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Some sources say "I Love Lucy" was the first show to be filmed before a live audience. However, most add a qualifier: it was the first to be filmed before a live audience with three cameras, a technique usually implied in the term "live studio audience." This 1952 "American Cinematographer" article describes what a significant innovation in TV production this represented. Most early TV shows first broadcasted live from New York, with a low-quality recording called a kinescope shown in other time zones. But "Lucy"
was recorded on film from the start, so the rebroadcasting quality was just as high as the original (paving the way for the rerun). Most "Lucy" episodes took place in the now-familiar living room and kitchen sets, which were adjoined in both Lucy's and the real world. This enabled continuous filming of movement between the two rooms. During each scene, the three cameras simultaneously recorded close-ups, medium shots, and long shots, eliminating the need for different-angle setups that would interrupt the action. This way, each episode unfolded like a play, accompanied by live studio audience reactions. If an actor flubbed a line, rather than start over, shooting would often keep going for the sake of continuity. Before "Lucy," most sitcoms used a laugh track (pioneered in "The Hank McCune Show" in 1950). This use of "canned laughter" peaked in the 1960s. In 1971, "All in the Family" reintroduced the live studio audience, which then became the favored method for sitcoms.
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