How Do You Feel About The Big Bang Theroy(The Show)

[TemporalFlux]

Just because a show films with an audience doesn't mean it doesn't use a laugh track.

I took the tour of the Warner back lot in Hollywood, and they let us visit the Big Bang Theory sets. The tour guide claimed it was the actual audience laughing and that they even searched for quality laughs (the guide noting that you may be able to clearly hear yourself if you come to a taping).

 

[Forbin]

I always remember that one guy in the Taxi audience who'd let loose with a loud HONK once in a while. I head he was one of the staff, just enjoyin' his job.

 

[FPAlpha]

In the gag reels for the show (most of them available on Youtube) you can see the crew often react to the audience, some personal favorites are from one episode where Penny talks about an Ex and that she broke off with him because he didn't challenge her on an intellectual level after which someone from the audience let loose a really loud and noticeable laugh and Kaley Cuoco breaking character and laughing too at his reaction.

One interview Cuoco also mentioned that writers sometimes change lines because it didn't get the desired response from the audience, kind of a live focus group.

So no, BBT doesn't use a laugh track and everybody claiming so is just intentionally looking for ways to put the show down

 

[Myko]

When people complain about laugh tracks they usually don't care if it was pre-recorded or a live audience. They just don't want to hear other people laughing while watching.

 

[Forbin]

When people complain about laugh tracks they usually don't care if it was pre-recorded or a live audience. They just don't want to hear other people laughing while watching.

Antisocial sociopaths!

 

[Greg Cox]

When people complain about laugh tracks they usually don't care if it was pre-recorded or a live audience. They just don't want to hear other people laughing while watching.

Boy, they must hate watching comedies at the movies.

Or even, god forbid, live theater.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

When people complain about laugh tracks they usually don't care if it was pre-recorded or a live audience. They just don't want to hear other people laughing while watching.

Yeah, that's pretty much it.

Unless the audience actually has a function in the show, like the aforementioned Red Green (or even Python). Aside from that, though, why should the viewers need to be told when to laugh?

 

[Forbin]

To share the fun?

 

[Starbreaker]

You're more likely to think something is funny if you hear someone else laughing (maybe not specifically you, person reading). The Office works because of the looks and awkward pauses. Curb Your Enthusiasm works because of all the cringe inducing moments. Some shows just don't work without a laugh track or a live audience just because of the way they're designed.

 

[Tim Walker]

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/InsufferableGenius

Check out the examples for television-scroll down for a discussion of Sheldon.

 

[Mark_Nguyen]

On the laugh track, what they usually do is mix in the studio laughter with additional layers of laughs depending on the need. So they won't put in laughs over a joke where no one in the studio laughs, but they WILL make the laughter sound fuller or last longer depending on how the show is edited. They'll also modify it if the scene cuts away to another scene or to commercial, so it sounds more natural rather than just fading it out.

There was a making-of video for "Friends" (which I'm sure is on YouTube somewhere, it was a DVD extra last decade) which took you through the whole post-production process, and I'm sure that's still how they do it now, albeit more digitally. At least it's not a "Sports Night", where they added a laugh track into the first season when there was no studio audience, and it was PAINFULLY obvious.

Mark

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

My favorite reference to laugh tracks, or lack thereof, was from Larry Gelbart who was one of the co-creators of M*A*S*H. (Which, I'm happy to see, lets you disable the laugh track completely on all DVD releases of the show. )

Originally he wanted to make the show without a laugh track at all - "just like the real Korean War," he said.

 

[Photoman15]

That's called "sweetining" which there is NO credit for at the end of the show. If they did there would be a credit.

 

[Sto-Vo-Kory]

That's called "sweetining" which there is NO credit for at the end of the show. If they did there would be a credit.

A credit for "sweetener?"

 

[Karzak]

That's called "sweetining" which there is NO credit for at the end of the show. If they did there would be a credit.

Why would there be? Such a thing would likely fall under the umbrella of duties in post production, wouldn't it? Either the show's sound editor or post-production house would do the "sweetening" during post-production of the episodes. Sound editors get credited; post-production houses (Deluxe, Technicolor, etc.) do as well.

Plenty of people do plenty of jobs on shows who don't get credited, or whose individual duties add up to credits that cover everything they do or are responsible for.

 

[CorporalClegg]

Four geniuses and none of them know how to use a tire iron.

 

[Photoman15]

They did know how. Just the last lug nut was (probably rusted) stuck.

 

[CorporalClegg]

Nope.

For starters, Howard took all the other lugs off. This is a no-no for several of reasons. For one, it's dangerous. But, most importantly, it puts all the weight on the last lug, making it that much harder to get off. Any self-respecting mechanical engineer should know that.

Even still, those four-way lug wrenches are designed to generate a huge amount of torque with the basic overhand/underhand, especially with proper traction (Use a floor mat.) and a solid grip. (Wrap a t-shirt around your hands.)

But even if that doesn't work. There are plenty of "tricks" one can do--especially with four people standing around--with the iron that should loosen 99% of all the toughest lugs. Ironically, most of them employ the same concepts listed and aren't nearly as absurd.

Now I get what they were going for. The problem is, these guys are all supposed to be super smart and instead all look like Clarksonesque buffoons.

 

[Nerys Myk]

Smart guys looking stupid is a log standing trope. These characters tend overthink things. You should see them trying to them put together a media center

 

[Shark]

I could never get into it.