Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2007 November 21

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[edit] November 21

[edit] Television shows

Generally speaking, are TV shows filmed (in "real life") in the same order in which they are eventually broadcast on TV? I will divide that question into 2 sub-categories. (A) Is such the case in serial television ... (for example, broadcast episode # 58 of Friends would have been filmed in real life before they filmed what would eventually become broadcast episode # 59 of Friends) ...? (B) And -- what about TV shows in which the order is essentially irrelevent ... (for example, the Oprah Winfrey episode about post-partum depression being filmed / broadcast before or after the episode about Michael Vick being filmed / broadcast) ...? Thanks. (Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 05:38, 21 November 2007 (UTC))

Err, I'm not 100% clear on what you're asking, but I will tell you that shows such as Oprah and Ellen are generally edited. Of course what you see is generally shown in the order it was filmed. Shows such as Friends however are not typically shot in sequence, especially if they're not filmed in front of an audience - it is much more economical in production to shoot out of sequence, especially if shooting takes place over more than one day. So I do believe live-stage sitcoms may be shot close to order of viewing. Does that answer your quesiton? Rfwoolf (talk) 06:49, 21 November 2007 (UTC)
No, you misunderstood my question -- which probably was not worded clearly to begin with. I am talking about taping different episodes of the same show ... not taping different scenes/sections of the same episode. So, let's take Season 10 of Friends as an example. What they eventually broadcast on TV would ultimately be called something like Episode 57, Episode 58, Episode 59, Episode 60, etc. (with whatever number system they might use). Generally speaking, is Episode 57 taped (in real life) prior to the taping of Episode 58 ... is Episode 58 taped (in real life) prior to the taping of Episode 59 ... and so on. Maybe a better way to ask the question is this: do we watch on TV the episodes in the same order that they are taped in real life? My guess is that, barring odd circumstances --- yes, they tape them in the same order that they intend to air them. But, I don't know --- so I wanted to check here. Then, consider the same question for a non-serial show like Oprah Winfrey. Would they shoot certain episodes in the same order that they intend to air them on TV? Or, is that type of show different, since one episode is independent and unrelated to any other episode. (That is, if aired Episode # 125 is an interview with Tom Cruise and aired Episode # 126 is a special about the Atkins Diet ... those 2 episodes are non-serial and non-related ... and their order is less relevant as to when they air on TV and when they are taped). So, what is the convention in either industry ... serial shows and non-serial shows? I understand that scenes within an episode may be shot out of chronological order ... but I am asking about taping completely different episodes altogether. Thanks. (Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 08:24, 21 November 2007 (UTC))
One of the major factors that will affect filming sequence is whether any of it is shot on location. Obviously it makes sense to shoot all those sequences together regardless of the final order. The availability of other facilities and certain actors will also be taken into account. Of course the final running order can also be varied. Fans are still debating the running order of The Prisoner. See List of The Prisoner episodes where five different running orders are debated.--Shantavira|feed me 08:59, 21 November 2007 (UTC)
Similarly, Firefly episodes were aired out of their intended viewing order, with the pilot Serenity not being shown until the end of the series' run. A show like Friends is probably shown is a similar order to filming, although on location scenes may be shot months before or after. Think outside the box 11:56, 21 November 2007 (UTC)
In general, the answer is no. A series is often shot in a different order than it is aired.Thomprod (talk) 17:40, 21 November 2007 (UTC)
[citation needed]. Or in other words, how often? Certainly there are specific reasons why this may be done sometimes -- location constraints, guest star availability, TV network judgement about the desirability of specific episodes for specific weeks (for example, the first few episodes of the original Star Trek were shown out of order because the network picked which one they wanted to start the series with). But there are also risks in shooting out of order. If something disrupts the shoot, like an injury to the star actor or flood damage to an expensive set, it might be possible to write this into the story (his arm's in a sling because he was shot by the bad guy), but not if a later episode with no such injury has already been filmed. And if filming is prevented altogether, the episode intended to be shown later might not be usable at all. In any case there will be less time to fix any problems that arise during filming. So what's the answer: how often does it happen that they decide to shoot out of order anyway? --Anon, 05:15 UTC, November 22.
Generally, TV episodes are filmed in the order that makes the most financial sense, coupled with consideration for actor's other commitments (a movie role, for instance) and timing (sweeps episodes). A good example is to read up on Babylon 5. The series creator J. Michael Straczynski was known for commenting on Usenet about the production of his series, and also talks about it in his book "The Complete Book of Scriptwriting". He has talked about filming episodes in a certain order due to budget constraints or time needed to work on the CGI for an episode. If you look at The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5, a fansite, they show the episode order and the production order for the episodes. A quick glance through that list, and you can see how mixed up the two are for the first few seasons, then things stayed more in order for the remaining ones. -- Kesh (talk) 15:23, 22 November 2007 (UTC)
In some cases, two episodes may be film concurrently, especially if the actors have only a limited role in one. I believe some of the "filler" episodes of Stargate: SG-1 (in which the titular team had about 5 minutes of screen time) were filmed at the same time as either the preceding or following episode. Confusing Manifestation(Say hi!) 04:49, 23 November 2007 (UTC)

