I’ve been busy recently. Real, real busy and a huge part of that has been writing and looking at evidence on the internet. There is a growing trend that has started to disturb me. That trend is “fake” evidence.
Now “fake” is in quotes because I don’t think the intention is always to be a hoax. I think some people actually feel that what they are posting is real. Usually this evidence is the result of lazy investigators. The rest of this “fake” evidence is dickhead hoaxers. Why would people fake evidence? Fame my friends.
As paranormal tv shows become more and more popular and as we share info online at record paces, regular people are quickly becoming stars. Much like Kim Kardashian, all you need to become famous is a video and the internet. And every day, more and more people crave this fame. They put a video online and sit back and watch the hits, but what to do when you don’t have anything web worthy? Easy, you just make it up. With new features on many cell phones or internet applications, you can add a ghost to any picture. I have already seen several websites with these type of pictures posted on their sites.
Video is even better at being faked. In the UK, for some reason, ghost videos are being faked weekly. As “Most Haunted” became a huge hit, these videos began to spring up all the time. Some are girls with cell phone cameras having friends hide off camera and come out in costume. This video has over two million hits.
Another is the video of a guy’s kitchen in the midst of a poltergeist outbreak. As pots and pans flip around on camera, you begin to feel it is too perfect. Several other groups have torn this video apart. They say there is evidence of someone using green screen technology to fake this video. I actually agree with them. Something just seems wrong with this video and the story of why the video was taken doesn’t add up. One key point is with everything flying around, the precious camera is never touched or damaged in any way.
There are several others, some include tricky editing, ghosts from a hundred years ago caught on film wearing new tennis shoes and even special effects added to normal videos. This all damages our credibility as investigators. We have to remain vigilant and try to stay on top of all these new technologies and cons.
Of course, we also sometimes screw ourselves. We catch a video or evp that we can’t explain and so we really don’t try. I would like to give you a few tips to look for and just bring your attention to a couple of other points.
Things to look for:
–When you take a video or picture, you will focus on a point or person and make them the central piece of your picture. When someone gives you a video and the central figure is off to the side but a ghost pops up in the central point, you should smell the faint whiff of bs.
–When the evidence seems too good to be true, it always is. 99.9% of all ghost photos are caught by accident.
–Beware when the people hand you edited video. If they do edit it first, ask for the original. What they edit out can speak volumes about their evidence.
–Don’t get involved with people who have evidence and seem to want to be famous. Every real piece of evidence I have ever been given, has been by someone who actually seems confused or even shy about what they have experienced.
A quick tip:
When we do evps in groups, we always remember our questions, we never remember our spontaneous outbursts. I was involved in an investigation of a home in Kissimmee, Fl. My associate, Tim, had caught something on his digital recorder after he asked a question. We played the tape, but we all had problems with it. It sounded too good. Luckily, Tim had video recorded his evp session too. This was the key in breaking the case. Tim remembered asking a question, but he didn’t remember making an off the cuff remark to the home owner shortly after that. The video proved that he had and so the evidence had to be discounted. We should get into the habit of video recording all evp sessions. That way, there won’t be any doubts.
I know nothing hurts worse than having your excitement dashed against the rocks of reality, but as soon as you post “fake” evidence, you destroy your credibility. I have always said, the trust that is placed in us is very precious. Once we damage that trust, it will never be completely recovered. So, if there is ever a doubt about your evidence, you really have two options. Don’t post the evidence or post it and explain the doubts you have.
Thanks for reading and I will be back soon.
Ray Couch
www.SouthernGhosts.com
Now “fake” is in quotes because I don’t think the intention is always to be a hoax. I think some people actually feel that what they are posting is real. Usually this evidence is the result of lazy investigators. The rest of this “fake” evidence is dickhead hoaxers. Why would people fake evidence? Fame my friends.
As paranormal tv shows become more and more popular and as we share info online at record paces, regular people are quickly becoming stars. Much like Kim Kardashian, all you need to become famous is a video and the internet. And every day, more and more people crave this fame. They put a video online and sit back and watch the hits, but what to do when you don’t have anything web worthy? Easy, you just make it up. With new features on many cell phones or internet applications, you can add a ghost to any picture. I have already seen several websites with these type of pictures posted on their sites.
Video is even better at being faked. In the UK, for some reason, ghost videos are being faked weekly. As “Most Haunted” became a huge hit, these videos began to spring up all the time. Some are girls with cell phone cameras having friends hide off camera and come out in costume. This video has over two million hits.
Another is the video of a guy’s kitchen in the midst of a poltergeist outbreak. As pots and pans flip around on camera, you begin to feel it is too perfect. Several other groups have torn this video apart. They say there is evidence of someone using green screen technology to fake this video. I actually agree with them. Something just seems wrong with this video and the story of why the video was taken doesn’t add up. One key point is with everything flying around, the precious camera is never touched or damaged in any way.
There are several others, some include tricky editing, ghosts from a hundred years ago caught on film wearing new tennis shoes and even special effects added to normal videos. This all damages our credibility as investigators. We have to remain vigilant and try to stay on top of all these new technologies and cons.
Of course, we also sometimes screw ourselves. We catch a video or evp that we can’t explain and so we really don’t try. I would like to give you a few tips to look for and just bring your attention to a couple of other points.
Things to look for:
–When you take a video or picture, you will focus on a point or person and make them the central piece of your picture. When someone gives you a video and the central figure is off to the side but a ghost pops up in the central point, you should smell the faint whiff of bs.
–When the evidence seems too good to be true, it always is. 99.9% of all ghost photos are caught by accident.
–Beware when the people hand you edited video. If they do edit it first, ask for the original. What they edit out can speak volumes about their evidence.
–Don’t get involved with people who have evidence and seem to want to be famous. Every real piece of evidence I have ever been given, has been by someone who actually seems confused or even shy about what they have experienced.
A quick tip:
When we do evps in groups, we always remember our questions, we never remember our spontaneous outbursts. I was involved in an investigation of a home in Kissimmee, Fl. My associate, Tim, had caught something on his digital recorder after he asked a question. We played the tape, but we all had problems with it. It sounded too good. Luckily, Tim had video recorded his evp session too. This was the key in breaking the case. Tim remembered asking a question, but he didn’t remember making an off the cuff remark to the home owner shortly after that. The video proved that he had and so the evidence had to be discounted. We should get into the habit of video recording all evp sessions. That way, there won’t be any doubts.
I know nothing hurts worse than having your excitement dashed against the rocks of reality, but as soon as you post “fake” evidence, you destroy your credibility. I have always said, the trust that is placed in us is very precious. Once we damage that trust, it will never be completely recovered. So, if there is ever a doubt about your evidence, you really have two options. Don’t post the evidence or post it and explain the doubts you have.
Thanks for reading and I will be back soon.
Ray Couch
www.SouthernGhosts.com