Monday, December 17, 2007

Mockumentary, the final presentaion

If you missed the premier of Mockumentary in class tonight, there is no need to worry, you can see it here. Pop some popcorn, turn down the lights, sit back, relax, and get ready for the best final presentation on Mockumentaries that you have ever seen ...



Great, wasn't it? And, the good news is, if that left you hungry for more information on mockumentaries, all you have to do is visit this website. And you will learn all you ever wanted to learn and more!

And now, because I am a wee bit behind in my posting, the criteria I would use to study a student's study of my final presentation.
  1. The first criteria would deal with humor. Creating this video helped me to see how hard it is to make something that multiple people think is funny. I would grade students on their understanding of what makes something funny and why mockumentaries are funny. They could demonstrate this understanding either in a traditional paper or by making their own clip from a mockumentary.
  2. The second criteria that I would look for is the ability to distinguish between a mockumentary and a documentary. Students would need to answer the questions: What makes them different? What different/similar purposes do they serve?
  3. The third, and final, criteria would be an understanding of satire. Mockumentaries are an excellent way to help students understanding satire. Students will demonstrate their understanding of satire by making connections to examples of satire in a mockumentary and satire in an assigned text.

2 comments:

Maggie said...

Nathan, this was the most awesome presentation ever! We really should watch "Chalk" sometime. I hope you don't mind if I post a link to your video in my blog. Have a nice break!

Justin Wayne said...

...and remember, even though Christopher Guest was the principle writer on "This Is Spinal Tap" and directed the follow-ups such as "Best in Show" and "Waiting for Guffman" he did not direct "This Is Spinal Tap" and should not be credited for it. Rob Reiner directed (and was in it to, as the mock-director) the film and should be credited for that one.

...yes, I'm a film geek...

Good work on your presentation.