Rockumantaries and Mockumentaries

Rockumantaries and Mockumentaries

Rockumentaries

Rockumentaries captured the music artists onstage, backstage and/or behind the scenes. This was meant to be historical records as a way of reporting contemporary music, and for the fun of seeing music acts "live".

Rockumentaries 1960s

Examples are 'What's Happening! The Beatles In the U.S.A.' (1964) Albert Maysles, David Maysles, 'T.A.M.I. Show' (1964) Steve Binder (Beach Boys, James Brown, Rolling Stones and more), 'Don't Look Back' (1967) D.A. Pennebaker (Bob Dylan), 'Monterrey Pop' (1968) D.A. Pennebaker (Hippie culture), and 'Woodstock' (1970) Michael Wadleigh (Hippie culture). 'Woodstock was recorded over 3 days at the festival in 1969. 

D.A Pennebaker

Pennebaker has been collaborating on documentaries with his wife Chris Hegedus for over 40 years. In the 1960s, Pennebaker built the first fully portable 16mm camera that could follow subjects through rooms while capturing footage and sound in sync.

Rockumentaries 1970s

Examples are 'Gimme Shelter' (1970) Albert Maysles, David Maysles, 'Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars' (1973) D.A. Pennebaker (David Bowie), 'The Song Remains the Same' (1976) Peter Clifton and Joe Massot (Led Zeppelin), 'The Filth and the Fury' (1977) (The Sex Pistols), and 'The Last Waltz' (1978) Martin Scorsese (The band). 'The Rolling Stones' hired the Hell's Angles as concert security and they killed a concertgoer who was wielding a gun. The documentary crew filming the free show caught everything.

Albert Maysles & David Maysles

A hall mark of their films is their immediacy-they capture what's happening and you feel that you are right there with them. They worked in cinema veritè style.

Rockumentaries 1980s and 90s

Examples are 'Urgh! A Music War' (1981) (New Wave), 'The Decline of Western Civilisation Part 1: Punk' (1981) Penelope Spheeris, 'The Decline of Western Civilisation Part 2: The Metal Years' (1988) Penelope Spheeris, 'Modonna: Truth or Dare' (1991) Alex Keshishian. 

Penelope Spheeris

Started 'Rock'n'Reel', the first production company in LA to specialize in music videos in 1974. She once build a cage for her cameraman so he and his equipment woundn't he harmed in the middle of a violent slam-dancing pit. Also, she had a run as a comedy director with films including 'Wayne's World' in 1992 and 'The Little Rascals' in 1994.

Rockumentaries 2000s

Examples are 'Metallica: Some Kind of Monster' (2004) Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky, 'Dace Chapelle's Block Party' (2005) Michele Gondry, 'Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That!' (2006), 'The Carter' (2009) Adam_Bhala Lough (Lil Wayne). Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky followed 'Some Kind of Monster' as they make (and nearly break-up) during their St. Anger album. 'Awesome; I Fuckin' Shot That!' was officially directed by Nathanie Hornblower, the Beastie Boys gave 50 attendees digital cameras to film and then edited together their footage. In 'The Carter', Lil Wayne got cold feet and sued to have the documentary shelved. He lost.

Michel Gondry

Filmmaker and Music Video director. His work includes 'Walkie Talkie Man; Stereogram (2004), 'Hardest Button to Button' The White Stripes (2003), and 'Human Behaviour' Bjork (1993).

A few extras

The Rutles: All You Need is Cash (1978)

This is Spinal Tap (1984)

Directed by Ron Reiner, starring Christopher Guest Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer as the band-members of Spinal Tap.

Fear of a Black Hat (1993)

A Mighty Wind (2003)

Directed by Christopher Guest

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016)

Directed by Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, starring Andy Samberg, Schaffer and Taccone.