Experience the Television Magic

By Owen Tran, staff writer
Friday September 15, 2006

On Friday September 8th, I witnessed a sitcom in the making, Happy Hour. The real-life set, cameras, and actors gave me a whole new outlook on a television series. Just laughing and clapping my hands made me feel like I was part of the show, because this time I wasn't just watching a transmission. I was actually there.

Happy Hour is a new television series that had recently premiered on channel FOX, which airs on Thursdays at 8 PM. The storyline narrates the new life of Henry (John Sloan) and his adventures in Chicago with roommate, Larry (Lex Medlin). Henry and Larry acquaint themselves with the tenants of their apartment complex, but problems soon arise and both are faced with challenges everyday.

Now that you know about Happy Hour , I will continue with my experience. As I sat amongst the audience, my eyes scanned the set with awe and astonishment. The set, divided into different scenes, would be a character's bedroom in one scene and the background of an elegant restaurant in another.

The director's powerful and booming voice soon resonated about the room to signify that a scene was about to begin. As soon as the director announced, “Lights! Camera! Action!” the scene sprang to life and the actors played their roles. The skills and techniques that filmmaking required soon became apparent.

I came to a clearer understanding of the mechanics of filmmaking as the day progressed. The director would shout out directions as writers made last minute changes to the script. Cameramen glided about the stage, focusing their lenses on the actors. Meanwhile, the audience would respond to the hilarious actors with torrents of laughter. Yes, the laughter in television series actually comes from real people. Microphones just above my head picked up the laughter. At times, I sought to distinguish my voice amongst the others. If you hear a high pitched voice, it was me.

In order to keep the audience's spirit up and running over a period of 5 hours between scenes, a hired comedian then takes the spotlight. This entertainer successfully excited the audience while the actors and crew were bustling about the stage like an army of ants, preparing for the next scene. The comedian also managed to entertain the crowd for several hours until the TV taping finally came to an end.

I felt lucky sitting in a studio and witnessing this glorious event. Seeing how the actors behaved without the camera rolling was a privilege. Their true personalities shone right through, and they actually proved to be quite funny.

Senior Judy Kim, a fellow attendee, was completely satisfied after the taping. “I almost fainted because the incredibly cute guy smiled at me.” Evidently, other attendees of the TV taping mentioned the dashing good looks of the actors. They seemed to find the actors more attractive than the show itself!

I attended this event with a group of club members and was able to receive twelve dollars for every person who attended. I urge clubs interested in fundraising to consider TV taping for some cold, hard cash!

Are you curious to see and experience the magic? Visit http://www.tvtickets.com for more information. For additional information about Happy Hour , visit http://www.fox.com/happyhour.