Soccer ball in the kisser

April 19, 2009 9:11 AM

How did they do this scene in The Office without actually breaking the woman's nose?
posted by mpls2 to media & arts (17 comments total)

I'm guessing it was a nerf soccer ball and the air soccer ball "slap" sound effect was added in later.
posted by sharkfu at 9:20 AM on April 19

It could be a CGI soccer ball. Makes it easier to get the shot that way, too.
posted by hippybear at 9:37 AM on April 19 [1 favorite has favorites]

Yeah, as it's flying toward her, it looks looks cgi. The movement of the ball as he's "dribbling" it seems to indicate that it has the weight of soccer ball.

It's so cool to have a way sanctioned way to link to scenes from tv.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 9:45 AM on April 19

cgi.... for sure, just due to the fact that it would have taken forever to get that direct hit, the guy's an actor, not a soccer player.....
posted by HuronBob at 9:58 AM on April 19

The movement of the ball as he's "dribbling" it seems to indicate that it has the weight of soccer ball.

I'm not sure: to me, it looks a bit like those cheap smooth plastic balls with painted panels that always seem to be sold at the seaside or at fairs -- not foam, but also not a nose-breaker. But it does look like CGI in the air.
posted by holgate at 10:00 AM on April 19

In the Brady Bunch episode where Marcia gets beaned in the nose with a football ("Oh, my nose!), they used a Nerf football. They had to throw it at her several times to get the "right" shot, and Maureen McCormick said that it hurt like hell, but at least her nose didn't swell up in real life like they made it up for effect on the show. (I've been hit with a Nerf football before, and foam or not, it still hurts.)
posted by Oriole Adams at 10:10 AM on April 19

It's so cool to have a way sanctioned way to link to scenes from tv.

For anyone in the US... grumble grumble.

the guy's an actor, not a soccer player....

Though he's from London, so he probably played an awful lot growing up. But I concur, most likely CGI.
posted by opsin at 10:26 AM on April 19 [1 favorite has favorites]

It also looks CG when it flies up.
posted by originalname37 at 12:13 PM on April 19

I can't see the clip here in canada, but these days any shots like what you guys are describing will have a digitally animated ball composited in.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 4:10 PM on April 19

I'm not so sure it's computer graphics. I went through hitting play and pause over and over again to get something approaching frame by frame. If it's CG it's very well done. Nothing leapt up at me as obviously CG.
posted by Kattullus at 8:18 PM on April 19

It's CGI. Look closely at the ball in the frame or two before he kicks it -- the color changes slightly. Then they sell it with a good reaction from the actor and everyone around her, and very good foley (sounds muted and distant, which is what you'd expect).
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:08 PM on April 19

The other way you know it's CGI? The ball doesn't come down. It's gone, as if someone waved a magic wand.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 9:11 PM on April 19

Actually it goes pretty straight up in the air so it might fall down off camera. Oh and while you're right about the ball changing color it is because just before he kicks the ball it moves into shadow.
posted by Kattullus at 9:48 PM on April 19

It goes exactly straight up in the air. Which makes it almost certainly CGI, what with the whole angle of incidence equalling angle of reflection thing you tend to get in real life.
posted by dersins at 10:32 PM on April 19

I've seen plenty of soccer balls hit a lot of faces in my lifetime and the ball often goes straight into the air or just about. I'm not saying it's a real ball or not but nothing about the way that soccer ball hit that lady in the face looked fake to me.

I have to say that "nothing about the way that soccer ball hit that lady in the face looked fake to me" is one of the weirder sentences I've ever found myself writing.
posted by Kattullus at 10:52 PM on April 19

I still remember the one time I got (real) a soccer ball full-on in the face. I was probably about 7 or 8 years old. It hurt like hell, but it didn't actually break my nose. So even if it was real it doesn't mean that the nose is broken. But, generally actors prefer not to get hit in the nose and they will use other technicques, you know?

I'm happy to report they didn't score the goal.
posted by RikiTikiTavi at 8:49 AM on April 20

Hitting her exactly in the face would be hard enough. But, if it weren't CG, he would have to hit her in the face *blind* since (as is required for the joke) Jim's in the way when he kicks it.
posted by originalname37 at 4:58 PM on May 4