Why so many sitcoms look the same 

Set lighting is just one part of everything that goes into a TV show. Watch our video to see the entire process from start to finish: bit.ly/2Ji191l

Vox makes videos about things I didn't even know I was curious about

BIG BANE THEORY. "you merely adopted the laugh track.. I was born in it.. Molded by it."

All germans who were geniuses had to have a messy hair.

*laugh track of dead people intensifies*

Video discusses the cinematography of Karl Freund, the three-camera setup, and the lighting, blocking, costume and makeup choices that went into making it possible to shoot this way. The comments are 90% about laugh tracks, which the video only mentions in passing.

I'm so upset that the "What's the Point" spin-off from "Vox" never got renewed beyond the second season. They were just getting into their own, with the "Carlos' does a spreadsheet" plot line really showing how he could act against type and bring depth to the character.

Sitcom: makes an unfunny joke Laugh Track: *HAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHH*

Anyone ever thought how terrifying most sitcom characters would be without laughter tracks? With no one laughing at their jokes...just...silence Probably pretty terrifying

The most mindblowing thing this video taught me was that it used to be 'Hollywoodland'

You should do an episode on the wierd soft golden light in soap operas. Soaps have a very distinctive look as well.

You can really see the difference in sitcom lighting in the show "scrubs." They have one episode where the show is done sitcom style and it's actually jarring at first because the lighting, costuming, and dialogue is so different from how the show was formatted.

This explains why as a kid, I thought movies looked like they were "inside the TV" more than some TV shows.

I thought this was gonna be about why basically every sitcom takes place indoors and on sets of living rooms. I remember as a kid getting feeling depressed and wierded out watching so many sitcoms where they never showed characters go outside. One of the reasons why Seinfeld was such a *breath of fresh air*

Vox, the first workplace sitcom where people actually work. LOL. :D

That scene with erkell was S U R R E A L

My mind is blown that Metropolis, Dracula and I Love Lucy were all shot by the same guy xD

That TV is dangerously close to falling off that round table 😧

Next video topic: The canning of laughs (what started the laugh track)

While I was still studying visual arts, I got invited on the set of a sitcom for one shooting day. I was very interested in cinematography and was so much looking forward to learn lighting techniques, camera movements, lensing... The director of the episode arrived, introduced himself to the crew and actors (which made me very confused already...didn't he rehearsed everything beforehand?), all kinds of lights were hanging from above the set, leaving not a single spot of shadow. I waited for the DoP to prepare the first shot, and tried to understand what camera was the main one of the many placed everywhere. Two actors went on the set pretty much randomly, without marks of any kind. I was thinking, ok, now the director will go through the scene on the page and explain everyone what he has in mind...and he goes: "....aaand action!", everyone did their thing, without any preparation. A couple of minutes later: "cut, perfect, next scene". As I was still trying to grasp what kind of shot that was. Basically in the time I would have shot one wide and one closeup, they had already finished an episode. Crazy.

Big Bane Theory?

the cinematographer who did metropolis was literally the LAST person artistically who I would have thought went to television to invent the modern standard sitcom schtick

0:41 yes Karl Freund you did do that

Is he saying big bane theory? What a big guy.

*Laugh track plays in the distance*

please make a second episode of the vox sitcom! I'm already a HUGE fan

Freund seing what sitcomes have become: "Did I do that?".

when I was a kid my mom watched soap operas all the time and the main thing I noticed about them is how dimly lit they all were. I even asked her once why they were standing around talking in dark rooms all the time and she didn't know what I was talking about

I have to admit...those sitcoms are pretty lit.

Gotta love your video editing Vox. Keep up the good work!

As someone who works on film sets, I can say the tools have changed, but most of the logistics have stayed the same.

I was hoping you would address the example shown in 30 Rock, when they did their 2 live episodes. Right in the very first scene, the very first line was Jack saying, "Lemon is it just me, or does everything look....weird? It's like we're in a Mexican soap opera." And it DID look totally different. So which camera style was used for which kind of 30Rock episode?

so freaking amazing. i hope you guys love your job, because we love what you do

New Vox video? *DROP EVERYTHING*

Where is Chandler? I feel catfished

I always wondered why sitcoms and soap operas looked so different! I kept pointing it out to my friends/family but they had no clue what I was talking about. Thank you for explaining this!

I like the change from your usual style in this video! It's pretty refreshing and imo just better.

i cannot stand certain shows just because of the laughing tracks

Everyone in new York has a bike hanging on their wall.

I really love topics like this. Exploring something I never noticed but always paid attention too at the same time.

These videos are so well produced. Nice work, Vox.

Brilliant! I never knew the Metropolis guy had such an interesting career.

Who else loves Brooklyn 99

I love that Vox even covers topics like this

You did an amazing job ! !!

Great content as usual, Vox! Phil did a great job.

