The Office Video Breakdown

The Office Video Breakdown

The Dundies

The Dundies Clip for WRD 408 from Shane Williamson on Vimeo.

0-0:32 - In the original series of The Office there were many famous insert1 shots around the water cooler and the copier, the US version doesn't really have any, but pays homage to them by putting them in the credits. 1An insert is a shot of part of a scene filmed from a different angle and/or focal length to emphasize a different aspect of the action due to the different framing. In pop culture, (this is according to Wikipedia) a 1975 movie called "Inserts" about a pornographic film production used the title of the film as a means to portray a double meaning... Wiki at its finest.

0:34 - The megaphone in the background can be seen in almost every shot in this episode with Steve Carrell in his office.

0:55-1:14 - Due to Michael Scott's lack of social support he can never be truly happy. (Remember this is pre-moving-away-with-Holly at the end of season 7) He always has a sunny personality and is always cracking jokes, but you can see darkness inside of him. More and more research is showing that close social bonds with friends and family is the most important controllable factor influencing our happiness. Fascinatingly, even though it is the most prominent factor it only really emerges as an important factor during periods of adversity; this notion is called the buffer hypothesis. This is why Michael flies off the handle when things don't go exactly his way. He lacks the buffer that everyone needs in order to cope with adverse situations.

1:14-1:14.5 I don't know if this was intentional, but there is a split second that Steve says no or numb? it's hard to catch and I'm really not sure exactly what he says.

1:32-1:41 Often Michael will make up nicknames for his employees. Fat Halpert is based on as we all know Fat Albert. Kennan Thompson plays Fat Albert in the newest Fat Albert movie. The movie really sucked.

2:02-2:12 - "tmi", an acronym for Too Much Information is to Michael Scott a better phrase when someone says something that reveals more information then he wanted. However looking into the history of "tmi" and "don't go there" it makes known that "tmi" is in fact an older phrase and would in today's IM'ing style of phrasing be "lame." The Office staff should have done their research.

2:13-2:15 - Good ol' Stanley the Manly. I still enjoy that blooper I posted on my archive and showed in class. It just shows how well the cast work together and that they laugh just as much as we do.

2:30-2:31 - appa-teasers

2:41-2:43 - The cola in Kevin's hand is from a local Scranton family-run soda company called Crystal Soda Water Company. The brand is seen through many other episodes of The Office as it is in there vending machines. Crystal Cola comes in a variety of flavors including Brichola (a birch beer/cola blend), Swiss creme, and a variety of other flavors.

2:50-3:20 - Lou Bega - Mambo #5

2:59-3:06 - Presidente Margarita is apparently a famous Chili's alcoholic beverage. I do not condone drinking but if you have the following laying around and wish to pursue an alcoholic beverage yourself you simply need 1 oz Presidente Brandy, 1 oz Cointreau, 1 oz Roses Sweetened Concetrate Lime juice, 5 oz Sour mix, and 2 oz Sauza Conmemorativo Tequila. All of the ingredients are shaken and served in a Martini glass rimmed with kosher salt. The reviews I've found give it a 3 out of 5.

3:15-3:16 - Roy was never one of my favorite characters on this show, but when I hear Michael Scott sing that Roy is eating Chicken Crispers I find a little bit of a reason to like him. The new honey-chipotle chicken crispers are my absolute favorite at Chili's.

3:34-3:35 - David "Dave" Barry (born July 3, 1947) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American author and columnist, who wrote a nationally syndicated humor column for The Miami Herald from 1983 to 2005. He has also written numerous books of humor and parody, as well as comedic novels.

4:34-4:50 - The show usually only makes notice of the camera crew through interviews and randomly staring at them. It has to be something urgent for them to be pushed out of the way. Michael's "love" for Jan causes him much pain in the next few seasons and to be honest I felt bad for the poor little guy. I just waited and waited to see him truly fall in love, and then poof he did and he left the show. Of course that was Steve Carrell's idea, but it still ruined the show a bit.

4:46-4:50 - The a-bomb was nowhere near as powerful as the first h-bomb, a 1/500 of an h-bomb to be exact.

5:17-5:34 - Using Johnny Carson's Carnac the Magnificent to employ a lackluster of a joke about who has better health care plans than Dunder Mifflin. Carnac was a very famous character of Johnny Carson and used the audience’s reaction to play a major role in the skit. If the pun was bad Carnac would give a disapproving look and then cast a comedic curse upon the audience. "May your favorite daughter be featured in NFL Films' Sack of the Week," or "May a bloated yak change the temperature of your jacuzzi." Johnny Carson is a legend and will always be known for his years on the tonight show.

6:03 - The sincere look toward the camera by Steve Carrell is really the reason why I love this show. Even though I know it’s acting, I can still feel a sense of love in the show, that is to say I feel their true emotion behind their characters. It’s a comedy show yes, but the drama is all too real behind the scenes as well as on camera. They really make you feel. I can blame on if I really wanted to, but I’m just going to end this by saying this is one of my favorite shows, and by the end of the semester I’m going to show you that.

Shane