PiP during Japanese TV shows

Excessum · (#1 (**permalink**))

I have wondered about it for a while now... what's the deal with showing faces of people during a TV show with a Picture in Picture (PiP)? Be it a live news report, or entertainment show, you often see people from the studio/audience/innocent bystanders focused on in the PiP on the corner of the screen.

An example to show you what I mean:

So I was wondering, since it is a rather common thing on Japanese TV... why are they doing this? Is it a psychological/ cultural thing? Or is it just a weird tradition, that has not other meaning? If this is the case, then how and why did it start?

I assume it could be something like the the annoying laugh during western TV sitcoms... another phenomena I do not quite understand... do the authors think their audiences are too stupid to understand when to laugh and when not? But that is another topic.

superheel · (#2 (**permalink**))

I think it's just a tool to show peopl's reaction to the viewers so they'll have the same reaction too. I dunno. This reminds me when I was still in the Philippines. There's always a small screen in the corner of the screen with someone doing sign languages and all that stuff.

Keaton421 · (#3 (**permalink**))

It's like the good old laugh track from sitcoms. They play it so the mindless sheep will know when to laugh.

aznjay2x · (#4 (**permalink**))

this show is awesome!