모크 다큐멘터리는 무엇을 모크(mock)하는가?

What are mock-documentaries trying to mock?

This paper raises issues about the intention of a producer who uses a mock-documentary when he or she does not intend to reflect or criticise the documentary style. A mock-documentary uses the code and convention of the documentary, but is based on non-fiction, making it a fiction–non-fiction text. As Nichols argued, a documentary considers the text, producers, and audience altogether. Hence, under this premise, this paper asserts that the mock-documentary, which is considered to be a type of a parody of the documentary style, focuses on the intention of the producer and the trust of the audience. Indeed, Rosco and Hight argued that a mock-documentary cannot be defined appropriately by considering only the aspect of potential reflection, regardless of whether there was any intention of a critical reflection in the first place or only fictitious narratives and documentary forms without any reflection. Therefore, this article raises several questions. First, what is producers’ intention when creating a mock-documentary? Second, will the audience no longer trust the documentary when a mock-documentary tries to overthrow the traditional documentary style by using documentary code and a parody of the style? Third, what exactly are mock-documentaries trying to mock? Answering these questions requires redefining the exact meaning of the mock-documentary by studying the current situation in which the use of the term mock-documentary is trending and by clarifying the distinction between a mock-documentary and a fake documentary. Through the resulting discussion, a new aspect—other than Rosco and Hight’s definition—can be introduced.