quickly and unsteadily in order to obtain reaction shots. There is little
consideration to position of elements within the frame, this all adds to the
raw docusoap style. Zooming is often done shakily in order to catch reactions.
The Office is made up of many two shots and the camerawork is unsteady,
also characters often slightly slip out of frame momentarily and the camera
must quickly adjust when this character becomes active.
Friends is found in stark contrast to the office, it optimises exceptional
quality camerawork. Many medium close shots are to be found, with all
characters held neatly within the frame. The group shots are framed perfectly
with all elements positioned appropriately. Everything is more calm and neat
which demonstrates the high quality of the programme.
Editing
Firstly the title sequence of The Office has several cross-fades to set the
location of Slough. The edit technique used most frequently is the cut, often
to catch reactions it also maintains a pace to the episode. Commonly an
establishing pan-shot around the office is used before turning focus to a
particular interaction between characters.
Friends however optimises the cross-fade for transition between establishing
shots of city buildings and actual shots of characters. All edit points are dealt
with smoothly, little snippets of music often signify a change of scene and
add to the general flow of the episode.
Application of the Above
When Gareth is in the "Invetigation Office" talking to Glen, the camera shot
is really unsteady and is through a set of blinds, this gives the feel that you
shouldn't be watching this happening, it zooms in beyond the blinds to see
reactions but always zooms back out to remind you of the blinds being a
barrier.
