Toothless

BACKGROUND Toothless explores narrative possibilities of the mockumentary genre in the specific form of the short film. Unlike features, where films like Man Bites Dog (1992), Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999) and Borat (2006) maintain the mockumentary as a staple industry genre, the short has not explored such narratives in the same way. The intention was to use the style and tone of mockumentary (parodic, observational, subject, visual grammar) to tell a story with a traditional short film appeal (driven by emotion, exploring theme, character arc), Batty, as script editor, was to ensure this happened. CONTRIBUTION In exploring how mockumentary style and tone could be applied to the short film, the role of script editor was important and required working with the writer on seven drafts to achieve this aim. Specific research questions arose such as 'Will an audience believe that a short film can be a mockumentary, given assumptions of the genre?' and 'How can theme be used as a device to anchor the film so as to detract an audience from questioning its form?' The project also questions aesthetic notions: notably, the 'raw' style mockumentary often adopts, as opposed to a 'glossy' style, akin to fictional films. The film thus worked with a higher aesthetic than expected of the genre, and this quality contributed to its success at international film festivals. By avoiding 'cheaper' production aesthetics, the short film resembles a more mainstream feature film, thus challenging notions of the mockumentary genre. SIGNIFICANCE Screened at 30 international film festivals (UK, Germany, France, USA and NZ) including high-profile festivals such as British Shorts (Germany), Strawberry Shorts Film Festival (UK) and Portobello Film Festival (UK). It won 'Best Film' at Strawberry Shorts and was nominated for a further 6 awards (including Best Screenplay) at other festivals. Toothless led to an invitation to pitch further projects at an event organised (and sponsored) by BAFTA.