Mockumentary: Difference between revisions

See also: the [[Documentary Episode]], a [[Framing Device]] or [[Plots|plot]] used for certain episodes on a drama or comedy series. Meanwhile, the [[Faux Documentary]] is what a Mockumentary becomes when it often discards the constraints of a supposed documentary crew. Also see [[Left It In]], when people in the documentary directly request (to the camera) that something be cut or edited out, a request that is denied, since you, the viewer, still get to see it.

 

== [[Anime]] ==

* ''[[The Idolmaster (Anime)|THE iDOLM@STER]]'' - The first episode.

* ''[[The Canadian Conspiracy]]'' (1985) -- An HBO/CBC co-production, this comedy featured an "exposé" of the secret Canadian plan to overthrow the US through infiltration of the entertainment industry. All the people named as infiltrators who were "interviewed" or "ambushed" played themselves, from Eugene Levy, the defector revealing the conspiracy, to Lorne Greene, the godfather of the operation. Worked because, at least for the American audience, most probably weren't aware of how many Canadians there actually were (and are) working in Los Angeles and New York.

* ''[[Ghostwatch]]'' (1992) -- A ghost story presented as a live TV broadcast. Caused much controversy, due to many people, again, not realizing it wasn't real. Even though the actor playing the ghost was credited.

** Despite the commercial wipes clearly depicting it as a work of fiction, television networks received a high number of calls from viewers duped into thinking it was real.

* ''[[Curse Of The Blair Witch]]'' (1999) -- A Sci-Fi channel broadcast produced as a tie-in with ''[[The Blair Witch Project]]'', itself a mockumentary of sorts. The program investigated the film as though it were an actual document of real events, investigates the history of the Blair Witch and other disappearances, and features faux "experts" and townspeople reporting their experiences. Caused much public confusion over whether the story was true or not, and to this day visitors to Burkittsville, MD ask to see fictional landmarks such as the "Witch's Rock".

* A local example: the comedy-sketch show ''[[Almost Live]]!'' used to be produced by and air on the NBC affiliate in Seattle, Washington. One week (on April Fools Day) they "interrupted" the show with a serious-seeming "newscast" which announced that the landmark Space Needle had fallen over in a windstorm. Enough people believed the report that the station later issued a formal apology.

* ''[[Babylon Five]]'' did this for one episode: And Now For A Word. They used it to subtly establish the nature and biases of the in-universe mainstream media, before they became plot-important.

* Also from ''[[The Comic Strip Presents]]'', the episode "Eddie Monsoon, A Life" is a mockumentary about an insane, failed TV host.

* ''[[Dragons a Fantasy Made Real]]'', follows the discovery of the body of a real dragon, and shows the science that would justify the evolution of such a creature.

 

== Western Animation ==

** Which obviously owes something to the Eighties-era animated sports mockumentary ''[[Animalympics (Animation)|Animalympics]]''. With the major difference being that ''Animalympics'' had no central character, no unifying narrative, and was loaded to the brim with celebrity and pop culture references of the day. In contrast, ''Surfs Up'' follows a limited cast of characters on a definite story arc, with cultural references being narrowed to the archetypes often seen in sportsdocs.

* ''[[The Simpsons (Animation)|The Simpsons]]'': The "documentary" episode ''Behind the Laughter'' from the 11th season.