Birds, Borat, and Two Thousand Dozen Eggs: Mockumentary as a Mode of Reception

• Author / Creator

  Haslett, Robert

• In my thesis, I extend the idea, introduced by Vivian Sobchack in "Toward a Phenomenology of Non-Fictional Experience," of documentaries as a mode of reception or 'way of watching' rather than a 'cinematic object,' or set of conventions or qualities, to the mockumentary genre, arguing that the mockumentary can be best understood as a mode of reception. The mockumentary mode of reception is predicated on a skepticism of anything claiming to be a representation of reality, or what Bill Nichols calls a 'discourse of sobriety.' Within this mode, audiences are encouraged to approach all texts as mediated and, due to their necessary origin from a human source, emplotted, and therefore something one step removed from the real world. Entering into the mockumentary mode of reception does not happen automatically, however, and viewers respond to a text based on their own expectations of it and predispositions towards it. This means that misinterpretations can be made, and films can be received as a documentary when filmmakers intend them to be seen as a mockumentary, or vice versa. Due to the documentary genre's assumed connections to reality, this error can have material consequences. I argue that the initial audience's reaction to the film Forgotten Silver (Jackson and Botes, 1995) proves there is, indeed, a mockumentary mode of reception. The film, constructed and intended as a mockumentary, was viewed as a documentary by some audiences, whose understanding of history was (briefly) altered as a result. Meanwhile, Tim Heidecker and Sacha Baron Cohen each integrate their understanding of the mockumentary mode of reception into their work, creating false realities to entertain particular audiences that are aware of what they are doing though their subjects - and certain other audiences - may not. The implications of understanding the mockumentary as a mode of reception are wide-ranging, potentially allowing us to comprehend the growing disconnect between modern political and cultural groups regarding what constitutes basic facts or accepted realities.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Sacha Baron Cohen
  • Tim Heidecker
  • mockumentary

• Graduation date

  Fall 2020

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Arts

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/r3-4kwc-2t48

• License

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