The Office Archives - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

‘The Office’ Cameraman Randall Einhorn’s Favorite Direction Treated the Cameramen Like Actors

Fred Topel — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 20:24:36 +0000

The Office cameramen had a tough job. Since the show was presumably a documentary about Dunder Mifflin, they had to film every episode like a documentary. That got cramped in the real office and even the soundstage they built, and sometimes camera operators risked injury. But, the camera became a character on the show and was even directed as such.

Steve Carell | Chris Haston/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Cinematographer Randall Einhorn was a guest on Brian Baumgartner’s Off the Beat podcast on June 22, 2021 to discuss his work on The Office. Einhorn described the directions that made him feel like another character in the Dunder Mifflin world.

‘The Office’ directors would tell cameramen how to feel

When new directors would come to The Office, they would direct the actors like Steve Carell, John Krasinski, and Jenna Fischer. They would also direct the cameramen.

“I definitely feel like the camera was a character on the show,” Einhorn said on Off the Beat. “Some of the best direction I ever got from directors was the type of direction you would give an actor. You feel this, you’re worried about this, you’re curious about that but you know this. It was a similar type of direction you’d give an actor and that was some of the best inspiration as a camera. The camera always had a point of view. It had an agenda, it had its own stories it wanted to tell regardless of what the characters on the show wanted to tell.”

Watch how ‘The Office’ characters each react to the camera

As evidence to how the camera was a character on The Office, Einhorn points to his relationships with each of the cast members. Each character viewed the camera differently, whether it was Jim (Krasinski)’s sarcastic looks or Pam (Fischer)’s smiles.

The Office premiered 18 years ago today and I'm not gonna cry over it but maybe in the car on the way home ? pic.twitter.com/z1oswiQoUm
— The Office on Peacock (@theofficetv) March 24, 2023

“It was so much fun,” Einhorn said. “I remember doing scenes, I think at any given time, the camera would have a different relationship with the characters just like another character would have a different relationship with the characters. I would look at Jenna and Jenna would smile and I would smile back.”

The characters who weren’t too fond of the camera

The camera was more of an antagonist to Michael Scott (Carell) because it always caught Michael when his plans failed or he said the wrong thing. That made the camera a character on The Office too.

“At times I think I was probably somebody who was invasive to Michael Scott’s privacy,” Einhorn said. “Or when you caught Michael Scott in an embarrassing moment and he really wishes you weren’t there. That’s where I think so much of the fun is, or when Rainn thinks he’s going to pull one over on Jim and you’re like okay, I’m going to go along with this with you because it’ll be fun and it’ll make a great TV story. It definitely felt like I had relationships with everybody on that show.”

‘The Office’ Cameramen Would Coordinate Ducking Each Other to Stay out of Shots

Fred Topel — Sat, 25 Mar 2023 13:52:00 +0000

It wasn’t easy to make The Office look as seamless as it did. The premise was that a documentary crew was filming the staff of Dunder Mifflin. NBC actually hired professional TV cameramen, but they simulated the look of a documentary. That led to some complicated maneuvering to keep each other out of the shot.

Randall Einhorn | Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Cinematographer Randall Einhorn was a guest on Brian Baumgartner’s Off the Beat podcast on June 22, 2021. Einhorn explained to The Office cast member how he coordinated with the other cameraman.

The reason you never saw another camera on ‘The Office’

The Office was a fake documentary but they never wanted to see the camera. The premise suggests that only one camera crew was capturing Dunder Mifflin at a time. Television necessarily requires multiple cameras, but they didn’t want it to look like a studio shoot.

“The rule that we came up with is if it could’ve possibly been done by being really skilled verite documentary cameramen we could do it,” Einhorn said on Off the Beat. “If not ,we shouldn’t do it. So we always tried to figure out another way of doing it. I think that made it cooler. It made it so much more challenging and more interesting but we had rules. We had rules that we would not break.

‘The Office’ cameramen had an understanding not to film each other

The first season of The Office was filmed in an actual office. Even when they built the soundstage sets, they still treated it like a real office. Einhorn and Matt Sohn in particular developed a strategy for avoiding each other when both were on the set.

Imagine buying a ticket for a booze cruise and Michael is the entertainment ? pic.twitter.com/IYBxdSKBuI
— The Office on Peacock (@theofficetv) March 23, 2023

“We would whip through each other at times but we would hope you would never use the take where we whipped through each other,” Einhorn said. “But we would also just duck. Matt would know that I have to duck down or he would duck down when I’m whipping through him. We were always hiding. We were always hiding from each other.”

