<P> Like The Office , Parks and Recreation is filmed with a single - camera setup in a cinéma vérité style simulating the look of an actual documentary , with no studio audience or laugh track . Within the context of the show , the characters are being filmed by a documentary crew , the members of which are never seen or heard from on - screen . The actors occasionally look at and directly address the cameras , and in some scenes directly engage the cameras in one - on - one interviews with the documentary crew members . The episodes are scripted , but the production encourages the cast to improvise , and dialogue or performances the actors make up during filming often make the final cut of the episodes . Schur said he believes the mockumentary style is particularly fitting for a show about city government because , `` It 's a device for showing the ways people act and behave differently when they 're in public and private ( and ) the difference between what goes on behind closed doors and what people present to the public is a huge issue . '' </P>
<P> Like The Office , Parks and Recreation is filmed with a single - camera setup in a cinéma vérité style simulating the look of an actual documentary , with no studio audience or laugh track . Within the context of the show , the characters are being filmed by a documentary crew , the members of which are never seen or heard from on - screen . The actors occasionally look at and directly address the cameras , and in some scenes directly engage the cameras in one - on - one interviews with the documentary crew members . The episodes are scripted , but the production encourages the cast to improvise , and dialogue or performances the actors make up during filming often make the final cut of the episodes . Schur said he believes the mockumentary style is particularly fitting for a show about city government because , `` It 's a device for showing the ways people act and behave differently when they 're in public and private ( and ) the difference between what goes on behind closed doors and what people present to the public is a huge issue . '' </P>
why is there a camera crew in parks and rec
why is there a camera crew in parks and rec
filmed by a documentary crew
filmed by a documentary crew