Leo McGarry's Visual Guide to The West Wing offices

Follow along with Leo during the first walk and talk of the Pilot episode of The West Wing to see where he goes on the overhead map of the set. Created by Zach McNees

[@MegMeyerCom]

Am I the only one who watches this and thinks we NEED The West Wing themed Clue board game? "It was CJ, in the Press Room, with her Purse."

[@neilleslie9776]

Her purse?!?!?!?!?

[@MegMeyerCom]

@@neilleslie9776 "The President can always send CJ Cregg to Ramallah to swat at suicide bombers with her purse." - Toby (Season 6 ep 5 "The Hubbert Peak"

[@samsung3254]

*Absolutely!* 👍

[@AlasdairGR]

*Motherboard

[@fatherglyn]

I would buy it

[@gauchplant]

One of my favorite lines of the whole series: "The President, while riding his bicycle on vacation in Jackson Hole, came to a sudden arboreal stop."

[@andyknott8148]

Me too "a sudden arboreal stop". Little did we know that this was just the start of a brilliant series.

[@robertjames8220]

"It's a nice morning, Mr. McGarry." "We'll take care of that in a hurry, won't we, Mike?" "Yes, sir!"

[@conorcorrigan765]

"He rode his bicycle into a tree, CJ, what do you want me to... The President, while riding his bicycle on vacation in Jacksonhall came to a sudden arboreal stop, what do you want from me?"

[@LabradorIndependent]

"A little love, Leo"

[@samsung3254]

Just John Spencer's delivery is so human. It's so beautifully written and acted. Stay Safe! 👍

[@Vesperitis]

You can tell that this is one of those days that Leo wishes he could set fire to the building not have to deal with this stuff.

[@Subangelis]

*Jackson Hole

[@jdnehen]

Where had this been all my life? Now where is the stream pipe trunk distribution venue?

[@vdinh143]

There's a flight of stairs at the bottom of the map, I presume this goes underground where more offices would be located.

[@JanBruunAndersen]

Steam trunk, not stream trunk.

[@redwall1521]

@@vdinh143 I wonder if this is the staircase in House of Cards where Frank and Petrov have a smoke.

[@Subangelis]

Downstairs

[@imperialadvisoraremheshvau3788]

This is extraordinary and plenipotentiary. : )

[@davidmarshall2399]

Golf is not a sport

[@ChrisLovesThisGame]

Speaking of extraordinary and plenipotentiary the way they introduce ambassadors on this show is hilariously wrong. Poor Lord Marbury :)

[@jimmy2k4o]

@@davidmarshall2399 and that’s fine but let’s not you and I confuse it with things that men do.

[@awakeningcry]

also, wrong

[@RMartp]

If you haven't seen Zack’s visual guide to The West Wing Offices, then you haven't seen Shakespeare the way it's meant to be done.

[@arthurbriand2175]

Does Leo loath beginning his work day so much that he takes the longest path, zigzaging around every room for no apparent reason, to reach his office?

[@jameskessler2588]

He really likes the comic The Family Circus, especially the ones where the kids take the most winding path possible to get from the backyard to the kitchen

[@StarManta]

If we're assuming he needed to talk to a bunch of people on the way in, the only turn that doesn't really make sense is turning south down the corridor (which causes him to have to go through the Roosevelt Room); for every other turn he took, he either picked something up or talked to someone new as a result of the turn.

[@riff2072]

@@jameskessler2588 Nicely Done!

[@jameskessler2588]

@@riff2072 its funny. He apparently reads the comic The Family Circus but has no clue about Peanuts

[@riff2072]

@@jameskessler2588 and he did not understand the Charlie Brown, Lucy and the football thing at all when it was explained to him.

[@christelheadington1136]

Finally my favorite WW lines."Don't kill the messenger." "Oh, why the hell not."

[@conorcorrigan765]

If you look very closely you can see CJ pass behind Josh and Leo at exactly 2:34

[@NicGarner]

Toby and Sam are also in the bullpen around 2:25.

