ABSTRACT
The chapter analyses a sequence from the NBC sitcom Friends to outline the fundamental aspects of multi-camera production, comparing and contrasting these with single camera feature production. The chapter shows how this form of studio show – long running series, sitcoms and soap operas – became the dominant design adopted by radio and then TV broadcast networks in the US and the UK. Broadcast technology led commercial networks to a “dual market” approach, freely distributing these series (as “public goods”) to the audience market and selling advertising spots, within the programming, to brands. This form of studio production became the basis for a different set of process efficiencies which enableda weekly or daily cycle time for studio production.
