Drama Class Project: The Mockumentary!!

We've all seen documentaries...sincere, serious works that tackle a variety of subjects and issues in a thoughtful manner. I love many of these works, but let's be honest; they do lend themselves to satire...satire in the form of the mockumentary. From SPINAL TAP, WAITING FOR GUFFMAN all the way to THE OFFICE and PORTLANDIA, filmmakers have been satirizing the documentary in hilarious ways! Why can't our drama students do this too? They can! I created this project last year and am only sorry I didn't do so earlier. This works equally well for middle- or high-school drama classes. Students work in groups, brainstorming, planning, and shooting their "important works." This is so much fun...for students and for you!

Directions for you and for students are included, along with suggestions for documentary and mockumentary viewing. A rubric is naturally here too.