[@TomalakGeretkal]

Never noticed that. Nice touch.

[@AprilMcCaffery]

I love that so many people that love West Wing are so much more impressive than I am. Thank you for putting this together. It makes me so happy!

[@aukluk]

I never realized but there are actually several cuts in this scene. I thought it was one very long take, but not quite. Still impressive!

[@ScootsFromNewCastle]

i believe it was 8 separate cuts according to Tommy Schlamme from The West Wing Weekly podcast

[@SweetChuckPi]

In the first season the set was in two different studios with the yellow hallway the same on both sets, so for 1st season walk and talks you can often catch a cut when they enter or exit the yellow hallway.

[@aukluk]

@@SweetChuckPi It's not just that, when he's talking to Donna and Josh especially, it really shifts to the traditional over the shoulder shooting style, before shifting back once Leo and Josh start moving together.

[@JohnVanderbeck]

It was definitely designed to feel like one cut and its impressive in what it is, even if technically they had to do a few. It really sold the overall feel for the show and this is still one of the most impressive "shots" in television in my opinion.

[@samsonguy10k]

The walks get better with each season. Far as I can tell, West Wing has only been surpassed by 1917 for longest walking shot.

[@Gilgamezsh72]

Huge thank you for doing this. I recently finished my 4th time through the series and it's as affecting and uplifting today as it was when it aired.

[@zev007]

I love that this channel is called "The West Wing Weekly" and have put out 3 videos in 3 years. Whose wet dream was this channel?

[@docguy]

This channel was created to post videos for a podcast called The West Wing Weekly. It’s the podcast that was weekly.

[@maggiemelchior8183]

THIS IS AMAZING. since the podcast ended this past Wednesday I've been rewatching Season 1 and this is such a delightful bit of fan brilliance! Thank you Zach!

[@luddex]

This is awesome. Pure awesome. Zach, you are awesome, and I need more.

[@barefootcontessamessa7245]

Nothing has ever been more up my alley than this video! Thank you for taking the time!!

[@petergibbs]

Love it. Thanks. Best show ever made, and I'm a Brit and were snobbish about these things.

[@dward35]

Oh John Spencer you are missed xx

[@christophercaldwell6888]

I know that Sorkin has always been known for his talk-and-walks, but that's a pretty impressive example TO START THE SERIES WITH. It isn't segmented in that many places, which means a bucket full of rehearsal prior to shooting. The master.

[@dontudare]

This is brilliant. I didn't know I needed it, until right now.

[@officiallordsnowface]

Excellent map and sync as well. Thanks for posting.

[@PaperbackWizard]

I never really had a sense of the layout of the White House before, no matter how many times I've watched this show. It's just how my mind works. But after watching this video, there's pretty much no reason at all for Leo to have taken a detour through the Roosevelt Room.

[@ArtemisScribe]

Except to show off Ken Hardy and Ellen Totleben's hard work.

[@LabradorIndependent]

I suppose the only reason is it's a much more cinematic route to showcase the set to the audience. The characters often take long, winding routes around the set because they need to have a full conversation before they get to the next place, and if they took the most direct route they'd arrive too quickly. You can also see that the Press Briefing Room doesn't remotely fit where it's supposed to be.

[@tristiantriana]

@@LabradorIndependent probably another reason Josh wanted to move it across the street

[@storyofcory]

This is the most convoluted Walk and Talk I think I've ever seen. Wow...

[@tmoore4075]

One, this is fantastic. Very well done. Second, I love the interaction between Leo and Donna. "He was swerving to avoid a tree." "And what happened?" "He was unsuccessful!" lol

[@awakeningcry]

but it's wrong

[@rugbynimbus]

So so so many mental "wait, why??" moments to this.

[@jamesm1762]

THIS. IS. BRILLIANT!!

