Why Is It Hilarious?

Everyone who has seen The Office knows that it is funny. The genius cinematography is what I believe contributes to it's comical success. By directing with a documentary type style, the show creates a real and personal experience of what it is like working in the Dundler Mifflin office. Each character may have Each character may have their own designated screen time to confess their opinions about their co-workers, their thoughts on a certain situation, or even their personal interests etc. We are given an unlimited persective that helps us see the strange and bizarre situations played out within the office. The use of steadicam makes us feel as if we are the ones filming, like we are taking a homevideo of our odd family. Also the endless tracking on subjects really creates comedy because it draws your attention to certain subjects very quickly. The director gets to decide how much time we focus on something and can control the jokes. When the director chooses close-up tracking, he does so intentionally as if to say "LOOK AT HOW STUPID KEVIN LOOKS!" or "WHAT IS THAT ABOUT?" It's almost critical of their actions. My favorite is when the actors make eye contact with the camera, especially Jim. We can really connect to how they feel when they look at us. It's like we both know that there is something very wrong with what just happened. It's so great.