Genre Analysis: Mockumentary

Within the last 20 years, a specific type of genre has become ever popular and increasingly relevant in our media centric world. The mockumentary form of entertainment has taken roots as a very real way of presenting farce and through this farce revealing truths about our own lives. I personally have always found the mockumentary to be interesting: a genre that serves to not only parody on the topic matter but also to parody the form of the documentary whilst using it to show convey messages. To this end (with its increasing relevancy and my intrigue), I hope to explore the genre and hope to show ways one might teach this to children today.

Before delving deeper into the form, let us first define and look at early uses of the form. A common definition or understanding of the mockumentary can be derived from looking at the root of the word. First "mock" or commonly known as to make fun off in a light and sometimes sophomoric manner. The second half of the word "mentary" suggests the relationship between the mockumentary and documentary. Thusly, a clear definition can be arrived at which is a documentary that makes fun of something and serves to not take itself all together serious or is not a real topic matter.

The form had not been classified until this decade, however early examples of the form can been seen as early as the 1930s. Perhaps the earliest classified example of this is with Orson Wells' classic radio broadcast, "War of the Worlds". While it doesn't have the exact characteristics of the modern form, we can see some very strong relations between now and then. For example, the broadcast started with a title sequence that articulated the fact that it is fiction. In contrast, when inside the content it seeks to present the illusion of reality by finding ways to make it believable.



Once film and television was established as a main form of media, we get some more forms of mockumentaries popping up along the way. Take for example, the fictional Beatles film "A Hard Day's Night" (1964). The film shows us the day in the life of the popular band, but the day is scripted out yet filmed as an authentic "day in the life of..." kind of film. Another thing to note is the effect of the camera in this film as it is not on a steady cam or stationary position (like a tripod). This is intentionally used to simulate the feeling of actually moving through the world and a kind of extemporaneous filming style, hinting to the authenticity of a documentary. While not conveying messages or revealing much, the film shows us another step in the evolution of the mockumentary.



As the 1980s role around, we start to get more and more of these mockumentaries popping up in film. Film makers like Woody Allen begin to fully explore this type of film in depth. However, the current form of this kind of genre can first be seen as fully realized in Christopher Guest and Rob Reiner's film, "This is Spinal Tap." This film follows the fictional band Spinal Tap as they prepare to go on tour. The film is a clear parody of rock and roll band, life style, and of the string of rock and roll documentaries that came before it.



From there, there becomes a somewhat constant stream of mockumentaries entering the public entertainment sphere. The 1990s came out with a string of these films (also written by Christopher Guest) like "Best in Show, and "Waiting for Guffman". Then the genre took a turn and finally found some ground television with the 2000s British Comedy "The Office" and eventually its similar named American spin off. In 2007, one writer from "The Office" took the style and wrote a new show currently airing called "Parks and Recreation".

The Office:


Film at this point still came out with a few mockumentaries in the 2000s, but they seem to have some kind of hybridity with true documentaries and docufiction (a term for a mix between documentary and fiction). Some of these films include "CSA: Confederate States of America" and the Sasha Baron Cohen films "Borat" and "Bruno". What is most interesting of these new films are how they begin to integrate the real world with the mockumentary. For example, Cohen's films present characters that have loaded prejudices and presents them in a real life setting to see what the reaction it. I would still argue it is a mockumentary being that the intent and character is scripted out making it a mockumentary rather than a more fictional "docufiction". The inclusion of Borat and Bruno in the mockumentary opened up the genre to being not only a totally created script but also to the inclusion of real people in more of a documentary style of play.

Borat:


From looking at these types of mockumentaries, one can establish trends and commonalities in how the genre takes form. Firstly, the mockumentary seems to focus on a definable characteristic of a person that can either be a personality or profession (office worker, rock star, dog trainer, etc...). Obviously, the genre hopes to highlight areas or traits of the profession by either showing absurdity in the profession or through realizations through viewing the characteristic in action. There is no list of characteristics that clearly define a mockumentary, because the list is ever evolving and changing. Allowing for pliability and flexibility in the definition. The basic idea of it is that one can see the fiction in the form yet the ability for it to pass as reality conveys the message in it. The worlds created in the mockumentary must be real or at least realistic fiction. Most successful mockumentaries must give off the feeling that a person could in fact live in this fictional world and that perhaps that is not a good things. What one does to prevent living in that world is how the message is derived out of the genre.