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Mockumentary
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Mockumentary (a portmanteau of mock and documentary), is a genre of film and television, or a single work of the genre. Although a mockumentary may be one of the comedy genres, serious mockumentaries also exist. The mockumentary is presented as a documentary recording real life, but is actually fictional. It is a commonly used medium for parody and satire. They are often used to analyze current events and issues by using a fictitious setting around it.
Mockumentaries are often presented as historical documentaries with b roll and talking heads discussing past events or as cinéma vérité pieces following people as they go through various events.
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Encyclopedia
Mockumentary (a portmanteau of mock and documentary), is a genre of film and television, or a single work of the genre. Although a mockumentary may be one of the comedy genres, serious mockumentaries also exist. The mockumentary is presented as a documentary recording real life, but is actually fictional. It is a commonly used medium for parody and satire. They are often used to analyze current events and issues by using a fictitious setting around it.
Mockumentaries are often presented as historical documentaries with b roll and talking heads discussing past events or as cinéma vérité pieces following people as they go through various events. Examples of this type of satire date back at least to the 1950s (a very early example was a short piece on the "Swiss Spaghetti Harvest" that appeared as an April fool's joke on the British television program Panorama in 1957), though the term "mockumentary" is thought to have first appeared in the mid-1980s when This Is Spinal Tap director Rob Reiner used it in interviews to describe that film.
The false documentary form has also been used for some dramatic productions (and precursors to this approach date back to the radio days and Orson Welles' production of H. G. Wells' novel, The War of the Worlds).
Mockumentaries are often partly or wholly improvised, as an unscripted style of acting helps to maintain the pretense of reality. Comedic mockumentaries rarely have laugh tracks, also to sustain the atmosphere, although there are exceptions - for example, Operation Good Guys had a laugh track from its second series onwards.
Comedic examples
Film
- All You Need Is Cash (aka The Rutles), Beatles parody telling of The Rutles' story, while also parodying documentary makers themselves. (UK, 1979)
- And God Spoke, about a director-producer partnership trying to create the definite cinematic version of The Bible on a shoestring budget. Co-starring Soupy Sales (as Moses), Eve Plumb (as Noah's wife), Lou Ferrigno (as Cain), and Andy Dick (as Abel). (US, 1999)
- Better Than Andy, telling the story of a Finnish contemporary artist, Tero Himanka (FIN / US, 2009)
- Auto Destruct: One Man's Obsession with William Shatner, award winning mockumentary by director James Wilkes about an obsessed William Shatner fan. (Canada, 2005)
- Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, A film crews follow Leslie Vernon, a serial-killer in training. (US, 2005)
- Believe, story of multi-level marketing and a failed pyramid scheme (US, 2007)
- Best in Show, story of some contestants at a national dog show (UK/US, 2000)
- The Big Tease, a Scottish hairdresser's journey to the US for a hairdressing competition, filmed with mockumentary elements.
- Bob Roberts, a Tim Robbins satiric film about a right wing folksinger's crooked election campaign. (US, 1992)
- Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, about a Kazakh journalist's journey through the United States. (US, 2006)
- Bottomfeeders, a presidential campaign movie. (US, 2001)
- Boyz Unlimited about a manufactured and untalented boy band. (UK, 1999)
- The Bronswick Affair, a mockumentary about a brand of television sets which makes watchers impulsively buy advertised goods in grotesque quantities.
- CB4, a parody rapumentary that follows the story of CB4, a fictional rap group that is loosely based on N.W.A. and 2 Live Crew.
- The Canadian Conspiracy, about a supposed Canadian plan to subvert the United States by taking over its media. (US, 1985)
- Chalk, 2007 movie based on two teachers' real life experiences. LA Weekly said to think of it as "To Sir, with Sarcasm."
- Comic Book: The Movie, a 2004 direct-to-DVD release mockumentary about a comic book fanboy dealing with the unfaithful film adaptation of his favorite character, set to the backdrop of the 2002 San Diego Comic-Con.
- Confetti (film), a British mockumentary about a fashion magazine wedding competition
- Dark Side of the Moon tries to portray the moon landings as a creation in a movie lot by Stanley Kubrick. (France, 2002)
- The Delicate Art of Parking, a Canadian mockumentary about parking-enforcement officers.
- Dill Scallion, a 1999 feature follows the rise and fall of country-western singer Dill Scallion (Billy Burke) in the mode of Spinal Tap.
