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Of course the idea that a documentary crew would follow a bunch of office drones around for nine years is ridiculous, and much of the footage would be too elusive for even the most dedicated camera crew. The "mockumentary" format is not intended to be taken literally, but rather as a narrative vehicle that emphasizes the candid atmosphere of the story in a style recognizable to modern audiences. It allows the characters to break the fourth wall and acknowledge the audience without disrupting the viewers' immersion. The "Talking heads" interview segments where characters share their innermost thoughts on the events unfolding over the course of the episode are not the characters being pulled from the action, interviewed and then reinserted, but actually a glimpse into the mind of the character contextualized in the form of an interview.
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Dec 4, 2015 19:18
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Jim was always pranking Dwayne, lol
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Dec 4, 2015 19:20
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OP, this is true for all seasons of The Office except for the first one which was a more direct adaptation from the BBC show of the same name, which was meant to be taken literally as a documentary. They just kind of forgot about that element for later seasons and (correctly) assumed most of the viewers would too. also, what was Jim making all those reaction faces at the whole time??? whoaaaaa <image of keanu reeves at a rave or whatever>
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Dec 4, 2015 19:21
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Seaniqua posted:Jim was always pranking Dwayne, lol Remember that time he did the thing with the desk and the phone? owned rofl
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Dec 4, 2015 19:21
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Dwayne Shrot: "MY BEETS"
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Dec 4, 2015 19:22
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Jim and Pam haha... ha.. .
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Dec 4, 2015 19:25
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Thank you for this. Applewhite dropping some truth bombs in ol' GBS and saying some controversial things that needed to be said. Applewhite=Iconoclast
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Dec 4, 2015 19:26
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i read every word in this thread
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Dec 4, 2015 19:27
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They tried to bring back the idea of it being a documentary in the last season, but it failed pretty miserably imo.
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Dec 4, 2015 19:27
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Remember that time something goofy happened and Jim looked at the camera?
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Dec 4, 2015 19:27
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Dr Cheeto posted:Remember that time something goofy happened and Jim looked at the camera? no, i'm a fag
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Dec 4, 2015 19:28
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Holy poo poo! Applewhite is Trump, telling it like it is. He's never wrong! ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod ohmygod
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Dec 4, 2015 19:28
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Applewhite posted:Of course the idea that a documentary crew would follow a bunch of office drones around for nine years is ridiculous, and much of the footage would be too elusive for even the most dedicated camera crew. that's what she said.
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Dec 4, 2015 19:28
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ehhhhhhnnnnnn posted:i read every word in this thread it's not like there's very many posts in it, Mr Smart Reader Guy 
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Dec 4, 2015 19:29
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And they could never remember that one guy's name and always called him like Larry or Jerry. lol
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Dec 4, 2015 19:30
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Hell Yeah posted:that's what she said.
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Dec 4, 2015 19:31
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loquacius posted:OP, this is true for all seasons of The Office except for the first one which was a more direct adaptation from the BBC show of the same name, which was meant to be taken literally as a documentary. They just kind of forgot about that element for later seasons and (correctly) assumed most of the viewers would too. Great insights! My theory is that Jim was not mugging, but we, the audience, were able to catch a glimpse of his true feelings behind the mask of his expression. If same scene were viewed through the "invisible" camera of most TV shows, we would not see Jim's expression change. The "mockumentary as metaphor" theory also explains why Michael Scott didn't try to involve the camera crew in more of his zany schemes/pranks (except, of course, to film them happening). A real person with Michael Scott's personality would engage the camera crew by name and attempt to incorporate them into his circle of friends. Also, in many instances where the characters find themselves stranded, they could have hitched a ride (or at least attempted to hitch a ride) with the camera crew rather than be forced to walk or secure alternate means of transportation.
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Dec 4, 2015 19:32
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Remember the episode where the entire office got together for Thanksgiving and Andy and Dwight got really competitive about who was better at touch football but Michael and Jim spent the entire time trying to hook up with a hot foreign lady? classic ep oh or the one where they had to get the couch up the stairs into Michael's new apartment and it wouldn't fit and he just kept yelling "PIVOT" lol
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Dec 4, 2015 19:33
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Applewhite posted:Also, in many instances where the characters find themselves stranded, they could have hitched a ride (or at least attempted to hitch a ride) with the camera crew rather than be forced to walk or secure alternate means of transportation. there were also many times when the characters were driving somewhere and the camera crew seemed to be perched on their dashboard; this is not physically possible for a cameraman of normal size
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Dec 4, 2015 19:34
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Office Space was meant to be taken seriously as a documentary
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Dec 4, 2015 19:43
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Ummmmmm, did you not see the last episode, OP?
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Dec 4, 2015 19:49
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GigaPeon posted:Ummmmmm, did you not see the last episode, OP? I literally did not, show got bad in the last few seasons. Please elaborate!
