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Kylon1138 t1_j5prbl6 wrote

Reply to comment by testingtor in Why do shows still choose to use a laugh track in this day and age? Does ANYONE favour it? by [deleted]

Do you think the live audience isn't told when and where they're supposed to laugh?

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Opus-the-Penguin t1_j5pstvh wrote

I know for a fact that they are not. They're presented with the performance and they laugh when they feel moved to do so. There is no LAUGH NOW sign that lights up. At the same time, they know they're being recorded and their laughter will be part of the finished product. So they'll cheerfully laugh for a second, third, etc. take if they thought it was funny the first time. In that sense it's artificial, but it's uncoerced.

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Latter_Feeling2656 t1_j5ptvkq wrote

No one told pavlov's dogs to get ready for dinner. They just rang a bell. The same thing happens in single camera shows, for instance with an exaggerated reaction shot. Or with music or some other cue.

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testingtor t1_j5pruim wrote

Aside from that not answering the question theyre still not a track but a live audience who choose to laugh when they do whether they think theyre supposed to or not.

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Latter_Feeling2656 t1_j5puegz wrote

The "track" is the recording of the laughter. That takes in everything from a pure audience reaction to 100% mechanical laughter, and every mix in between.

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