The Office: Breaking the 4th Wall

There is no 4th wall.

Well, at least not in NBC's critically-acclaimed The Office.

One of the most genius things about video is empathy. Through the visual medium, a producer can cause a viewer to put him or herself in the shoes of an actor, or at least feel what is going on the production. Part of the feeling of emotion arises through video mixed with themed music to stir up emotions in viewers. Producers of productions such as Saving Private Ryan use editing and audio techniques designed to transport the viewer into the action through shaky cam, jump cuts, and explosions and the sounds of war.

But nothing is more powerful than what The Office does.

Now, the original The Office aired in in Britain and starred the likes of Ricky Gervais (who eventually made a cameo in the US version) but this post will discuss the US version, despite being made after the British version.

The Office, from episode 1, offers no fourth wall. It's not until the later seasons that the viewers learn that this entire production has been a documentary, but from the beginning it is clear that there is a camera and audio crew working to record (with permission) the happenings of the employees of the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin.

The genius continues through the course of the series as we see the actors explicitly talking to the cameramen, at times telling them to "get down" and be quiet (S:4 Ep:10).

As the end of the series rolls around, the audience most likely feels extreme nostalgia (as I did, somehow,...). As the final season continues moving forward, more and more episodes begin calling flashbacks to early seasons and episodes. By the end of the series, the "documentary" has aired and all of the cast members, including the original office manager Michael Scott (played by Steve Carell) come back for a final farewell. 

We even see one of the main characters, Pam, confronted with marriage problems which leads to one of the "grips" becoming a character for a few episodes as he gets involved in her marriage and is eventually fired.

All in all, The Office was a television series that jumped into the comedy sector of television, and did so incredibly well with it's dry humor, but also has pioneered a new style of television. It would be unfair to say that it has revolutionized the TV industry, but certainly there will be shows that, to some degree, try to imitate The Office for years to come. It certainly marked an era in television.