This Is Spinal Tap
'This is Spinal Tap' is arguably the first ever mockumentary - some would say that H.G. Wells' 'War of the Worlds' radio drama was the first due to its format as a new broadcast, however 'This is Spinal Tap' is certainly the first comedy mockumentary.
The film was co-written and directed by Rob Reiner, who also stars in the film alongside Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer. The film is shot in the style of a serious documentary which follows a fictional rock band - Spinal Tap - as they tour the United States. The film is shot in the cinéma vérité style through the use of handheld cameras to capture the band performing which gives the impression of improvisation and realism. Interviews with the band members are also incorporated into the film which really sells the documentary style that the film is shot.
The characters are portrayed as immature and moronic, which subverts what we would expect of a documentary following their band and thus we see the comedy shine through the characters. By putting comical characters and presenting them in a serious tone, the humour is emphasised through the duality between the serious and the silly. I feel that our film would benefit from trying to achieve a serious documentary style but with more colourful characters who may not necessarily fit in with the serious tone in order to aid with the comedic elements of the film.
Come Fly With Me
Come Fly With Me is a more recent take on the mockumentary genre which focuses on a number of interesting and amusing characters at an airport. The series was created by and stars Matt Lucas and David Walliams who both take on almost all of the roles within the show. The show is shot in a 'fly on the wall' style in a real airport.The overall tone of the show feels very much like the shows 'Airport' and 'Airline' to which the show is based from. The narration from Lindsay Duncan adds to this tone, and on the surface it would be safe to assume that Come Fly With Me was another behind-the-scenes airport documentary series like either of these two. The authenticity of the setting and style solidifies the tone and much like This Is Spinal Tap, the comedy derives from the characters who seem incompetent in their environment. This shows me that the authenticity of the setting is absolutely vital to achieve the documentary tone that works so well for a mockumentary such as this.
Cunk On...
The character of Philomena Cunk originated on a segment Charlie Brooker's Yearly Wipe in which comedian Diane Morgan took the role of a dimwitted member of the public giving completely uninformed opinions on news topics in an interview setting. The character later got her own segment which formed the foundations for later shows - Cunk On Shakespeare and Cunk on Britain - 'Moments of Wonder' featured in the 'Wipe' series as a mini-mockumentary series in which the character discussed issues such as climate change with real experts. The twist being that she was still this uninformed character and so her questions and perspective on a lot of these issues come across as inappropriate, and the expert reactions are often that of bewilderment.
Cunk's mockumentaries work so well because, much like Come Fly With Me, if you do not listen to what is being said, you can be forgiven for thinking that this is another ordinary BBC documentary. It is her deadpan and completely straightfaced delivery of these lines that generate a lot of the humour that works so well for the feel of the entire series and character.
From looking into these mockumentaries, I have learned that there are two absolutely key factors to take into account: authenticity and character. Authenticity is important to sell the idea that we are watching a documentary, so locations, mis en scene and our shooting style will play into this a great deal. The characters must also both match and mismatch with their setting so that they subvert our expectations of who we would expect to see in these settings.
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