Why do computers in movies always beep??

[arizonapcrepair]

In movies this always bugged me, no matter what computer it is, hell, even if there is a Mac in the movie, and the Apple has some obvious product placement, computers in movies ALWAYS SEEM TO BEEP!

Gah, imagine if computers really beeped every time you hit a key, god I wouldn't have been able to type this post, much less, a 5,000 word English paper.

In The Taking of Pelham 123, The guy's Sony Vaio laptop beeped even when loading Google.

Why oh why hasn't the movie studios caught up with the times and still inserting beeps every time the "Computer user" hits a key or goes to GOOGLE?

[lhyman]

because computers in movies are movie stars !

[allen92]

Its part of the experience, they do that to emphasize the fact that it's an computer.

[zen-r]

What?

Do you mean that all computers don't beep like that any more? Next, you'll be trying to convince me that they also come with colour monitors now.


Perhaps I should update my old computer. I'm getting tired of having to replace some of its thermionic valves every day, anyway! ;)

[changc]

Maybe they are passing on some subliminal message?

[zen-r]

"Why do computers in movies always beep??"


Answer No. 2)

Because the computers are all members of Equity, the Actor's Labor Union.

They get paid more for "speaking" parts!

[John Klyne]

Computers beep for a number of reasons, to emphasize they are computers is one of them...computers now, DO NOT BEEP, unless you make it beep (if that is possible)...you see what happened...you remembered the movie because it beeped...now you told us it beeped in that movie...and I bet someone, (just like I did) is going to want to watch the movie and check it out for themselves...it is just a way for them to get more viewers...

So does that make sense...that is only one of the reasons computers on tv beep.

Have fun getting some more serious answers on this, as I don't really have to look up the rest.

[farscapeone]

I think they beep to let viewers know that somebody is actually doing something on them. Like if they don't beep you're going to miss something somebody typed on it or something.

Or they beep for the same reason monitors always explode like they are stuffed with TNT.

[ichwar]

What?

Do you mean that all computers don't beep like that any more? Next, you'll be trying to convince me that they also come with colour monitors now.


Perhaps I should update my old computer. I'm getting tired of having to replace some of its thermionic valves every day, anyway! ;)

Wow, you're really old fashioned aren't you. Have you upgrade your old old plastic "phone" yet?

[Smith6612]

It's the way Hollywood decides the objects should do, and then they play the same sounds over from their years old sound database. If done properly, they do make it flow with the movie/show, but of course if done incorrectly, it irritates me. All it does is show the computer is actually doing something, and the person isn't just pounding away on something and seeing the computer do what it was asked to do.