Audience Entertainment

I heard the filming of Friends sometimes lasts more than six hours - and there are long breaks when they rewrite a scene. Is there some sort of entertainment like a comedian or DJ? If so, does it help keep the audience from getting board?

I'll answer this, considering the fact that I've gone to two tapings and therefore, obviously know the answer. Yes, the tapings last about 6 hours. (Definately not three hours which a previous person said.) Six hours is about the average. There is a DJ and a comedian there. The commedian was actually in a recent episode, TOW Joey's Fridge. He was the guy who interuppted Ross and Elizabeth in Ross' Office. I guess they ran out of extras or something. Anyway, during the breaks he hands out Friends murchandise (I've gotten cups, a frisbee, and hackysacks) and candy. He's pretty funny. When he talks to the audience, the DJ will make a couple of noises or clips from a movie to add humor. But, the breaks aren't THAT long, usually 5 minutes or so. He really keeps the audience going. If you have the second Friends soundtrack, Friends Again, you can hear him on the first track introducing the cast. He did that for us too. Basically, the tapings are so much fun whether a scene is getting taped or the comedian is talking. Oh, and by the way, he also talks to the cast for you sometimes. Like once (it was in October...I saw the taping for TOW Ross' Teeth) he was all "Hey, Matthew! This girl just saw a sneak peek for your movie and she said it was great!" So then Matthew Perry (aw!) said thank you and gave her a hackysack! sweet, huh? Well, I could go on forever so if you wanna know more email me. Buhbye! ~Sara~ "Hey, look at me! I'm Chandler. Could I BE wearing more clothes?" "They don't know that we know they know we know." "Actually, it's Ms. Chinandlor Bong." "My Bing-a-ling!"

Does the DJ play music or does he just make noises and play clips from movies like a technician to the comedian?

Sara wrote:

They played heaps of music when I was there... someone from the audience had asked Courteney about tOW the Routine, and she said she hated watching herself dance, and then at the next break after that, the DJ put on "Dancing in the Dark". (if you don't know the significance of that.. the music video for that was her first acting type job) And she looked really annoyed by it, or was pretending to ignore it... cuz she didn't look up or smile or anything. I wouldn't wanna be reminded of that either :)

Shaz

yup...exactly! like the comedian would jokingly flirt with someone and the DJ would play a clip saying something like, "hey, mama!" ~Sara~ "Hey, look at me! I'm Chandler. Could I BE wearing more clothes?" "They don't know that we know they know we know." "Actually, it's Ms. Chinandlor Bong." "My Bing-a-ling!"

Yup, that's true.

And a bouncy bouncy singing girl. :)

That's Jim Bentley, the audience warm-up guy. And they didn't run out of extras - Jim had a speaking part, which meant he wasn't an extra. He was also in TOW Phoebe's Uterus as the guy who says New York really scares him. He was in ER and Growing Pains with Leonardo DiCaprio, too. (Go to enough filmings and unfortunately he'll tell you these things over and over until they're imprinted in your mind.)

Unless they have costume changes, which can take a longer time, or if they need to rewrite something that was *really* bad.

Larissa

Well, sometimes members of the audience will also ask something like "Are you an actor, too.." So he has an excuse to tell us over and over again...

Yep. I wonder how much he pays those people to ask that. ;)

Larissa

Is she the girl with really really long hair? Cuz we had a girl who was dancing aorund all the time acting stupid. She was annoying <g>

Yeah, that's her. Her name is Teresa. Sometimes the AU pages will dance and act stupid too, though. But Teresa is the main singing/dancing girl... I have to admit she does have a really good voice for the karaoke.

Larissa

yeah she sang "I Will Survive" for us... ~Sara~ "Hey, look at me! I'm Chandler. Could I BE wearing more clothes?" "They don't know that we know they know we know." "Actually, it's Ms. Chinandlor Bong." "My Bing-a-ling!"

Has there ever been a filming when she didn't sing "I Will Survive" (grin). Maybe she'll learn a new song this summer?

Sara wrote:

Not bloody likely. It's normally around three hours.

The comedian who opened for David Spade in Atlantic City last month is the normal comedian who "entertains" the crowd during rewrites so needless to say, audience suicide is not an uncommon event.