Types Of Documentaries

Observational - A documentary that records people in their natural environment such as Big Brother.

Fly On The Wall - A documentary whereby subjects are observed over a period of time. For example, Wife Swap.

Interactive - A documentary where the film maker is both the character and author.

Expositary - A documentary made to inform and educate its audience.

Drama Documentary - A dramatic reconstruction such as Walking With Dinosours

Mockumentary - Parodies the forms and conventions of a documentary. For example The Office and Best In Show

Personal - Documentary where the film maker addresses the camera directly

This Is Spinal Tap - Mockumentary - Christopher Guest

This Is Spinal Tap is a mockumentary directed by Christopher Guest. The documentary shows the life of a fictional heavy metal band Spinal Tap, touring and promoting themselves.Guest uses similar techniques in This Is Spinal Tap as he does in Best In Show to make the band seem real. He captured the look and feel of the 'rockumentary' so well that many people who watched it thought they were a real band, but how did Christopher Guest achieve this?

The fact that Guests documentary's are unscripted and mostly improvised play a big role in portraying the band as real, this is also very effective during their interviews. The mis-en-scene such as there long scruffy stereotypical hair and outfits make the charcters seem genuine. The setting such as the concert all look completely real, all props such as guitars are all present which are needed to make the documentary realistic. The use of archive footage of the band at concerts implies to the audience that this is a real band who have been together for years.

Christopher Guest uses all these techniques to the best of his ability which enables the documentary to look as real as it does making Spinal Tap seem like a genuine rock band.

Best In Show - Mockumentary By Christopher Guest

Best In Show is a mockumentary directed by Christopher Guest. It shows the lives of 5 entrants who are passionate about there dogs preparing for the ultimate must win dog show. The documentary jumps between each of the owners from preparation for the dog show to their hotel, backstage and finally to the dog show itself. Guest uses many techniques which effectively make the mockumentary look realistic such as the use of handheld camera, almost placing the audience within the scenes.

Christopher Guest is known for using the same actors as he likes his scripts to be spontaneous, he gives no set scripts, in Best In Show characters seem to overlap and interrupt each other giving the audience the impression that it is real. The exaggeration from each character makes this documentary somewhat humorous but portrays their passion for dogs so well.