My boyfriend & I ventured up to Los Angeles for the taping of @midnight, an internet-themed improv comedy panel show hosted by Chris Hardwick on Comedy Central. I've never been to a television show taping, so it was an intriguing experience. We arrived to LA around 1 p.m. or so, lazily making our way from San Diego.
Tickets are free so you just print out the paper & it shows you how many guests you have. We arrived at 3 p.m. in time for the 3:15 p.m. RSVP time. We immediately showed our tickets, got searched, then sat down on some benches outside for 20 or so minutes. Then Brody Stevens -- or Steven Brody Stevens -- came out to hype us up. We were supposed to be psyched & clap & laugh loudly during all segments of the taping.
They have strict dress code. It said absolutely no t-shirts with logos, white tops, shorts or hats. It said they preferred dark, solid color clothing & that proved to be true once they moved me because my grey top seemed to get in the way of the camera. Man, I was really looking forward to my half a second of fame. I wanted to spot my head in the background of a shot. However, the way the show was filmed the only thing you ever see from the audience is the dark silhouette of the back of peoples' heads.
I would show you a picture but cell phones were absolutely not allowed inside the recording studio. It was intriguing to attend a live taping because you realize just how scripted everything is. If Chris messed up a line they reshot it. A couple times we didn't laugh or clap loud enough, so they had to reshoot it & we had to be even more clappy & laughy about something we obviously weren't naturally so amused by. Basically the bigger the laugh & the louder the clap the better. So yes, it is somewhat forced but simultaneously it's funny seeing as it's comedy.
In between segment breaks the makeup crew would fix up the comedians' faces. You could also spot the guest comedians reviewing their cards, which I can only assume contained prewritten jokes to the answers to some of the segments. The experience was somewhat inspiring because I realized hey I could be a comedy writer maybe. I'm funny ha ha. Right? Right? Laugh with me guys. Laugh with me. By the time we were all done filming & got out it was nearly 6 p.m. Time consuming but fun.
I could get into all the segments & the comedians who were present, but I find that to be the least pertinent information from my time there. It was more about the teleprompters, the scripted funniness vs. naturally funny things that came out of their mouths, seeing how small Chris was in person, & just to do something new.
Have you ever been to a TV show taping? Which one? How was it? Let me knowwwww. :]
Have you ever been to a TV show taping? Which one? How was it? Let me knowwwww. :]
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Sounds like a great experience to get behind the action, been to a couple, they are more scripted than what appears on the screen. Happy weekend.
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Yeah, it was kind of a bummer to find out that it's so scripted. :p
DeleteI absolutely love what you wore! Sounds like an interesting experience, I've never been to a tv taping before. x E
ReplyDeleteElizabeth Victoria Clark
Thank you! You should go. It's definitely something to try. :]
DeleteBeautiful photo! You look very pretty ;)
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Thanks! :]
DeleteYour dress is so cute! Looks like you had a fun time! xo, Hayley dailydoseofdarling.com
ReplyDeleteThank you. It was pretty enjoyable. :]
DeleteVery cool, tapings are always fun, especially if you go with a few friends. Yes, being from L.A. I have gone to a few. I've been to the Ellen Show, Chelsea Handler, and a few more.
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Tania
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Oooh I wanna go to the Ellen Show, but they're booked for the year! :o
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