WEBVTT - David Rogers 0:00:05.280 --> 0:00:08.039 I am David Rodgers. I was an editor, director, and 0:00:08.160 --> 0:00:17.160 producer on the Office. Well, hello, there, one and all 0:00:17.720 --> 0:00:22.439 all of you, I'm talking to you there. Welcome to 0:00:22.640 --> 0:00:26.120 this week's episode of The Office Deep Dive. I am 0:00:26.160 --> 0:00:32.160 your host Brian Baumgartner. Today, I am thrilled. I'm I'm 0:00:32.240 --> 0:00:35.479 pleased as punch, as they say, to bring on the 0:00:35.479 --> 0:00:39.760 man who worked well. He worked tirelessly on the Office. 0:00:39.880 --> 0:00:44.519 I don't think he slept at home for ten years. No, 0:00:45.320 --> 0:00:49.720 he worked to keep the show as fresh, authentic, and 0:00:49.960 --> 0:00:55.640 well hilarious is possible. And listen his decisions. They actually 0:00:55.760 --> 0:01:01.240 changed the way that um one viewed the show because 0:01:01.280 --> 0:01:04.480 he was the person who would decide what would stay 0:01:04.560 --> 0:01:07.679 and what would go and how we would see an 0:01:07.720 --> 0:01:14.040 experience it all. He was our ridiculously talented editor and 0:01:14.200 --> 0:01:20.200 later are ridiculously talented producer and director. David Rogers, or 0:01:20.600 --> 0:01:25.080 as I and everyone I know calls him Dave. Now, 0:01:26.000 --> 0:01:30.000 Dave was actually the very first editor brought onto the 0:01:30.080 --> 0:01:33.399 Office team. And listen, he was more than just a 0:01:33.440 --> 0:01:37.320 colleague a co worker. He was actually a true fan 0:01:37.920 --> 0:01:42.440 of the show from day one. He had has and 0:01:42.640 --> 0:01:48.640 had an encyclopedia knowledge of the show. He remembered every 0:01:48.760 --> 0:01:52.440 moment from every episode. I feel like he was the 0:01:52.440 --> 0:01:56.680 reason Dwight loved Battlestar Galactica. He helped Meredith get hit 0:01:56.720 --> 0:01:59.200 by a car, and he even had his own nicknames 0:01:59.320 --> 0:02:03.720 for the cat, like just guess who was called to 0:02:04.000 --> 0:02:09.240 blu roon. No, it wasn't me, uh Dave. Also, he's 0:02:09.240 --> 0:02:11.799 a force in the world of TV. The Office won 0:02:11.919 --> 0:02:17.000 five Emmy's total, two of those went to Dave. He's 0:02:17.040 --> 0:02:20.200 become a trusted collaborator for so many who worked on 0:02:20.240 --> 0:02:22.320 the show. He went on to work with Mindy Kaling 0:02:22.840 --> 0:02:26.160 on The Mendy Project, and Greg Daniels and Steve Carrell 0:02:26.360 --> 0:02:30.799 on Space Force, among many others. You may also recognize 0:02:30.880 --> 0:02:35.079 him for his well distinctive voice. He was the voice 0:02:35.400 --> 0:02:40.639 behind dunder Mifflin's very own documentarian. But before we get 0:02:40.680 --> 0:02:43.639 into the meat of this interview, and before I let 0:02:43.680 --> 0:02:47.799 you relive the show through his words, I wanted to 0:02:47.880 --> 0:02:50.760 let you know that you can also relive the show 0:02:50.919 --> 0:02:55.440 through our our brand new book, Welcome to dunder Mifflin, 0:02:55.680 --> 0:02:58.840 The Ultimate Oral History of the Office, which you can 0:02:58.919 --> 0:03:02.800 pre order on amas on right now. So go ahead, 0:03:03.000 --> 0:03:05.760 do that. Trust me, You're gonna love it. Then come 0:03:05.800 --> 0:03:08.880 back here because the time has come for you to 0:03:08.960 --> 0:03:13.560 be carried away by the incredible wealth of knowledge that 0:03:13.800 --> 0:03:23.920 is Dave Rogers. Bubble and Squeak, I love it. Bubble 0:03:23.960 --> 0:03:30.920 and squeaker, Bubble and squeaker cookie every month left over 0:03:31.000 --> 0:03:47.440 from the night before. Oh my god, oh boy, wow, 0:03:48.400 --> 0:03:51.080 you look exactly the same. Do you want to know what? 0:03:51.240 --> 0:03:53.280 You know? You don't say that. Everyone keeps saying it 0:03:53.320 --> 0:03:56.200 that I look exactly you know. I mean, well, I 0:03:56.240 --> 0:03:59.480 wanted to say it to you first, so you know what, 0:03:59.520 --> 0:04:05.400 you wouldn't say it to me. Good to see you too. 0:04:05.920 --> 0:04:09.320 It's like way too long. I know, you have to 0:04:09.320 --> 0:04:14.480 sit over there. I mean, that's the rule. I saw 0:04:14.920 --> 0:04:20.880 Mr Correll yesterday. Yeah, yes, he seemed good. Yeah, he's 0:04:20.920 --> 0:04:24.000 been in he's been in editing a lot. Hey. Yeah. 0:04:24.200 --> 0:04:27.320 I don't think I realized that he and Greg wrote 0:04:27.320 --> 0:04:29.800 the pilot, created it together. I think Steve had the 0:04:29.839 --> 0:04:31.880 idea and then they kind of hammered out like kind 0:04:31.880 --> 0:04:33.920 of a loose thing, and then Gregg wrote in. Then 0:04:34.400 --> 0:04:36.839 he would give notes and stuff, you know, and then 0:04:37.720 --> 0:04:39.919 I think that was the process. But I think I 0:04:39.920 --> 0:04:42.400 think Steve had the idea and it came to Greg 0:04:42.920 --> 0:04:44.400 and was like, hey, what do you think about that? 0:04:44.760 --> 0:04:47.560 So yeah, let's let's do it. And then they that 0:04:47.720 --> 0:04:51.960 was it. They pitched and you know, how's Malkovich. He's good, 0:04:52.240 --> 0:04:54.839 He's good. It's uh. You know. One of the things 0:04:54.839 --> 0:04:57.719 that we're striving to do is have this kind of 0:04:58.320 --> 0:05:01.000 dual you know, they do a little bit they joust 0:05:01.080 --> 0:05:03.560 like they're friendly and but there's some jousting and things 0:05:03.600 --> 0:05:06.520 like that. We're struggling to create new relationships that are 0:05:06.520 --> 0:05:09.800 different from Michael Scott because he has like one assistant 0:05:09.839 --> 0:05:13.240 and it's like or like his secretary. And he was saying, 0:05:13.279 --> 0:05:14.880 he's you know that he has a line where he goes, 0:05:14.920 --> 0:05:16.800 I really like to get shut up Brad, and it's 0:05:16.880 --> 0:05:20.160 like we even changed it to like thank you, Brad 0:05:20.200 --> 0:05:22.720 because it was too much like shut up Dwight. You know. 0:05:23.160 --> 0:05:28.160 So we're trying cognisant of that. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. The 0:05:28.240 --> 0:05:32.800 context or the character might be different, but how it's 0:05:32.800 --> 0:05:35.680 going to be perceived in some small level is going 0:05:35.760 --> 0:05:42.680 to be you're sort of built in expectation. That's fascinating. Um, okay, 0:05:43.000 --> 0:05:49.040 rewinding back, Um two thousand fourish, what are you doing 0:05:49.120 --> 0:05:51.880 prior to working on the show. So I was working 0:05:51.880 --> 0:05:54.719 on the Seinfeld DVDs. You know, I came up, I 0:05:54.760 --> 0:05:57.200 was assistant editor and Seinfeld that I started cutting. I 0:05:57.240 --> 0:06:00.400 cut the clip show for that aired right before the 0:06:00.480 --> 0:06:03.360 series finale, and uh, I would always kind of come 0:06:03.360 --> 0:06:07.040 back and do some Seinfeld things whenever things would pop up. 0:06:07.560 --> 0:06:10.680 So we were working on the DVDs. We were going 0:06:10.720 --> 0:06:14.279 through pulling you know, the bloopers behind the scenes and 0:06:14.480 --> 0:06:17.559 interviewing a bunch of you know, everybody from cast to crew, 0:06:17.960 --> 0:06:21.680 and making these many documentaries inside looks of all the 0:06:21.720 --> 0:06:25.520 episodes and just being really meticulous with things. So I 0:06:25.560 --> 0:06:27.480 was working on that. We we were getting the first 0:06:27.480 --> 0:06:33.560 three seasons out, and uh the line producer from News Radio, 0:06:33.720 --> 0:06:36.320 which was another show I had worked on, Ken Sibornac, 0:06:37.000 --> 0:06:39.840 said Hey, I have a pilot. I think you know 0:06:39.920 --> 0:06:42.359 you'd be good for it. Uh I said okay, and 0:06:42.400 --> 0:06:44.839 then uh I was like, yeah, I'd love to. Let's talk. 0:06:45.320 --> 0:06:49.160 And then I didn't hear back from him, and uh, 0:06:49.400 --> 0:06:51.839 you know, I understood. I always wanted it just to 0:06:51.880 --> 0:06:55.599 him to say, hey, the directors is going with his editor, 0:06:55.760 --> 0:06:58.880 you know, and be like, okay, that makes sense. But I. 0:07:00.200 --> 0:07:02.240 I didn't hear back, and then uh, I was all right, 0:07:02.600 --> 0:07:04.720 And then I get an email from him like I know, 0:07:04.839 --> 0:07:06.920 I know, I owe you a phone call. We got 0:07:07.000 --> 0:07:10.440 picked up for five episodes. I think you'd be great 0:07:10.480 --> 0:07:13.160 for the series, you know, would you like to come 0:07:13.200 --> 0:07:17.720 in and meet Greg Daniels. I'll send you the the pilot. 0:07:17.760 --> 0:07:20.680 I was like, yeah. So I watched the pilot and 0:07:20.720 --> 0:07:22.760 I loved it and it was so I was like, 0:07:22.800 --> 0:07:28.040 oh God, he's so it's dark, you know, and I 0:07:28.080 --> 0:07:31.000 love that. Uh. I mean for me, it's the moment. 0:07:31.040 --> 0:07:34.760 I'm a huge six million dollar Man fan. So him 0:07:34.800 --> 0:07:37.040 doing an impression of the six million dollar Man, like 0:07:37.120 --> 0:07:41.760 referencing it and doing it. They just went on and on, 0:07:41.960 --> 0:07:43.760 and I was like, I looked at this and I go, 0:07:43.840 --> 0:07:46.720 I'm doing this show. And I came and I met 0:07:46.760 --> 0:07:49.280 with Greg and we just hit it off right away, 0:07:49.280 --> 0:07:51.800 and we were talking about things, and it's funny. I 0:07:51.800 --> 0:07:53.560 I was talking about all the characters and I said, 0:07:53.600 --> 0:07:57.000 I feel like Dwight would like Battlestar Galactica. And this 0:07:57.040 --> 0:07:59.880 was before the new Battlestar Galactica, but I thought like 0:08:00.040 --> 0:08:02.760 Star Trek was too mainstream and cool for him that 0:08:02.840 --> 0:08:06.840 he would like this kind of smaller, more cultish old show, 0:08:06.920 --> 0:08:09.320 and uh, I said, I could just I could just 0:08:09.360 --> 0:08:11.960 see him having like a viper on his desk, you know, 0:08:12.000 --> 0:08:14.520 like an old model of a of a viper. And 0:08:14.600 --> 0:08:17.040 so it was funny that when the new show came 0:08:17.120 --> 0:08:19.920 up and that we they did work that in that 0:08:20.000 --> 0:08:23.480 he became a Battlestar Galactica fan. But I'm one of 0:08:23.520 --> 0:08:26.040 my birthdays just as a side note, like Greg bought 0:08:26.080 --> 0:08:29.320 me a huge model of a Cylon base ship like 0:08:29.360 --> 0:08:32.960 from the original series. And and in the penultimate episode, 0:08:33.040 --> 0:08:36.360 I got to direct Dwight hangs a Galactica in his 0:08:36.480 --> 0:08:38.719 office and they were like, do you want the new 0:08:38.720 --> 0:08:39.959 one or the old one. I'm like, oh, I want 0:08:39.960 --> 0:08:42.720 the original series one, you know totally, and I have that. 0:08:42.800 --> 0:08:44.720 I have the model and Rain signed it for me, 0:08:45.720 --> 0:08:47.200 you know. But I love He's got he's got a 0:08:47.200 --> 0:08:49.600 line with his you know, his son, who's he just 0:08:50.400 --> 0:08:52.559 he looks at the Galactica the same way I look 0:08:52.600 --> 0:08:54.760 at the Galactica. So it was just kind of it 0:08:54.840 --> 0:08:57.080 was just kind of funny how that all came together. 0:08:57.400 --> 0:08:59.000 But uh, yeah, I just met with Greg. We just 0:08:59.080 --> 0:09:00.880 hit it off, and that was it, and then I 0:09:00.920 --> 0:09:04.000 was like, okay, I'm hired and I'm starting on Diversity 0:09:04.080 --> 0:09:06.520 Day was the first episode, and so you were the 0:09:06.559 --> 0:09:08.800 only editor hired at that point. I was the only 0:09:08.920 --> 0:09:12.480 editor hired. And I'll say this the deep the Seinfeld DVDs, 0:09:12.720 --> 0:09:15.920 Jerry and Larry came in to watch one of the 0:09:15.960 --> 0:09:19.800 documentaries that like how the show began, and Jerry saw 0:09:19.840 --> 0:09:21.880 it and was like, well, this needs to be on TV. 0:09:22.600 --> 0:09:25.720 And so then I'm working. Then we're making the Seinfeld story. 0:09:25.840 --> 0:09:28.959 So now I'm I'm I'm editing to get this thing 0:09:28.960 --> 0:09:31.960 on TV and we're starting on the office. And I said, Greg, 0:09:32.080 --> 0:09:33.760 I said, there's gonna be a little bit of overlap. 0:09:33.880 --> 0:09:36.599 There are days where I'll be editing with Jerry Seinfeld, 0:09:36.720 --> 0:09:39.160 so I'll have to go there and and do that. 0:09:39.160 --> 0:09:40.880 I said, I'm finishing up, but there's gonna be some 0:09:41.200 --> 0:09:42.480 So there were a couple of days where he's like, 0:09:42.520 --> 0:09:45.120 when are you completely done? And I'm like, I'm almost done. 0:09:45.120 --> 0:09:47.480 I'm almost done, but I was there was a little overlap, 0:09:49.720 --> 0:09:51.920 but um, yeah, so I I sorry, go ahead. I 0:09:51.920 --> 0:09:56.240 started on a Diversity Day. Yeah, but that first season, 0:09:56.320 --> 0:09:59.800 then you're working on your finishing up the Seinfeld project 0:10:00.000 --> 0:10:01.520 and you're the only editor on the show. I was 0:10:01.559 --> 0:10:04.760 the only editor at first, And then we weren't sure 0:10:05.360 --> 0:10:07.319 when we were going to air. Originally was going to 0:10:07.400 --> 0:10:09.760 be March, and then they said there's a chance it 0:10:09.840 --> 0:10:12.839 might be you know earlier, and Greg said, I'm not 0:10:12.920 --> 0:10:14.839 going on the air in February. I don't want to 0:10:14.880 --> 0:10:18.680 be up against everybody's huge stunt episodes. So that meant 0:10:18.720 --> 0:10:21.000 we would be on the air in January. And because 0:10:21.040 --> 0:10:23.560 of that, then there was pressure to get the episodes done. 0:10:23.920 --> 0:10:27.400 So Stu Bass, who's a veteran editor, he came in 0:10:27.600 --> 0:10:29.480 and so we were we were tag team on a 0:10:29.520 --> 0:10:33.120 few episodes. So like, I think there were somewhere I cut, 0:10:33.160 --> 0:10:35.000 there was a couple where he cut, there was somewhere 0:10:35.040 --> 0:10:37.680 he'd finished, you know. He like I would do the 0:10:37.679 --> 0:10:40.559 assembly and he would work with the director and vice versa. 0:10:41.960 --> 0:10:43.880 Do you feel like you got the aesthetic of the 0:10:43.880 --> 0:10:48.400 show right away? How much was Greg directing you in 0:10:48.520 --> 0:10:52.880 terms of how he wanted the show to look or feel. Um, 0:10:53.000 --> 0:10:55.280 I think I got it right away. I mean I 0:10:55.360 --> 0:10:57.439 just was like, oh, this is funny, and I mean 0:10:57.440 --> 0:11:01.040 there's definitely a little difference with finding uh, just the 0:11:01.080 --> 0:11:04.120 style of the mockumentary and having these kind of cameras 0:11:04.160 --> 0:11:08.520 moving around. Um, we played around a lot definitely that 0:11:08.679 --> 0:11:11.720 first season. We spent a lot of time. You know. 0:11:11.760 --> 0:11:13.280 One of the things that was cool was that they 0:11:13.320 --> 0:11:16.240 shot you guys, I think, in two different outfits, Like 0:11:16.280 --> 0:11:18.880 we could take general views of you of just like 0:11:19.679 --> 0:11:22.280 you guys sitting in the office. And even if we 0:11:22.320 --> 0:11:25.400 shot of for episode one, it also worked for episode 0:11:25.440 --> 0:11:28.559 three and episode five and then two and four you 0:11:28.640 --> 0:11:31.440 might have had similar clothes or something like that. You know, 0:11:31.480 --> 0:11:33.920 there was something where we had general views that we 0:11:33.960 --> 0:11:38.480 could kind of steal from one episode and put into another. Um. 0:11:39.520 --> 0:11:41.720 The one thing that was knew about this kind of 0:11:41.760 --> 0:11:44.480 show than anything I had done before was usually, you know, 0:11:45.000 --> 