# Mockumentary Structure

> Structure mockumentary screenplays with documentary framing, talking heads, and comedic beats. Use when user needs to outline a mockumentary, plan act structure, place talking heads, design documentary sequences, or pace comedic escalation. Triggers on outlining, structure planning, act breaks, sequence design, or pacing discussions for mockumentary projects.

- Skill: `joelborellis/mockumentary-structure` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add joelborellis/mockumentary-structure`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/joelborellis/mockumentary-structure/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Coding & Dev Tools
- Author: joelborellis (https://skillmd.com/u/joelborellis)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/joelborellis/mockumentary-structure

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# Mockumentary Structure & Outlining

Structure mockumentaries to feel like documentaries while delivering narrative satisfaction.

## Documentary Framing Decisions

### Why Is There a Camera?

Establish early and maintain consistency:
- **Fly-on-the-wall**: Crew is invisible, characters rarely acknowledge camera
- **Direct documentary**: Characters know they're being filmed, give interviews
- **Meta-documentary**: The making of the documentary is part of the story

### What Is Being Documented?

Common documentary frames:
- **Event coverage**: Competition, production, project with deadline
- **Access documentary**: Inside look at closed world
- **Profile piece**: Following one person or group
- **Crisis documentary**: Something has gone wrong

## Three-Act Structure (Mockumentary Style)

### Act One: Establish the Normal

**Documentary goal**: Introduce the world as if viewers are learning about it for the first time.

Required elements:
- Introduce key characters through interviews
- Establish the stakes/event/situation
- Show what "normal" looks like in this world
- Plant the comedic premises that will escalate

**First talking heads**: Characters explain themselves, reveal gaps between self-image and reality.

### Act Two: Escalation and Complication

**Documentary goal**: The situation develops, tensions emerge.

Mockumentary-specific beats:
- Characters double down on their approaches
- Side conflicts between ensemble members
- Documentary catches moments characters wish it hadn't
- Talking heads reveal conflicting accounts of same events

**The comic engine repeats**: The same character flaws create new problems in new situations.

### Act Three: Crisis and Resolution

**Documentary goal**: Everything comes to a head; we see who these people really are.

Resolution types:
- **Earned small victory**: Character grows enough to achieve modest goal
- **Pyrrhic victory**: Gets what they wanted, it's empty
- **Noble failure**: Falls short but has changed
- **Comic tragedy**: Learns nothing, we love them anyway

**Final talking heads**: Characters reflect (with varying degrees of accurate self-assessment).

## Scene Types (Mockumentary Toolkit)

### Talking Head Interview
- Character speaks directly to camera
- Reveals internal state, often contradicted by action scenes
- Place after key events for reaction/spin

### Verite/Fly-on-Wall
- Documentary observes without interfering
- Characters caught behaving naturally
- Often contradicts what they said in interviews

### Documentary Setup
- Crew asks character to show/explain something
- Character performs for camera
- Performance often goes wrong

### Caught Moment
- Camera captures something unexpected
- Characters forget they're being filmed
- Masks slip, real feelings emerge

### B-Roll with Voiceover
- Footage of location/activity
- Character narrates (often unreliably)
- Gap between what we see and what we hear

## Pacing Talking Heads

**Rule of thumb**: Talking heads should comprise 15-25% of a mockumentary screenplay.

**Placement strategy**:
- After major events: Character reaction/spin
- Before major events: Character prediction/intention
- Between scenes: Transition/context
- To break tension: Comic relief through character obliviousness

**Avoid**:
- Too many talking heads in a row
- Talking head that says what scene just showed
- Interview that reveals information better shown

## Output Format

Save outlines to: `script/outline.md`

Include:
1. **Documentary frame**: Why crew is there, what they're capturing
2. **Act One beats**: Normal establishment, character intros, stakes
3. **Act Two beats**: Escalation sequences, key conflicts, comic escalation
4. **Act Three beats**: Crisis, climax, resolution
5. **Talking head placement**: Where interviews punctuate the action
6. **Scene type breakdown**: Which mockumentary tools each scene uses

Save more detailed treatment to: `script/treatment.md`