The following piece is an essay I wrote last week for advanced composition class. Keep in mind, there was a particular formula I had to follow for the assignment so some aspects of paranormal investigation (obviously) have been omitted. However, I do enjoy writing about subjects that capture my interest and thus give you......
A Ghost-hunter’s Guide to the Galaxy
The Sy-Fy Network hit series, Ghost Hunters, makes the process of paranormal investigation look easy. The show opens with three T.A.P.S. members discussing the next case followed immediately by a music-backed montage of the team packing equipment into their vans. The next fifteen minutes of the program features clips of team members first touring then investigating the supposed haunted location using a variety of equipment and methods. T.A.P.S. members then spend about five minutes discussing their findings with the property owner; the entire case is summarized and edited into twenty-two minutes of footage.
In reality, quite a bit of time and resources are required to conduct these investigations and they are planned weeks or months in advance. A well-organized paranormal investigative team must thoroughly research the proposed location, then develop and execute a plan of action based on available resources, and finally come to a conclusion regarding the property’s “haunted or not” status. Consider the following a ghost-hunter’s guide for beginners.
The first, and most tedious, step in preparing for a paranormal investigation is conducting research on the property utilizing a number of sources. One excellent place to find information on a specific location is the Internet. Many haunted attractions have websites dedicated the history of the property and may include recent activity experienced by occupants, owners, customers, or ghost-hunters. Paranormal message boards can also be useful in obtaining information, however, an experience researcher does not solely rely on the Web.
Local libraries contain more reliable resources such as obituaries, death certificates, and coroner's reports; these records contain names of people who lived an possibly died at the location. Libraries also house years of newspaper archives which can be quite useful to determine information such as: whether the property was ever use as a hospital, morgue, or funeral parlor.
The most reliable source of information on a specific property is the United States Government. If a paranormal team has 120 days and a member with excellent clerical skills at their disposal then The Freedom of Information Act is their “Golden Ticket.” If the paperwork is completed without error using the proper terms the fruits of labor should include every document ever filed concerning the property in question and all persons connected to said location. A professional paranormal team should not arrive at an investigation without first completing their homework.
The second step in conducting a successful paranormal investigation is to develop and execute a plan based on the completed research; organizing the team’s resources is paramount. The first resource to organize in the plan-of-action is people (the living, not the dead); different people have different strengths and should be utilized accordingly. The team’s public relations/human resources specialist should be: contacting members to find suitable dates for pre-hunt meetings and drafting a docket of participating investigators; communicating with the owner/proprietor of the location to schedule a tour and obtain a list of “house rules”; and organizing transportation/rally points and departure times for team members. This person is responsible for assuring all dates, times, and information are correct so the investigation is not wrought with confusion.
The next resource to organize for an effective plan is equipment. The “Tech Manager” should use the information obtained through research to decide what devices will make the trip and where/how that equipment will serve the team best. Some devices are not suited for some investigations based factors such as: whether or not electricity is available (battery charging issues); if the location is in a noisy area (possible audio contamination); and total number of investigators attending (devices should not outnumber people).
The final and most important resource is, once again, information obtained through research. A team’s P.R./H.R. guru can use gathered information to assign specific duties to members based on an area in which they excel. The “Tech Man” should know where to place specific equipment for the best possible chance to obtain evidence of the paranormal based on the research files. Conducting an investigation without a game-plan sets the group up for failure.
The final step in an effective paranormal investigation is developing a hypothesis regarding activity and evidence discovered by the team and usually takes place over several days. The first task to complete is a post-investigation meeting that should happen immediately after the hunt comes to an end. Participating members, one at a time, will rehash the night’s activities and experiences while the remaining team members take notes. Experiences are then compared and possible natural causes for the phenomenon are discussed and noted. Notes are collected and added to the case files for later reference by the evidence review team, which brings us to the next step: evidence review.
The review team will spend the next week combing through every photograph, video, and audio file. Photographic evidence is reviewed first as it takes the least amount of time and the least susceptible to scrutiny. Videos are review next so reviewers can make notes on which team members were where at what time and compare any evidence with the case notes. Audio is reviewed last as it is the most time consuming and previously taken notes are needed to identify speakers and create time-stamps for relevance.
The final case meeting, which rounds out the entire process, is usually held a week after the investigation. At this meeting, the evidence review team reveals any obtained evidence to the rest of the group. Case files are reviewed and discussed at length and a vote is called. Each team member casts their vote aloud along with any final comments on the case and a decision is made: haunted, not haunted, or inconclusive. The investigation process is now complete.
Like many jobs featured on reality programs, the experts make paranormal investigation look easy. On the contrary, some of the most important (and time-consuming) steps die a quick death on the cutting-room floor during the editing process. Any team that stumbles blind into their first investigation is setting themselves up for disappointment and failure. Highly effective ghost-hunters often utilize three steps to ease the investigative process: research; plan development and execution; and conclusion. Happy hunting.
No comments:
Post a Comment