Mockumentaries have existed since the 1950s but became more popular starting in the 1980s. Some of the most famous early mockumentaries included This is Spinal Tap (1984), which parodied rock documentaries, and Zelig (1983), which spoofed 1920s newsreels. In recent decades, mockumentary films like Borat (2006) and television shows like The Thick of It and Veep have effectively satirized politics and society through a documentary format with improvised dialogue.

1. [Research]
Mockumentaries The history of staged
documentaries.

2. In the Beginning
❖ The origins of the mockumentary
are not entirely clear, but the first
examples appeared in the 1950s
when archive footage became
more readily available.
❖ One of the earliest and most
famous examples is the BBC’s
1957 ‘Spaghetti-tree hoax’,
broadcast on April Fools’ Day as
an edition of Panorama. This was
only possible because the viewing
public could not as readily access
information as today.

3. Early Works
❖ The Land Without Bread (1933) was
one of the earliest documentaries that
can be identified as a mockumentary,
the film focused on an area of Spain
that was subject to extreme poverty,
but Luis Buñuel took a surrealist
approach, with the narrator giving
extreme descriptions of the misery
undergone by these people in a flat
and disinterested manner.
❖ This parodied the documentaries of
the travellers crossing the Sahara
desert being filmed at a similar time

4. Early Works
❖ David Holzman’s Diary (1967) covers the
art of documentary making which follows
the story of a young man making a
documentary who discovers himself
❖ Take the Money and Run (1969) by
Woody Allen, chronicles the life of an inept
bank robber which received Golden Laurel
and WGA nominations. However, some
critics have said that ‘it isn’t a very funny
movie’
❖ All You Need Is Cash (AKA The Rutles)
(1978) is a television film that follows a
fictional band that closely resembles the
story of The Beatles

5. The 1980s
❖ This is Spinal Tap (1984) is one of the most famous
mockumentaries (or rockumentaries) to date, a
defining point in the history of satirical documentary
making. Much of the dialogue in the film is was
improvised.
❖ The film achieved a modest release but soon gained
a cult following, the film received universal critical
acclaim and is widely regarded as one of the best
films of 1984.
❖ In 2002, This Is Spinal Tap was deemed "culturally,
historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library
of Congress and was selected for preservation in
the United States National Film Registry.
❖ David Ansen from Newsweek called the film "a
satire of the documentary form itself, complete with
perfectly faded clips from old TV shows of the band
in its mod and flower-child incarnations".

6. The 1980s
❖ Zelig (1983) is another Woody Allen
mockumentary, in which he plays Leonard Zelig
who takes on the characteristics of strong
personalities around him in order to fit in. It was
done in the style of a 1920s newsreel, interwoven
with archive footage and re-enactments of real
events.
❖ During production, antique film cameras and
lenses were used, and some of the negatives
were deliberately damaged to make the product
look more authentic.
❖ The film also used cameos by personalities and
academics from the real world for comic effect
with these people appearing in colour rather than
black and white.

7. The 1990s
❖ Forgotten Silver (1995) is a film by Peter Jackson and Costa Botes which
purports to tell the story of a forgotten New Zealand filmmaker, ‘Colin
McKenzie’.
❖ Peter Jackson, as the presenter, claims to have found McKenzie’s lost
films in a shed; he is presented as a pioneer of cinema by single handedly
creating the tracking shot by accident and the close-up unintentionally. He
is also shown to have used sound and colour film before their documented
creation.
❖ It features deadpan commentary from actor Sam Neill as well as praise for
McKenzie’s fictional films by notable industry figures such as Harvey
Weinstein
❖ In reality, the entire plot was staged with Colin McKenzie actually being
played by Thomas Robins who is better known for playing Déagol in The
Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. The interviewees were also
acting their parts and all of McKenzie’s supposed films were created by
Peter Jackson, mimicking the style of the time.
❖ The film was aired on New Zealand’s TV ONE where it was billed as a
serious documentary, leading to much of the audience being fooled until
the directors revealed that it was a hoax soon after.

8. The Noughties
❖ Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious
Nation of Kazakhstan (2006) was written and produced by
Sacha Baron Cohen where a fictitious Kazakh journalist travels
though the United States, recording real interactions with
Americans.
❖ The film was one of three and was a critical and commercial
success, winning a Golden Globe and being nominated for an
Academy Award.
❖ The film was controversial, some cast members sued the
creators. It was banned in all Arab countries except Lebanon
and the Russian government discouraged Russian cinemas
from showing it.
❖ The Guardian listed the film in its list of the ten ‘Best films of
the noughties’ and Michael Medved called the film
‘…simultaneously hilarious and cringe-inducing…’
❖ The film was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden
Globe with Baron Cohen winning a Golden Globe for best
actor. The film won a smattering of other awards.

9. The Noughties
❖ C.S.A.:Confederate States of America (2004) is a film directed
by Kevin Wilmott as a toungue-in-cheek alternative universe in
which the Confederacy won the American Civil War, establishing
new events in American history.
❖ The movie is presented as if it were a British documentary being
broadcast on Confederate television, including fictional
commercials and a fictional disclaimer that censorship came
close to preventing the broadcast.
❖ Throughout the film, racial issues still prevalent in America are
highlighted and used for comic effect.
❖ Best in Show (2000) was written and directed by Christopher
Guest which follows five entrants in a prestigious dog show and
the surreal interactions between the owners and handlers.
❖ Much of the dialogue was improvised, many of the cast had
appeared in Guest’s other films including This Is Spinal Tap,
Waiting for Guffman, A Mighty Wind, and For Your
Consideration.
❖ The film opened to high praise, winning American, British and
Canadian comedy awards.

10. ‘The Thick of It’ & ‘Veep’
❖ These two television mockumentaries were created by Armando Iannucci, as a cynical
satire on British and American politics. Both of these productions gained critical acclaim.
❖ ‘The Thick of It’ ran for four seasons and had a spin-off movie in the form of ‘In The Loop’.
The programmes were scripted, but much of the dialogue was improvised to capitalise on
the comic talent of the cast. Peter Capaldi is quoted as saying "Fundamentally 80% of the
final cut is the script that we started with. The improvisation just makes it feel more real
and not written.”. This is also true of the visual style, shot in the fly-on-the-wall style,
aiding the illusion of reality. Series 1 went on to win the BAFTA for ‘Best Situation
Comedy’ also winning at the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards and awards from the
Royal Television Society.
❖ ‘Veep’ is similar to ‘The Thick of It’, but is not a direct spin-off, instead focusing on the
Vice-President of the United States rather than a low-level minister. Produced by HBO
with a substantially larger budget than it’s BBC counterpart, the visual style is very similar
with much of the direction being left to the camera operators themselves, adding to the
sense of reality. The dialogue is similarly scripted/improvised, utilising the improvisation
background that most of the cast members have. ‘Veep’ has so far won 21 awards,
including 8 Emmys.
❖ These two programmes set the gold standard for TV mockumentaries and political satire.