0:11:47.840 when you're editing comedy, it's like fast, fast, fast, and 0:11:47.880 --> 0:11:49.240 you're pacing it up. And here it was like, no, 0:11:49.320 --> 0:11:53.560 we need these moments of of breath and it's holding 0:11:53.559 --> 0:11:57.200 on reactions, and you know, it's a little different than 0:11:57.320 --> 0:12:00.280 anything I had done before. But once you get into 0:12:00.280 --> 0:12:02.760 and you're like, Okay, now I know what's what we're 0:12:02.800 --> 0:12:06.400 looking for. Well, we just explored things and and tried 0:12:06.480 --> 0:12:08.719 and you know, especially even with the theme song and 0:12:08.760 --> 0:12:12.439 the main title, different things. Oh my god, we had 0:12:12.440 --> 0:12:15.520 he sent out like to the cast, he maybe sent 0:12:15.559 --> 0:12:17.640 to you, like, hey, give me five songs that you 0:12:17.679 --> 0:12:21.720 guys look. So I was building different main titles, you know, 0:12:21.960 --> 0:12:24.360 twenty we did like twenty five different songs. Here was 0:12:24.400 --> 0:12:26.679 a song here, there was a song here. John Krasinski 0:12:26.720 --> 0:12:29.559 had a song from Sloan that was like this is great, 0:12:30.000 --> 0:12:33.200 um and uh. And I'd have to cut the picture 0:12:33.240 --> 0:12:34.720 though too. And it wasn't just like all right, I'll 0:12:34.760 --> 0:12:36.800 just lay the song in. So I was like cutting 0:12:36.880 --> 0:12:40.440 multiple versions of picture. But ultimately we went with you know, 0:12:40.720 --> 0:12:43.280 I think Jay Ferguson was the composer and we just 0:12:43.880 --> 0:12:46.680 his version. That was the one we used from the beginning. 0:12:46.679 --> 0:12:49.720 Were you planning on using the footage that John Krasinski shot? 0:12:50.520 --> 0:12:52.600 There was no plan, Like stuff came in and it 0:12:52.679 --> 0:12:55.000 was like, okay, I'll use this and use that, you know. 0:12:55.160 --> 0:12:57.559 I mean, we just there were all kinds of things. 0:12:57.559 --> 0:13:00.480 So it was like circling stuff the water cooler. You know. 0:13:00.559 --> 0:13:03.840 We were just just trying things like to make a 0:13:03.920 --> 0:13:06.520 main title and things that would hit, and you know, 0:13:07.840 --> 0:13:10.400 it was hit with the music. So when the song 0:13:10.880 --> 0:13:12.760 when the rhythm of the song was different, it had 0:13:12.800 --> 0:13:15.680 to be totally recut. When we had different songs, and 0:13:15.679 --> 0:13:17.440 and and you know, there were different versions of the 0:13:17.440 --> 0:13:20.240 main title. There's a longer version. I think for the 0:13:20.280 --> 0:13:23.040 super Bowl episode we did a longer version of the song. 0:13:23.400 --> 0:13:25.400 We did shorter versions, you know, towards the end we 0:13:25.400 --> 0:13:27.720 would get you know, do really short versions because we 0:13:27.760 --> 0:13:30.960 needed more time for show. There's also a version and 0:13:30.960 --> 0:13:32.480 maybe it was the Super Bowl where there was just 0:13:32.520 --> 0:13:35.120 more of the cast, and then towards the after Steve left, 0:13:35.160 --> 0:13:37.480 also it was we have okay, here's a shot of 0:13:37.480 --> 0:13:39.920 Phillis and Stanley, here's a shot of Kevin and Angela 0:13:40.000 --> 0:13:42.200 and Oscar. You know, so we would we would get 0:13:42.240 --> 0:13:47.680 more more people into the main title. Randall talked about 0:13:47.880 --> 0:13:52.120 there were rules that they had was sort of dictated, 0:13:52.640 --> 0:13:55.680 you know, by Ken's original vision and by Greg that 0:13:56.360 --> 0:14:00.400 they would not shoot a shot that was imposed posible 0:14:00.440 --> 0:14:03.400 to get as a documentary. Like if we came up 0:14:03.440 --> 0:14:06.120 to a house and they knocked on the door, there 0:14:06.120 --> 0:14:08.880 would not be a camera inside the house shooting out 0:14:09.400 --> 0:14:11.640 because the crew wouldn't have if we've just arrived there, 0:14:11.679 --> 0:14:14.520 there would be no camera from inside, right. But more 0:14:14.600 --> 0:14:19.720 than that, if Michael is standing at his office door 0:14:20.680 --> 0:14:24.560 and we are shooting Michael, we can't play a camera 0:14:24.680 --> 0:14:28.240 directly behind Michael because we would then shoot that cameraman 0:14:28.320 --> 0:14:31.760 in reality. Right. So we were bound by the traditional 0:14:31.920 --> 0:14:35.520 rules of documentary that everything was happening in the exact moment. 