The Office - Season 1

Introduction

The Office takes place in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The place is casual, filled with normal people and normal jobs and there are normal places. The Office itself, though, begins when branch manger of Dunder Mifflin, Michael Scott, allows my documentary crew to film the the average everyday workplace.

I think my first idea for this documentary was to just show the daily functions of a casual office workplace. Little did I know that the show would become a nine year phenomenon filled with humor, tears, relationships, and constant drama. So here's how it began.

We picked a building that is very much a sight for sore eyes. It is a gray building, just off a busy road. The building was surrounded by tall hedges and a large fence that closed at night. The parking lot was not very big, but big enough to hold every employee inside. The parking lot wrapped around to the back where the warehouse is located. The warehouse is currently owned by Dunder Mifflin, Paper Co., and is used to ship paper to awaiting customers. The warehouse is led by a burly, black man named Darryl Philbin.

Once inside of the plain, gray building, you would be greeted with an elevator straight ahead, and a door to the stairs to the right.

Though the office building also holds several other companies such as Vance Refrigeration, my documentary mainly focuses on the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin.

Once you exit the elevator on one of the numerous floors, you would exit to the right, which would lead you into the office.

The Office was, like the building outside, simple. Straight ahead would be Reception, which currently is run by Pamela Beesly (Pam). Pam is one of the simpler people in the office. Today, the first day of the documentary, she is wearing a simple off-white cardigan and a blue striped shirt. She has pale skin and a kind face with long, frizzy hair. On the wall to your left is the wall of Michael Scott's office. There is a window looking to the wall next to Pam's desk where a couch was located, but the window that was was more often than not, forgotten.

Pamela's desk is a strange rounded shape, like the curving end of a cone. The tip of the cone is behind her, as the wall to the office and the wall separating Reception from Accounting meet to form a point. Pam keeps all of of her items for Reception behind her, such as files and a shredder, though the trash can is under her large desk by her legs.

As you pass Reception, you would enter sales, though the rest of the office can be seen from this point. Sales consists of four people - Stanley Hudson, Phyllis Lapin, Jim Halpert, and Dwight Schrute. Stanley sits closest to the kitchen. The door to the kitchen is at the far wall. Phyllis sits across from him. Both salesman and woman are very plump, though Stanley has dark skin and a black mustache, while Phyllis has graying brown hair and an innocent expression and voice.

Another salesman, Dwight, has brown hair that is parted perfectly in the middle. The front of his hair is slightly curled. He also has large classes and a professional posture.

Dwight's biggest office rival, Jim Halpert, has ruffled brown hair that falls over his forehead. Jim is skinny and tall, though he slouches in his seat.

To the left of sales is a big room for meetings called the conference room. The large room sometimes had a long, light brown table, though today it only hosts many chairs lined up to face one wall. On the other side of that wall, closer to the entrance of the office, is the door to Michael Scott's personal office. His office has two windows with shudders on it.

In the middle of Michael's office is a large wooden desk. Behind the desk is a window with more shutters. Facing the desk, there are pictures hanging on the wall on the right and a smaller storage table to the left.

Exiting Michael Scott's office and moving back to Pam, you would find that separation between her and Accounting that I mentioned before. Next to that division is a copier that is very old, though no one really does anything to change it.

In the Accounting department, there are three desks. One is in the far corner and hosts a large jar of m&ms. The desk belongs to Kevin Malone, another heavy person in the office. The desk across from Kevin's belongs to the petite and blonde woman, Angela Martin. To the left of Angela's desk and the right of Kevin's in the final desk in Accounting. The desk belongs to the one and only, the Hispanic and the brilliant: Oscar Martinez. When Oscar sits, his back faces Meredith Palmer, Creed Bratton, and Devon White. Meredith sits across from Creed and Devon sits alone.

As you walk away from Accounting towards the kitchen, the sales team would have their desks on your left and Meredith, Creed, and Devon would be on your right. Only file cabinets separate you and the desk clumps in sales. At the end of sales is a water jug, which is next to the kitchen door.

The kitchen is a simple place with cabinets and counters on one side with a fridge next to them, a table at one end by the door to the Annex, and bathrooms on the right side. The women's bathroom is on the far side, while the men's bathroom is closer to the door to the main office.

Entering the Annex, the air becomes slightly stuffier. The break room is on the left and it hosts three vending machines and tables. Straight ahead, though, are two unoccupied desks. Behind them and slightly to the right is Toby Flenderson's desk. Toby runs H.R. or human resources. To the right of Toby's desk is another cubicle which holds two desks, though only one is occupied. In the desk sits Kelly Kapoor. She tends to be quiet and reserved early in the documentary, though that changes as soon as Ryan Howard enters in the picture.

Finally, to the left of the break room is a door that leads to a set of stairs.

At this moment in time, the first day that my documentary team will spend at The Office, the hushed voices and blaring phones seem almost phantom in the quiet space, but that is soon to change.

Welcome to: The Office.