Theme:
The impact of mockumentary shooting and narrative on traditional film production
Mockumentary refers to a fictitious story filmed with the technique and form of documentary. Mockumentary shooting technique and narrative method has gradually become familiar in the early years of 21th century, its impact on traditional film shooting and narrative methods are controversial. Some people say that mockumentary improves the feeling of reality by using realistic shooting and sound, others think that the making and result of mockumentary shooting and narrative have too many limitations. This thesis will investigate, evaluate and measure the impact of mockumentary filming techniques on modern film narratives, and draw relevant conclusions.
Keywords: Mockumentary, film shooting, film narrative.
Outline Structure:
Introduction
Part1: Background of mockumentary shooting and narrative. (techniques, form and applied areas) + my argument + the organisation of essay
Main Body
Part2: Methodology
Part3: Argument1: Properly using mockumentary shooting and narrative techniques can help film makers enhance the atmosphere of the film and the reality of the world view.
Positive view: Subjective shooting, Breaking the Fourth Wall. Voyeuristic view
Nagative view: Camera shaking, Shooting limitations,
Refutation: citations&analysis
Part4: Argument2: Using mockumentary filming and narrative techniques can be a better way to enhance the criticism of reality than traditional film narrative.
Positive view: The blending of reality and fiction, Identity transfer.
Nagative view: Traditional film criticism techniques
Part5: Draw a conclusion. Suggestions. Talk about the future of mockumentary shooting and narrative.
References
Part6: References
Questions to research:
What is mockumentary?
Mockumentary is a kind of film works which shows audience the fiction stories in a documentary way. Mockumentary often shot with untraditional methods. For example, shooting with hand held camera devices or using interview perspective to tell story.
How many kinds of mockumentary shooting and narrative?
Based on the difference of narratives, mockumentary shooting and narrative can be separated into several forms:
- Fantasy stories made in a realistic style based on a purely fictional worldview. Example: The Blair Witch Project (1999), This is Spinal Tap (1984), District 9 (2009), Zelig (1983)
- The reproduction of scenes and characters based on real events. Example: JFK (1991)
- Artistic creation of characters and scenes based on one or more real events. Example: 24 City (2008), Death of a President (2006)
What is the difference between mockumentary, documentary and traditional film making?
The main difference between mockumentary and documentary is the authenticity. Documentary films record something really happened in the real world. However, what mockumentaries record are fictional settings and stories which are designed by directors and film makers. However, both mockumentary and documentary have same general characteristics of style which constructs the feeling of factuality. For example, poor lighting, unstable sound quality and minimum editing style. By mimicking the style of documentary, mockcumentary raises questions about the factual discourse of documentary.
What is the advantage of mockumentary shooting and narrative? Why?
One of the most important elements of mockumentary is its feeling of authenticity. Mockumentaries often allow for crazier narrative situations to be more readily accepted by audiences than if the same narrative situation appears in a film made more in the tradition of the classical Hollywood style. Gary D Rhodes’ mockumentary film Chair (Rhodes, 2001), using a realistic narrative and shooting method to tell about various cases that happened to the actor Bela Lugosi’s favorite piece of furniture after his death. Despite the ridiculousness of the faked story and fictitious characters, some audiences still believe that what they just witnessed was true until the director exposes the scam at the end of the film.
Another advantage of mockumentary is its nature of satire. By mimicking the style of documentary, mockcumentary raises questions about the factual discourse of documentary. Additionally, mockumentary narrative and shooting is a perfect way to reflect and question the social problems in real world. District 9 (2009), a science fiction mockumentary film directed by Neill Blomkamp in 2009, tells the story of alien refugee on earth to satirize the apartheid, which is a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa in South Africa from 1948 until the early 1990s. This is Spinal Tap (1984), a rock and roll mockumentary, satirizes the rollercoaster lifestyles of rock stars by creating and recording the life of a fake rock and roll band called Spinal Tap. The combination of real and fake brings mockumentary a great sense of humor and satire.
What is the disadvantage of mockumentary? Why?