The TV shots you would never see

Part of what sold the documentary feel of The Office was that they never did traditional shot, reverse shots. The most noticeable thing was letting the actors look directly into camera, but some of the more subtle cinematography sold the illusion.

“We tried to shoot The Office as truthful as possible and there were rules,” Einhorn said. “For instance, we could not show where another camera was because that would give up the lie. In other words, if a camera is standing in a doorway and another character comes to that doorway and I’m over the shoulder of that character, we would never show that character standing in that doorway because there should be another camera there. So we would never show a big wide shot of a room that is completely conventional in all television. You would see the wide and then you would see the tights. Within that wide, there should’ve been cameras.”

This ‘Office’ Star Lost ‘Bridesmaids’ Role to Maya Rudolph

Sam Hines — Sat, 25 Mar 2023 13:12:00 +0000

Bridesmaids starring Maya Rudolph and Kristen Wiig is an excellent movie that shocked the industry with its success at the box office in 2011. It made over $306 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film produced by Judd Apatow.

The brilliance of Bridesmaids lies in the electric chemistry among its ensemble, but the cast could’ve included different comedic actors. After becoming a household name in The Office, Mindy Kaling auditioned to co-star in the movie. Unfortunately, she lost out on the part to Maya Rudolph.

‘Bridesmaids’ is a great comedy about the ways friends drift away from each other

Bridesmaids begins with Annie Walker (Kristen Wiig) in the roughest patch of her life. Her bakery went under during the recession, and she’s barely staying afloat working at a jewelry store.

She gets a reprieve from her daily struggles from her lifelong bestie Lillian (Maya Rudolph), who asks Annie to be her maid of honor at her upcoming wedding. She meets up with her fellow bridesmaids (Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Ellie Kemper). But plans quickly get derailed by a disastrous trip to a Brazilian steak restaurant and other hijinks.

Maya Rudolph | Jason Merritt / Staff

The movie is full of iconic gross-out scenes and uncredited cameos. But Bridesmaids is memorable because the jokes are underpinned by the drama of two best friends disconnecting from each other. Lillian is doing much better financially than Annie. The film’s script, which Wiig wrote with Annie Mumolo, explores how money affects relationships in a smart and hilarious way.

In addition to being a mainstream hit, Bridesmaids was one of the few comedies to get recognized at the Oscars. It received two nominations for Best Original Screenplay for Wiig and Mumolo and Best Supporting Actress for McCarthy.

Kaling was disappointed to lose out on ‘Bridesmaids’ to Maya Rudolph

Most movie characters have multiple actors running for the role, and Kaling drew the short straw when it came to casting Bridesmaids. She auditioned to play Lillian in the movie. She took the rejection hard when Rudolph won the race because she was excited about the project.

“I practiced it so much and was so into it, and I loved that whole cast,” Kaling said during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live in 2014. (The video is no longer available, but it was summarized on E! Online.) “That was one that was a heartbreaker.”

Other prominent actors also lost out on roles in Bridesmaids. According to Yardbarker, Greta Gerwig, Busy Phillips, and Judy Greer auditioned for unspecified roles. Byrne initially read for the part of Lillian before she was chosen to play Helen.

Rebel Wilson tried out for the Megan character. Even though Apatow and director Paul Feig gave the role to McCarthy, she impressed them so much in her audition that they cast her as Brynn, one of Annie’s off-putting roommates.

Kaling continues to put out notable work

Kaling’s done just fine without appearing in Bridesmaids. She’s created or co-created five shows since leaving The Office, including The Mindy Project, Champions, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Never Have I Ever, and The Sex Lives of College Girls.

Kaling has also appeared in many prominent projects such as Inside Out, A Wrinkle in Time, Ocean’s 8, and The Morning Show.

Jenna Fischer Believes 1 Movie Saved ‘The Office’ From Cancellation After Season 1

Fred Topel — Sat, 25 Mar 2023 03:02:34 +0000

The American adaptation of The Office outlasted its U.K. counterpart by seven seasons. Now all 9 seasons of The Office are available on Peacock, but when it began in 2005, many of its stars thought they’d be out of work shortly after. The Office star Jenna Fischer credits one movie with saving the show.

