The Office editors have too much fun on the job

Newly Emmy award-winning Office editors David Rogers and Dean Holland are featured in the latest issue of Editors Guild Magazine:

The editors receive a lot of footage, all of it shot hand-held, according to Rogers. “It’s tricky making it all seem cohesive,” he explains. We have so many great actors to cut to, and they give so much in their performances. But cutting the show can be a challenge.” The greatest challenge to editing The Office is definitely the amount of footage,” adds Holland, picking up the conversation. “There’s so much good material and 21 minutes and 15 seconds [the length of an episode, sans commercials] is not a lot of time.”

It’s a fantastic behind-the-scenes look at The Office’s editing process. If you like geeking out about such details, you will love the article. Photos, too!

Congratulations again, David and Dean, on the Emmy win!

Link: Cutting Up in the Workplace, The Editors of ‘The Office’ Have Too Much Fun on the Job

Tipster: DR

19 comments

  1. Thanks for posting that Tanster! I just learned a heap about the editing process its very interesting!

  2. What a great article! I love how thoroughly “The Office” seems to integrate its crew (the editors being on set and interacting with the cast, writers getting so much input); it makes the show feel so much fuller to me. The work these guys do is very impressive — congrats to them on their well-deserved Emmy. [And if Steve Carell doesn’t want to keep getting called nice, as the NYT article suggested, he shouldn’t let it get out that he personally thanks the editors after he wins an award :)]

  3. Thanks! That was a very interesting article. I especially liked the quote:
    “With the camera rolling between takes, Jenna constantly talks to the camera to give funny notes to Dave and me,” continues Holland. “One time, she was making cracks about the editors.”
    Would this surprise anyone?

  4. The Office easily has some of the best editors at work today. I can’t wait to see what they do this season!

  5. Did anyone else see at the very bottom where they mentioned an Office feature film? Eek! Do you think it will be the British or the American cast? Or (if we’re NOT lucky) a whole new cast…?

  6. This was an interesting article. Many insights into the inner world of “The Office”. Thanks for posting.

  7. My, my, my Miss Kinsey! Where DID you get that dress!? I love it. Need it, even. So pretty.

    And I love that the cast and crew seem to just get along so well. They’ve found a good group for a great series and it shows. I’d love to go to my job everyday and feel like I’m not working. Glorious.

  8. Wonderful article! Thanks for the link! Dean and Dave really have the difficult and thankless task of putting together so much great “Office” footage that is filmed each week and integrating it into a coherent episode within such prohibitive time constraints. I’m really glad that they have been recognized for their excellent work both by their peers (ACE) and the industry (Emmy). Congrats, guys!

  9. Since it said BBC Films is interested in a The Office movie, that’s presumably Ricky and the UK show’s cast. I just don’t get the impression he and the cast want to re-visit it (even if the fans surely would want them to). :) The UK show ended so beautifully, I don’t know where it could go from there as a movie.

  10. Oh I love the computer geeky side of all this! So great…kinda sad that I know what all those machines are. haha

    Anyone else want to see these “actor notes” that they film for the editors? Sounds like some of them could be fun.

    I’m not sure how I feel about an Office movie…. It would be great if they used the US cast. I have to agree with Geo that the UK version ended well… I don’t see them wanting to do it. Overall it would so so interesting to see what they could do with a couple of hours instead of just 21 minutes. (I now hate commercials… stealing 9 minutes from my favorite show! )

  11. Phyllis’farm, that was EXACTLY what I was going to say! At first glance I thought they had purposely staged Dean & David to look like David Brent & Gareth of the UK version (but that sort of didn’t make sense, because David & Dean edit the American version)
    I am just glad I’m not crazy, that someone else saw the resemblance also.

  12. That was beautiful. I am a video editor at my church and I know the deadlines I’m under for stuff for Sunday… I can’t even imagine the pressure they are under.

    I’m glad they won the Creative Arts Emmy… it is well deserved.

  13. great article! i love hearing about the inner workings of the show. in terms of a movie, there is no way ricky, stephen, and the cast will do it. they are all very pleased with the way the series ended and want to keep the memory of that experience special to them.

  14. I’m with Greg, that is definitely my dream job right there. The editing of “The Office” is so superb, just like everything else on the show, it was great learning more about it. Huge congrats to Dave and Dean on their Emmy win, so deserved! Ok, now I’m off to learn AVID…lol.

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