I am pretty sure sitcoms like 'Friends' and 'How I met your Mother' are pretty popular shows, and they're getting very popular in India as well. But I do not know how many actually have wondered what it is that makes these very popular!!!
Very recently, it hit us hard (my Bro & I) that sitcoms like 'Friends' often make the best use of the virtual audience in the episodes... When I mean 'virtual audience', the studio audience is what I mean, who give us the "Background Laughter" during the episodes.
Just how many of you have actually wondered what effect it has on you, a viewer??! Loads... The difference, you can make out, when you watch "SCRUBS". It has no virtual audience, and if you actually observe carefully, you'll find that even if it is very funny, you really won't have a huge laugh about it. And our ears are more trained to the virtual laughter, that it responds better to it, than an actual joke!! Man.. Am I really moved by the levels they get to in order to get their ways.
I'd say that could be the case with most people, and they have actually excelled in creating a niche market through psychological manipulations, which are not definitely obvious!
Next time, please do make sure to check out if this is true with you as well. If so, then I think I'd love to have your comments, so we could delve more into this...
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Its like watching a horror movie without the sound effects...or an action movie without any thing getting blown up!!
ReplyDeleteI think that 'virtual audience' have been there as long as Sitcoms have been there...you just cant imagine otherwise.
Well, I fully agree with Manish...
ReplyDeleteIt is this Virtual Audience that makes us laugh a lot more just like the Sounds Effects that help us be frightened (These days I rarely am scared if i watch one on my laptop :)) in a Horror Movie...
To Laugh or not to is not a question to me... Rather I feel sad for the fact that today we need all these things just to make us feel what should have come to us naturally ...
Actually I can think of the need of Virtual Audience in 2 different ways... 1 is to hint (rather tell) us to laugh... 2nd is to make us laugh more (After all laughter is contagious ;)) If we see it the 1st way we would feel really bad about it as we never like to be told "when to do something" but if u see it the 2nd way u feel just normal about it...
ReplyDeleteWell, spot on Bhavik.. That's exactly what I was trying to tell the people. Either of the two things you said, is what I wanted to convey.. Which you take it as, is your personal convenience.
ReplyDeleteBut in the end, the truth is, what if the "Virtuality" were not to be there,
would Laughter be the Reality?!
I am not so sure...
One more thing that I did notice over the weekend is that, some sitcoms like "How I met Your Mother" are actually funny enough for you to laugh instantaneously, since it's a different comedy track, while those like the Scrubs are a little difficult to laugh (probably two reasons- 1. No Virtual Audience and 2. The Humor is not coincident with our style or way of life!)
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWell i think its completely wrong to say that virtual audience(VA) makes us laugh.. it probably more like manish said.. a sound effect..
ReplyDeleteThere are some jokes in friends where u have to be a American / have a really good GK to understand... do u find yourself laughing at those just because of the VA?.
and one more thing see if can laugh after watching friends 4-5 hrs straight.. i could not inspite of the VA
P.S> S04E17 in scrubs is the only episode in the whole sitcom to have VA.
I neva said that it's only becoz of VA that we laugh... I said they increase the probability of laughing, and they keep laughter in the air!!! :P
ReplyDelete