Mockumentary Genre: Alive and Well, or Suffering for Recognition?

The Office (US), television - Mockumentary genre, alive and well?The mockumentary genre has seen vast changes in its filming styles across the decade. Originally seen as a peculiar genre, mockumentary has struggled in the past to get any recognition or significant viewership due to its unique style.

However, particularly in television, we have seen a shift in this genre as shows like The Office, Modern Family, Wellington Paranormal and (to a degree) Brooklyn Nine-Nine have used mockumentary techniques as a means of creating modern comedy.

The mockumentary genre is rather simple in its techniques. Using documentary techniques such as B-roll (background) footage, talking heads, narration and steadicam, this genre aims to use these serious techniques to create comedy. The documentary style of filmmaking is one that doesn’t always appeal to modern audiences. Displayed as realism, this style would mainly appeal to audiences who enjoyed the documentary genre but who also had a certain sense of humour. Similarly, if the content was confused for a real event, viewers would mistake the film as a documentary and dismiss it instantly.

Films such as Best in Show, Borat and This is Spinal Tap didn’t necessarily reach a wide audience demographic due to the slower filming style. This slower, yet more realistic portrayal of characters can sometimes frustrate an overly impatient audience. Blockbusters are by far the highest-earning films in the box office, and this has changed the way people engage with cinema. More fast-paced, less about story, some audiences have become accustomed to a certain style of film. Mockumentary usually goes against the typical blockbuster narrative and embraces the documentary tropes.

Borat, film - Mockumentary genre, alive and well?Borat briefly reinvented the mockumentary genre with Sasha Baron Cohen creating this unique and loveable character, commenting on the bizarre culture of America. For the first time in a long time, mockumentary was on the radar of cinema again being number 1 on its release weekend. Directors and audience members seemed to become more welcome to this style of filming and for a brief moment even documentaries were viewed on the regular.

However, Borat’s success didn’t mean the genre’s exisiting problems vanished. Shortly after, Joaquin Phoenix released his unique mockumentary drama/comedy I’m Still Here. Following Phoenix, this mockumentary was filmed and presented as a documentary and only revealed after its release to be entirely orchestrated and acted. Some actors involved in the production found this frustrating and offensive, but Joaquin used this medium as a platform to speak against the stress and pressure of the Hollywood industry. However, the reception of the film was still split and many audience members found the content to be too confronting and inappropriate.

Today, mockumentary tropes are seen more frequently than ever, even if it is not always a black-and-white mockumentary. Shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine have used techniques such as the steadicam to create a feeling of reality in the filming style. Modern Family, still an extremely popular comedy television series, uses mockumentary techniques with talking heads, B-roll footage and narration. While audiences aren’t entirely aware that these techniques are what they are experiencing, the mockumentary genre is very evident.

The Office (US) started in 2005 after Borat and before I’m Still Here and initially had a smaller audience base. However, over time the audience grew and became a very popular comedy TV series. Television shows like Parks and Recreation and Veep also followed the success of The Office and this new form of comedy (sans laughing track) became a regular occurrence on television.

While the film industry hasn’t seen drastic changes in the reception of mockumentary films, the television industry has embraced this style of filmmaking and several modern comedies use this style of comedy to great affect. Perhaps this genre is best suited to the small screen, rather than competing against multi-million dollar blockbusters?

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply