The Office – “Documentary”
Season 2, Espisode 3

Opening – Setting the atmosphere for “The Office”

Establishing/extreme long shot – camera sets the scene of Slough. First shot shows dull, non-descript office buildings and garages. Frames slowly fade out and are replaced by new ones. During this time, the opening theme music is the instrumental version of “Handbags and Gladrags.” The sky and buildings are gray; the overall scenery is bleak. A bus drives by then the camera pans to show a round about filled with cars – commuters seemingly on their way to work. The weather is wet and gloomy. The name of the city is discovered when the camera shows a plain green “Slough Trading Estate” sign, as a truck and car drive past in the background. The camera shots seem to imply that this is a manufacturing town. The introduction comes to an end showing the office building where the series takes place. It is old, ugly, and unappealing. The music also comes to an end at this time while the “The Office” is displayed over the building. The font is dull and seems out of date.

Previously, David Brent’s (David is Slough’s branch manager) branch and been combined with another branch. David now has a new boss, Neal, who is younger and more attractive than he is. In this scene, he is obviously envious of Neal and begins mimicking his dress.

The new boss is personable and popular with the employees. The opening scene shows him joking around with Dawn, the receptionist. It is also subtly implied that David is either late for a meeting with the boss or just starts his day later than most managers. (Frame consists of Dawn and Neal then includes David’s entrance).

Challenging Authority – David Brent Style

David saunters in. He walks in front of Neal and partially turns his back to him. This forces Neal to take a step back.

Neal confronts David in a round-about-way that he is wearing a jacket very similar to his own. (Frame zooms in to include only Neal and David). David is trying to act casual and slouches. (Frame then includes an employee walking past in the background). Neal also comments on the heel of David’s shoe. (Dawn briefly enters the frame again then the focus goes back to David and Neal). David awkwardly taps the desk while asking about the meeting and again turns his back to Neal as he walks towards his office. As he’s walking, Dawn enters the frame again and peers at David sideways. David bites his lower lip while strutting away, trying to give a nonchalant, cool vibe. He awkwardly glances at the camera.

The camera pans back to Neal and Dawn who watch David walk away. While the camera is still on them, David begins talking about being “rock-n-roll.” Neal gives a smirk and looks back to Dawn who is using her hair to cover up her attempt to suppress laughter. The camera then goes to a close-up interview shot of David from the shoulders up. David explains his life philosophy of “live hard, die old” and uses lots of hand gestures to articulate.

The atmosphere of a documentary is created by using rough camera shots. The zooming emphasizes awkward moments and creates an overall feeling of uncomfortableness. The subtle camera shots allow the viewer to discover that David’s receptionist is not fooled by his new clothes and generally does not have respect for him.