A lot of older sitcoms use established shots with multiple cameras to give the audience a more traditional feel for the surrounding environment. In NBC’s The Office, the workplace setting is reintroduced to viewers in a new way. By using only one camera and a documentary style of filming similar to that of the recent movie Cloverfield (2007), but without as much shaking of the camera, The Office generates humor and suspense not only through dialogue, but through awkwardly editing certain clips, zooming, cutaway scenes of characters talking one on one with the camera, and breaking the fourth wall by addressing the person holding the camera.
This new look and feel for a sitcom situated mainly in the workplace breaks the previous mold for workplace sitcoms by allowing venturing outside the workplace to occur in order to follow certain characters on errands, most often, Michael Scott (Steve Carell) and Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson). In the episode “Office Olympics”, Dwight accompanies Michael in his quest to purchase a condo. It also allows for some shots of various characters homes and public restaurants. In the episode “The Dundies”, the staff adjourn to a Chili’s restaurant to have their yearly award show sponsored by Michael. In the most recent episode “Dinner Party”, we barely see any of the workplace, but a lot more of Michael’s condo.
1 comment:
Ryan--while I'm not sure that your examples, in their current form at least, completely support your points about THE OFFICE, your first paragraph is quite well-written (and true).
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