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Friday, April 17, 2020
We need a laugh, even if it is fake – a history of canned laughter
theconversation.com: I don’t know about you, but I could do with a laugh at the moment. Any opportunity to watch an entertaining television comedy show could prove the tonic we all need. It might be one of the crucial things to help us see through a very strange period.
7 comments:
Kaylie C.
said...
I watched the video of the Last Laugh Guess Who segment, and I honestly barely saw a difference. I also didn’t even notice the laugher was fake, although it should have been obvious. It didn’t sound so full that I couldn’t believe it could come from the group of people on the set, which I think was key for keeping it from being too over the top. Cued laughter is super important, especially for stand up type comedy. I find that I laugh out loud plenty at shows like Park’s and Rec with absolutely no cues, but I would definitely laugh very little at something like SNL or a stand up routine if it was silent. Certain types of comedy rely on the audience for fuel, and most of today’s comedy TV shows have learned how to fill laughter gaps with clever editing and transitions, but that isn’t possible for stand up or other live performances like this.
I've always been kind of unsettled by laugh tracks even in older TV shows. I read an article once that said that TV shows reuse the old laughs, which I know is likely not true in most cases now, but it makes me uncomfortable watching old TV shows especially because I think about how the laughs are people that are possibly dead. And now, even with shows that I know use studio audiences I still feel really uneasy with laugh tracks because I don't personally need them to enjoy a show or get laughing, and it is uncomfortable to think of another person or people watching it with me. Normally it is just a kind of weird experience for me, but recently I've had to stop watching certain shows while alone in my house because it puts me on such high alert. I guess that's probably not a super common issue though, so I understand why certain shows choose to continue using this element. It gives a show an old-fashioned aesthetic and definitely helps land jokes that might not normally get as much of a laugh.
This is certainly an interesting problem that probably has never existed before. If this happened in the 80’s, there would be no way for comedians to take their work home with them and broadcast from home. The story about where the phrase “canned laughter” came from is interesting and I was also surprised to find that the technique of pre-recorded laughter is seldom used anymore. I understand how audiences can be totally unpredictable, but I think that’s what gives live shows such an edge. Laughter is one of the only audible things that it’s socially acceptable to take part in during a show. Watching the show by yourself cannot fully convey the humor, the sadness, or the tension that is felt in the room itself. If you have a few people who’ll laugh at everything, other people are more likely to come along for the ride. We are at a point with technology where live laughing is something that can be naturally piped in without sounding weird, but I’m sure that is to come.
I will start by admitting that I usually hate when shows have laugh tracks. I feel like if you need to tell me when to laugh, nothing is really that funny. And, to be fair, I pretty much stand by that. I usually find that if you think of the show without the laugh track, the jokes often don't land. I always find that shows without laugh tracks are just genuinely funnier. I think there's a point to be made that audience reaction is an important part of comedy, but I think that's mostly with live stand-up. For most shows and movies, I don't see any way in which the addition of artificial laughter would help someone or help the show. I don't know how I became so strongly anti-laugh track, but they pretty much immediately reduce my perception of the quality of the show and makes me take it much less seriously. On a more positive note, this article was really interesting and I thought it was a good read!
I most definitely need a laugh right now. Life is mundane and boring. I sit in my bed, go to class, stress about homework, peruse Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Tumblr, Youtube, and everything else out there looking for some semblance of humor, but alas. Life right now is a bust, with the occasional interlude of modern dadaist memes to bring a flash of joy to my feeble heart. This article made me want to watch the John Mulaney specials again and test some of the things they mentioned out for myself. I know those use ‘real’ laughter combined with recordings, as opposed to just canned, but I wonder if it works the same. I find it interesting that we all know canned laughter is a thing that is used, but never think twice about it. Perhaps it IS because it is enhancing the quality of the jokes we are laughing at.
I really dislike laugh tracks. They make me uncomfortable. I live close to LA, so in my childhood I saw the taping of some Disney shows, and they would tell us when to laugh and stuff and its just unnatural. Especially for shows that fully aren't funny at all. I think that shows that are REALLY funny speak for themselves, and dont require a laugh track to make people think it is funny. Most animated shows that garner the most audible laughs from me, like Big Mouth and Bobs Burgers dont have laugh tracks, which makes no difference at all to me. I think one of the only times that laugh tracks are truly warranted are when its a live comedy special like John Mulaney, that are actually making people laugh, and not a clear producer telling an audience to laugh in order to enhance the laugh track. I will say, however, in SNL and other reality shows that have moved to digital its quite awkward when no one is laughing at their jokes.
I have always enjoyed television sitcoms and late-night talk shows. Many sitcoms, these days, state that the show is filmed in front of a live studio audience and while we never see that audience in the show, their laughter is recorded and broadcast. While this is a different concept than canned laughter where the laughs would be edited in after the episode is filmed, it offers a similar sensation to the viewer at home. Most recently, watching late-night talk shows with the COVID pandemic occurring means that a live studio audience is no longer possible. I was shocked at how different it felt to watch Jimmy Fallon giving his usual opening monologue without hearing any sort of audience reaction, it feels awkward to laugh even though I am not interrupting anything. It was in these moments that I really missed the concept of canned laughter to invite people to laugh at home.