- Dog Bites Man, a parody of local news coverage, and follows the misadventures of a struggling news team as they travel around the country producing news segments.
- Drop Dead Gorgeous a camera crew follows beauty pageant contestants in a small town.
- The Dungeons And Dragons Movie, story of a Dungeon Master running his last campaign with his close-knit and eccentric group of friends. (US, 2006)
- Eye of the gamer, an online show about the daily lives of high school nerds.
- Farce of the Penguins, a direct-to-video film which is a parody of March of the Penguins. (US, 2007)
- Fear of a Black Hat follows the fictional rap group, "N.W.H.", as it evolves with the genre from its popular origins to the advent of gangsta rap. (US, 1994)
- Fellowship of the Dice (film) story of a first time gamer's introduction to the Role-playing game world.
- Finishing the GameThe story of the search for the "new" Bruce Lee to finish "The Game of Death."
- First on the Moon (?????? ?? ???? or Pervye na Lune), Venice Film Festival winner. A mockumentary about the first Russian spa?e voyage, supposedly accomplished in 1938. Mixes archival footage and fake KGB materials. (Russia, 2005)
- Forgotten Silver by Costa Botes and Peter Jackson, parody of a historical documentary about a "forgotten" filmmaker. (New Zealand, 1995)
- FUBAR by Michael Dowse, a mockumentary that has achieved cult status about head-banger subculture, especially within Canada. (Canada, 2002)
- Fudge 44 by Graham Jones, a mockumentary about six puppets in a financially impoverished Tokyo children's puppet theatre who, locals believe, came to life and robbed a nearby bank to avoid being put out of business. (Ireland, 2005)
- Gamers: The Movie by Chris Folino, an award-winning mockumentary about players trying to set a record for playing a Dungeons and Dragons-like ironically cast with 80's film stars. (US, 2006)
- Get Ready to be Boyzvoiced, a film following fictional Norwegian boy band Boyzvoice (Norway, 2000)
- A Great Disturbance, In April 2005, a film crew follows five Star Wars fans to the 3rd Bi-Annual Star Wars Convention and a great documentary evolves into a great disturbance. (US, 2006)
- G-SALE by Randy Nargi, scripted mockumentary about garage sale fanatics. (US, 2003)
- Hard Core Logo, following in the tradition of This Is Spinal Tap, this film traces the final tour of an overaged punk band, and serves as a model for the death of "true" punk rock. The film's associated album, A Tribute to Hard Core Logo, has several notable bands performing cover versions of Hard Core Logo songs, and is packaged as if Hard Core Logo were a real band. (Canada, 1996)
- The Heavenly Kings, a film following the Cantopop boy band Alive, fronted by Daniel Wu (who also directed the film). (Hong Kong, 2006)
- High Hopes, by Kevin Vallejo, following the lives of paintballers. (Canada, 2006)
- How to Irritate People, the 1968 "guide" written mostly by John Cleese and featuring Graham Chapman, Michael Palin, and Connie Booth.
- Incident at Loch Ness, the tale of all hell breaking loose as famous filmmaker Werner Herzog attempts to make a documentary about the Nessie myth while a documentary about his life is being filmed and a pigheaded producer (Zak Penn) tries his damndest to make Herzog's film a mindless high-grossing blockbuster. (US, 2004)
- It's All Gone Pete Tong, a comedy following the tragic life of legendary DJ Frankie Wilde. The story takes us through Frankie's life from one of the best DJ's alive, through subsequent battle with a hearing disorder, culminating in his mysterious disappearance from the scene. (UK, Canada, 2004)
- Jackie's Back! Comedy following the comeback of has-been soul diva Jackie Washington (Jenifer Lewis). (USA, 1999)
- Jára Cimrman ležící, spící (literally translated: Jára Cimrman lying, sleeping), about Czech fictitious genius Jára Cimrman. (Czechoslovakia, 1983)
- Kenny, the life of a portable toilet installer in Melbourne, Australia. (Australia 2006)
- The Last Polka, John Candy and Eugene Levy mockumentary about the last concert of the Shmenge Brothers, a Leutonian Polka duet whose characters were first developed on Second City Television.
