Simply put "audio visual essay" Corner 2002. Use as public knowledge and national news since the 50s. Make a claim on truth still and Caughie 1981 says they are the "presentation of information... documented facts which the cameras were not there to record at the time.

1. About reality... something that actually happened. Honour known facts. 2. About real people... who don't perform roles the way actors do. 3. Tell stories about what happens in real life. Mockumentaries are interesting when viewed here because they follow this pattern but base on fiction

1. Advocacy/promo - 1d. 2. Testimonial- Buddy holly. 3. Autobiographical/observational- lady gaga 5 foot 2

1. should reflect emotion (only producers emotion, subjective and connotations) 2. Should give access to the inner life of a character or subject (this can be created through music providing narrative structure eg. Bear Country 1953). 3. Signal emotional level at which the audience should investigate (encourage moral ranking based on use of music and timing and keys. Planet Earth 2-Iguana.)

Fiction-esque narrative, defined by Inglis in 2007 as "a film which purports to tell the biography of a musical performer which contains a significant amount of his or her music." There's only one interpretation as opposed to many different voices in documentaries. 1927 The Jazz Singer was the first film with a sync soundtrack and lip syncing, and was a biopic of the main star Al Jolson. This ended the silent era, proof that biopics have been at the centre of the film industry for ages. It also showcases cultural importance of the chosen figure.

Because of the nature of pop cultures "short and intermittent history" (Inglis 2007)

Because often they are more concerned with romanticism than fact. The biopic process means the necessity to alter reality to cut years into hours, so compromises must be made. John Lydon wrote in his 1994 autobiography about Sid and Nancy (1986) "it was all someone else's fucking fantasy."

It can bring new life to old rock stars, such as the 2006 Walk the Line movie which lead to Johnny Cash sales rising 676% in HMV. May also introduce a new generation

The high class of actors such as Cate Blanchett winning a golden globe for I'm Not There, and Jamie Foxx in Ray, Angela Bassett as Tina Turner. But the niche interest of a fan base and a cult following creates what Inglis (2007) describes as a feature length "fanzine". doesn't raise box office figures or revenue though. The potential of elitism against pop and rock as cultural forms as well.

Because of their fiction-esque narrative structure they are easy to become immersed in the 'story'. Theyre about closed-door relationships and hard subjects like suicide (Control 2007) and abuse (WLGTDWI 1993). The nature of fame bringing a turbulent lifestyle means "the rock biopic has all the ingredients for great drama" (Morley 2005)