One of the shortages of mockumentary is its visual experience. The shaking of hand held camera and the low quality of sound can make audience feel uncomfortable. It is hard for people to feel the location of characters in some situations because the shooting style of mockumentary limits its camera language. The lack of color correction and proper editing may make people feel confused and a sense of insecurity. However, this shortage can also become one of the adventages when director is shooting a horror topic mockumentary. The uncomfortable, unstable and messy camera shooting style can significantly increase the sense of fear and reveal the mental statement of characters.
Most of mockumentaries are horror and comedy, can it be applied in other themes or areas?
Science fiction. Disaster films. Serious topics like politics or social problems.
What is the realistic elements in mockumentary films? Examples?
Without question, the form of mockumentary shooting is totally fake because film makers use fake settings and fictional characters to build up the story. However, the theme of mockumentary narrative and social problems which mockumentary reflects really exist in real world. 24 City(2008), a mockumentary film shot by Jia Zhangke, follows three generations of characters in Chengdu (in the 1950s, the 1970s and the present) as a state-owned factory gives way to a modern apartment complex. The film
References:
Rhodes, G.D. 2002, “Mockumentaries and the Production of Realistic Horror”, Post Script – Essays in Film and the Humanities, vol. 21, no. 3, pp. 46-60.
Özge Akoğlu. 2010. Mock-documentary: questioning of factual discourse of documentary. M.S. – Master of Science. Middle East Technical University.
ROYAL, D.P., 2012. FALSIFYING THE FRAGMENTS: NARRATOLOGICAL USES OF THE MOCKUMENTARY IN HUSBANDS AND WIVES AND SWEET AND LOWDOWN. Post Script, 31(2), pp. 54-66,120.
DOSSER, M., 2020. Music in Comedy Television: Notes on Laughs. Music, Sound and the Moving Image, 14(1), pp. 79-82,91.
ANDERSON, K.T., 2009. Tickling and Teasing the Real: Mocking Reality TV in the Film “Series 7”. Post Script – Essays in Film and the Humanities, 28(3), pp. 108-122.
TAYLOR, H.M., 2007. More than a Hoax: William Karel’s Critical Mockumentary “Dark Side of the Moon”. Post Script – Essays in Film and the Humanities, 26(3), pp. 88-101.
CAMPBELL, M., 2007. The Mocking Mockumentary and the Ethics of Irony. Taboo, 11(1), pp. 53-62.
Allen, K. & Jensen, T. (2021, August 3). Mockumentary and the Sociological Imagination [Online]. The Sociological Review.
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Nenad Jovanovic (2021) Mockumentary between Factual and Poetic Truth: The Case of Tehran Has No More Pomegranates, Quarterly Review of Film and Video, DOI: 10.1080/10509208.2021.1948313
DAVIS, W., 2012. THE REALITY ANATOMIST: CHRIS LILLEY AND THE MOCKUMENTARY FORM. Screen Education, (67), pp. 94-102.
ROSCOE, J., 2000. Mock-Documentary Goes Mainstream: “The Blair Witch Project”. Jump Cut, , pp. 3-8.
SICINSKI, M., 2007. F Is for Phony: Fake Documentary and Truth’s Undoing. Cineaste, 32(3), pp. 87-89,75.
Geuens, J.-P. (2015) ‘The Dismantling of the Fourth Wall’, Quarterly Review of Film & Video, 32(4), pp. 314–328. doi: 10.1080/10509208.2014.968761.
Eugeni, R. 2012, “First person shot. New Forms of Subjectivity between Cinema and Intermedia Networks / El pla en primera persona. Noves formes de subjectivitat entre el cinema i les xarxes intermèdia / El plano en primera persona. Nuevas formas de subjetividad entre el cine y las redes intermedia”, Anàlisi : Quaderns de Comunicació i Cultura, , pp. 19-31.
Mercado, G. 2010, The Filmmaker’s Eye: Learning (and Breaking) the Rules of Cinematic Composition, Taylor & Francis Group, Oxford, p.83.
Albright, M. 2011, The Visible Camera: Hand-Held Camera Movement and Cinematograpohic Embodiment in Autobiographical Documentary, University of Southern California, Division of Critical Studies, Spectator, Los Angeles.
Film Reference:
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
This is Spinal Tap (1984)
District 9 (2009)
Man Bites Dog (1992)
JFK (1991)
24 City (2008)
Rec（2007）
Zelig (1983)