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Dec 4, 2015 19:50
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GigaPeon posted:Ummmmmm, did you not see the last episode, OP? Not yet I've been marathonning it these past weeks.
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Dec 4, 2015 19:51
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loquacius posted:I literally did not, show got bad in the last few seasons. Please elaborate! The documentary comes out then a year later they have to meet back up to film extras for the DVD release.
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Dec 4, 2015 19:52
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is applewhite a my little pony pony
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Dec 4, 2015 19:53
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I think Nicolas took the Jim Dwight thing a little too seriously with Farooq.
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Dec 4, 2015 19:54
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Owlofcreamcheese posted:The documentary comes out then a year later they have to meet back up to film extras for the DVD release. A lot of material must have been cut if they were filming for 9 years
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Dec 4, 2015 19:54
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Owlofcreamcheese posted:The documentary comes out then a year later they have to meet back up to film extras for the DVD release. Then Doctor Who shows up and Kelly becomes his new companion.
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Dec 4, 2015 19:55
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First of all how loving dare you
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Dec 4, 2015 19:55
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Jim Halbert: Did I do that? smirks at camera Dwit Shoot: YES JIM! YOU RUINED MY BATTLE STAR FIGURINE! That show was pretty good for the first 2 or 3 seasons
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Dec 4, 2015 19:59
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The UK version was seedy as gently caress. Much like the UK.
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Dec 4, 2015 20:06
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oooh did you just see that? michael did something so embarassing omg
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Dec 4, 2015 20:08
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trailer park boys is a much better "mockumentary" in my opinion
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Dec 4, 2015 20:08
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Did someone say Parks & Recreation!?
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Dec 4, 2015 20:08
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randy would win a fight against dwight, but only if he was able to get his pants off beforehand
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Dec 4, 2015 20:11
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Also the offical answer is that the documentary exists because a charactor named tom peets killed himself on site before the show began and that whole premise all comes from some throw away joke about michael forgetting him and the writers saying that in a question and answer thing.
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Dec 4, 2015 20:12
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I don't like Trailer Park Boys but the Irish version "Hardy Bucks" is hilarious. Maybe because I can relate to a gang of Irish dickheads more than Canadians, idk.
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Dec 4, 2015 20:13
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I really loved in Community when Abed told Annie to "stop Jimming the camera." It made my heart feel warm and fuzzy.Owlofcreamcheese posted:The documentary comes out then a year later they have to meet back up to film extras for the DVD release. And Erin fi-- no, I should let that moment hit OP organically. I normally don't believe in spoilers, but there are some moments that are very special and are made better by being unexpected. Oh jeez, I'm getting all sentimental. Anyway, before the DVD is released, they see a trailer and realize the crew was filming them e.g. having extramarital affairs, and the invasive nature of the premise is brought back into the plot, and one crew member becomes a character because the idea is they've always chatted with the crew off-camera after work and become friends. It's still inconsistent, but it is what it is and the show really grew into an entirely new beast after season 6/7 so I think overall it works out. For diehard fans like myself (I've seen each episode at least 6 times by now because I usually run through it on Netflix as I drift to sleep), seeing the characters and the nature of the show itself shift and evolve into what it was by the end of season 8, going through the culmination/epilogue of the final season, was a very emotional experience, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Season 9 was kind of a bookending thing, in that they brought focus back to the documentary premise, but also transcended it in preparation for plot events that mark the show's inability to continue—they actually help Jim by making a Jim & Pam compilation, that takes you through their entire relationship set to a sappy song, for example. The writers knew that the story comes first, and that the reality of the documentary part should only come up when it helps accomplish the telling of that story. Losing Michael Scott did not kill the story, it allowed The Office to explore change. It would've died like Dexter otherwise. Thanks for reminding me the meaning this show has for me, OP. Really warmed my morning.
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Dec 4, 2015 20:23
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Applewhite posted:Not yet I've been marathonning it these past weeks. It's the party for the documentary and they're kinda minor celebrities cause it's like the real world where everybody watches The Office and Ed Bagley Jr. is Kimmy Schmitt's dad.
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Dec 4, 2015 20:24
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Owlofcreamcheese posted:Also the offical answer is that the documentary exists because a charactor named tom peets killed himself on site before the show began and that whole premise all comes from some throw away joke about michael forgetting him and the writers saying that in a question and answer thing. Oh yeah, it was when they were looking at the suggestion box, and it was left untouched for so long that there was a suggestion that said they needed more support for people who need depression counseling, and Michael was like "that must be a joke, nobody here is depressed," and someone else piped up like "uh yeah Tom killed himself N years ago," where N is more than the season it was on (p sure it was pre-Sabre), and Michael didn't remember.
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Dec 4, 2015 20:26
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