28 replies to this topic

[White Witch]

I'm interested to know what Ghostvillagers think on the following subject.

Paranormal investigators who leave popular programs then make claims of staging findings for ratings.

[CaveRat2]

Investigators is the operative term here. One could count on one hand the number of true investigators who have EVER had a TV show. The others are entertainers, not investigators or researchers regardless of what they claim. As such, one would expect their shows to use the same Hollywood special effects that work in the movies to draw an audience. So when they leave and out the show as a fake, why is that such a surprise?

Consider, how many of the shows, when looking for someone to join in actually gets a long time investigator (someone with 20 or more years of experience in the field) to join the team? Instead you get the Johnny come latelys that were hired just for the show. Consider the grand daddy of all the paranormal shows, Ghost Hunters, as an example. How much experience, PRIOR to getting on TV, do any of these guys have as investigators? Three or four years? That DOES NOT qualify as a long term investigator. There are investigators out there who were investigating claims of the paranormal when these guys were still in diapers. How come THEY don't have a show???? (Most don't really want one, I might ad.)

[White Witch]

My take on your response is that ALL paranormal television programs are staged. It also comes across that you have no respect for these people am I correct? My question would then be your feeling regarding Jeff's guest appearance on Ghost Adventures?

People have to start somewhere in the paranormal field like any other. There will always be someone doing something while someone else was in diapers. As to why they don't have a show could be they weren't asked. Could also be that wasn't the type of programing that was popular back then. Could always be they just were not interested.

[aloha_spirit]

I think CaveRat was saying that very few real investigators have had their own show. Shows exist to get ratings. The paranormal rarely cooperates with filming timelines nor takes instructions from the show's director. In order to produce stuff exciting enough to get ratings week after week, shows often stage (or reenact) content. This is similar to nature programs which create a scenario or a certain survival host who puts himself in situations to demonstrate a technique.

CaveRat was not calling Jeff a fake or fraud. Jeff is often a guest on various programs, but does not produce his own real-time documentary. Jeff promotes Ghost Village and his books. He also tries to dispel misconceptions about the paranormal.

[White Witch]

But Jeff must beleive in the work these people do or he would not associate himself with these people. I realize programs need ratings but when I show does not have paranormal happen on a regular basis people will still tune in for the just in case. The program Ghost Hunters does not always have things happen. The one which I knew was always staged was Most Haunted you never seen anything but their faces. I just refuse to beleive that all paranormal programs do this because it would not be real at all.

I really enjoy this site and reading Jeff's books. The man does a great job though I think he should come to Canada and investigate some of our cool places a bit more.

[creepyjon]

Anyone with enough integrity to walk away from tv because it's not real is a hero in my book. I can't stand any of the paranormal shows, it's just entertainment with highly puffed up weak evidence if they catch anything, or things that could be faked. Like people getting possessed on cue, or it happening at all on tv. You know how rare a real ghost taking over someone is? I don't because I haven't ever seen it and I've spent much more time in the field than a lot of people, so I'd say statistically improbable. The day all these tv shows go away will be the greatest achievement for the paranormal community as a whole. Real ghost hunting is nothing like what is on tv, and is nowhere near as exciting either so it would never get the ratings. Para tv has not done anything positive other then introduce more people to our crazy hobby. We don't need volume, we need real serious people, which are becoming very few and farther between. The real people are tired of the fakes and tv reality notions, and end up leaving. The negative effects of para tv far outweigh any benefit. I grow tired of young reckless disrespectful kids tearing up my favorite places because they think ghost hunting is cool because they saw it on tv, and anything on tv is more fun with beer.

[CaveRat2]

I have never conducted an investigation with Jeff so obviously I can't make any comments as to his investigative techniques, good or bad. I can only say that I have not seen anything regarding Jeff or GV that I have a problem with at this point. Should anything come up, those who know me also know that I will jump on it like flies on stink. I also have not watched the particular show (Ghost adventures) you cite so I won't comment on what transpired there or whether it was staged or not. We have to be fair so with no personal knowledge I can't condemn specifics..

But I can comment on dealings I have had when approached by two different TV production companies who inquired about me working as a consultant. I was open to the idea, except that right up front I informed them of how I approach investigating first and foremost as a skeptic. On that occasion I was told right there that I would not fit in with their program. They NEVER inquired what a skeptic approach entailed or how it might work for them. They took the closed minded approach and that was that. End discussion, can anyone say biased?