Jenna Fischer | Byron Cohen/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Brian Baumgartner replayed his interview with Fischer on his Off the Beat podcast on March 7. Fischer suspects NBC only kept The Office going to be in the Steve Carell business.

Jenna Fischer did not expect ‘The Office’ to make it

By 2004, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s The Office was acclaimed. Both critics and fans were skeptical of the American remake, and the cast knew it.

“We shot the pilot in March of 2004 and my 30th birthday was March 7th of 2004,” Fischer said on Off the Beat. “And I did not invite any of you to my 30th birthday party because I assumed I would never see you again. I was so sure that making the pilot was the end of our show, that it would never get picked up. Not because it wasn’t good but because it was so good and so weird and so special that no one would give us a chance. The word on the street was: have fun making your pilot, that’s all it’ll be.”

Even when NBC ordered five more episodes to make a first season, no one was expecting The Office to last until 2013.

“And similarly, have fun making your next five episodes,” Fischer continued. “They’ll probably just be yours to own on a DVD. Enjoy. So then we go back and we make these five episodes in a complete bubble. It was not until that following March of 2005 they finally start airing and they had to tell us by May if we were picked up for the second season then.”

Jenna Fischer thinks Steve Carell becoming a movie star may have saved ‘The Office’

Before he played Michael Scott on The Office, Carell had appeared in movies like Bruce Almighty, Anchorman and Sleepover. The 40-Year-Old Virgin was his first headlined movie, and Fischer thinks it came out just in time to save The Office.

Campaign for Michael Scott to host next year's Oscars starts now pic.twitter.com/cHx0JOw1Rj
— The Office on Peacock (@theofficetv) March 12, 2023

“Then you know what happened?” Fischer said. “And I know exactly why we got picked up. It was that 40-Year-Old Virgin came out. 40-Year-Old Virgin came out and 100% I can hear in my imagination a conference room filled with NBC executives saying, ‘We aren’t going to be the *******s who let Steve Carell, the No. 1 box office comedy star out of his television contract. We’re picking up this show for six episodes of season 2.’”

Season 2 was still uncertain

Fischer remembers the initial order for The Office Season 2 wasn’t any more than season 1.

“Again, six episodes is all we got for season 2 but then they really did tailor the show more to Steve, more to what Steve would be as Michael rather than as inspired by David Brent,” Fischer said.

It worked. The Office Season 2 eventually filmed a full season of 22 episodes.

‘The Office’: Jenna Fischer Says She Has 2 Major Differences From Pam

Fred Topel — Thu, 23 Mar 2023 13:46:00 +0000

Thanks to The Office, Jenna Fischer will always be Pam to fans. Fischer did imbue Pam with some of her own qualities, and creator Greg Daniels even listened to some of her stories from day jobs for inspiration. But, Fischer has two major differences from Pam.

Jenna Fischer | Chris Haston/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images

Brian Baumgartner replayed his interview with Fischer on his Off the Beat podcast on March 7. During their talk, Baumgartner asked how much like Pam Fischer actually is, and she gave two strong differences.

Jenna Fischer’s first big difference from Pam has to do with Jim

Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam were the big love affair of The Office, all due respect to Michael (Steve Carell) and Holly (Amy Ryan). The Office extended the will they/won’t they, but Fischer would have made no such concessions in real life.

“Well, it would not take me 3 years to tell Jim that I had feelings for him,” Fischer said on Off the Beat. “I would’ve dumped Roy much quicker. Not just that, when we meet Pam and Jim, they’ve already been working together for a couple of years. And then it’s still three more years after that before they figure some stuff out. I’m much more ambitious, much more of an entrepreneurial spirit than Pam.”

1 similarity Jenna Fischer shares with Pam on ‘The Office’

Before her second big difference, Fischer acknowledged one way she related to Pam. As a struggling actor, Fischer also worked at places like Dunder Mifflin.

“However, the way that we are very similar is that it took me a long time, like Pam, to figure out how to speak up for myself,” Fischer said. “Like Pam, I spent many years sitting at a reception desk wishing that I was doing something else. I literally sat at reception desks and daydreamed about the day that I might be an actor. Pam sits at that desk and she daydreams about being artistically expressed. So I could really relate to that, that feeling of I want something more than what I’m doing but I don’t know how to get it exactly.”

The second big difference kept Jenna Fischer from working in an office for too long

The second big difference Fischer recognized was that she had a lot more emotional support than Pam. Fischer relied on that to make a go of acting, even though she almost quit when it got rough.