0:14:35.800 --> 0:14:40.120 And I remember Randall and Matt fighting directors who were 0:14:40.160 --> 0:14:43.120 wanting the cameras to be placed you on a second 0:14:43.120 --> 0:14:46.840 pass or whatever, and them saying, no, we can't be 0:14:46.960 --> 0:14:49.760 there because we would have just filmed ourselves, right. And 0:14:49.800 --> 0:14:51.800 that's and that's the thing. And it's like you have 0:14:51.880 --> 0:14:54.280 to give time, at least even in editing, you have 0:14:54.400 --> 0:14:56.680 to give time to be like, well, this camera could 0:14:56.680 --> 0:14:59.840 have moved now and then been here, you know. I 0:15:00.000 --> 0:15:04.160 remember we're arguing with Claire Scanlon, who was another editor 0:15:04.200 --> 0:15:05.960 once because she was doing something. She's like DONNAA and 0:15:06.040 --> 0:15:09.560 and Greg's like, no, you can't, and there are not 0:15:09.720 --> 0:15:12.160 seven cameras in the room, so you have to choose 0:15:12.280 --> 0:15:14.480 your angles and limbs. You know. They were just I 0:15:14.480 --> 0:15:17.520 can't even remember what the exact situation was, but they 0:15:17.560 --> 0:15:19.480 were like, yeah, no, and she was like, Dave, do 0:15:19.520 --> 0:15:21.680 you do this, I said, yeah, yeah, this is what 0:15:21.720 --> 0:15:24.440 I follow wed. You know, you have to kind of 0:15:24.600 --> 0:15:26.880 do this thing. But we yeah, I mean when you 0:15:26.920 --> 0:15:28.920 watch the cameras and you watch the editing, you'll see, 0:15:28.960 --> 0:15:31.800 for the most part, we do follow these these rules. 0:15:31.840 --> 0:15:35.600 And there aren't you know, these shots in typical coverage 0:15:35.920 --> 0:15:38.880 that you would see on another show. Right. Do you 0:15:39.360 --> 0:15:43.080 did you work with the DP or camera guys at 0:15:43.120 --> 0:15:46.479 all about this or was this just sort of like understood, 0:15:46.560 --> 0:15:49.840 like everything just kind of works because you both got it. Yeah, 0:15:50.120 --> 0:15:51.800 we got it. I mean we would see what they 0:15:51.800 --> 0:15:54.160 would do and be like, okay, this is you know, 0:15:54.200 --> 0:15:56.400 and there will be some communication like they would ask, hey, 0:15:56.400 --> 0:15:59.000 how's this working or how's this and you know the 0:15:59.320 --> 0:16:01.280 push in when we would you know, someone would say 0:16:01.320 --> 0:16:03.480 something and you know, we started doing like these slight 0:16:03.680 --> 0:16:06.800 pushings and it got fun. But sometimes I felt like 0:16:06.840 --> 0:16:09.160 the show it would go a little too much like this, 0:16:09.200 --> 0:16:11.160 and I said, oh, we're we're pushing in. We're missing 0:16:11.400 --> 0:16:13.200 I think there was something once with you where you 0:16:13.240 --> 0:16:16.040 were saying something and Angela was next to you, and 0:16:16.080 --> 0:16:20.080 Angela had a this sour look. The camera pushed in 0:16:20.160 --> 0:16:21.760 so much on you, and in a few of the 0:16:21.800 --> 0:16:24.280 takes you couldn't see her, like she got framed out, 0:16:24.480 --> 0:16:26.400 and it was like you have to kind of you know, 0:16:26.560 --> 0:16:30.320 I said, let's let's be aware and and so easy 0:16:30.320 --> 0:16:31.760 on that. But for the most part, no, I mean 0:16:32.040 --> 0:16:35.600 the camera, the DP and the camera work Matt Randall Sarah, 0:16:35.680 --> 0:16:38.400 I mean, they were amazing what they would get and 0:16:38.400 --> 0:16:40.080 the footage that we would we would get in there, 0:16:40.120 --> 0:16:41.960 and you know, sometimes it was just a lot of 0:16:42.000 --> 0:16:43.400 footage and it was like, all right, how do we 0:16:43.480 --> 0:16:45.720 you know, mind through this and putting the puzzle together? 