- The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico, the rise and fall of a fabled Canadian country-rocker. (Canada, 2005)
- LolliLove, a story about a husband and wife team, played by James Gunn and Jenna Fischer, who form a charity to give each homeless person a lollipop with a cheery slogan on the wrapper, but who are really only serving themselves. (USA, 2004)
- Man Bites Dog, Rémy Belvaux black comedy/satire in which a film crew follows a serial killer documenting his crimes. (Belgium, 1992)
- Magician or Menace?: The Story of Johnny Popolopalous, a young magician's attempt to get back into the magic community and pull the world's greatest illusion. (AUS, 2006)
- Magnus Opus, black comedy about a messianic performance artist and his rise to stardom. (Canada, 2003)
- Man of the Year, a satirical look, directed by former Playgirl magazine Man of the Year Dirk Shafer, at his reign as Man of the Year as a closeted gay man. (USA, 1995)
- Medusa: Dare to Be Truthful, a "behind the scenes" exposé of pop singer and sex symbol Medusa, on her "Blonde Leading the Blonde" concert tour. (US, 1992)
- Meech Lake Accord, an insider's view of Brian Mulroney's failed attempt at amending the Canadian Constitution, filmed by Octagon Productions (Canada, 2006)
- A Mighty Wind, story of three groups of folk singers who come together at a tribute concert in honor of their recently deceased manager. (US, 2003)
- Mike Bassett: England Manager, the fortunes of a lacklustre England football manager in the World Cup (UK, 2001)
- Mnága - Happy end, fictional story about real rock band. (CZ, 1996)
- The Naked Brothers Band (film) The plot centers around two real-life brothers Nat and Alex Wolff about a preteen fantasy of a world-famous kids rock band. (2005)
- The National Scream, the investigation of the disappearance of the official beaver, the national symbol of Canada.
- Ned Danny's "The Cleaners", a documentary filmmaker's attempt at making a film about murderers after murder has been legalized.
- The Old Negro Space Program, mockumentary about the fictional "NASSA" or "Negro American Space Society of Astronauts," lampooning far-reaching racial segregation in the United States; subtitled "the shocking but false story of America's blackstronauts".
- On Edge, a mocumentary about figure skating (US, 2001)
- Otaku no Video, an anime film by Gainax featuring live-action news segments of events past the film's 1985 release date. (Japan, 1991)
- The Progressives - The Film, satirical documentary about London band The Progressives, 2005.
- Pure Pwnage, an Internet-distributed show about a gamer followed around by his brother created by Geoff Lapaire, and Jarett Cale.
- R2-D2: Beneath the Dome, the career of supposed real-life actor R2-D2, who was played in reality by Kenny Baker and puppeteer Don Bies, co-director of this mockumentary.
- Real Life, Albert Brooks directs a documentary about a year in the life of an average American family (headed by Charles Grodin). (US, 1979)
- Rock-U-Mockumentary, The Really Spontaneous Theatre Company creates a live theater show which is a spoof of VH1's popular show Behind the Music. (US, 2005)
- September Tapes - Christian Johnson directs a faux documentary about a man who's wife was killed in the September 11th attacks, and how he goes to Afghanistan with a camera to try and find Bin Laden. (US, 2004)
- "Snub: The Movie" The story of how one skeleton has influenced history through the centuries with appearances by Bruce the Big Gay Bigfoot. (US, 2007)
- Surf's Up, an animated mockumentary that follows the progress of a surfer penguin named Cody Maverick as he enters a surfing competition.
- Take the Money and Run, the second film directed by Woody Allen, in which Allen plays an ambitious but clumsy burglar. (US, 1969)
- The Last Dragon, a mockumentary on the history of dragons had they existed.
- This Is Spinal Tap follows a (fake) British rock band on tour long past their salad days. Also coined the term rockumentary. (US, 1984)
- Waiting for Guffman, a small Missouri town's celebration of its sesquicentennial. (US, 1996)
- Yacht Rock, a mockumentary series on adult comtemporary music during the late 1970s and early 1980s.
- Zelig, a mockumentary by Woody Allen about a man who changes his physical appearance in order to fit in.
- Do or Die: The College Admissions Process, a mockumentary about the college admissions process.
Television
Series
- Brass Eye, a series of mockumentaries by Chris Morris (UK, 1997)
- Da Ali G Show, a mockumentary show about a wanna-be British rapper who asks the stupidest questions and lives in the suburbs (US 2003-2004)
- Look Around You, a parody of educational TV (season 1) and documentary about "the world and future of science and technology" (season 2), set roughly 25 years before the actual release dates (UK, 2002 and 2005)
- The Games, an Australian TV comedy that follows the mayhem and bureaucratic snafu faced by the organisers of the 2000 Sydney Olympics. (Australia, 1998 and 2000)
- Jimmy MacDonald's Canada, lost episodes of a mid-1960s public affairs show hosted by Jimmy MacDonald who was played by Richard Waugh. The show combined new segments with authentic news and human interest archive footage. (Canada, 2005)
- The Naked Brothers Band, two real-life brothers Nat and Alex Wolff about a teenage fantasy of a world-famous kids' rock band that is based around their real-life band their formed back in pre-school. The series is created by the boys' real-life mother actress Polly Draper. (US, 2007)
- The Office, British satire on white-collar management, later remade for US and other audiences (UK/USA, 2001/2005).
