Saturday, November 14, 2015

What A Mockumentary Really Is

By Mattie Knight


Mockumentaries are known to be a documentaries that are completely fictional but would actually cover real events. Basically, a mockumentary is actually just a parody that would make use of an entire fictional story with a setting and characters that are not real but seem real. These shows are actually widely watched by viewers since this is a fictional type of story that would be presented like it was real so it is something different.

Now there are two types of mockumentaries that one can see on TV. The first one is known as the comedic type while the other one is known as the drama type. Obviously the comedic one lies under the genre of comedy while the drama type falls under the genre of drama, horror, action, or thriller types.

Now the first one, which is the comedic one, is the more common as as it is actually the more popular one because it shows real events in a very funny light that is somewhat ironic. Now the presentation would appear to be quite serious in nature but there would be a lot of funny punchlines and dialogues that would really make people laugh out loud. Now to add to the effect, there are not any laugh tracks which would make the documentary even more real that it is supposed to be.

The second type which is the drama type is actually a more serious one that would usually try to depict some sort of message. This would also show a certain issue or a story of a person with a lot of dramatization just like a movie except that it is presented to look like it is real. Of course the setting, characters, and story plot are all fictional.

Now exactly like in documentaries, these mockumentaries would also have a specific time line that they would follow when showing the events of the film. The same would go for the mockumentaries that would be showcasing the life of a person and the events in his life. There is a sequence that should be followed so that it will look as realistic as possible.

These types of documentaries only really popularized in the eighties when director Rob Reiner who directed This Is Spinal Tap coined the term in an interview. From there, these kinds of shows took off in terms of popularity with a lot of people enjoying these types of shows. Some of which even made their way to the cinemas in some countries and in some regions.

One of the most popular mockumentaries in the comedic genre is the one about Borat which depicts cultural differences. Another very popular one is Bruno which now tackles the issue of gay men in a funny way. Many more out there would include Confetti and Im Still Here.

For the drama types, probably one of the most popular would be the Blair Witch Project. This is a horror documentary that paved way for many more to come like the Last Exorcism and Paranormal Activity. For thriller and action types, there would be the films like Into the Storm and Cloverfield.




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