MovieChat Forums > In Living Color (1990) Discussion > Was this filmed in front of a studio aud...

Was this filmed in front of a studio audience?

posted 14 years ago by atomicpunk40
6 replies | jump to latest

I once started a conversation with a guy at a formal party one time and he said he used to work as a stagehand on the ILC set. He said the only time they filmed before a studio audience was for the openings and closings and that just took about two days. Everything else the skits, dance numbers and all were all shot in the studio and edited with no audience. All the laughter heard during the skits was canned. When I asked why he pointed out that it was cheaper and quicker to make it that way and because the show had a limited budget. I didn't really believe him at the time because I thought that the show was indeed made in front of a studio audience and that is just how you make sketch comedy shows. But I recently just got the entire series on DVD and some of the camera setups and editing does look like it was all done with no audience. And on the blooper show (third season) Jim Carrey and David Allen Grier are doing a skit and Carrey starts to crack up with the giggles and runs off the backdrop and when he does so you clearly see no audience. Am I wrong to think there was one?

I don't apologize. I'm sorry, but that's how I am. - Homer Simpson

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] atomicpunk40 14 years ago

I noticed someting interesting. Just yesterday I was looking at one of the episodes from season one with Tommy Davidson's audio commentary and from what I understand based on what he said the more difficult skits were the ones that was done with no audience and canned laughter. The easier ones were done with an audience (and the majority of the work done on the set were the harder skits). The pre-filmed skits were then shown in front of the audience when the audience was being used and judging by how much laughter they received determined which ones were to be used for the episodes. Also when Carrey did his Pee Wee Herman skit at the beginning of the third season the camera pulls back and you DO see the audience. Also Davidson mentions the studio audience, which is shown briefly, during the 1st season skit where David Allen Grier is doing a parody of Michael Winslow (that noises-making guy from the Police Academy movies). Also at the close of the season finale episode of the third season the camera spins around and it clearly shows the studio audience. And from what I see I think that the audiences that were used for In Living Color were very small ones.
---
I don't apologize. I'm sorry, but that's how I am. - Homer Simpson

[–] MrBlondNYC 14 years ago

That's how it's done with most TV sketch shows that have an audience. Most of the sketches are pre-taped and shown on monitors to the audience. If there's no laughter, canned laughter is added. They make it worth your while by interacting with the audience off-camera and having live entertainment. The person you talked to may have only worked on the pre-taped sketches.

George Carlin: It's all bullsh-t and it's bad for ya.

[–] sugar22 13 years ago

that's an interesting idea, to have it taped then show the tape to the audience. comedy is so hit or miss and sometimes it's hard to have a great joke or skit come out the way you want it to come out. sometimes context doesn't come out the way it sounds on the stage or on the script to an audience and the crew can have enough time to rewrite a scene and allow some improv to fix it.

[–] MrsMonroe74 14 years ago

I know with the canned laughter, they'd use the same tracks. a woman saying "ohhh!" has been used a few times.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
jealousy will get you NOWHERE!

[–] atomicpunk40 13 years ago

I just recently read that this is how Sonny Bono and Cher would do thier sketch/variety show in the early 70's. That is only a tiny amount of sketches would be done in front of an audience. Basically 97% of them would be filmed with no audience and laugh track added in later. It would really be just the openings and closings that would be filmed with an audience in order to give the illusion of there always being a house full of people always watching everything and cracking up. So maybe that guy I talked to DID know it all (LOL)!

I don't apologize. I'm sorry, but that's how I am. - Homer Simpson