Film Technique--How Sound affect Comedy（2）

3. Sound Effect
There are many genres of sound effect in comedy, one of them is a special sound effect, it called "canned laughter"

“A laugh track, sometimes called canned laughter by critics, is a collection of pre-recorded audience laughs and applause sounds added to television programs during post-production. The main purpose of the track is to trigger a response from home viewers who may not understand all of the intended humor during a taped sitcom. The belief is that laughter creates laughter, so canned laughter supplements natural reactions to a set-up and punchline. Some television producers call this practice sweetening the track.”(1)

In my opinion, it can improve the desire of laughter to audience, when the "canned laughter" is added into comedy suitably, and it can strong the comedy effect. It's used by "herd mentality" in psychology.

"There are canned laughter in many of  situation comedy, audience know that canned laughter is not true, but the producer always enjoy it. This is the strong role of the 'social identity theory' in psychology, is also called 'herd mentality' by people"(2)

"Herd mentality, or mob mentality, describes how people are influenced by their peers to adopt certain behaviors, follow trends, and/or purchase items. "(3)

I also find out some evidence about the comments which said " It is helpful if we put canned laughter into situation comedy making"

“There are lots of situation comedy borns out of some television programs, aims to describe the modern urbanism and give audience a pleasant sensation like snooping,  and it will also giving audience a better immersing through the spot laughing sound.  It will also decrease the pressure of laughing arrange。”（4）

"The comedy show needs mental aura. The audience surely expect to laugh happily when watching situation comedy. But the audience have different knowledge and experience so they might won't laugh in every laughing arrange, sometimes the audience didn't shows the response when the punchline appears. So to the audience, the laughing sound aims to to give them condition of laughing preparation." (5)

"Laughing can be enjoyably contagious."(1)

"people's own laughter (and other humor responses) only when others are viewed as in-group members." (6).

"Contagious laughter raises the possibility that humans have laugh detectors.In other words, people are made to respond with laughter on hearing laughter itself, much like the mystery of spreading a yawn"(7)

Through my investigation, I find that there are also some arguments about canned laughter, some critics believes that the canned laughter is helpful to the comedy.

"The situation comedy with laughing sound are invented by Americans, they often records laughing in local when making situation comedy making, so it looks real, there are also appears some clapping and whistle to follow the story." --said by the famours director in China, Jing Shang.(4)

"Canned laughter is used to increase audience appreciation."（8）

“Research supports the idea that canned laughter is an effective method to increase laughter and positive responses." (9).

There are also some critics believe that it is not an effective method to put canned laughter into situation comedy making.

"To be a film production, it could have its own feature, but it will make audience averse if there are some artificially element to show the atmosphere. So it will be a trust of your own production if you don't put background laughing in your work" said by a Doctor in someone University--Maojiao Yang, 04/2013(5)

"The reason why to add laughing sound into the film is the phenomenon that the filmmaker have no confidence of there work and worried about the audience don't laugh" said by an Chinese actor--Xiaofan Sun, 06/2012(5)

Reference:
1. O. Wallace& Tricia Ellis-Christensen, (20/10/2013) wisegeek, http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-canned-laughter.htm, 1/11/2013

2. Robert B. Cialdini. (12/2007), Influencer: the power to change anything, McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (22 Aug 2007).

3. Zicheng Wu . (2007). Comparing the Herd Mentality with mind of rivalry in consume. The Reference of The Politics Teaching In Middle School[online]. 10, 50.Available From:http://www.cnki.com.cn/Article/CJFDTotal-ZXZZ200710029.htm.

4. Xiao Luo. (2012). Why there aren't laughing sound in some situation comedy such as 'My Own Swordsman' and 'Modern Family'. Modern Films. 8, 30-32.

5. Hairuo Wen. (2012). Why to add canned laughter in situation comedy?. Modern Film. 7, 40-41.

6. MJ Platowa. (2005). “It's not funny if they're laughing”: Self-categorization, and social influence,responses to canned laughter. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. 41, 542–550.

7. Robert R. Provine. (2001), Laughter, Penguin Group (USA) Incorporated.

8. Furnham, Adrian, Hutson, Ella, McClelland, Alastaire. (2011). The effect of gender of canned laughter on television programme appreciation. North American Journal of Psychology. 3.

9. Platow, M. J., Haslam, A., Both, A., Chen, I., Cuddion, M., Goharpy, N., Maurer, J., Rosini, S., Tsekouras, A., & Grace, D. (2005). "It's not funny if they're laughing": Self-categorization, social influence and responses to canned laughter. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 41, 542-550.