Genre Research - Mockumentary

A mockumentary is a film in which fictitious or false events are presented as fact - a mock documentary. These are typically done to make fun of and comment on current social or political events.

Mockumentarys are typically characterised by a presenter or narrator who is always in a serious frame of mind. This allows for any mocking that is done to be funny, as a false fact told in a serious tone is much more comedic.

Two large mockumentary presenters are Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders. The pair often presented Mockumentary sketches during their tv show 'French and Saunders'.
A more recent example of a mockumentary would be the show 'Modern Family'.
Both of these shows often rely on the supposed seriousness of funny events for their comedic value

One particularly notable Mockumentary is 'This Is Spinal Tap' (1984) in which the band Spinal Tap are followed and filmed whilst on tour to show their lives as a documentary, but the bad greatly exaggerate what they get up to and mock the camera men repeatedly. One well-done feature during this mockumentary is dramatic irony - letting the audience know what is happening before the subject does, so it builds up to a reveal and the audience are waiting for the character's reaction.

3 points on mockumentaries (taken from Yahoo.com)

1. Pair up the straight man with a preposterous partner. Basically, this is Sacha Cohen's technique throughout Borat.

2. Use scenery effectively to emphasize the ridiculous. In This Is Spinal Tap the American actors speak with British accents in front of an obviously fake castle.

3. Value minutia. A character's obsessions or peculiar remarks are groundwork for a later twist.

Tips on how to write&film a mockumentary :
 http://www.ehow.com/how_2209814_write-mockumentary.html