<P> Writer Novak cites the episode as the "most conceptually ambitious" in the show's history . More than half the episode consisted of footage from the film . Originally, the producers considered showing just the movie, but they felt that it "would feel like a gimmick or experiment", and so it was decided that the film would be intercut with shots of the office reacting to the film . In order to make the film seem as if Michael had created it, the film used was colorized in post-production to make it seem as if it were of a cheaper quality than the normal high - quality film that the series used . Certain shooting methods, like hand - held and zooms, were nixed, except for in cases where they could be presented in a "poorly - executed" manner . This was done in a way to make it appear that Michael at least knew what he was doing; Novak explained that the crew "didn't want the joke of the episode to be how bad he was at filmmaking" because it would "be a little easy and a little out of character". To create the fake dummy of Toby that exploded, Paul Lieberstein was required to spend several hours in a full - face mold that reportedly "unnerved him greatly". Two molds were made . Both were filled with explosives, but one was filled with fake blood . The detonation of both was shot with slow - motion cameras . However, the explosion of the dummy head filled with fake blood was considered by the producers to be "too disturbing for us and arguably too disturbing for Michael", and so the tamer explosion was used . </P> <P> Due to the nature of Michael's film, Novak realized that scenes would have to be filmed as if they had been shot years prior to the episode . In order to successfully pull this off, editor David Rogers and script supervisor Veda Semame were tasked with "mapping out" every scene to make sure the continuity of the series was preserved . Novak later elaborated on the continuity during an interview with The Office fansite OfficeTally . The scene featuring "The Scarn" would have been filmed after the corporate merger that occurred during the third season; this would explain Karen's willingness to deliver her lines, as she would be "eager to fit in". Stanley's voiceover was recorded "on a lunch break" sometime after the fourth season episode "Local Ad" because he had "got a big kick out of seeing himself" in Michael's commercial . Helene's scenes were filmed sometime when Michael was dating her during the early part of the sixth season . </P> <P> In addition to the mapping out of sequences, the episode features a short sequence that was shot to look as if it had been filmed during the show's second season, although the scene itself was filmed in 2011 . Novak explained that, in order to recreate the shot, great lengths had to be taken to ensure the authenticity of the footage . Series Department Head make - up artist LaVerne Caracuzzi - Milazzo and Hair Department Head Kim M. Ferry "put great care and effort into recreating the characters' looks from earlier seasons"; Novak, for instance wore "the same bright blue shirt that Ryan used to favor" and fake sideburns were glued onto the actor's face to "match the era". He also stated that the actors "remembered those dynamics (from the second season) and fell right back into them ." This is not the first nor the last time this trick has been utilized on the show . For instance, during the cold opening for the sixth season episode "Shareholder Meeting" featuring "Recyclops", a montage of Dwight harassing past receptionists was shown . Furthermore, the episode "Customer Loyalty" from the ninth season featured a montage of Jim setting up a prank supposedly during the show's second season . </P> <P> According to the clippings on the wall, Scarn had previously saved the NFL, the MLB, and the NBA all - star games . Several Billy Joel songs play throughout the episode, such as "Running on Ice" and "Pressure". A Dave Barry page - a-day calendar is featured in a montage to illustrate the passing of time . Michael mentions both Oceans 11 and Antz in defense of his movie . The latter is featured in a diatribe Michael delivers about Woody Allen and how you should always listen to your fans . </P>

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