An Ode to the Mockumentary

The mockumentary is an underappreciated genre, despite being everywhere. It is an excellent dramatic device, combining (as the name would suggest) documentary styles with fictional or satirical content. Mockumentaries are often absolutely hilarious, sometimes on purpose and sometimes by accident. Think of the (false) famous story of Orson Welles' radio reading of 'War of the Worlds', or of the radio presenters panicking listeners about 'dihydrogen oxide" in our taps. Or, my personal favourite, the discovery channel mockumentaries that revitalised the channel through accidentally-on-purpose convincing viewers that dragons, megalodons and mermaids exist today.

Mockumentary style pops up everywhere, in films, TV, radio, books, and fantastic one-off specials. It is a comedy staple, particularly on TV. Think of Modern Family, The Office, Arrested Development, Come Fly with Me or Parks and Recreation. Imagine any of these shows without the knowing camera looks or stale interviews. This trend is honestly a welcome change from the usual sitcom format with canned laughter. It is also fantastic in films, poking fun at super serious documentary filmmakers, the people they interview, and the formulaic structure and techniques we are used to. Think of Sacha Baron Cohens many characters, sketches and films; Borat would not be the same without the satirical Mockumentary style, puzzling and laughing at participants. One of my favorite mockumentary comedies is definitely Taika Waititi’s What we do in the Shadows, a film following an eccentric, by both human and vampire standards, group of Kiwi Vampires.

But mockumentary can also be a little more serious. A good in-between is District 9, a South African mockumentary-film about aliens and apartheid, which is a great watch and despite tackling an important issue well, it also manages to be funny and enjoyable. At the other end of the mocku-spectrum from Modern Family are the many horror films, particularly found footage films like Blair Witch, Cloverfield, Cannibal Holocaust and the Paranormal Activity franchise. Mockumentary can add another level to the chills "based on a true story" can give us by making it seem real. If bigfoot is anything to go off, people can be very easily convinced by shaky camera footage, and this can make the grainy footage of Blair Witch so much more real than something polished made inside a studio. We expect those to be fake, but when it looks like the documentaries we are accustomed to trusting our whole lives, even if we logically know the footage is fake or staged it feels so much more real, despite being a little overdone sometimes.

But the real controversy, and hilarity, starts when people don't logically know the footage is fake. It may be old news now, but the allegations of deception fired against Discovery Channel for their feature length TV mockumentaries is both terrible and hilarious. Deceptive documentaries are, and have been literally since the first documentary in 1922 (Nanook of the North), a big problem, and something scientists fight back against. Even Walking with Dinosaurs (BBC), an absolute classic, is presented as fact when anyone who watches too many YouTube videos can tell you it is entirely inaccurate even by the standards of 1999, making animals larger and exist in entirely different eras, but it is no less thrilling to watch meter long scorpions hunt in the style of Planet Earth.

But it is one thing to make a somewhat inaccurate “documentary” about animals that went extinct 66 million years ago, and another to have hundreds convinced that mermaids are swimming in the oceans with sharks the size of buses, and that the scientists at NOAA, who had to release a statement, are covering it all up. The TV film that kickstarted Discovery Channels controversial new direction, Dragons: A Fantasy Made Real, is more of a true mockumentary rather than deception to boost views than their infamous Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives and Mermaids: The Body Found. Dragons has a fake storyline tied in, and stays true to this idea of bringing a fantasy to life by making it look like a documentary. Even the names of these later shows mark a massive step away from traditional mockumentaries, and had people online frenzied and hurling accusations at scientists and governments worldwide for the cover up. Is this deceptive? Yes. But is it entertaining? Definitely, and if it keeps Shark Week running then I am happy.

We all know in 2021 that doubting scientists is a bit of a problem. But the thrill of pretending, just for a little bit, that dragons, vampires and mermaids really are out there is unmatched. Fake scientists, questionable CGI, and outlandish claims should be enough for most of us to twig these aren’t real, and some of the better mockumentaries (District 9) don’t try to pretend. We need to suspend our disbelief to properly enjoy any film, and mockumentaries just make it that bit easier, making predictable television hilarious, grainy footage terrifying and witches in the woods believable. And I for one love them for it.