This unit was primarily focused on the documentary and the mockumentary, so much of the time we had was spent on them. However, at the end of the year we did have the opportunity to do an Explorations project! I decided to write mockumentary screenplay scenes. My topic of choice may seem oddly specific, but I found the idea particularly fascinating. Out of all the activities and projects we did this year, the mockumentary was easily my favorite. I’ve also learned a lot about my own interests in the production aspect of film this year, most notably that I really enjoyed storyboarding and creating storylines. As a result, I decided to combine these two aspects of film and learn how to write mockumentary screenplay scenes. 

An inside look at the script
One of my short scenes!

In narrative film, there is a very specific format that is implemented in screenwriting, which is extremely important to follow and understand because every aspect of the show is scripted and planned. However, mockumentary makes this a challenge, considering that it takes after documentaries and is intended to be at least partially improvised. The fundamental difference is that in mockumentary- we write TWO scripts: the pre shoot and the post shoot. The pre shoot is generally less specific and more a map of the plot, while the post shoot includes the specific lines and cuts. This is because after shooting the improvised scenes, production has a better understanding of where the story is going. So in order to create my mockumentary screenplay, I needed to find inspiration.

One common source of inspiration for many mockumentaries is common life, everyday events, and universal experiences. I instantly thought of school, and while my home school has been extremely boring this past year- freestyle has been far from that. Film class in particular, is the perfect subject for a mockumentary screenplay.

My Final Explorations Project Video!

I then developed the preshoot script, or the outline. With the permission of a few other juniors in film, I briefly interviewed Darya and Dana about three film class- related topics as a way to get inspiration for the subjects at hand, as well as practice improvisation, which is so critical to the purpose of mockumentaries. I then wrote three short 1-2 minute scenes in the style of mockumentary screenwriting.