- Operation Good Guys, a British satire of an incompetent police force (often seen as a precursor to The Office, see above).
- People Like Us, a British radio and TV comedy, featuring an inept interviewer (played by Chris Langham), who interviews people in various jobs. (UK, radio from 1995 to 1997, and television series 1999 to 2000.)
- Platinum Weird, a band formed by Dave Stewart and Kara DioGuardi, and the subject of a VH1 mockumentary.
- Prehistoric Park, a six-episode mockumentary that depicts a hypothetical scenario whereby a time machine is used to create a wildlife park.
- Reno 911! Comedy Central parody of COPS about an inept police force in Reno, Nevada.
- Summer Heights High, an Australian TV mockumentary about three fictitious characters at a public high school. All three protagonists are played by the actor and show's creator, Chris Lilley. Two of the characters in this series are characters previously featured in two of Chris Lilley's past television shows, including "We Can Be Heroes". (Australia, 2005)
- Trailer Park Boys, follows Julian, Ricky, and Bubbles, as they commit crimes, and hatch crack-pot schemes to make money, most of which are illegal and often involve growing marijuana.
- Total Drama Island a Canadian TV mockumentary of reality shows about a group of teens competing for $10,000. The second series Total Drama Action will parody Films
- We Can Be Heroes, an Australian TV mockumentary about five fictitious candidates nominated for the prestigious Australian of the Year Award. All five protagonists are played by the actor and show's creator, Chris Lilley. (Australia, 2005)
- Gerhard Reinke's Wanderlust A travel show following the misadventures of a bumbling German backpacker as he travels the globe in search of reasonably priced culturally enriching experiences.
Specials & One-offs
- Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO Special about the making of an HBO special.
- Norbert Smith - a Life, a personal project by English comedian Harry Enfield, satirising TV arts show biographies, British films of the 20th century, and the British acting fraternity.
Individual episodes
Sometimes an episode of an otherwise non-mockumentary series will be presented as a mockumentary.
Dramatic examples
Film
- AFR (2007), a Danish mockumentary about the fictional killing of the Danish prime minister by his secret gay lover.
- Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County (1998), a horror mockumentary that presents an "unedited" camcorder recording of a rural American family's encounter with aliens.
- The Blair Witch Project, fictional story presented as non-fiction about three filmmaker's disappearances while making a documentary film about a supernatural being described in local folklore. (The backstory of the being, a witch, had no basis in fact, either.) Also see Curse of the Blair Witch.
- Cannibal Holocaust (1980), perhaps the first horror mockumentary and a predecessor of the Blair Witch Project. It tells the story of film students who take a trip to the Colombian jungle and encounter cannibals.
- C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America, an alternate history in which the Confederates won the American Civil War.
- Culloden (1964), a BBC "documentary" of the battle from 1746, presented as if cameras had been there to film it.
- Dadetown (1995), a faux documentary along the lines of Roger & Me - conflict in a small town between a fading industry and an emerging one.
- David Holzman's Diary (1968), one of the earliest examples of false documentaries. In it a young man creates a film "diary" of his life falling apart.
- The Day Britain Stopped, detailing a series of events leading from a nationwide train strike in the midst of winter, forcing all Britain's motorways to become gridlocked. The lack of employees able to make it to work in turn leads to two aircraft colliding over London.
- Death of a President, a fictional documentary presented as being produced in 2008 detailing the assassination of United States president George W. Bush on October 19, 2007.
- Diary of the Dead George A. Romero's 2008 zombie film.
- Fandom: A True Film (2004), a blend of documentary and mockumentary footage. Tells the story of an obsessed fan who travels to meet Natalie Portman and loses his mind along the way.
- I Am a Purifier! (2002), a short film directed by Kiarash Anvari. Tells the story of a young Prostitute tries to adapt herself with two different layers of this film; fiction and documentary.