Dunder Mifflin, this is Pam('s birthday). HBD, @JennaFischer! ? pic.twitter.com/DTKGFiM3GI
— The Office on Peacock (@theofficetv) March 7, 2023

“I will say as Jenna, I was taking much more actions in my life to get out of my situation than I think Pam did,” Fischer said. “It took Pam a lot longer but she had a lot more forces against her than I did. I’m not sure Pam’s mom was saying things to her or her parents were saying things to her like, ‘Honey, you can do anything you want to do. If you want to be an artist, you go be an artist.’ That was the messaging that I was getting from my parents. ‘You’ve got to go for it. Do what you love in life. Even if you’re not successful, you’ll be glad you did it.’”

Fischer conceded that not having that filled Pam with a lot more self-doubt than Fischer had.

“They didn’t support me financially as an actor but they supported my spirit and they were always there for that pep talk,” Fischer said. “I don’t even know if I can explain how valuable that was. It was clear to me that Pam didn’t’ have some of those tools in her toolbox.”

This ‘The Office’ Lighting Trick Would ‘Get You Fired From Other Shows’ Randall Einhorn Said

Fred Topel — Wed, 22 Mar 2023 13:44:00 +0000

The Office paved the way for many shows to employ the documentary style to comedy. Parks and Recreation used it in the local political milieu. Modern Family used it to bring new dynamics to the sitcom. Abbott Elementary still uses it in the teacher comedy. The Office cinematographer Randall Einhorn was instrumental in developing that style, which could be easy to take for granted on the show.

John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer | Byron Cohen/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Einhorn was a guest on Brian Baumgartner’s Off the Beat podcast on June 22, 2021 to discuss his work on The Office. Baumgartner was in awe of the cinematographer’s agility in capturing both subtle and elaborate scenes. Even Baumgartner was surprised to learn about this controversial lighting trick.

‘The Office’ was lit just like an office

The first season of The Office was actually filmed in a real office. Even when they moved to a soundstage, Dunder Mifflin had to look like a real office with cubicles. So they used the same lighting that illuminates mundane offices, even though that’s not what most television studios would employ.

“We were really using fluorescents,” Einhorn said on Off the Beat. “Get you fired from other shows. I didn’t know any better so it all worked out.”

How ‘The Office’ used fluorescent light in a studio

Those overhead fluorescent lights still don’t provide enough light to illuminate an entire set for cameras. Einhorn still employed Hollywood tricks to spread the fluorescent light enough to make it look like a real office.

“We were shooting 360 which is a tricky thing about lighting that set because we were just using fluorescent lights to make these scoops, these light scoops to send out a soft wash,” Einhorn said. “So we made these boxes out of cardboard with mylar inside of them and a piece of diffusion. You would stick that box on a light and that’s the light that would send a nice soft wash to the rest of the room.”

The Reality TV influence

The Office was based on Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s British comedy. American creator Greg Daniels spoke frequently about the influence of reality TV on The Office. Einhorn himself had operated camera for Survivor. So, The Office camera crews applied the same philosophy to the scripted comedy.

Tell me with an emoji: whose job would you rather have? ??? pic.twitter.com/l0hNAnpLaf
— The Office on Peacock (@theofficetv) March 20, 2023

The cast of The Office may have had lines written for them, but the camera operators filmed them as if they were a real documentary crew capturing stuff on the fly. In more slapsticky moments like the fire drill episode, that meant standing in the way when Kevin (Baumgartner) came running through the kitchen.

It also meant when Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer) stole romantic moments, the cameras snuck around to film them. To maintain the reality of The Office, lighting was absolutely a component. So thank you, Randall Einhorn, for explaining how Dunder Mifflin looked fluorescent no matter where you looked in The Office.

‘The Office’ Made This Comedy Legend Throw out All His Plans

Fred Topel — Tue, 21 Mar 2023 13:55:00 +0000

The Office made comedy legends of its cast. Steve Carell already came from The Daily Show and movies, but John Krasinski, Rainn Wilson, Mindy Kaling, Ellie Kemper, Craig Robinson and more all got a boost from working at Dunder Mifflin. When one comedy legend came to direct an episode, he was out of his element.

L-R: Kate Flannery, Steve Carell, and Brian Bamgartner | Chris Haston/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Cinematographer Randall Einhorn was a guest on Brian Baumgartner’s Off the Beat podcast on June 22, 2021. Discussing the unique camera work on The Office, Einhorn explained why this director’s plans didn’t work for the show.

