Hold the applause: How Masked Singer and DWTS are faking their audience crowds
The Masked Singer season three (a.k.a. pre-pandemic) We’ve all been told not to congregate in large groups indoors, so fans tuning into the Masked Singer premiere on Wednesday may have been a little surprised to see crowds cheering on the new crop of performers and chanting for the losing contestant to take off their mask like a red-hat-wearing protesters parading through a Target. But fear not: While there was a small group of people allowed into the studio audience, it was mostly TV magic making it seem as though there were hundreds of maskless people jammed together like it was a Trump rally. “We went above and beyond the outlines of the CDC and local authorities in order to keep people safe,” Masked Singer executive producer Craig Plestis told Deadline of their small studio audience ahead of Wednesday’s premiere. But most of the wide shots involved CGI and close-up crowd reactions were recycled footage from previous seasons filmed in the Before Times. “It feels that through virtual reality and composite and reaction shots, we managed to create the feeling that there were people in the room,” added Rob Wade, Fox Entertainment’s president of alternative entertainment and specials. “It’s going […]