- Interview With the Assassin, with Raymond J. Barry as a terminally-ill man claiming he, not Lee Harvey Oswald, killed President John F. Kennedy.
- The Last Broadcast, a horror film — the first film to be shot, edited, and distributed digitally — in the form of a documentary about the mysterious disappearance of a pair of cable television producers.
- Made in Secret: The Story of the East Van Porn Collective (2005), a fictional documentary about an anarcho-feminist porn collective.
- The Magician (2005), an Australian mockumentary following the works of a hit man in Melbourne.
- Il Mistero di Lovecraft - Road To L. (2005), an Italian horror mockumentary about H.P. Lovecraft coming to Italy in 1926.
- Nothing So Strange, a fictional documentary about Citizens for Truth, an organization seeking further investigation into the 1999 assassination of Bill Gates.
- No Burgers for Bigfoot (2007), a fictional documentary, spoofing the amateur filmmaking. From casting calls to, on locations shoots, to the film's premiere. No Burgers.. follows the director Michael Justice, and cast as they search for the Bigfoot inside us all.
- Oil Storm (2005), a fictional documentary involving increased oil prices and a hurricane similar to Hurricane Katrina.
- Punishment Park (1971)
- REC (2007), a Spanish horror mockumentary about a news crew that while making an episode of their TV show runs into a mysterious and deadly infection.
- The Second Renaissance (2003), a two-piece anime film and a part of The Animatrix. Presents fictional events leading to "machine rule" and to the Matrix series in documentary-style.
- Supervolcano, a docudrama about the eruption of a Yellowstone volcano.
- ...Va man dar khoshbakhti-e shirin be donya amadam! (aka ... and I was born to sweet delight!) (2000), directed by Iranian film maker Kiarash Anvari, is an experimental mockumentary in Samuel Beckett's style jumps from one time zone to another. Tells the story of a lonely man who films his daily life by an 8 mm camera and his lonely neighbour who talks about his daily life on reel tapes. They fill their lonliness in these ways.
- The War Game (1966), a fictional, worst-case-scenario docu-drama about nuclear war and its aftermath in and around a typical English city.
- The Forbidden Quest (1993), In 1931, an Irish film maker catches up with J.C. Sullivan, the carpenter and last surviving crew member of the Hollandia, a Norse ship that sailed in 1905 to Antarctica. The carpenter has old film footage to back up his tale of the events of the doomed ship.
Television
Specials
Individual episodes
- The West Wing
- "Access", a fake behind-the-scenes documentary about a day in the White House of President Josiah Bartlet, supposedly released after his term in office has ended.
- The X-Files
- "X-Cops", an episode made to look like an episode of the actual show COPS
- ER
- "Ambush", a fake documentary about a day in the ER shot by a PBS crew, and aired live.
Other Mock Films and Television
Reality Shows
News Shows
- Special Bulletin (1983), was an NBC made-for-TV movie, which portrayed a live broadcast from a fictional American broadcasting network (Republic Broadcasting System, or RBS) on a nuclear terrorism incident in Charleston, South Carolina as they occurred. The realism of the broadcast caused a minor panic in Charleston at the time of its first airing, despite disclaimers shown after each commercial break.
- Without Warning (1994), was another TV film in the form of a mock newscast. Produced by CBS, it covered an apocalyptic alien attack scenario as seen through the eyes of a network TV news crew. Like Special Bulletin, reports of panic were also associated with its broadcast.
- Countdown to Looking Glass (1984), a cable-TV docu-drama presented as a series of news reports concerning an escalation in the Middle East between the US and the USSR, that eventually leads to nuclear war. (This film, however, isn't completely a documentary as it includes dramatic interludes).
- Ghostwatch (1992), a BBC television special in which a fictitious "live" paranormal investigation goes awry.
- Babylon 5
Found footage
Some films and shows take on the form of (fake) raw footage.
- Cloverfield, a 2008 movie which revolves around a skyscraper-sized monster that attacks New York. It is told from the point of view of a small group of people using a handheld camera. It is portrayed as footage classified by the US military. (US, 2008)
- The Blair Witch Project, fictional story presented as non-fiction about three filmmaker's disappearances while making a documentary film about a supernatural being described in local folklore.
- "Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County", A 1998 movie that presents an "unedited" camcorder recording of a rural American family's encounter with aliens.
- Lost Tapes, a 2009 series on Animal Planet, consisting of traumatic experiences with creatures that may or may not exist.
Filmographies
Footnotes
See also
External links
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