7 comments:
I watched the video of the Last Laugh Guess Who segment, and I honestly barely saw a difference. I also didn’t even notice the laugher was fake, although it should have been obvious. It didn’t sound so full that I couldn’t believe it could come from the group of people on the set, which I think was key for keeping it from being too over the top. Cued laughter is super important, especially for stand up type comedy. I find that I laugh out loud plenty at shows like Park’s and Rec with absolutely no cues, but I would definitely laugh very little at something like SNL or a stand up routine if it was silent. Certain types of comedy rely on the audience for fuel, and most of today’s comedy TV shows have learned how to fill laughter gaps with clever editing and transitions, but that isn’t possible for stand up or other live performances like this.
I've always been kind of unsettled by laugh tracks even in older TV shows. I read an article once that said that TV shows reuse the old laughs, which I know is likely not true in most cases now, but it makes me uncomfortable watching old TV shows especially because I think about how the laughs are people that are possibly dead. And now, even with shows that I know use studio audiences I still feel really uneasy with laugh tracks because I don't personally need them to enjoy a show or get laughing, and it is uncomfortable to think of another person or people watching it with me. Normally it is just a kind of weird experience for me, but recently I've had to stop watching certain shows while alone in my house because it puts me on such high alert. I guess that's probably not a super common issue though, so I understand why certain shows choose to continue using this element. It gives a show an old-fashioned aesthetic and definitely helps land jokes that might not normally get as much of a laugh.
This is certainly an interesting problem that probably has never existed before. If this happened in the 80’s, there would be no way for comedians to take their work home with them and broadcast from home. The story about where the phrase “canned laughter” came from is interesting and I was also surprised to find that the technique of pre-recorded laughter is seldom used anymore. I understand how audiences can be totally unpredictable, but I think that’s what gives live shows such an edge. Laughter is one of the only audible things that it’s socially acceptable to take part in during a show. Watching the show by yourself cannot fully convey the humor, the sadness, or the tension that is felt in the room itself. If you have a few people who’ll laugh at everything, other people are more likely to come along for the ride. We are at a point with technology where live laughing is something that can be naturally piped in without sounding weird, but I’m sure that is to come.
I will start by admitting that I usually hate when shows have laugh tracks. I feel like if you need to tell me when to laugh, nothing is really that funny. And, to be fair, I pretty much stand by that. I usually find that if you think of the show without the laugh track, the jokes often don't land. I always find that shows without laugh tracks are just genuinely funnier. I think there's a point to be made that audience reaction is an important part of comedy, but I think that's mostly with live stand-up. For most shows and movies, I don't see any way in which the addition of artificial laughter would help someone or help the show. I don't know how I became so strongly anti-laugh track, but they pretty much immediately reduce my perception of the quality of the show and makes me take it much less seriously. On a more positive note, this article was really interesting and I thought it was a good read!
I most definitely need a laugh right now. Life is mundane and boring. I sit in my bed, go to class, stress about homework, peruse Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, Tumblr, Youtube, and everything else out there looking for some semblance of humor, but alas. Life right now is a bust, with the occasional interlude of modern dadaist memes to bring a flash of joy to my feeble heart. This article made me want to watch the John Mulaney specials again and test some of the things they mentioned out for myself. I know those use ‘real’ laughter combined with recordings, as opposed to just canned, but I wonder if it works the same. I find it interesting that we all know canned laughter is a thing that is used, but never think twice about it. Perhaps it IS because it is enhancing the quality of the jokes we are laughing at.
I really dislike laugh tracks. They make me uncomfortable. I live close to LA, so in my childhood I saw the taping of some Disney shows, and they would tell us when to laugh and stuff and its just unnatural. Especially for shows that fully aren't funny at all. I think that shows that are REALLY funny speak for themselves, and dont require a laugh track to make people think it is funny. Most animated shows that garner the most audible laughs from me, like Big Mouth and Bobs Burgers dont have laugh tracks, which makes no difference at all to me. I think one of the only times that laugh tracks are truly warranted are when its a live comedy special like John Mulaney, that are actually making people laugh, and not a clear producer telling an audience to laugh in order to enhance the laugh track. I will say, however, in SNL and other reality shows that have moved to digital its quite awkward when no one is laughing at their jokes.
I have always enjoyed television sitcoms and late-night talk shows. Many sitcoms, these days, state that the show is filmed in front of a live studio audience and while we never see that audience in the show, their laughter is recorded and broadcast. While this is a different concept than canned laughter where the laughs would be edited in after the episode is filmed, it offers a similar sensation to the viewer at home. Most recently, watching late-night talk shows with the COVID pandemic occurring means that a live studio audience is no longer possible. I was shocked at how different it felt to watch Jimmy Fallon giving his usual opening monologue without hearing any sort of audience reaction, it feels awkward to laugh even though I am not interrupting anything. It was in these moments that I really missed the concept of canned laughter to invite people to laugh at home.
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