Character Screen Time

[Tensor]

My summer project is going to be tracking all the screen times for all the seasons.  I've gotten some requests for various seasons I haven't done.  And having done a few seasons, I'm going to redo them, so they will all match with the classifications below.  I've locked this thread, so if you wish to discuss this, I've created a discussion thread for this.   

First off, I'm going to track how much time, each of the main cast, is on screen.  Doesn't matter if they are by themselves, with their SO, or if all seven are there.  If a character is in a scene, even if they they don't talk, or aren't seen in the scene all the time (think of al seven in 4A and the camera focuses in on one person), they count as being in the scene, and they get screen time.  

As for further breakdowns, here's where it gets tricky, Where I have a couple, or a couple with others. My plan is to go several different ways:

1.  I break out romantic couples in three categories.

1A.  A couple can be an official couple.   In this case, they are officially boyfriend/girlfriend (Examples: Shamy after "Flaming Spittoon", Lenny in season three and after "Recombination" or Howardette, after "Hot Troll"), or the couple is engaged or married. If a couple is official, and they are onscreen, it counts as couple time. But, see section four below.

1B.  A couple can act as a couple, even if not official.  Example: Shamy in most of "Herb Garden"  They weren't an official couple at the time, but they acted as if they were a couple during that episode.  

1C.  A couple isn't an official couple, nor are they acting as one.  An example: Leonard and Penny in the pilot or most of the first and second year.       

2.  One kind of screen time, for couples, is alone:

2A. If a couple is on screen alone together, they get credited as a couple, even if they are not acting as a couple.    NOTE: This overrides some categories.  An example would be Penny and Leonard when Leonard is talking to Penny about Alice or Shamy in the lab during "Alien Parasite".  They are not a couple, they are not acting like a couple, but since they are alone, they get couple time  

3.  Another kind of screen time, for couples, is with others:

3A.  If a couple are on screen with others and are acting as a couple even if they aren't official, it counts as couple time.    Think of near the end of "Herb Garden", with Sheldon and Amy in the kitchen. At that point, they weren't official, but they were acting as a couple.  Or Lenny, near the end of "Spaghetti Catalyst".   They weren't a couple, but were acting like a divorced couple.  

3B.  If they are with other characters, and are not a couple or are not acting like a couple, they would simply get individual character screen time.  Think the pilot scene, when Penny, Sheldon and Leonard are talking.  

3C.  If there are two couple on screen, then each couple would get couple screen time.   Think of "game night" with Lenny and Shamy.   Or the double date with Howardette and Raj and Emily.  

4.  If there are four or more characters, with only one couple (or even more than one couple with additional characters), it's really going to depend on how the scene goes:  

 4A.  For example, when they are all sitting in 4A eating or say in "Closet Reconfiguration" where everyone is telling Howard their version of what was in the card.  There weren't really any couple time there, it was all individual characters, so I wouldn't really give any of the couples, couple time,   Or, like the beginning of "Hesitation Ramification"  the guys, and Amy were eating, but the guys were all looking at their phones, there really isn't Shamy time there, nor is there really any Lenny time when Penny comes in.  All of the characters would get their own time, of course.  

 4B. This would change if something couple-y happens.  For example, in "Friendship Turbulence"  The cold open and the first part after the break is the group talking about Penny.  Then Leonard and Penny start fighting.  Up to that point, it's individual screen time.  After  and Penny talks about turning down an acting job.  Lenny fight.  When the fight starts, they would also get couple time.  NOTE 4A and 4B are exceptions to if an official couple is on screen, they get couple time.   

6.  I will do non-romantic couples. Raj and Howard, Leonard and Sheldon, Penny and Sheldon, Penny and Amy etc.   In these cases, it will only be when they have scenes alone.    

7.  I will count larger groups , within reason.  Something like "Girls"(Amy, Bernadette and Penny), or the guys (Sheldon, Leonard, Howard and Raj).  I might even count the women, and Raj, as a group,  as that has happened several times.  But most of the time, if there are three or more individual characters in a scene, they won't be broken out as a separate group.   I plan on calling a scene that has all of them together as  "cast", to see how much time the cast is together.  

