mockumentary

Mockumentary (portmanteau of mock documentary. Also, fictional documentary, false documentary) names a film and TV genre, or a single work of the genre. The mockumentary is presented as if it were a documentary, though it is not factual. It is a commonly used medium for parody and satire. In its comedic form, it is also called docu-comedy. Mockumentaries are often presented as historical documentaries with b-roll and talking heads discussing past events or as cinema verite 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' The War of the Worlds.)

Comedic Examples

Best in Show, (improvised) story of some contestants at a national dog show (UK/US, 2000)
Big Tuna, mockumentary about Max Tuna Schreiber, who was the first candid camera film-maker in Israel. (Israel, 2003)
Bob Roberts, a Tim Robbins satiric film about a right wing folksinger's crooked election campaign. (US, 1992
Brass Eye, an entire series of mockumentaries by Chris Morris (UK), 1997
The Canadian Conspiracy, about a supposed Canadian plan to subvert the United States by taking over its media. (US,1985)
Dark Side of the Moon tries to portray the moon landings as a creation in a movie lot by Stanley Kubrick. (French, date unknown)
Fear of a Black Hat follows the fictional rap group, "NWH", as it evolves with the genre from its popular origins to the advent of gangsta rap. (US, 1994)
Forgotten Silver by Costa Botes and Peter Jackson, parody of a historical documentary about a "forgotten" filmmaker. (New Zealand 1995)
Get Ready to be Boyzvoiced, a film following fictional Norwegian boy band Boyzvoice (Norway, 2000)
G-SALE by Randy Nargi, scripted mockumentary about garage sale fanatics in the style of Christopher Guest. (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. (Canadian, 1996)
, HBO Special about the making of an HBO Special
Man Bites Dog, black comedy/satire in which a film crew follows a serial killer documenting his crimes. (Belgian, 1992)
A Mighty Wind, (improvised) story about a group of folk musicians who reunite to pay tribute to their producer. (US,2003)
, is a satirical comedy in documentary style following the fortunes of a lacklustre England football manager in the World Cup (UK, 2001)
The Office, a British TV comedy about an everyday office with a horrible manager, David Brent. (UK, 2001 to 2003)
On Edge, a mocumentary about figure skating (US, 2001)
Operation Good Guys, a British TV comedy focusing on a group of Undercover Policemen. (UK, 1997)
Otaku no Video, an anime film by GAINAX featuring live-action news segments of events past the film's 1985 release date. (Japan, 1985)
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.)
Real Life, Albert Brooks directs a documentary about a year in the life of an average American family (headed by Charles Grodin). (US, 1979.)
All You Need Is Cash (aka The Rutles), Beatles parody telling of the Rutles' story, while also parodying documentary makers themselves. (UK, 1979)
This Is Spinal Tap, follows a British rock band on tour long past their salad days. (UK, 1984)
Sweet and Lowdown, faux documentary about a jazz guitarist. (US, 1999)
Take the Money and Run, Woody Allen film chronicling the mis-adventures of a bankrobber. (US, 1969)
Trailer Park Boys, a Canadian TV comedy focusing on the misadventures of ex-cons living in a trailer park near Halifax, Nova Scotia. (Canadian, 2001 to 2005)
Waiting for Guffman, (improvised) story of a small Missouri town's celebration of its sesquicentennial. (US, 1996)
Zelig, Woody Allen movie telling of a chameleon-like individual who blended in wherever he went. (US, 1983)
Run Ronnie Run! a humorous look following a redneck Ronnie on his rise to public fame through his arrests, by the folks who created Mr. Show. (US, 2002)

Dramatic Examples

The Blair Witch Project, a horror film in the form of a documentary about a vanished film crew
The Last Broadcast, another horror film in the form of a documentary about a vanished film crew
Special Bulletin, a 1983 TV movie commenting on the nuclear arms race, which is presented as a mock-TV news broadcast involving a terrorists with a homemade nuclear bomb.
The War Game, a fictional, worst-case-scenario docu-drama about nuclear war and its aftermath in and around a typical English city

Mockumentary

Comedic Examples

Dramatic Examples

See also