Harold Ramis directed 4 episodes of ‘The Office’

Harold Ramis ended up directing three season 3 episodes and another in season 4. The director of Caddyshack, National Lampoon’s Vacation, Groundhog Day and other comedy classics, The Office cast and crew were excited to have Ramis at Dunder Mifflin for a week.

“We spent a lot less time on The Office blocking camera,” Einhorn said on Off the Beat. “For me, the best way of gleaning a scene on The Office was everybody be where they would be and I will shoot what I can. That’s how we did it. I remember Harold Ramis came in and everybody’s so excited, Harold Ramis is on our set. He spent like a week extra just blocking the show. There was a point where rehearsal was done and he had a theory of how it would be blocked.”

Harold Ramis realized he was out of his element on ‘The Office’

By season 3, Einhorn and Matt Sohn knew how to shoot The Office. They even coordinated close calls to get authentic documentary style footage. Ramis realized they didn’t need his help when he watched them block a scene.

“Matt and I just stood back and used our fingers as if they were cameras,” Einhorn said. “You get this, I’ll get this. We’ll cross the line here. We’ll come over there, we’ll come over here, Then you’ll duck because I’m zooming through you to get this line, then I’ll duck for you to zoom through. Harold looked at me and he says, ‘I should just throw my plans out, right?’”

Randall Einhorn humored Harold Ramis

Einhorn didn’t want to tell the legendary director he was wrong.

Round 1 Time for Round 2 of The Office Bracket Challenge! pic.twitter.com/EL0jtiwDbe
— The Office on Peacock (@theofficetv) March 18, 2023

“I’m like, ‘No, Mr. Ramis, it’s a real privilege, sir. I’m sure all that work you did in there was great,’” Einhorn said. “He says, ‘Okay, I’ll keep it for a little bit.’”

But, Ramis was blocking it like a movie, not a fake documentary. The second time it happened, Ramis didn’t sugarcoat it. The Office would be the only TV show Ramis directed save for an unaired pilot.

“Then we blocked another scene, he goes, ‘I should chuck this out, right?’” Einhorn said. “I’m like, ‘No, Mr. Ramis, it’s really great to see you coming in with a plan.’ He says, ‘Don’t s*** me, kid, I should get rid of this.’ I’m like, ‘Oh, you can keep it as backup.’”

‘The Office’: Original Audition Tapes Have Surfaced, and Fans Can’t Believe Who Nearly Starred in the Beloved Series

Agustin Mojica — Tue, 21 Mar 2023 01:49:00 +0000

The now-iconic cast of The Office came together through a long process of auditions. With the original British version of the sitcom having such a strong impact on international audiences, there was a particular focus on getting each part matched with the perfect actor. And showrunner Greg Daniels didn’t always stick with his first choices, even if they were available.

There were always rumors about who did and didn’t make the cut and why. Thanks to the enduring popularity of the American version of The Office, that attention has never waned. And now, a viral TikTok video presents early auditions for the show, much to fans’ delight.

A viral video delves into the deep bench of comedic actors who auditioned for parts in ‘The Office’

BJ Novak, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer, Rainn Wilson, and Steve Carell | Paul Drinkwater/NBCU Photo Bank

The first part of the popular Office auditions TikTok edit, from the account @behinstheshows, immediately begins with a big star who didn’t get cast. Daniels wasn’t just looking at then-unknowns. He was going through auditions from established heavy hitters.

Part 2 of the “Office Edit” audition TikTok series sticks to the familiar — if in an unfamiliar context. Every actor here would sign on to the series, and most would stay until the show’s end. In a way, both parts present what-if scenarios.

What if a different actor had played a key role like the buffoonish boss Michael Scott? What if the actors who signed on had ended up playing their given parts entirely differently? On such a character-driven show, the beloved version audiences got could’ve taken on a much different tone.

Dwight Schrute’s alternate actors had wildly different comedic vibes

Dwight said ? ? ? Season 6 Superfan Episodes streaming now only on @peacock. pic.twitter.com/u4G8xmMA47
— The Office on Peacock (@theofficetv) February 2, 2023

One of the most contested parts was that of the paranoid salesman Dwight Schrute. Alternative comedy heavy-hitters Judah Friedlander and Patton Oswalt were frontrunners for the role.

Seth Rogen — already a movie star — also auditioned, with a goofier and less aggressively paranoid take on the character.