[@ghfun1]

lol Donna and John just yell when they need each other. It’s hilarious

[@leohoward7282]

Great video never seen someone do this so really awesome particularly the map

[@russellstanberry8122]

2 things: 1) I totally love this video, I wish we had more just like them. 2) This map is inaccurate. In Season 1 CJ's office was not on the otherside of the bullpen from Josh's like it would be from Season 2 on. In fact, it was directly next to Josh's office and they had an adjoining door. Once they moved the set the the larger stage in season two they expanded the bullpen area by removing the wall and doubling the bullpen size. At that point CJ's office was moved to the other side of the bullpen. In appearance it's essentially the same except they added the windows to the left of her desk looking into the hallway towards the press briefing room. So, this map shows the layout incorrectly for the time it was shot. But then again, it doesn't show the double golden hallway either. Great stuff! I miss the West Wing and I miss the West Wing Weekly.

[@welkinator]

Lord! Lord! I wish I had had this when I was watching the program.

[@JenThePirate]

That was great! We Wingnuts want more!

[@asherchancey3615]

Well that was fabulous.

[@AndreAFirenze]

The mother and father of all the “walk and talk” in the best show in the story of tv

[@threecatsdancing]

Where has this been all my life?!?

[@Gledster]

That was awesome. :D Thanks to Zach McNees!

[@TairnKA]

While watching this and the C.J. tour video, I wondered if The West Wing had an episode where there was multiple POV of the characters meeting up with each other during an episode, but you could see the various characters in the back and foreground going through their scenes (obviously without the cameras on them), resulting in possibly C.J. meeting Leo two or three times (and a couple other staff meetings twice?), Josh meeting C.J., Leo meeting Toby, Leo meeting the President, Toby meeting Sam, ect... (including some less often seen characters), resulting in them all in a meeting with the President (no chili)? Whew! I think that covers it? ;-D

[@grogery1570]

This is enlightening, I would watch the West Wing and be convinced that they were just walking around in circles!

[@basosz]

"sudden arboreal stop" is a fantastic euphemism for slamming into a tree.

[@karenobyrne8060]

I'm not going to read every single comment here to see if someone already thought of this, so I'm just going to say it: This reminds me of the Marauder's Map! 🪄🧙‍♂️

[@aaronloos1766]

Very nice!

[@97texascat]

My thoughts. 1. Leo has a Fitbit and is trying to get his steps up. Hence the unnecessary weaving in and out of rooms. 2. Is this the west wings marauders map? Needs more heads.

[@Mediaright]

Zach’s the real MVP!

[@majamarie89]

FINALLY the walk and talks make sense

[@amsivertson]

This is fantastic. Though the best possible addition to this would be to also animate the steadicam route!

[@porgyt7177]

Very cool!! Thx!!

[@jwrarmstrong]

Really well done.

[@NoelKerns]

This is brilliant!

[@AaronDanieltenni]

This is awesome.

[@SabreWolf18]

Its amazing how much cris crossing had to be done in order to get the entire dialog in for some of these scenes and oners

[@colby-wankenobi2940]

Well done

[@MrFarquar]

This us awesome 👌

[@stylezlp]

Does anyone have the link to the similar video where the overhead includes the camera position?

[@louisethiessen8044]

Loved it.

[@deborahdapo3210]

We need The West Wing Back

[@aniruddho_m]

I miss John Spencer so much. I saw Sterling K. Brown as Leo in the play of Hartsfield's Landing that they just did. No offence to Brown but I couldn't help but mentally wince and feel sad every time I remembered how different the impact of every line spoken by John Spencer was. I think the significance of his craft shone through even more given a contrasting performance to compare it with (though not even wildly in the same circumstances). Again, don't get me wrong, the guy's a force of nature on his own. He's done some very good work and blew my mind so completely in American Crime Story.

[@danendean1184]

I’d like to see a season 2 walk and talk map. In season 1, CJ’s office is through a door next to Josh’s but from season 2 onward it is opposite the bullpen

[@cubswin3838]

If you look at CJ's office in seasons 1 and afterwards had the office door on opposite sides. In season 1, it was the left side as you are walking out. Afterwards, it was the right.

[@AndreAFirenze]

absolutely *GREAT*.

