Essay about Mock Documentaries

Firstly, it is important to understand how the documentary form is best suited to illustrate the film’s theme. In order to do this, one must have an overview of the documentary style of filmmaking. Documentaries concern themselves with the “exploration of

Although many historical filmmakers alter some events and use fiction as a tool in providing an accurate historical representation, the makers of “The

I eventually thought, however, that I don’t think documentaries can truly show us objective reality, so that shouldn’t matter. I also thought it didn’t matter what was real footage and reconstructions because regardless the talent displayed in these segments actually happened and is impressive. Despite these conclusions, I still found myself pulled out of the movie when I couldn’t deduce if the images onscreen were archival footage or

When watching a film about history being 100% accurate may not make the movie as enjoyable to viewers, so I believe a lie here or there wouldn’t hurt. Movies are made for entertainment, so if someone wants accuracy then they should watch a documentary. But this movie did a good job staying true to history and the events of its time.

The idea of a documentary being an artistic or even personalised expression of a director is long gone, or so it seems in recent times. In Michael Moore’s latest documentary, Bowling for Columbine, he attempts to get across to viewers his, and essentially only his point of view, on the topic of gun laws. Although what Moore is trying to say is not necessarily wrong, he is at the same time not taking into account the other side of the argument either; all he is trying to do, essentially is hypnotise viewers into thinking

The obvious bias illustrated throughout Michael Moore’s film certainly does detract from the messages conveyed however when presented in the right circumstances it adds more value to the messages. The obvious bias leaves many people questioning the credibility of the director’s message as it doesn’t show the full spectrum of the situation, which is what documentaries are for, and ultimately this detracts the films message. However, in some circumstances the obvious bias brings more light on important aspects which should be acted upon thus adding more value the message being portrayed. Michael Moore has directed over 12 documentaries and a handful of them have been awarded with prestigious film awards. “Where to invade next”, “Sicko”, “Bowling for Columbine”, “Capitalism: a love story” and “Fahrenheit 9/11”, these are just half of the documentaries in which Michael Moore has directed. The purpose of a documentary is to present a nonfictional motion picture which aims to promote or

A documentary is a genre of film that provides a factual report on a particular story, viewpoint, message or experience. In this essay, two documentaries, Bowling for columbine by Michael Moore and Made in Bangladesh by CBC news will be explored to show how persuasive techniques are used to make an audience feel a particular way.

In the Bowling for Columbine documentary has been partly dramatized in regard to some of the events in order to cause an effect to the viewer and some have even gone as far as reshooting the same scene or having various angles of the same scene/event just to make it visually pleasing to the audience in which the point of the documentary is deliberately, seriously, and consistently deceptive.

Documentaries are produced in such a way that positions the audience to accept a version of reality. As Tim Hetherington, a British photojournalist once said, “You can construct whatever story you want to. Documentaries are constructions, as is all journalism.” In Fahrenheit 9/11 specifically, viewers are presented with a critical analysis of the political agenda surrounding America’s decision to wage war on Iraq. Directed by American political commentator and filmmaker Michael Moore and released in mid-2004, the documentary’s central premise is that US President George Bush is, and has been from the start of his term, unfit for office and does not act in interests of the American public. Moore presents the idea that President Bush, as a result

What makes documentary filmmaking distinct to narrative filmmaking? There are a few contrasting objectives for both types of filmmaking that distinguishes them from each other. Simply put, narrative filmmaking is a movie with a pre-written script, actors and a story which is already crafted before they start shooting. while documentaries are filmmaking where real life events are captured, and a script is usually written afterwards. Narrative films rely on the three-act structure which goes Setup, Confrontation and Resolution or in other words, a beginning, middle and end. The main aim for the three-act structure is for the story to develop while the stakes get risker for our characters, so they evolve as the movie goes on. Narrative film

In the society that we live in, truth is often twisted, hidden, or lost due to a variety of reasons. By changing the truth, you are able to position the responders, into feeling particular emotions. Have you ever told a small white lie to protect the feelings of someone? Or maybe exaggerated a story to make it seem more funny? These techniques are often used by directors and filmmakers to make their movie more interesting. The film The Hurricane, based on Rubin Carter, a boxer who was sent to prison for allegedly committing a triple murder that he did not commit, would show factual events of his lifetime, right? The director Norman Jewison, in fact changed and twisted several events in order to manipulate and persuade the audience to feel empathy

Within the realm of television today, many of the more popular comedies have a very specific style of production and way of capturing scenes. This style is often referred to as the “Mockumentary” style and can be seen within examples like The Office and Park and Recreation. The popularity of these shows alone have inspired many other different spin-offs and takes on this specific style of comedy, but these shows shouldn’t be credited as the “founders” of the mockumentary style. In fact, for television shows the mockumentary’s history goes farther back by a couple of decades. This paper will attempt to discover the answers to three main questions regarding the television genre and style of mockumentaries. Firstly, the definition of a mockumentary and a general understanding of the stylistic similarities must be examined before the history of the mockumentary is to be explored. Next, the historical background will be considered as well as the cultural significance and impact of the shows that emulated this mockumentary style. Lastly, the paper will look to the current cultural contexts and the social impacts of the popular, modern day televisions shows that incorporate these styles. Through the analysis of the mockumentary style in the combination of the historical lens and the definitional lens, modern day shows that utilize this subgenre will be better understood as well as their impacts on society itself.

The depiction of subjects is always absolutely accurate to reinforce the portrayal of real life and is void of any unnecessary artistic embellishment (Vaux, R. 2014). A technique that is used is filming done on locations rather than sets to properly portray the feel of real-life. Events are not euphemized or hyperbolized to become a distortion or opinion of the truth. Unpleasant images, words and events are portrayed in full with no hidden facts, as well as plain images, words or events.

When a typical viewer watches a film they place a large amount of trust in the narrator to tell a true story. In both Meshes of an Afternoon and Memento, the narrators depict a distorted reality, going against the viewers assumptions that the narrator will be a reliable source of the truth.

The kind of impression Hollywood always tries to portray in its films based on actual events is to incorporate a combination of the story itself and the fictional work, making sure the film does not resemble a sort of documentary. We can say that in terms of world history, even though it involves a lot of drama already, Hollywood never fails to add a little of fantasy to the psyche and entertainment of its audience.