Doc Update

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I bought the IR Illuminator (Thanks, Aztecsghost) and the RØDE Microphone (Thanks, BeeoBee). My future doc footage should be greatly improved. Still have to figure out how to fix a broken tripod mount on the underside of the camcorder.

I met the second group to appear in the documentary on Friday. The meeting went great! Very friendly, down to Earth bunch. All were very eager to get started. Hopefully we’ll have an investigation with them this weekend. Psy-Paranormal has informed me that something big is in the works for the 27th. If the new group is clear that day, I’ll be shooting more footage with them.

Meeting A New Group

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I am meeting with the next paranormal group tomorrow. Things are really starting to move! I’ve sent out emails to a couple more groups; hope to hear from them soon. If not there are plenty more paranormal groups in So Cal, fortunately!

I spoke with a musician friend of mine last night about contributing some original music to the documentary, and he said he’s all in.

I have all the footage I’ve shot so far digitized and stored on the external hard drive. I’ve taken the advice of a few friends and will invest in a better microphone, and hopefully, an “infrared illuminator”.

These illuminators act as spotlights when used with “nightshot” mode on the camcorder in darkness. The light is completely invisible to the naked eye, and most illuminators can only be sold to law enforcement and the military. However, there are a few that are sold to the general public.

Booksigning Event

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Last Sunday after the investigation the night before, I was in Glendale again, in the same book store I first met the Psy-Paranormal team.
 
Tracey had contacted me about filming a book signing with Kristin and author EstherLeon Schwartz , a child Holocaust survivor who has written a memoir titled, “Tears of Stone and my Deal with God”. Kristin is the author of  The Leprechauns and the Cauldron  a fairy tale which she has based the main character on her teen age daughter, Chelsea. The two authors teamed up for an event titled, “Two Authors, One Message”, which is in support of Feed the Children, a non-profit relief organization that delivers food, water, and medicine to children worldwide. 
 
Tracey said this would be a great opportunity, and I readily agreed. I was lucky to contact the group when I did, so that I could incluse this eent in the documentary. EstherLeon gave her presentation first, then Kristin introduced Chelsea, who read the first chapter of  The Leprechauns and the Cauldron for the audience. Kristin had rewritten the chapter in the first person, so Chelsea could present it as a tale she was relating to the audience. 
 

 This was very different than the main focus of the documentary, but the more “behind the scenes” segments I can capture from all participants will enchance the film considerably. At the end of the presentation, I bought both authors’ books, and had them signed. I look forward to reading them when I get a spare moment away from digitizing video from last Saturday’s case. 

Estherleon will be at this year’s Los Angeles Times Festival of Books  at the UCLA campus April 24th and 25th. Kristin updates her Myspace page  with booksignings frequently.

Project Update: 01-31-2010

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Very tired from last night’s investigation. I’ve never done anything similar on any of my birthdays! Here’s a couple shots of Tracey and Kristin during last week’s investigation.

I met Tracey, Lead Psychic investigator for Psy-Paranormal.com at the bookshop she works at;  Enlightenment Books and Gifts early yesterday afternoon. She gave me a psychic reading, then the rest of the crew met me in a meeting room at the back of the book store.

We filmed intros for everyone, however, Kristin, the other psychic investigator for the group, was unable to make it. I got a lot of great footage discussing how the group came together, what led the individual team members into paranormal investigation, and their personal experiences. The time flew by fast, and we had to pack up and leave for the two investigations scheduled that night.

We went in two vehicles; I rode in Tracey’s 4×4 along with EVP Specialist and Videographer Cory, and Assistant  Director and Lead Investigator Eric. I wish I would have had my camera in the truck, because the banter between them was great. I wasn’t sure just how much of the time they wanted my camera in their face, though!

The first house of the night was in Phelan, CA. The family was plagued by evil entities that were harassing a teenage girl and her mother. I captured a couple hours of great footage of the team as they worked. I consciously focused more on the tech guys, Gary and Cory this time. They set up EVP sessions, one including a “lights-out” in the main room of the house. Gary set up a camera in two of the active rooms with a motion sensor and alarm.

Tracey took the lead on the psychic  end, and used the investigation to hone the education of beginning psychic investigator Eric.  Gary’s wife  Nancy,  a seasoned sensitive / psychic in her own right, contributed her expertise to the investigation as well.  The girl and her mother were visibly upset and on the verge of tears when we arrived. Once the team investigated their home, and assured them that they were being taken seriously, they calmed down. After Tracey and the two other psychics cleared the home, both mother and daughter were smiling and in a happy mood.

The second house involved two “friendly” entities, and it was at this point I was out of batteries and tape! But it was still a great experience to see the team bring comfort to the people they were summoned to help.

The Muse

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January 10th sparked a whole new direction for me, and it would have never happened if it wasn’t for Nash.

I’ve been struggling for months to come up with a horror story to film and release on Youtube, just for the exposure. I can tell you what makes a horror movie suck without difficulty, but for some reason I have trouble writing my own. Nash and I began to talk about documentaries, and that was when she suggested that I try to do one of my own.

When she mentioned the idea, I could almost feel the thick fog surrounding my brain begin to dissipate as I warmed to the idea. We talked about subjects that interested me, what I was capable of, and what documentaries I liked and didn’t like. After some extreme prodding, Nash began to make me believe that I could film a documentary. She had already seen the possibility; it just took her a while to convince me.

Nash is very much my Muse. The next day, she came up with the name for the production company, urged me to buy the domain, to create the logo, and to buy business cards. By the 12th, I had everything in place, and the business cards were on the way. I had also researched contacted my first subjects to be included in the documentary. By the 16th, I met them at a Glendale Border’s book store, and we were off filming that night.

It was an incredible experience. The documentary has to do with the paranormal, and it seems I picked the perfect group on the very first try. I have since gone out with them on case #2 this past Saturday the 23rd, with the one and only Methodofmac as my fellow cameraman! Between us, we got some incredible footage! This Saturday I will be meeting the group once again for on-camera interviews, and another case.

Thank you, Nash. I owe you big time.