But ultimately, the part went to Rainn Wilson, who doubled down on actor Mackenzie Crook’s intensely strange take in the original U.K. version.

1 of TV’s biggest dramatic actors almost played Michael Scott in ‘The Office’

These portraits by @StephenCampsArt are worthy of multiple Dundies ? pic.twitter.com/m58fPOAZJF
— The Office on Peacock (@theofficetv) February 23, 2023

Michael Scott was always going to go to an established comedy star. However, it came down to two remarkably different takes. One was a lovable but deeply troubled goofball. The other was a darker character more obviously afflicted with an undiagnosed personality disorder.

That second take didn’t make it to the show. It was the interpretation of Bob Odenkirk, best known today for Better Call Saul. But back then, he was a powerhouse comedy writer and performer. Always one to challenge his audience — as with his sketch comedy series Mr. Show — he instinctively leaned into the pathetic aspects of Ricky Gervais’ U.K. version of the character.

Steve Carell went another way, one much more palatable for network TV. His Dunder-Mifflin boss’ desperation still surfaced but wasn’t as blatantly dark. That landed Carell the job.

A different ‘Office’ cast member nearly played Pam Beesley

Mom and Dad ? pic.twitter.com/wA13hmcX7x
— The Office on Peacock (@theofficetv) January 18, 2023

Pam Beesley was another highly competitive role. Kathryn Hahn made a strong impression. Mary Lynn Rajskub, fresh off a major role in the Fox action-drama 24, thought The Office would mark a nice return to her comedic roots, but her absurdist approach wasn’t the right fit for the character.

And fans know the other big name in the running: Angela Kinsey, who landed the role of Angela Martin after Daniels passed on her take on Pam. The part ended up going to the longtime film comedy actor Jenna Fischer.

A laid-back actor was always in the cards for Jim Halpert

Jim Halpert ended up being the character cast and played closest to his counterpart in the original version of The Office. Martin Freeman’s Tim Canterbury was the perfect point-of-view character in the U.K. show, and Daniels didn’t want to change that formula too much.

Accomplished character actors John Cho and Hamish Linklater were frontrunners. And Adam Scott, who later joined the Daniels-related project Parks and Recreation, nearly made the final cut.

However, producers ultimately went with the less experienced John Krasinski, who veered from the darker sides of Freeman’s acting.

This ‘Modern Family’ star nearly joined ‘The Office’ as Kevin Malone

#NationalChiliDay is no joke when Kevin’s involved pic.twitter.com/qEU3YkblLV
— The Office on Peacock (@theofficetv) February 23, 2023

The role of the oafish Kevin Malone didn’t garner as much competition as the other characters. Brian Baumgartner played Kevin in such a hilariously distinctive way that it’s hard to imagine anyone else pulling it off.

The other finalist would’ve played the part very differently. Modern Family actor Eric Stonestreet brought a different vibe to the character. His natural warmth cut through the comedic doofus that Baumgartner created. Unfortunately for Stonestreet, this was the one case where the meaner interpretation of a character won a role in The Office.

‘The Office’ Assistant Who Caught Cameraman Randall Einhorn in This Dangerous Shot

Fred Topel — Mon, 20 Mar 2023 21:41:35 +0000

The Office is a comedy, but filming it sounds as intense as action-packed shows like 24 or NCIS. Randall Einhorn was a cinematographer on the first six seasons of The Office. Einhorn helped make the camera a character on ‘The Office,’ and therefore the cameraman too. With his experience in reality TV shows like Survivor, Einhorn brought new innovations to the faux documentary format. Sometimes those innovations put Einhorn in harm’s way.

L-R: Matt Sohn and Brian Baumgartner | Chris Haston/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Einhorn was a guest on Brian Baumgartner’s Off the Beat podcast on June 22, 2021 to discuss their work together on The Office. Baumgartner remembered a precarious scene and prompted Einhorn’s memories of the camera assistant who saved the day.

Brian Baumgartner knocked ‘The Office’ cameraman down but 1 assistant picked him up

Baumgartner remembered the fire drill episode of The Office. His character, Kevin, used the chaos to pillage the vending machines for snacks. In his immersion into character, Baumgartner took Einhorn out.