The other went a little farther, taking some of what I had provided. In the process they worked to try to emphasize the dramatic, even to the point of asking me leading questions trying to get me to make the case more than it was. I would not do so, insisting tht the facts as they were available would determine how the case would be presented. It was a lot of the "Yes fine, but...." approach on their part. It was at that point that I pulled the plug and terminated relations with them. So yes I can see how TV operates from some first hand experience. Maybe not all, but certainly enough to raise some serious questions...

So maybe when I start seeing credible work on the part of TV then my opinion may change, but for now I just haven't seen anything beside lip service given to serious long term research and scientific investigation. And Yes I would work with .TV again as a consultant, but I would also add, on my terms, facts only, not just a lot of hype to get ratings..

[White Witch]

I didn't Caverat that you had been approached for tv. How long ago was this?

There have always been teenagers interested in ghosts though I must admit the teens now have no respect for property. I can see your point creepyjon.

As much as tv brings paranormal to the masses so does the internet now. Who really knows where teens get their ideas from there are now so many places. Instant everything these days.

[PA Paranormal Association]

I enjoy the paranormal shows as entertainment and I'm not naive enough to believe "reality" tv is real. Perhaps some things are real, some responses are real, some evidence is real, but the theme here is "SOME". Again, I watch a few shows for entertainment value and take them with a grain of salt. That being said, our team has absolutely NO interest in being on tv (although we were on a local program as an educational/discussion show.) But we don't want our own show or anything like that. We did have a few members in the beginning who had different goals (to be famous and have their own show), they didn't last long with our group. If that's what they want, so be it, but it wasn't what we wanted. To each their own.

~Mindy

[CaveRat2]

White Witch, on 25 June 2012 - 05:43 AM, said:

I didn't Caverat that you had been approached for tv. How long ago was this?

There have always been teenagers interested in ghosts though I must admit the teens now have no respect for property. I can see your point creepyjon.

As much as tv brings paranormal to the masses so does the internet now. Who really knows where teens get their ideas from there are now so many places. Instant everything these days.

The two instances I referred to earlier took place over the last two years. I should also point out in fairness that I have worked both directly and indirectly with several other companies in the past who have been open to producing a factual program. Most of these, when aired were not done as a "reality" show, rather in a documentary format. Recently though, the trend these days has changed, most of the current shows highlight the "stars" of the show, be they a group or individual. My comments are directed at that current trend, since that seems to be the way TV has shifted. These are the production companies that want to manipulate the facts of the cases rather than actually convey the story as it actually happened. This is where I butt heads with them and why I am not usually involved in these newer shows. My hopes are that the current fad will pass, and that the paranormal TV shows will return to investigation centered rather than celebrity driven themes. .

[powries]

Hi All:

Having been away from this board for quite a while I have a question for anyone to answer for me . Why is it that all these paranormal people have to swear all the time during an investagation? Is this a common practice now? If so I'm not wasting my time previewing these programs.

Powries

[CaveRat2]

powries, on 17 July 2012 - 08:39 PM, said:

Hi All:

Having been away from this board for quite a while I have a question for anyone to answer for me . Why is it that all these paranormal people have to swear all the time during an investagation? Is this a common practice now? If so I'm not wasting my time previewing these programs.

Powries

It's called "drama". It makes the TV investigators look like what the viewer expects them to. And no, real investigators don't swear all the time while doing their work. Just like real investigators don't panic and run if something happens. If a real investigator hears something if anything, he runs TOWARD it, not away. After all, he's in there looking for ghosts. Here is the opportunity; something just happened. Why would he run away from what he claims to be looking for?

[creepyjon]

LOL I swear all the time, so refraining myself while ghost hunting just doesn't happen. Then again I don't do private homes either, if I was doing that I would try very hard to keep it down to one or two f bombs a night. Doing it on cue for camera to trump up the show is crap, but if it's just the normal way a person communicates it's not acting. When something happens I get excited, and go hey what the ---- go move this way there's something over here, not oh lets run away from the scary noise saying bad words because the ghost scared us. I don't get scared, but when you are really into it and into the moment, the nice filter on you mouth sometimes gets broken.

[White Witch]

Sign of the times swearing is a part of every day life now it's just like saying hello in some circles. Most people don't take the time to think of another word to describe what they want to express.

[powries]

Hi All:

White Witch your right swearing is a sign of the times.I guess my rant is that these programs are about 30 min.long and out of that 30 mins. you have 20 mins. of commericials and 10 mins of real programming,and during the 10 mins.of programming its beeped out so much its not worth it to watch.

Powries