Phaneron

13th Jun 2021

Friends (1994)

The One With Ross's Tan - S10-E3

Question: I occasionally perform spray tans as a side gig, and the solution usually takes around 8 hours to set. Is there any reason aside from creating a comedy situation that the spray tan salon wouldn't just tell Ross to immediately go home and shower so that his tan won't look so ridiculous?

Phaneron

Answer: None at all. It's played for laughs and that's all. If we really wanted to give it a real-world explanation, we can speculate that maybe Ross stormed out of the tanning salon without giving the staff a chance to recommend a shower.

10th Jun 2021

Friends (1994)

Show generally

Question: There are a few episodes where Phoebe is talking with her twin sister Ursula, and one of them will hand something to the other person, and you can tell a stand-in is not being used for one of them because Lisa Kudrow's face is visible for both characters. How do they achieve this effect?

Phaneron

Chosen answer: The effect can be achieved in various ways. Split screen and image overlapping is one method. CGI can simulate body movements making it appear the characters are physically interacting, or a face can be superimposed over a body double. Lisa Kudrow's older sister, Helena, who looks almost exactly like her, was often used as her twin body double, mostly filmed from the back or the side and in scenes where one stood or walked in front of the other.

raywest

10th Jun 2021

Friends (1994)

30th Mar 2021

Friends (1994)

The One with the Boobies - S1-E13

Question: After Joey says to his father "Now go to my room," it transitions to a new scene, and the music that plays sounds very similar to the song "Found Out About You" by Gin Blossoms, which was a popular song around the same time this show began airing. Is this meant to be an homage to that song, or is it just coincidental?

Phaneron

Chosen answer: The music definitely sounds like it's from that song, though very little is played. Its use would not be coincidental. 'Friends' frequently incorporated popular songs into episodes to reflect the storyline. In one episode, when Joey got brushed off by an attractive woman after she saw his "VD" poster in the subway, the song, "Don't Stand So Close to Me," by the Police, started playing. In another, after Joey moved into his own apartment and was feeling lonely, the episode ended with Eric Carmen's "All By Myself." The Gin Blossoms' song certainly fits with Joey discovering his father's affair.

raywest

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