“There’s a shot where Kevin, me, I’m running through the office, running through the kitchen,” Baumgartner said on Off the Beat. “I’ve just raided the vending machine and I’m running through the kitchen and I shoulder you. I nudge you. You go down on your ass, on the ground. Chris Workman who is the camera assistant, huge, beefy, very strong guy, reaches down, picks you up by the shoulders. You stand back up with the camera and keep filming. That stayed in, oh man, I was so proud of that. More of me, but of you.”

Chris Workman saved this shot in ‘The Office’

Had Workman not been ready, Baumgartner would have had to do the whole run over again. Thanks to Workman, you saw that very shot in The Office.

Tell me with an emoji: whose job would you rather have? ??? pic.twitter.com/l0hNAnpLaf
— The Office on Peacock (@theofficetv) March 20, 2023

“I was really proud of Chris,” Einhorn said. “He picked me up. I’m not small and the camera is not small. He just picked me up with one arm and I’m like, ‘Did I fall down?’ We kept rolling and it’s in the show and it’s great. It felt so real.’”

Randall Einhorn refused to let a grip guide him

Normally, cinematographers are not on their own when it comes to difficult shots. There are other members of the crew available to support them. Not all cinematographers serve as cameraman themselves, but Einhorn tried to wing it on The Office, so he was glad Workman was there to save the shot.

“I remember I’m backing up, backing up, backing up, backing up, not fast enough, boom, I’m up again,” Einhorn said. “Thank you, Chris. It’s funny because on normal TV shows, there’s always a guy who’s guiding you backwards [but] I never wanted it. I was always weirded out by someone guiding me to where I should be. I always half look behind me and half look through the viewfinder. Normally it’s a grip who’s doing that. I never wanted that and never allowed it. But Chris was there that day. He totally caught me. I think maybe he was opening the door for me as well.”

‘The Office’ Writers Used a Real Story From Jenna Fischer’s Receptionist Days

Fred Topel — Sat, 18 Mar 2023 13:37:00 +0000

The Office was Jenna Fischer’s big break. She was even about to give up on acting when The Office cast her as Pam. Prior to The Office, Fischer had day jobs working in offices. One of those experiences ended up in the show.

B.J. Novak and Jenna Fischer | Ron Tom/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Brian Baumgartner reran Fischer’s appearance on his Off the Beat podcast on March 7. She shared how The Office creator Greg Daniels interpreted one of her receptionist stories for a Michael Scott (Steve Carell) episode.

‘The Office’ let Jenna Fischer influence Pam

Fischer set the scene by reminding Baumgartner, and sharing for his audience, how Daniels and the producers empowered the cast. Many of the writers played characters on the show, and actors like Fischer became de facto writers, at least for Pam herself.

“More than that, Greg truly believed that no one knew our characters more than we did,” Fischer said on Off the Beat. “And he would ask us questions all the time. He cared about our opinions. He wanted to know all the time, ‘What do you think Pam would think of this situation?’ He was always very curious.”

Jenna Fischer’s old boss might recognize this in Michael Scott

Fischer recalls one story she told Daniels that may have influenced a The Office story.

“He also knew that I worked in offices and that I had worked as a receptionist and he used to ask me questions,” Fischer said. “What’s the craziest thing one of your bosses ever made you do?”

Fischer said the episode where Michael procrastinates signing paperwork was eerily similar to a boss she once had.

Dunder Mifflin, this is Pam('s birthday). HBD, @JennaFischer! ? pic.twitter.com/DTKGFiM3GI
— The Office on Peacock (@theofficetv) March 7, 2023

“There’s that episode where Michael is refusing to sign all of his documents until the end of the day,” Fischer said. “He just keeps putting it off, putting it off, and putting it off. I told Greg that I had this boss once that every month at the end of the month he had to turn in this boilerplate report and he would put it off and put it off. One time he put it off so long that I had to drive to LAx because that was the last Fedex pickup, and I was so pissed. Greg loved those stories. He loved whenever we would tell him stories like that and they would get used.”

Jenna Fischer wasn’t the only ‘The Office’ actor who influenced the show

Fischer also recognized how Baumgartner and his castmates influenced The Office with their characters.

“That was so unusual, the fact that several of our writers were also actors,” Fischer said. “So they were down with us. They were observing us all the time. You, Angela [Kinsey], and Oscar [Nunez] single handedly created that insane dynamic through the three of you I believe through improvisation when you were bored in the background. So then you’ve got Mindy [Kaling], BJ [Novak] and Paul [Lieberstein] watching you guys and then taking that back up to the writers room and fleshing it out. It was genius that Greg did it that way.