First-Rate Second Unit .....

Eric at Fire Ant Gazette notes with this post that Odessa, Texas has been selected for a branch office of Dunder Mifflin Infinity (DMI), the new online division of Dunder Mifflin, Inc. Paper Company ..... the setting for NBC's much-acclaimed television series, "The Office" .....

One of the comments to that post notes Odessa is already home to another TV paper company - Primatech Paper Co., from Heroes. In response, Eric suggests that "Friday Night Lights" may be at the root of all this ..... the NBC television series is set in Dillon, Texas - home of the Dillon HS Panthers. But the film and book that inspired the series are set in Odessa.

I think Eric's right ..... I believe it's a location that's become well-known to those within the industry in general, and within NBC in particular ..... you don't really have to know anything about the location - just the name of the town will do.

Do you remember when "Heroes" debuted? Even those West Texans who loved the series had to admit that the location shots for the home of Claire Bennet (an indestructible high school cheerleader) bore absolutely no resemblance to Odessa ..... my own take was that, if they wanted a West Texas location, they should have said she was from El Paso. THAT would have fit in better with the mountains and farm/orchard country in which we first met Claire.

All of which brings me, at last, to the idea of second unit and location work, and what an outstanding job those crews have done for "The Office." Having spent part of my life in the town of Dallas, Pennsylvania, just 25-miles-or-so from Scranton, I am amazed - each and every week - by the level of detail the California-based producers of the show have achieved in creating a 'feel' for that city.

There are the opening shots, of course, showing various sights in-and-around Scranton as the music plays and the cast is introduced. And there are the cutaway shots (the exteriors) that are used throughout the program to segue audiences in and out of scenes in different locations.

But then there are the props used in the studio where the office scenes are filmed. Next time the characters are talking in the break room, look at the bulletin boards on the wall ..... chances are the fliers posted on those boards will be talking about some event going on in the City of Scranton, or Lackawanna County. Last night, while Wayne was working the phones, you could see on file cabinet behind him a bumper sticker for Froggy 101, which is based in nearby Pittston, but broadcasts a signal around northeast Pennsylvania, including Scranton. In another episode, a couple years back, Michael was calling around to various attractions in town, trying to find an interesting - and cheap! - group activity for his staff. Among the attractions he called was the Lackawanna Coal Mine Tour.

On the surface, they may seem like little things ..... but I think they say A LOT about how well-crafted this show is, right down to the most minute detail ..... it truly is first-rate second unit work for a first-rate television program.