[@mwmheps]

This is so cool!!

[@b1j]

That was great.

[@kylegyondla4446]

This video uses the ground plan for the season 2+ set that was on one soundstage, although the first season set was spread across two stages.

[@gene8172]

Sudden arboreal stop. Gonna have to remember that one....

[@TheBalhamboy]

That's brilliant :)

[@deltabilly1]

I’ll go ahead and charitably assume that Leo’s just trying to get his steps in, walking around in circles.

[@sussygussy1138]

Bro had to make sure the Roosevelt Room was still there

[@november1598]

DO YOU KNOW WHERE CAN I DOWNLEOAD THE PLAN PLS??

[@Itmakesyouthink]

My mind. 😵‍💫

[@CIVDC]

Man, Leo's path is really nonsensical. He straight up makes some 180s to get to place where he could have just turned and gone through a door.

[@jordansmith7621]

Directors do this all the time because it’s hard for us to know the layout unless shown in this way. They prefer to have him walking while talking because it keeps the high-paced energy up of the scene, so the entire thing is convoluted to keep him walking as much as possible.

[@tadtranclere3729]

He’s getting his steps in for the day

[@mikeyoung9810]

The usual nit missing the point

[@JohnVanderbeck]

He hadn't closed his rings yet.

[@samsonguy10k]

I write it up to him putting off talking to Margaret as long as possible. But also finding out if his deputy has chewed his fingernails off yet for facing imminent termination that was postponed by an arboreal stop.

[@deltabilly1]

Can you do this for every walk and talk please? 😃

[@trevisonclark7135]

Did they build an entire west wing to film in?

[@leestoddart7014]

great video. Oh how I miss The West Wing - brilliant writing, direction, acting, etc etc etc. Shame that Aaron decided enough was enough.

[@Mrsnichols1965]

From 1:57 to 2:42 appears to be walking just to get exercise, lol

[@kevinb130]

Noticed that too. Must have had time to fill haha.

[@tkefan29]

Where is the press room relative to this?

[@jayesshague]

Upper Right beyond map. Bartlett walks past it in every shot when he's leaving Residence to enter O.O. by that outdoor walk.

[@paulw.woodring7304]

Yeah, that's what happened to Sonny Bono, he came to a sudden arboreal stop while skiing.

[@alifeonmars5947]

I really love this but the path he takes seems very redundant

[@Mediaright]

Miles Macdonald Well what if he REALLY needed the stuff in those folders? Sometimes you gotta pick up stuff, ya know? ;)

[@KiplingKat7]

First episode. First scene first episode (I think). The audience was getting a tour.

[@streaky81]

First scene after the credits, there's actually a whole bunch before. Also the path he takes from Josh's office to the communications bullpen is hilarious.

[@steve0592]

Why do I suspect that someone printed this and tried to use it on January 6?

[@TomalakGeretkal]

Don't know, but it'd be for the wrong building for a start...

[@nhappynerd]

With all the reboots - can we PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE reboot TWW.

[@dafalzonAUS]

Pacman should be trying to chase them Lol

[@d.cummer2652]

Good lord, it’s a wonder the poor guy didn’t get motion sickness!

[@tdarkvane2465]

It seriously bugs me that they did this but in reality there is no second secretary or sitting room. Outside the oval office is a small secretary cubby then the cabinet room and around the Corner is the press room. I guess they changed it for creative reasons but it will NEVER not annoy me

[@roystonlodge]

I wonder, had the writers decided this early on that the president had MS?

[@kristofplovie]

Where's the block of cheese?

[@X.davidWilliams]

#867 Huzzah

[@EmeraldWilliams]

Sudden arboreal stop

[@JanitorIsBack]

Not accurate as in the first season CJs office was right next to Josh's

[@Ashfielder]

It was nice of the White House let them film all this in there while Bush was out on business.

[@DermottBanana]

Season 1 would have been filmed in 1999.

[@janetucker5963]

I'm so glad they dropped that obnoxious music!

[@zachmcnees]

Umm, what?