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Mockumentaries are often presented as historical documentaries with b-roll and talking heads discussing past events or as cinema verite pieces following people as they go through various events. Examples of this type of satire date back at least to the 1950s (a very early example was a short piece on the "Swiss Spaghetti Harvest" that appeared as an April fool's joke on the British television program Panorama in 1957), though the term "mockumentary" is thought to have first appeared in the mid-1980s when This is Spinal Tap director Rob ReinerRob Reiner (born March 6, 1947) is an American actor, director, producer, and writer. His father is Carl Reiner. He became famous playing Michael Stivic, Archie Bunker's liberal son-in-law, on the 1970s sitcom All in the Family which was the most-watched used it in interviews to describe that film.

The false documentary form has also been used for some dramatic productions (and precursors to this approach date back to the radio days and Orson WellesCarl Van Vechten, 1937 George Orson Welles ( May 6, 1915 October 10, 1985) is commonly considered one of Hollywood's greatest directors, as well as a fine actor and screenwriter. Early career Welles was born in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He had an unusual childh' The War of the WorldsOn October 30, 1938, as a Halloween special, Orson Welles performed a live radio adaptation of H. Wells' classic novel The War of the Worlds which famously frightened many in the audience into believing that an actual Martian invasion was in progress.), but these are not technically mockumentaries in the satirical sense.

Example of mockumentaries

• Best in ShowBest in Show ( 2000) is a mockumentary film following five entries in a prestigious dog show. The film shows how much dog owners love their pets. and how carried away they can get. Christopher Guest and Eugene Levy wrote the script, and Guest directed., ( improvisedImprovisation is the act of making something up as you go along. This term is usually used in the context of music, theater or dance. Music Jazz and Bluegrass are well-known for using improvisation. It features in many kinds of traditional music, includin) story of some contestants at a national dog show (UK/US, 2000This page is about the year 2000. See 2000 AD for the UK comic book, Number 2000 for other uses. 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar), and also the International Year for a Culture of Peace''. Events Y2K passes without the seri)
• Big TunaBig Tuna ("Zehirut Matzlema") presents the crazy and amazing life story of Max Tuna Schreiber, who was the first candid camera film-maker in Israel. Tuna pulled a hoax on Israel's legendary Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, he filmed the first homosexual, mockumentary about Max Tuna Schreiber, who was the first candid camera film-maker in Israel. (Israel, 20032003 is a common year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar), and also: The International Year of Freshwater The European Disability Year Summary Perhaps the defining global event of the year 2003 was the Invasion of Iraq launched by the U)
• Bob Roberts, a Tim Robbins satiric film about a right wing folksinger's crooked election campaign. (US, 1992
• The Canadian Conspiracy, about a supposed Canadian plan to subvert the United States by taking over its media. (US, 1985)
• Dark Side of the Moon tries to portray the moon landings as a creation in a movie lot by Stanley Kubrick. (French, date unknown)
• Forgotten Silver by Costa Botes and Peter Jackson, parody of a historical documentary about a "forgotten" filmmaker. (New Zealand 1995)
• G-SALE by Randy Nargi, scripted mockumentary about garage sale fanatics in the style of Christopher Guest. (US, 2003)
• A Hard Day's Night, The Beatles playing themselves, complete with staged concerts and fake relatives. (UK, 1964)
• Hard Core Logo, following in the tradition of This Is Spinal Tap, this film traces the final tour of an overaged punk band, and serves as a model for the death of "true" punk rock. ( Canadian , Date unknown)
• Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm , HBO Special about the making of an HBO Special
• Man Bites Dog, black comedy/satire in which a film crew follows a serial killer documenting his crimes. (Belgian, 1992)
• A Mighty Wind, ( improvised) story about a group of folk musicians who reunite to pay tribute to their producer. (US , 2003)
• The Office, a British TV comedy which apparently uses a fly-on-the-wall technique in a stationery supply company in Slough. (UK , 2001 to 2003)
• On Edge, a mocumentary about figure skating (US, 2001)
• Operation Good Guys, a British TV comedy focusing on a group of Undercover Policemen. (UK , date unknown)
• Otaku no Video, an anime film by GAINAX featuring live-action news segments of events past the film's 1985 release date. (Japan , 1985)
• People Like Us, a British radio and TV comedy, featuring an inept interviewer (played by Chris Langham), who interviews people in various jobs. (UK , date unknown)
• The Royal Tenenbaums, which follows the imploding lives of a 'family of geniuses' (nominated for Academy Award Best Writing Original Screenplay) (US, 2001)
• The Royle Family, a British TV comedy which details in real time the life of a Manchester working class family. (UK , 1998 to 2000)
• All You Need Is Cash (aka The Rutles), Beatles parody telling of the Rutles' story, while also parodying documentary makers themselves. (UK , 1979)
• This Is Spinal Tap, follows a British rock band on tour long past their salad days. (UK , 1984)
• Sweet and Lowdown, faux documentary about a jazz guitarist. (US , 1999)
• Take the Money and Run, Woody Allen film chronicling the mis-adventures of a bankrobber. (US , 1969)
• Trailer Park Boys, a Canadian TV comedy focusing on the misadventures of ex-cons living in a trailer park near Halifax, Nova Scotia. (Canadian , dates unknown)
• Waiting for Guffman, ( improvised) story of a small Missouri town's celebration of its sesquicentennial. (US, date unknown)
• Zelig, Woody Allen movie telling of a chameleon-like individual who blended in wherever he went. (US, 1983)

Dramatic films using a false-documentary format include:

• The Blair Witch Project, a horror film in the form of a documentary about a vanished film crew
• The Last Broadcast , another horror film in the form of a documentary about a vanished film crew
• Special Bulletin, a 1983 TV movie commenting on the nuclear arms race, which is presented as a mock-TV news broadcast involving a terrorists with a homemade nuclear bomb.
• The War Game, a fictional, worst-case-scenario docu-drama about nuclear war and its aftermath in and around a typical English city

See also

• false document
• Fictional documentaries