Don't do the weird thumbnail thing. That's too low for vox

4:51 that TV is dangerously on the edge of the table

Again a beautiful video Vox!

I've honestly wanted to know this for decades! I noticed even as a child in the 80's that soap operas don't look like sitcoms, but more resemble news casts. I now know that it's not really a different type of camera, but the set's lighting as recorded by the camera that gave it a particular feel. Seriously. Thank you! Mystery solved! [*sigh of relief*]

The Vox sit-com - I think you're onto something! 4:35

so *that's* why the audio always sounded better on lucy than gilligan's island!

Great video! quite fascinating learning about the cinematography involved in a sitcom format that inherently doesn't feel that cinematic.

Not just sitcoms, it's still apparent on talk shows, news shows, even our gaming livestreams

The first hint of a simulation. keep asking questions.

Great video once again! 💛

Thank you I learned so much. Who would have guessed that the DP of I love Lucy and Metropolis were one and the same person? Just mind-blowing!

Once again with television, I Love Lucy was both the originator and Gold Standard of sitcoms

My favorite sitcoms are That’s 70’s Show and The Big Bang Theory. Oh and Boy Meets World. Can’t forget that.

Keep these videos coming!

Wow, that's so interesting. Such a great video!

My goodness, let's either get a bigger table for the TV or nudge that bad boy to the left an inch or so. It's teetering.

Love this video, great way to put away interesting content.

I literally could watch these videos all day

Wonk, wonk, waaaaaaaaaaa. * looks into camera with an 'oopsie!' grin *

From metropolis to a sitcom .....

I remember noticing as a kid, the Mary Tyler Moore Show and other MTM shows began a somewhat more sophisticated lighting scheme, where an effort was made to motivate more light from windows and table lamps, even visible ceilings on some occasions. They also simulated more realistic weather FX and time of day than most 3 camera sitcoms.

I learned A LOT from this!

What people need to understand is, he didn't pull all the 'standards' out of his ass. They emerged naturally as a means to 'simplify' the production of consistent cinematography. By marking the position of the various camera angles, and marking the points for the actors to deliver their lines, it MASSIVELY sped up the production of the sitcom while conserving consistency. It allowed people to autopilot without a lot of thought. It is totally about working smarter, not harder. There is no 'deep genius' here. Most of these tricks were pulled out of the 'theater' play book, since filming in front of a live audience is very much theater. The difference is, he had to incorporate that also into the camera work, but otherwise, it is the same. The lighting was designed purely to make as many shots as possible usable, to minimize reshoots, which leads to notorious fake laughter from live audiences.

HIMYM?

I enjoy this series keep them coming

I was so excited when i heard Phil's Voice he's one of my favorite video producers at Vox!

It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia is the best American sitcom to exist. So different yet so absolutely hilarious

This is so true, I love watching friends

Vox and its related channels have the best editors on RU-vid, period!

Seriously the best thing to come out of Vox are video essays by Phil Edwards.

So what you're basically saying is, that a german invented comedy

hey! I wanna see more vids about the royal family! just kidding of course. This is exactly the content I subscribed for

Vox has amazing capacity to make really good art videos .

Great video! I studied metropolis in college and I had no idea that it would be mentioned here

I really wish this video didn't put dark scan lines over the clips of shows they're using to discuss lighting and visuals.

Big _Bane_ Theory

These Vox videos are so addictive

very nice video, I learnt so much! thanks

Clearly you've never seen Vai Que Cola, a Brazilian sitcom that loves breaking the fourth wall on a spinning set

i didn't knew that HOLLYWOOD was used to be HOLLYWOODLAND

love vox for always educating me about literally everything and anything

I love that lighting... Makes me feel nostalgic

Do people still watch sitcoms anymore?

*uses lights and 3 cameras. Truly an inspirational genius beyond his time who changed the course of human history.

I can't tell you how fascinating it is that I happened upon this video. I never was a big fan of the stale look of sitcoms. But I am a huge fan of the film Metropolis by fritz Lang so it blew me away to realize that he had also lit my favorite TV show ever which is none other than I love Lucy

Very good - I learnt a lot.

Why is it that so many new inventions/ideas come from Germans?

Martin > Friends

Amazing video. Thank you.

Fascinating... thank you.

Some of the best moments in sitcoms were from real audience reactions. I remember the dramatic, eerie, shifts in tone, or a woman blurting 'woh' during a scene of empowerment. Unintentionally funny scenes that encouraged actors to play on. When it got good, it was like seeing a movie with the perfect audience. Then came the laugh tracks, and with it, unearned reactions, uninspired readings, and material flatter than a 6 year old coke. Even when forcing a live audiences reactions, actors could tell the genuine from the canned, and it helped make them better.

The audience laugh makes me laugh unnecessarily! I laugh even when nothing funny is going on just because of that stupid audience laugh.

This was fantastic!

Love the background music of this video!