The Office: A postmodern take on documentaries

 For this week I watched a video on how The Office is an example of postmodernism popular culture. The video discusses how the show's style of a mockumentary as well as the current pop culture references within the show are what make it a postmodern example. The mockumentary style is a style that is hyper aware of the documentary style of filming, as the video explains with the classic cuts to a solo headshot interview and the one camera following everybody around to capture what the characters are doing as if it were a documentary despite it being a scripted show. She explains that what makes the mockumentary postmodern is that it is a “rearticulation of a documentary. It copies the style of a documentary… chronicling a real story, the mockumentary takes these ideas and adds ironic and humorous effects.” She then goes on to add that in show references to current popular culture things like Battlestar Galactica and another NBC show airing on the network at the same time The Apprentice are more ways in which the show is hyper aware of itself and uses these current pop culture references for humorous effect.

From this video I learned how a mockumentary setup is an example of a postmodern example and what about it makes it an example. How taking the documentary style of shooting a show and adding that ironic and humorous twist is what makes it postmodern. It’s also really cool to see how the mockumentary style became such a popular style of show during the mid 2000’s with The Office and Modern Family, two of the most popular shows were cut in the same style, one being in an office setting and the other the other being in a family home setting. It goes to show just how popular of a format that it is that two of the most popular television shows running at the same time are shot the same way, just with different personal settings. 

Within the show, as I kind of touched on earlier, they are hyper aware of their pop culture status and make intertextual references throughout the show with other references to pop culture items. For example one episode is about Michael being the Willy Wonka of paper and gives away three “golden tickets” to give away free paper for a year to the lucky recipients. Of course with the shows ironic and humorous twist on things, it all goes horribly wrong and we as the audience get a laugh out of the that, already knowing the story of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory which is what makes The Office an example of postmodern popular culture.

Postmodernism & The Office

 The Office and Postmodernism

For this week’s blog post, I decided to watch the video titled, The Office & Postmodernism. The Office is a fly-on-the-wall mockumentary parody about modern American office culture. The Office (US Version) airs in March of 2005 and instantly became a massive hit. The office looks at the lives of the works at Dunder Mifflin, a paper supply company located in Scranton Pennsylvania. The show is centered around Regional Manager, Michael Scott, played by the Emmy award winner, Steve Carell, is a single, middle-aged man who serves as an extremely boastful tour guide for the mockumentary. While at first glance, one might not notice the similarities between postmodernism, and the Office – it quickly becomes apparent after taking a closer look. For example, The Office utilizes three different styles of postmodernism, the style of filming, the use of intertextual references, and its presence on the internet. This is formally known as re-articulation, which is defined as the bringing of elements of traditional documentaries, such as single camera set up, and the feeling that a real story is being told. A Mockumentary, which is the style in which The Office utilizes, takes these ideas and elements and provides ironic humor. This is done by the practice of hyperawareness, which is frequently utilized throughout the show in different forms. The Office's use of intertextual references is one of the key elements of its postmodernism. The Office frequently makes references to different popular culture references from other TV shows and films, such as Battlestar Galactica, The Apprentice, and Lord of The Rings. These references are used to provide humor, as well as to push the story forward. These intertextual references are emblematic of the hyper-consciousness of postmodern popular culture, and as such creates an ironic knowingness in the audience as the views know what they’re referring to. Finally, The Office's presence on the internet through their website is a perfect example of postmodernism. In addition to the content created on the TV show, the creators developed a website that provides additional content for the audience. On their website, they have blogs supposedly written by the characters on the show, as well as games, videos and episode guides. It also offers online-only videos such as web-episodes and music videos that add an additional layer of content for the show. As a fan of The Office, I never realized the use of postmodernism throughout the film. While this concept is widely popular nowadays, the idea of watching an episode, then going online to experience even more content is a prime example of postmodernism. Overall, the office illustrates postmodernism with its use of intertextual popular culture references, mockumentary style, and their vast variety of Office related content available online. 

Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lzrZtEedgw&t=0s&list=PL8YtsooGljrlPkr7Ija54C6TtpCElse9j&index=16

Postmodernism

The video is about how the television show The Office illustrates postmodernism. Starting with a brief history about the documentary genre of film and how “mockumentaries” are a rearticulation, via the single camera filming, the talking head interviews, and a general concept that a real story is being told. “Mockumentaries" take the idea of a documentary and puts an ironic and humorous spin on the style. They are hyperaware of the confines of documentaries and contain intertextual references of other popular culture, which is characteristic of postmodernism. The hyperawareness produces conditions of an ironic knowingness with the audience as viewers notice and recognize the references  within the show’s world. Postmodernism is portrayed through the show’s website, which is a commodification of the show. There is relentless commodification on the website, including character blogs, music videos, pictures, games, an episode guide and more content that adds to the complexity of the show. There is even a fake website for the company that is not just realistic, but it is regularly updated to keep up with character development on the show. Different things on the website in relation to watching the show, allows for niche interests to be met. The Office embodies postmodernism with intertextual popular culture references, mockumentary style, and the large range of media related to the show on it’s website.

The idea that postmodernism being the simultaneity of competing forms of rearticulation - the already said is being constantly recirculated in different perspectives, made me think of attending AfroPunk this past summer. From their Facebook, "AFROPUNK is an influential community of young, gifted people of all backgrounds who speak through music, art, film, comedy, fashion and more. Originating with the 2003 documentary that highlighted a Black presence in the American punk scene, it is a platform for the alternative and experimental. Remaining at the core of its mission are the punk principles of DIY aesthetics, radical thought and social non-conformity. AFROPUNK is a voice for the unwritten, unwelcome and unheard-of." AfroPunk is a music festival, at its core, but it celebrates blackness as a culture. The website for the event is based by a blog featuring different posts about artists, musicians, authors, notable events, and more. The Instagram has pictures of attendees, showcasing their fashion, art, and self-expression. It also has the festival's lineups for the different locations in Paris, Atlanta, Brooklyn, London, and Johannesburg. There is also an App, a Twitter, and a YouTube. All with the same information, for the most part. Each social media platform offers interaction surrounding the event and its ideals. The redundancy in content is postmodernism and the identity taken on is gained from the exposure to this part of popular culture

The Office is postmodern, from tv to online

I watched the video Postmodernism and The Office which talks about how the office is a good example of postmodernism by being a mockumentary, making popular culture references and having its online presence authentic as if it were a real entity.

First off the format of the office mocks that of a documentary, from the shaky one camera shots that follow the character around, to the close up interviews, the way the office is shot reflects the style of many documentaries. Other such things that do this would be Reno 911 or Borat, which both satire their subjects, providing a social commentary along with comedy.

The office makes many popular culture references throughout the show, from the characters referencing their knowledge on Battlestar Galactica or The Lord of the Rings, or even mentioning that they caught the last episode of the Apprentice, the characters try to prove that they are real people by being relatable and like most people, they discuss tv, movies and other pop culture things.

And lastly the Office website. This internet masterpiece includes blog sites for each of the characters along with photos and episode guides. There even is a mock website for the Dunder Miflin paper company that was updated along with the progression of the show. This site is a delight to viewers who wish to experience the office in other forms of media as well.

The Office is very postmodern in that it is a work of fiction that pulls from real life to give itself an authentic feel. With its website and the documentary format it attempts to establish itself as a pseudo real identity never giving up its guise of authenticity. This proves for a very entertaining and unique take upon life in the office and makes a great postmodern show. Quite a few other shows or films also attempt to create something that seems real to make a point, for example District 9 is an allegory about racism and apartheid but uses Aliens as the persecuted race to make its point. It is also another mockumentray but it comes with an important message.