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Documentary Episode: Difference between revisions
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The documentary crew will usually get in the way of the action somehow, often getting into a fight with the main characters. There may be "honest interviews" with characters about an incident, with two characters giving [[The Rashomon|wildly different]] accounts of an event or circumstance.
Alternatively, the '''Documentary Episode''' can be the format for the entire thing, as seen in ''[[The Office]]'' (both UK and US versions) and ''[[People Like Us]]''.
Compare [[Faux Documentary]], [[Mockumentary]], [[Who Would Want to Watch Us?]], and [[Perspective Flip]]. Contrast: [[Documentary]]. Note that movies following the [[Mockumentary]] format don't belong here. See also [[Literary Agent Hypothesis]].
{{examples}}
== [[Anime]]
* An episode in ''[[Gintama]]'' follows the Shinsengumi.
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* Several horror films follow this format, such as "[[The Blair Witch Project]]", or "[[Paranormal Activity]]". The most notable may be "[[Cannibal Holocaust]]".
== [[
* [[Larry Correia]]'s story ''Episode 22'' in ''[[Aliens]]'' short story collection ''Bug Hunt'' doesn't feature any xenomorphs, and is instead an episode of a [[Show Within a Show]], a ''[[Tales of the Gun]]'' stand-in, documenting the history of the M41A Pulse Rifle.
* ''[[M*A*S*H (television)||M*A*S*H]]'' did this several times, and tried to make the episodes seem like they were archival footage, including black and white film and people sending heartfelt messages home to their loved ones via the camera.▼
== [[Live-Action TV]] ==
▲* ''[[M*A*S*H (television)
* ''[[ER]]'' took this approach for their [[Live Episode]] with the effect of having a built-in [[Lampshade Hanging]] should anything go wrong.
* This plot was also used in a fifth season episode of ''[[Homicide: Life on the Street]]'', appropriately titled "The Documentary
* ''[[Saved by the Bell]]'' episode "[[Rockumentary]]," chronicling the band Zack Attack.
* ''[[Even Stevens]]'' also did a ''Behind the Music''-style documentary, and a faux DVD "Making of" featurette for a film the characters were making.
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** The episode "The Illusion of Truth" showed the filming of the "documentary" in the first half of the episode. The second half of the episode consisted mostly of the [[Twisting the Words|outrageously falsified edit]] that was broadcast. (In between the two episodes, the president of Earth's government had launched a coup and assumed dictatorial powers.)
* ''[[The West Wing]]'' episode "Access" went so far as to add a fake PBS-style dedication sequence, thanking fictional trusts "And viewers like you", for their sponsorship.
* The ''[[Battlestar Galactica
* ''[[The X-Files]]'' episode "X-Cops" used the real-life production crew of the long-running show ''[[COPS (series)|COPS]]'' to follow Mulder and Scully around for a night.
* An episode of ''[[Yes, Dear]]'' was filmed as if the cast were on the TLC reality show.
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== [[Western Animation]] ==
* ''[[The Simpsons (animation)|The Simpsons]]'' episode "Behind the Laughter", a parody of VH1's ''Behind the Music''. Though unlike most on this page, this episode was a behind-the-scenes documentary of ''the show itself'' rather than being about ''the characters''.
** Another ''Simpsons'' episode, "Springfield Up", spoofs Michael Apted's ''[[Up (TV series)|Up]]'' documentaries.
* One episode of ''[[Powerpuff Girls]]'' revolved around an young independent-film maker trying to catch the girls on film.
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