0:16:46.080 --> 0:16:48.960 How do we get from this coverage to this coverage 0:16:49.000 --> 0:16:52.160 and back? And you know, when you are shooting multiple takes, 0:16:52.160 --> 0:16:54.840 obviously you know, having characters match and what they're doing 0:16:54.960 --> 0:16:58.400 and so it was always fun, but sometimes it was hard. 0:16:58.920 --> 0:17:05.119 It's interesting. So Claire came from reality. Claire came from 0:17:05.560 --> 0:17:08.359 reality and documentaries, documentaries and I think she may have 0:17:08.400 --> 0:17:10.600 done I mean, don't I think she had done some scripted. 0:17:10.600 --> 0:17:13.520 I'm not sure how much comedy. And she came Actually 0:17:13.520 --> 0:17:16.840 it was like season it was into season four she 0:17:16.960 --> 0:17:21.920 came in. Uh, Dean Holland was leaving. So I so 0:17:22.000 --> 0:17:25.119 after after season one we got picked up for six 0:17:25.359 --> 0:17:27.960 episodes of season two, so it was just me doing that, 0:17:28.040 --> 0:17:29.480 and I said, if we get picked up for more, 0:17:29.800 --> 0:17:31.760 we need to get a second editor, and so we 0:17:31.840 --> 0:17:33.640 brought in Dean Holland, who was someone who I had 0:17:33.920 --> 0:17:36.000 worked with before, so it was me and him doing 0:17:36.359 --> 0:17:39.000 the episodes after that, and then he was leaving with 0:17:39.080 --> 0:17:41.240 Mike Sure to go do Parks and Wreck, at which 0:17:41.240 --> 0:17:43.440 point I said, Okay, we need to bring in some editors, 0:17:43.880 --> 0:17:46.840 and so we brought in Stu Bass again and Claire 0:17:46.880 --> 0:17:49.119 Scanlin and Claire just I mean, she hit it out 0:17:49.119 --> 0:17:51.480 of the park right away. I mean she just got 0:17:51.520 --> 0:17:55.480 it great, great sensibility. And then season the next season 0:17:55.600 --> 0:17:57.800 was just me and Claire, like we were, we were 0:17:57.880 --> 0:18:00.720 editing together and alternating and stuff, and uh yeah, she 0:18:00.800 --> 0:18:03.320 was great. She just got it. A team player too. 0:18:03.440 --> 0:18:05.280 I'd help her out with stuff, She'd helped me out. 0:18:05.359 --> 0:18:09.080 I mean just just yeah, just great. Were there things 0:18:09.200 --> 0:18:13.119 that you felt like, either with you or Dean or 0:18:13.119 --> 0:18:15.560 you and Claire you can decide or maybe it was 0:18:15.640 --> 0:18:18.639 the same or different. Were there specific strengths that you 0:18:18.760 --> 0:18:22.760 had that you felt like, maybe you would take over 0:18:22.800 --> 0:18:25.000 this moment of an episode, even if it was hers 0:18:25.160 --> 0:18:27.600 or vice versa. Do you remember anything like that? No, 0:18:27.760 --> 0:18:30.720 I mean I will tell you something funny about the finale, 0:18:31.240 --> 0:18:33.600 but no, there was never anything like that. I mean 0:18:33.840 --> 0:18:35.600 we would just look at each other stuff like she 0:18:35.600 --> 0:18:37.560 would show me her that I'd give her some feedback 0:18:37.640 --> 0:18:39.400 or notes. I'd be like, try this, and she would 0:18:39.400 --> 0:18:41.520 look at mine and say, hey, maybe if you do this, 0:18:41.600 --> 0:18:44.919 Like it was pretty open. It was great having Claire. 0:18:45.400 --> 0:18:48.320 She did bring like a sensibility and I think just 0:18:48.520 --> 0:18:51.760 being a female, like there were things that just as 0:18:51.760 --> 0:18:53.879 a male, like oh, I'm I'm missing you know, this 0:18:53.960 --> 0:18:56.879 kind of component, especially with some of the relationship stuff 0:18:56.920 --> 0:19:01.000 that she had, I think a more sensitive a sense about. 