8. I won't be giving each minor characters their own screen time.  For example, parents or siblings, Kripke, Burt, other friends etc. don't get their own time, but I will track how much time Minor Characters are on screen.  Exceptions: Stuart gets his own time starting in season six, as he became main cast then.  Melissa starting in season three (although she didn't become main cast until season four) and Mayim staring in season four (even prior to her becoming main cast).

9.  There will be limited cases where guest stars or recurring will get their own time.  Lucy or Emily when they was dating Raj.    Priya when she was dating Leonard, etc.  I might count Dave and Amy, we'll see.

 

 

I think this covers most things.  If anyone sees something they think is wrong or you have another suggestion, please PM me.   I realize that some of this is going to be a judgement call.  But, I'm trying to set the rules out, so I can be as consistent as possible.  

Also, I realize that some people really don't care about screen time, they are more concerned with quality of screen time.  The problem with that is simply not everyone agrees on quality.  Screen time, for individuals, is something that can be measured and I feel that using the above to determine will at least give us a consistent measurement.  

I'll be starting with season 10, then moving to season 9.  I will then go to seasons 2, 3, and 4.   After that, I'll do season 1, then seasons 6, 7, 8.  Those last three are because I have some times for 6, 7, and 8 and I've been asked about seasons 2, 3, and 4.     I'm starting with seasons 9 and 10 as I have both of them on my DVR, but I'm thinking seriously getting rid of cable and going with streaming.  If I do that, I'll lose those two years, due to losing my DVR.  I want to get those done before that happens at the end of June.  The rest I have on DVD.   

Tensor

 

[Tensor]

SEASON ONE

Here is the table for the season one screen time. As usual, just click to enlarge:

[Tensor]

SEASON TWO

Here is the table for the season two screen time. As usual, just click to enlarge.   

[Tensor]

SEASON THREE

Ok, here are the results for season three.  

[Tensor]

SEASON FOUR

Here are the results for season four.

[Tensor]

SEASON FIVE

Here are the results for season five.

 

[Tensor]

SEASON SIX

Here are the results for season six.

[Tensor]

SEASON SEVEN

Here are the results for season seven.  Click to enlarge.  

[Tensor]

SEASON EIGHT

Here is the image for the season eight screen time.  Just click on it to enlarge it.  

 

[Tensor]

SEASON NINE

Here is the image for the season nine screen time.   Simply click on it to enlarge it.  

 

[Tensor]

SEASON TEN

Since I can't embed my spreadsheet, I've put an image here.  You should be able to click on it, to see everything.  

 

 

[Tensor]

SERIES TOTAL

Here's the total sheet.   I've added an average column.  The pairings at the bottom are alphabetical.  Amy is first, with anyone else alphabetical, then Bernadette.  Obviously, their SO is in the romantic pairings.  

[HeWolf]

This forum needs to create an award for research this in-depth. Perhaps the "Most Exalted Order of Tensor" medallion...

Kudos for undertaking such a project.

[Tensor]

4 hours ago, HeWolf said:

This forum needs to create an award for research this in-depth. Perhaps the "Most Exalted Order of Tensor" medallion...

Kudos for undertaking such a project.

Hell, watching TBBT, tracking time, numbers, spreadsheets...what's not to love?   

[Tensor]

OK, I finished recording all the times for season 10 tonight.   I'll be tabulating them and I'll start posting tomorrow night or Friday.   Then it's on to season nine.   

 

 

[bfm]

3 hours ago, Tensor said:

OK, I finished recording all the times for season 10 tonight.   I'll be tabulating them and I'll start posting tomorrow night or Friday.   Then it's on to season nine.   

 

 

@Tensor you're a screen time savant.

Edited May 25, 2017 by bfm

[Tensor]

OK, I've got the Season Ten screen time's finished.  I created the various posts for each of the seasons yesterday, and when the image is put up,  most won't see a new post in that thread.   However, you will see a new post here, and I'll link to it.  

 You'll notice that I have the main cast members, then the three main ships, then the gang, guys, and girls.  Then finally, any other pairings.  One thing to note about the show times, the introduction runs 20 seconds.  The end credits run 30 seconds.  So, if you take 50 seconds off the show time, you'll get the actual running times for the episode (this includes any "Previously on The Big Bang Theory) that may show up.

