I remember an eppisode the BBC showed of "mash" with canned laughter - shown by mistake, and it caused uproar! Do you prefer canned Laughter to promt you to laugh, or do you like to find the funny bits for yourself???
2006-08-02 10:17:00 · 14 answers · asked by an5200 2 in Entertainment & Music ➔ Television
If it's done in a subtle fashion, I think it makes an episode funnier if I am not conscious of it.
If it's done in a loud, unprofessional manner (whatever that may be), it becomes an insult. It's like the producer/director is saying, "Our audience is too dumb to 1) know when to laugh 2) even notice the canned laughter".
There is a happy medium somewhere in between and that, I think, is the art of the editor/sound manager.
2006-08-02 10:23:57 · answer #1 · answered by ilikegum 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Canned laughter is idiotic. If a show must cue you as to when you should laugh, then it's obviously not as funny as it pretends to be. What's funny stands for itself without help. Imagine that you went to the theater to see a comedy and there's a guy in the aisle tickling you every time something funny is supposed to be happening!
(Of course, I suppose canned laughter could be used as a tool for comedy itself, but that's another story...)
2006-08-02 17:23:27 · answer #2 · answered by Bicho 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I hate canned laughter. I would much rather listen to what's going on with the show and decide what's funny myself than listen to the same laugh track over and over again.
2006-08-02 17:21:26 · answer #3 · answered by Julia L. 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Canned laughter is insulting to the viewer. It is used to prompt people to laugh - and if the material isn't funny enough on it's own, then let's face it - its not worth watching.
Live audience without signs where the cameras can't see them are the best gauge.
2006-08-02 17:23:23 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Live laughter at a taped show is the best. Like "Whose Line is it?" Sometimes they make the audience laugh so hard they have to stop for a minute.
2006-08-02 17:21:10 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would rather find the funny moments myself. I don't like canned laughter. All but one of the M*A*S*H episodes had canned laughter. I guess the writers want us to think something is funny, even when it isn't!
2006-08-02 17:20:54 · answer #6 · answered by harleychic 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I hate canned laughter--if something is funny I'll laugh--if I don't find it funny I don't need canned laughter to show me that the writers fell short of funny
2006-08-02 17:20:17 · answer #7 · answered by creative rae 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I HATE canned laughter!!! It's like, 'we're really desperate to show you how funny we are!' And, usually, the canned laughter is on the stupid parts, not the funny ones.
2006-08-02 17:20:48 · answer #8 · answered by halo27 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I can remember when they first started using canned laughter and I thought it was stupid and insulting then and I still do.
Another one is when they say, "This was recorded in front of a live studio audience." As opposed to what? A dead one?
Okay, maybe that's why they needed canned laughter!
2006-08-02 17:22:57 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I hate canned laughter! It's really started to bother me on shows recently. Especially when it's a joke that only amusing and they have the fake audience roaring at it.
2006-08-02 17:21:58 · answer #10 · answered by nezzy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