is  based in the talent of his staff and the quality of their ingredients.  The scale of their output requires that their system be extremely efficient; but each element is recognized as important and valued for the role they play. Let's hope pay reflects that level of respect.These folks are skilled at their jobs.

a kitchen fails without the dishwasher, im glad the owner knows that

Props to the CEO driving the big rig and his daughter on the skid steer.

The CEO at the local farmers auction impressed me more than anything else.

The statistics that the ceo keeps casually dropping is remarkable

$6,000 for 40,000 lbs of produce is such an insanely good deal....

I work a corporate job, surrounded by computers in a sterile office. This restaurant is such a crazy masterpiece built on the sheer power of people. I feel like this is what a real job is: feeding people.

I grew up about 45 minutes away. We would go there almost every year for birthdays. It's actually surreal how many options they have and how good most of them are.

18:34 [diabetic disbelief] is such an underrated subtitle

The scale of this buffet is almost incomprehensible. It is insane how many people work on each individual item and how much product they need. Amazing stuff

I like that every item is being cooked by a person who cares and knows how.