Join us for a discussion between David Humphrey and Philip Scepanski as they present on examples from historical and present day media’s use of the documentary form as satire and political/social mockery and the ethical questions implicit therein.

The Documentary, Mockumentary and Prank panel is organized as part of the 2019 MDOCS Forum, presented by the John B. Moore Documentary Studies Collaborative (MDOCS). The forum is free and open to the public.

About the Panelists

Philip Scepanski is an Assistant Professor of Film and Television at Marist College. His book manuscript, titled Tragedy Plus Time: Television Comedy and National Trauma, focuses on the ways in which American television comedy responds to and manages national traumas like assassinations, terror attacks, and civil unrest. Recent publications include an article in Television and New Media as well as chapters in The Comedy Studies Reader and Taboo Comedy: Television and Controversial Humour.

David Humphrey is an assistant professor of Japanese Studies and Global Studies. He received his PhD in Japanese with a focus in New Media from the University of California, Berkeley. His research focuses on the media and culture of modern and contemporary Japan, and he has published articles in The Journal of Japanese Studies, Japanese Studies Association Journal, and Japan Forum. He’s currently working on a book manuscript that examines laughter and comedy’s rise in late 20th and early 21st century Japanese media culture, titled Warai: Laughter’s Temporality and the Media Cultures of Japan.

About MDOCS Forum

Each June, as part of the annual Storytellers’ Institute, Skidmore College’s John B. Moore Documentary Studies Collaborative (MDOCS) hosts a weekend-long documentary forum around an annual theme. This year’s theme, Humor: Laughing With Reality, honors the long tradition of non-fiction makers who, through satire and silliness, have employed humor as means to transgress social norms, toy with the taboo, and empower us through laughter. An international group of documentary makers will explore the theme through various mediums and connect with Skidmore and the greater community at locations on Skidmore College campus from June 6–9, 2019.

For more information on the 2019 MDOCS Forum, visit their website.

2019 MDOCS Forum Events

Thursday, June 6:
- 8:00 PM – Performance of “The Love Song of R. Buckminster Fuller” Sam Green, and Yo La Tengo (at Arthur Zankel Music Center)

Friday, June 7:
- 10:00 AM – The Natural World and Climate Anxiety
- 11:45 AM – Sitting in the Waiting Room
- 3:00 PM – Sam Green Artist Talk
- 4:30 PM – Documentary, Mockumentary and Prank Panel
- 6:00 PM – Keynote: Kristina Wong Performance and Artist Talk (at Filene Auditorium)

Saturday, June 8:
- 10:00 AM – Docs in Progress
- 11:45 AM – Documentary Film Industry and Humor
- 3:00 PM – Land Without Bread Redux
- 4:30 PM – Humor, Memory, Trauma, Loss
- 6:15 PM – Radio Atlas

Sunday, June 9:
- 10:00 AM – Storytelling Workshop with Micaela Blei
- 11:45 AM – Teachings and Takeaways Workshop