The Office
Steven Moffat
There have been one or two comments - negative - about the laugh
track on The Office so for the record ...
1. It was only added at the last minute (against my bitter
opposition) and indeed the press copies that were distributed
didn't have the laugh track - probably accounting for our largely
positive press reaction.
2. For what it's worth (not much) it wasn't canned laughter.
It was shown to a real, live audience and the laughter recorded.
However, because it was on film and the actors are plainly not
responding to the laughter, the effect - particularly for the
first five or ten minutes - was strange, alienating and
altogether hideous.
If you agree - and you managed to like the show anyway - write to
Carlton and tell them so. Because they're certainly not
listening to me.
Steven Moffat
Dr I.P. Woodrow
I have to admit to giving this one a wide berth.
The problem with so many Brit sit-coms (especially on ITV and BBC1)
is that they tend to be on the whole total bollocks. The problem with this
is that you can miss some absolute gems if you aren't careful. Two prime
examples are "MBB" and "One Foot.."
The former I initially thought "Oh God another painfully unfunny comedy about
people in a flat" and the latter "Oh joy, a sitcom about old people" This
could be why it might take some series a while to get going in terms of
popularity, and there is always the danger that they may not reach a second
series as a result of this
Iain
Mark Golding
>Steven Moffat
>> There have been one or two comments - negative - about the laugh
>> track on The Office so for the record ...
>>
>
>
>The problem with so many Brit sit-coms (especially on ITV and BBC1)
>is that they tend to be on the whole total bollocks. The problem with this
>is that you can miss some absolute gems if you aren't careful. Two prime
>examples are "MBB" and "One Foot.."
>
>The former I initially thought "Oh God another painfully unfunny comedy about
>people in a flat" and the latter "Oh joy, a sitcom about old people" This
>could be why it might take some series a while to get going in terms of
>popularity, and there is always the danger that they may not reach a second
>series as a result of this
>
>Iain
>
boring. I agree though 'One Foot..' had redeeming freshness in showing
us the funny side of the shrinking world that old folk get squeezed in.
The tumbling together of little observations and circumstances that made
Clockwise so sweet could be a genre worth capitalising on here.
B.S.C.
British Superior Culture
The super legendary race of white people responsible for the Whole Industrial
Revolution and, of course, the birthplace of literature.
Mark
Nigel Pond
The show was crap...although Isla Blair is thinking man's crumpet...hope
they don't carry it on...
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The views expressed herein are the personal views of the writer and are
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Ian Collier
In article <4rv10d$4cq$1...@mhadg.production.compuserve.com>, Steven Moffat <10004...@CompuServe.COM> wrote:
>There have been one or two comments - negative - about the laugh
>track on The Office so for the record ...
Has it been on in the UK? I hadn't heard of it until it came on the
in-flight entertainment system on a British Airways flight to Pittsburgh
last week. It looked like a one-off, though I'm sure you'll tell me if
I am wrong. :-) I noticed that Sandra Hastie was involved again...
Anyway, I certainly don't remember there being a laugh track and it seemed
natural without one (it doesn't surprise me if Carlton wants one though).
OK programme, though it seems to be a fairly standard farce and I easily
guessed the ending.
Ian Collier - i...@comlab.ox.ac.uk - WWW Home Page:
http://www.comlab.ox.ac.uk/oucl/users/ian.collier/index.html
Dave Golder
> In article <4rv10d$4cq$1...@mhadg.production.compuserve.com>, Steven Moffat
<10004...@CompuServe.COM> wrote:
> >There have been one or two comments - negative - about the laugh
> >track on The Office so for the record ...
>
> Has it been on in the UK?
The Office was on a few weeks ago, but I missed it. It was made as a
pilot, and last time I spoke to Toby Longthorne (who was in it) he was
quite hopeful that it would go to a series.
MJ 'Simo' Simpson
Former editor, Mostly Harmless
News editor, SFX
Via Dave Golder, Editor, SFX