"I'll be there for you" (if I HAVE to...)

I was considering strange, unexpected interpersonal and situational dynamics where the reaction seems -- not what you would have thought.


"Friends" season 10 on DVD includes Commentary by producers Kevin Bright, Marta Kauffman, and David Crane, on the final episode.

Crane says, "The audience was, I would say, 75% real people.  It was very important to us that it wasn't just friends and family, because -- the laughs aren't the same.  When you've got an audience of people -- who -- have -- eh -- all been invited, sometimes they go, "Oh -- yeah, sure," instead of actually laughing.


No, you wanted real people, that would cheer, and get emotionally involved -- uh,--so, No.  A lot of real people. ..."


The concept that they would invite friends and family to be in the audience hadn't occurred to me before, probably because -- I was not thinking about that. 


But when he said that, I knew what he meant, and I wondered -- WHY.  Why would your own friends-and-family, who are fortunate enough to be included in a live audience for a filming of a "Friends" episode, not laugh already, for heaven's sake...?  Not "get involved"?  Not really get into it. ...?


Who, more than your own family and friends, would you think would more appreciate your work, and -- independent of the fact that it's their own friend or relatives' work, it's funny.  Why would they not get it?


(You can hear a little irritation in the producer's voice, as he describes it -- if "they've all been invited, sometimes they go, 'Oh--yeah, sure,' instead of actually LAUGHING"  (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! [damn-them!!-lol])

Well, what's the difference between an audience of "real people" as he calls us, and an audience of your friends & family?


Well -- the family / friends folks are there by invitation.  So it's kind of like they have to be there because they love you, or like you.  And you asked (commanded?) them to be there.


Whereas the noisy bands of rowdy kids who waited outside the studio to get in and be in the audience for their favorite weekly sitcom are people who were not -- invited, commanded, whatever.  They really want to watch "Friends" being filmed.  The Energy Of Desire And Enthusiasm is coming from those voluntary audience members. 

The Invited-People maybe don't, themselves, want it that badly.


Sure your own family members are glad if you have a hit show -- it means you're secure, you're not starving-to-death in the streets.  Thumbs-up.  But it doesn't mean "Friends" is really their favorite show.


> > > ADD TO List of stuff in world I don't understand. > > > (Got to "kill a lot of trees" to make that list...)


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