Why? ! WHY? !

[D'Snowth]

It'd be good if it were a genuine audience instead of a laugh track.

You don't know me very well, do you?

 

[wwfpooh]

You don't know me very well, do you?

No.

 

[D'Snowth]

Well then, let me hip ya to sum news!

I actually prefer laugh tracks opposed to live audiences for one reason: control.

You have the power to control just how funny a scene is supposed to be, and how long a laugh a scene should get with a laugh track.

Live audiences, on the other, they're usually out of control. Notice how whenever on Sanford and Son, whenever Aunt Esther, Grady, Bubba, or anybody walks into the scene, the audience goes crazy, and everybody in the scene literally just freezes there until the audience settles down so they can clearly continue on with the scene. I've also heard that in earlier Seinfeld episodes, the producers had trouble getting the audience to settle down whenever Kramer bursts into the scene.

Plus, MOST sitcoms back in THE day had laugh tracks, hence why my show will have a laugh track.

Another example is a project I've currently shelved: I was working on an animated short film, and to ensure that what people were seeing was a comedy, I added a laugh track.

 

[wwfpooh]

But if it is genuinely funny, people WILL laugh.

 

[D'Snowth]

True, but that's just me.

Embience, you know.

 

[wwfpooh]

True, but that's just me.

Embience, you know.

I guess. Me personally, I prefer things to be more real and not tack on, hence why I like live audiences as opposed to a laugh track.

 

[D'Snowth]

I guess. Me personally, I prefer things to be more real and not tack on, hence why I like live audiences as opposed to a laugh track.

I respect your opinion.

 

[frogboy4]

True, but that's just me.

Embience, you know.

I was a film student for a very long time before changing majors. The best word of advice I can give you is to - go with your gut! You will receive advice from many places and most of it comes from the best of intentions. Much of it should also be listened to, but there comes a time when you have to set comments aside and go with what you think is right. It is, after all, your vision!

Also, I have found this is also a good think to think about in casting actors. If you get the slightest feeling that something is wrong with an actor in the audition process - respect that, no matter how good the reading. It's usually your subconscious picking up on something beneath the surface. Better safe than sorry there. Any type of quality production costs time, money and energy. It's always best to remove any potential obstacles first. Enough unforeseen problems will pop up anyway. This is the nature of the medium. In the end it's usually all worth it.

Again, good luck!

 

[D'Snowth]

Very good points, Jamie.

I agree with the what you said about casting, if I can help, I'm going to try to hire local talent for puppeteers: I have connects with a local puppeteer, who has connections with another puppeteer, who has connections with a puppet production company in Nashville, so it's all kind of big and symbolic, and all that jazz. That and my mom is begging me to train her (she has this Lucy complex... you know how whenever Ricky is doing something new, Lucy always runs in "Ricky, can I be in the show?"... my mom is JUST like that).

Production costs IS the biggest thing I'm concerned about, though, because I'd need a studio with equipment, a staff of people working behind the scenes (writers, producers, editors, sound people, etc), not to mention all the sets and puppets that would have to be built... I'd probably need to open up my own puppet workshop and hire people who know a thing or two about puppet building, because when it comes to building, my puppets aways look SO cookie-cutter, and sloppy, and I want my puppets to look nice on camera, you know? I know my mom has more confidence in me than she should, but honestly, I need PROFESSIONALS to build these puppets!

Like I said, that's really my biggest concern: I know I can handle being a writer, director, producer, puppeteer, but still, I'll need a whole group of people to work on this series... perhaps I should start my own, local production company, I don't know... that's one thing my mom has always suggested I do...

I guess I'll just have to play it by ear I guess.

At the moment, I have written four scripts, my mom and I are working on/re-writing one script, I have an idea for one more script, so that would make six scripts so far, and seven to go, as I'm trying to go with a simply thirteen episode thing here.

 

[frogboy4]

Seems you are getting really solid on the pre-production side. That's a very good thing that will make you and and your crew very happy down the line. I found it funny that so many of my fellow students thought that something "magical" would happen during production to fill in writing and other pre-production neglegted gaps. He he. It always starts with the page.

I find pre and post production the most fun parts of the process. The actual filming usually is by-the-book with my stuff. That's the opposite feeling of most film students.