Related question: how much does the lead time vary? Are some series shot within a week of airing, while others have a whole season in the can before the first is shown? (I was surprised to learn from DVD commentary that two angles of one scene in Buffy's first episode were shot months apart.) —Tamfang (talk) 17:49, 23 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Most broadcasted TV shows and episodes

One can easily find statistics and data on the TV broadcasts that were the most-watched in history. And Wikipedia has an article on such: List of most-watched television broadcasts. So, it is generally accepted that the final episode of M*A*S*H was the most-watched broadcast in TV history. Are there any statistics / data / Wikipedia articles / websites that have details about which TV shows have been broadcast most? Something along the lines of ... hypothetically ... these: the I Love Lucy episode in which Lucy gives birth to baby Little Ricky is the most broadcast episode in TV history ... or, The Brady Bunch is the most broadcast TV sitcom in history. Is there any source that would collect / publish such type of information? Ultimately -- my questions are: what is the specific / unique TV broadcast that has been the most repeatedly broadcast (... one particular show's particular episode that has been repeated the most throughout history ...) and what is the TV program / TV series that has been the most repeatedly broadcast throughout history? Thanks. (Joseph A. Spadaro (talk) 05:54, 21 November 2007 (UTC))

Since many television series are syndicated and later re-broadcast on many different stations and/or cable networks, it would be difficult to keep up with how many actual airings a given episode has had since its original broadcast.Thomprod (talk) 17:43, 21 November 2007 (UTC)
  • Ithink Star Trek was a contender for quite awhile..hotclaws 23:39, 21 November 2007 (UTC)
It would be interesting, but I think the information would be very hard to find, given the number of stations globally. I seem to remember some (unsupported) statistic about a certain number of episodes of Friends being aired at any given moment worldwide... Skittle (talk) 11:24, 22 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] MicroKorg Layers

I was hoping that a Wikipedian synthesiser player would be able to help. I'm having trouble layering multiple voices on my MicroKorg.

I have read the manual.

Could someone please help?

Thanks.MJ Digs (talk) 09:36, 21 November 2007 (UTC)


Errr, i believe you use the dial and select the first option ( voice I think ) and then use the 2nd of the smaller knobs to use numerous layers. 86.139.90.55 (talk) 19:22, 21 November 2007 (UTC)

I can reach that point fairly quickly, but I really mean combining two seperate sounds (originaly two voices, maybe from different presets/banks)and layering one over the other to make something new). It can be done, i've heard it, without huge effort, but how? I really need help, please. --MJ Digs (talk) 10:34, 22 November 2007 (UTC) {{helpme}} {{helpme}} belongs on user talk pages. NF24(radio me!Editor review) 12:59, 22 November 2007 (UTC)


• Hmmm, i've got a microkorg, but my attitude towards it is more of fun slow experimentation. I don't have the proper knowledge. Maybe download the pc only software voice editor from korg? I heard you can fiddle with the parameters with it? 86.139.90.55 (talk) 00:03, 28 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Using Guitar Hero III guitar with Rock Band

I have the PS3 version of Guitar Hero III and Rock Band. But I can't get Rock Band to recognize the GH3 guitar. The GH3 guitar is connecting to the system, but it's not active during the difficulty setting screen. Is there some secret to getting it to work? --24.249.108.133 (talk) 16:24, 21 November 2007 (UTC)

Its probaly not going to work. Any smart company would make it not register so you HAVE to buy there extra products. Esskater11 16:53, 21 November 2007 (UTC)

There's a problem with it due to the guitar not being compliant with the standards, or something along those lines. Full story here [1] - X201 (talk) 17:05, 21 November 2007 (UTC)
According to the reviews I've read, the Xbox 360 GH3 guitar works with Xbox Rock Band, but the wireless PS3 GH3 controller does not work with the PS3 Rock Band. There is no known way of making it work, short of a game patch by Harmonix (which isn't likely). -- Kesh (talk) 15:26, 22 November 2007 (UTC)
Thanks for the info. That's supremely disappointing. Harmonix won't be selling individual Rock Band instruments until 2008. And I'm sure not buying TWO Rock Bands to have two guitars! Just FYI, I found this Wiki entry on Guitar controller compatibility. --72.202.150.92 (talk) 20:54, 23 November 2007 (UTC)

[edit] how to run red baron 3d on windows vista

In the Wikipedia page about Red Baron 3D there is written that it can run with Windows Vista with some little problems. I would like to know how and, if it is important, whith which version of Windows Vista. I tried many installation way in Windows Vista home ed. 32 bit.

80.116.41.60 (talk) 19:31, 21 November 2007 (UTC)

removed email addressSaundersW (talk) 19:57, 21 November 2007 (UTC)

Does it install but fail to run? If so try right clicking the executable file or desktop shortcut, clicking properties, then the compatability tab and chosing Windows 98. TheGreatZorko (talk) 09:20, 23 November 2007 (UTC)

I tried all the compatibilty options, with the Windows XP one, I see the little presentation movie, and when the game should display its menus I see a black screen with a little black cross on white background in its upper left corner. The multiple player version of the game instead runs. 87.14.163.3 (talk) 19:01, 23 November 2007 (UTC)