I'm not going to offer any guarantees for times, but it all should be damn close (I'm talking within 20 seconds or so).  I'm quite sure the rounding introduced errors here and there.  There were also times where I had to make a call as to when someone entered or exited.  And I won't rule out addition errors.   But, if anyone wants to correct any errors they think they've found, feel free to contact me via PM and we'll discuss it.  I still have all my paperwork.  

All the raw numbers are in the image of the spread sheet.   Here are some percentage numbers, (there were 460:45 minutes of total screen time for the year).  I've also added a few other things that interest me.  

         Name               % of total time.

• Sheldon                   56%
• Leonard                   45%
• Amy                         43%
• Penny                      37%
• Howard                    35%
• Raj                           32%
• Bernadette               25%
• Stuart                       09%

Amy had almost as much time as Leonard and Howard had almost as much as Penny.   

In terms of couples, Shamy was on screen for 134:05 minutes (29%), Lenny for 100:20 (22%) and Howardette for 63:35 (14%).    The interesting part is that of that 134:05 of Shamy time, 62:10 of that, they were the only two people on screen, over 50% of their couple time.  For Lenny, 22 minutes of their screen time, were just them on screen, only 22%.  For Howardette, 22:30 of their time were alone, 35% of their total time.  

 

A couple of things in terms of the raw time numbers.  Shamy had more time as a couple, on screen (both by themselves and with others) than Bernadette got by herself.  Also, Howardette, although getting a third less total couple time than Lenny, actually had thirty seconds more screen time by themselves than Lenny had.  

And finally, the most important couple CinnaRaj, were in scenes for four minutes, and forty seconds, more than quite a few other pairings.   

 Feel free to ask me questions, if there are things you don't understand, or want to know.  

[serena_1995]

thank you for the in-depth analysis  @Tensor.  I see that Howard/Raj (11 min), Sheldon/Leonard(10.05 min) , Sheldon/Penny(9.25 min) and Penny / Amy(7.20 min) pairings still have relatively higher screen time among non romantic pairings .

and WOW,  Raj/Cinnamon received more time than Leonard/Amy and Amy/Bernadette

Edited May 26, 2017 by serena_1995

[3ku11]

Shamy dominate screen in percentage just them is interesting. Alot more then Lenny. 

[April]

4 hours ago, Tensor said:

OK, I've got the Season Ten screen time's finished.  

Looking through your data sheet and... I think you left out the Shamy times for 10x08.

[Tensor]

6 hours ago, April said:

Looking through your data sheet and... I think you left out the Shamy times for 10x08.

Fixed, thanks. There was 5:10 in total time for episode 10-7.  There was 5:10 in alone time for 10-8, somehow, I got them mixed up.  I thought I had already put it up.   I did a quick check and I think that it.  But, I'm more than willing to be corrected again, if anyone finds something.   I think accuracy is more important than me worrying if I got it right.  .

Starting season nine today.  

[veejay]

Wow, Tensor. I mean WOW! 

[Jonny]

Should have given Bernadette more screen time and reduced Raj's based on the strength of their storylines. That 32% was largely a waste when it came to Raj this season.

Interesting findings Tensor, you must have spent a lot of time on this.

[Tensor]

11 minutes ago, veejay said:

Wow, Tensor. I mean WOW! 

I can't do GIFs, so I do numbers. 

6 minutes ago, Jonny said:

Should have given Bernadette more screen time and reduced Raj's based on the strength of their storylines. That 32% was largely a waste when it came to Raj this season.

Interesting findings Tensor, you must have spent a lot of time on this.

I did it over various parts of four days. It also coincided with a fibro flare up, so there wasn't much else I could do. 

[spidergirl]

3 hours ago, Tensor said:

I can't do GIFs, so I do numbers. 

I did it over various parts of four days. It also coincided with a fibro flare up, so there wasn't much else I could do. 

I 'd say it is a job for a master of numbers! Thanks for sharing your work on this. It is a very interisting and accurate work.