The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins: A Mockumentary Masterclass
The world of television comedy has seen its fair share of innovative editing techniques, but the mockumentary genre has often been overlooked in the Emmy Awards. Since 2009, only two mockumentaries have been nominated for Outstanding Picture Editing For A Single-Camera Series, with The Office and Modern Family being the notable exceptions. This bias is curious, considering the genre's popularity and the fundamental role of editing in shaping its comedic narratives. However, the recent rise of The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins offers a compelling argument for why this genre deserves more recognition.
The show, a mockumentary following the life of football pariah Reggie Dinkins (Tracy Morgan), showcases a unique blend of editing techniques that pay homage to the genre's past while adding a fresh and innovative twist. The show's creators, Robert Carlock and Sam Means, known for their work on 30 Rock, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Great News, and Girls5eva, have crafted a narrative that seamlessly marries the conventions of the mockumentary with their signature rapid-fire, joke-a-second style.
One of the key strengths of The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins is its ability to maintain a coherent narrative flow while incorporating a variety of comedic elements. The pilot episode, in particular, demonstrates this skill by weaving together three parallel comeback stories within a 21-and-a-half-minute timeframe. The show's editor, Kyle Gilman, skillfully transitions between the foreground and background, ensuring that each character's story receives sufficient airtime. This economical approach to storytelling is further exemplified by the introduction of Reggie's fiancée, Brina (Precious Way), who establishes her relationship with Monica (Erika Alexander) in a matter of seconds through a classic cut-to-talking-head technique.
What makes this show truly fascinating is its ability to blend the mockumentary's stylistic choices with the fast-paced, joke-dense dialogue of Carlock and Means. The rapid-fire cadence of their dialogue is seamlessly integrated into the faux-realistic flow of Arthur's documentary, creating a natural conversation that often blurs the line between setup and punchline. This technique is exemplified in the Radcliffe-Moynihan moment, where a character initiates a setup while the camera is still on the character who just finished speaking, preserving the illusion of natural conversation.
The show's editing also pays homage to the classic mockumentary playbook, including the hard cut to the talking head contradicting a character's off-the-cuff statement, the sincere voiceover juxtaposed with footage of someone making a fool of themselves, and the switch to the camera angle that reveals the documentarians' presence. These techniques, as described by Arthur Tobin (Daniel Radcliffe) in the pilot, serve to 'pierce the artifice that people want to show to the world.'
In conclusion, The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins is a testament to the enduring power of the mockumentary genre and the importance of editing in shaping its comedic narratives. By successfully marrying the conventions of the mockumentary with the densely packed, joke-a-second style of Carlock and Means, the show offers a fresh and innovative take on the genre, making it a strong contender for editing awards. As the show continues to air, it will be fascinating to see how it further develops and pushes the boundaries of the mockumentary format.