0:19:01.520 --> 0:19:06.600 But I'll say with the finale was interesting because I 0:19:06.640 --> 0:19:10.160 think I edited, or maybe Claire edited the first half 0:19:10.200 --> 0:19:13.919 of the show and I edited the second half, and 0:19:13.960 --> 0:19:16.960 the first half was like more I think, more comedy stuff. 0:19:16.960 --> 0:19:19.800 In the second half was like more poignant stuff. I'm 0:19:19.800 --> 0:19:21.639 trying to remember how we did. And and at some 0:19:21.680 --> 0:19:24.480 point Greg watched the cut and we thought it was great. 0:19:24.520 --> 0:19:26.280 It was long and it was great, and then he's like, 0:19:26.320 --> 0:19:29.280 all right, I want you guys to switch and now 0:19:29.320 --> 0:19:31.280 I want Claire to do this half and you do 0:19:31.359 --> 0:19:33.560 this in and we were like, that's insane, that's he 0:19:33.720 --> 0:19:36.440 was brilliant. I mean it made sense, like suddenly now 0:19:36.520 --> 0:19:39.000 I was reworking some of her scenes, she was reworking 0:19:39.040 --> 0:19:41.040 some of mine. If you remember, at the end, we 0:19:41.040 --> 0:19:44.960 had this whole thing with the plant with planty, you know, yes, 0:19:45.040 --> 0:19:47.840 Claire brought up planty. Yeah, and it was the whole 0:19:47.840 --> 0:19:49.919 thing with planting. You know, she had cut it out 0:19:50.280 --> 0:19:52.880 and Greg said, no, no, you can't. You can't lose Planty. 0:19:53.040 --> 0:19:55.320 We lost planning. I mean ultimately Greg was like, yeah, 0:19:55.520 --> 0:19:57.240 like it's got to go. And that's you know, and 0:19:57.359 --> 0:19:59.879 Greg and I mean, what a brilliant script. Though. The 0:20:00.000 --> 0:20:03.840 finale was so great, so satisfying, I think as a 0:20:03.920 --> 0:20:06.920 series ender, you know, just just everything, all the things 0:20:06.960 --> 0:20:09.960 that were hit in there. You know, everybody had their 0:20:10.040 --> 0:20:12.800 their moments. It was definitely one of those things where 0:20:13.440 --> 0:20:16.320 where he had a switch. I'd have to I'm trying 0:20:16.359 --> 0:20:18.119 to remember who did who did what, But I remember 0:20:18.160 --> 0:20:21.240 like at the end, I was instrumental with the end 0:20:21.440 --> 0:20:24.080 to some degree. I ended up shooting the building, the 0:20:24.160 --> 0:20:27.359 last shot you see of the dunder Mifflin building. I 0:20:27.400 --> 0:20:31.000 went out with my little cannon point and shoot, and 0:20:31.040 --> 0:20:32.760 I shot the building and because then we said, oh, 0:20:32.800 --> 0:20:36.480 we'll do this with Pam, she takes the painting away. 0:20:36.560 --> 0:20:39.000 But at the end we go into the painting because 0:20:39.000 --> 0:20:41.480 we needed like this just nice poignant ending. I go, 0:20:41.600 --> 0:20:43.280 I got it. I got it, and we go into 0:20:43.280 --> 0:20:46.280 the painting and it dissolves into the building and that's 0:20:46.320 --> 0:20:49.200 the last shot, you see. And so I shot this building. 0:20:49.680 --> 0:20:52.080 And then even Matt so own r d P said 0:20:52.359 --> 0:20:54.520 I'll shoot it also with our cameras we'll see you know, 0:20:54.960 --> 0:20:56.879 and he shot it and it looked nice too. But 0:20:57.040 --> 0:21:00.439 for some reason, like I got this lighting and or 0:21:00.520 --> 0:21:02.720 Greg just he gets used to what he sees and 0:21:02.720 --> 0:21:04.720 he's like, no, I like this one. And that was it. 0:21:04.880 --> 0:21:07.320 That was the last shot. It dissolves from the painting 0:21:07.400 --> 0:21:11.960 into this into the building. So how much after we 0:21:12.119 --> 0:21:14.720 shot the finale did you do that? It was probably 0:21:14.760 --> 0:21:16.399 a month and a half. Listen. We didn't finish the 0:21:16.400 --> 0:21:21.439 show until the morning of I mean we were at 0:21:21.440 --> 0:21:24.240 the mix till one in the morning, and at midnight, 0:21:24.560 --> 0:21:28.160