# Why do SNL people stare offscreen when talking? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 3, 2011, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-snl-people-stare-offscreen-when-talking/566253 "2011-01-03T19:54:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Uncertain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Uncertain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncertain)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-snl-people-stare-offscreen-when-talking/566253/21 "2011-01-04T04:38:12Z")
I thought it was because they place naked women strategically around the studio. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-snl-people-stare-offscreen-when-talking/566253/22 "2011-01-04T04:52:27Z")
Moving to Cafe Society from GQ. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Pine\_Fresh\_Scent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/43a26b/32.png) [@Pine\_Fresh\_Scent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pine_Fresh_Scent)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-snl-people-stare-offscreen-when-talking/566253/23 "2011-01-04T05:08:06Z")
I have a copy of Walken’s SNL highlight DVD. My favorite part is a little clip near the end where he’s in the audience as Christopher Walken (not an average Joe). He’s talking to someone onstage and says something along the lines of “of course, I’m well-known for my improvisation skills” while blatently staring off to his right at a cue card and looking nowhere near the stage. Walken rules. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-snl-people-stare-offscreen-when-talking/566253/24 "2011-01-04T16:00:37Z")
> [@Cayuga](#): > > I worked at SNL, albeit many years ago. I just want to confirm that you guys have pretty much gotten it all, and correctly. What was your job? ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-snl-people-stare-offscreen-when-talking/566253/25 "2011-01-04T16:33:36Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > Christopher Walken, on the other hand, might as well pull up a chair and put on reading glasses. That’s part of what makes him Christopher Goddamn Walken, though. ---
**Author:** ![anson2995](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@anson2995](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anson2995)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-snl-people-stare-offscreen-when-talking/566253/26 "2011-01-04T17:11:32Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > I’ll bet there’s a doper who has been an audience member. Raises his hand. 🆒 Fascinating experience to see how they pulled it off. Surprised at how small the studio and stages are. They create the illusion of a large audience, but there are about 20 people sitting on the floor and the rest of us (~200) are all sitting in a balcony 30 feet up. Many of the sketches are filmed on the floor, not the stage, and are difficult for most of the audience to actually see. I think those of you who express derision about the use of cue cards dramatically underestimate the amount of work that goes into making this show. All of the sketches go from concept to script to performance in about three days, and for every one that gets on the air there are countless others that don’t make the final cut. Besides, the roughness of live television is what makes SNL work. There are plenty of polished sitcoms that take a week to block and shoot 20 minutes of material. Watch them if you prefer. ---
**Author:** ![Cayuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-snl-people-stare-offscreen-when-talking/566253/27 "2011-01-04T18:18:40Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > What was your job? I was fresh out of college, and low man on the production staff totem pole. ---
**Author:** ![Cayuga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-snl-people-stare-offscreen-when-talking/566253/28 "2011-01-04T18:23:07Z")
> [@anson2995](#): > > They create the illusion of a large audience. The first thing that every single person who enters the studio says is, “Wow, it looks much bigger on TV.” And it does. But it’s not an illusion they deliberately create. It just looks bigger on TV, that’s all. I hope the show you caught was a good one. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-snl-people-stare-offscreen-when-talking/566253/29 "2011-01-04T18:24:03Z")
Anyone remember Red Skelton, when required to look into a mirror during the act to adjust his tie and speaking dialogue, read off his cue cards, suddenly remembered that to do that, they had to be written _backwards,_ and had the camera turn around to show everyone? Red Skelton…that doesn’t date me, does it? ---
**Author:** ![SpartanDC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b2d939/32.png) [@SpartanDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpartanDC)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2011, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-snl-people-stare-offscreen-when-talking/566253/30 "2011-01-04T19:01:55Z")
> [@anson2995](#): > > Raises his hand. 🆒 > > Fascinating experience to see how they pulled it off. Surprised at how small the studio and stages are. They create the illusion of a large audience, but there are about 20 people sitting on the floor and the rest of us (~200) are all sitting in a balcony 30 feet up. Many of the sketches are filmed on the floor, not the stage, and are difficult for most of the audience to actually see. True, though they do at least make an effort to spread the pain equally. If you take away the stages where the monologue and musical act take place, you’re pretty much left with a U-shape, around which the various sketches are performed. Some sketches will be very easy for you to see, others will be taking place directly under you, so you have to rely on the monitors. The people seated directly in front of the monologue stage are in rotating chairs that allow them to see every single sketch. Weekend Update is done on a set that’s mounted very quickly on the monologue stage, so everyone gets to see it, but you still need to look at the monitor for the fake news graphics. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-snl-people-stare-offscreen-when-talking/566253.md?page=1)