david!goodman,!b.f.a,!m.a.! thesis!prepared!for!the!degree .../67531/metadc... · goodman, david....
TRANSCRIPT
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TEXAS PARANORMALISTS
David!Goodman,!B.F.A,!M.A.!
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Thesis!Prepared!for!the!Degree!of!
MASTER!OF!FINE!ARTS!
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UNIVERSITY!OF!NORTH!TEXAS!
December!2015!
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APPROVED:!!
Tania!Khalaf,!Major!Professor!!!!!! Eugene!Martin,!Committee!Member!&!!!!! Chair!for!the!Department!of!Media!Arts! Marina!Levina,!Committee!Member!!!!
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Goodman, David. “Texas Paranormalists.” Master of Fine Arts (Documentary
Production and Studies), December 2015, 52 pp., references, 12 titles.
Texas Pararnormalists mixes participatory and observational styles in an effort to
portray a small community of paranormal practitioners who live and work in and around
North Texas. These practitioners include psychics, ghost investigators, and other enthusiasts
and seekers of the spirit world. Through the documentation of their combined perspectives,
Texas Paranormalists renders a portrait of a community of outsiders with a shared belief
system and an unshakeable passion for reaching out into the unknown.
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Copyright!2015!
By!
David!Goodman!
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Table!of!Contents!
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PROSPECTUS………………………………………………………………………………………………………!1!
Introduction!and!Description……………………………………………………………………..1!
! Purpose…………………………………………………………………………………………….………3!
! Intended!Audience…………………………………………………………………………………….4!
! Preproduction!Research…….....................…………………………………………...…………..6!
! ! Feasibility……...……………...…………….………………………………………………6!
! ! Research!Summary…….…...…..……….………………………………………………7!
Books………...………………………………………………………………………………..8!
Visual!Media……………………….……………………………………………………….9!
Podcasts……………………………………………………………………………………10!
Interviewees……………………………………………………………………………..11!
!Conferences!and!Festivals…….……………………………………………………12!
! ! Characters………..……………….…………….…………………………….…………..12!
! ! Style!and!Approach…..…………………….………………..….…………………….13!
! ! Treatment…………………………………………….…………………….……....…….14!
! ! Financing………………………………………………………………………………….18!
! ! Distribution!Possibilities…………………………………………………..……….18!
! ! Social!Media!Timeline………………..………………………………………………20!
! ! Schedule!for!Pre^Production,!Production,!Post^Production….………20!
RE^CONCEPTUALIZATION!BEFORE!PRODUCTION……………………………………………....22!!
INTEGRATION!OF!THEORY!AND!PRACTICE…….…………………………………………………..24!
! ! Ethnographic!Cinema..…………………………………………………………….…24!
! ! Cinema^vérité!and!Direct!Cinema………………………………….……………26!
! ! Editorial!Connectivity!and!Structure………………………………..…………28!
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! ! Ethics………………………………………………………………………………..………31!
! ! Subject^Filmmaker!Relationship……………………………………..………….33!
PRODUCTION……………….……………………………………………………………………………………35!
! ! Overview………….…………………………………………………….………………….35!
! ! Shooting!Schedule………….…………………………………………………..………35!
! ! Crew…………………….……………………………………………………………………38!
! ! Equipment…………………………………………………………………………………38!
! ! Experience..………………………………………………………………………………..39!
! ! Budget……………………………………………………………………………………….40!
POST^PRODUCTION…………...………………………………………………………………………………41!
! ! Equipment……………………………………...…………………………………….….…41!
! ! Schedule………………………………………………………….……………………….…41!
RECONCEPTUALIZATION!DURING!POST^PRODUCTION………………………...……….……43!
EVALUATION!OF!COMPLETED!WORK…………………………………..…………………………….45!
! ! Pre^Production…….………………………………………………………………………45!
! ! Production…………………………………………………………………………………..45!
! ! Post^Production……...…………………………………………………………………...46!
APPENDIX……………….…………………………………………………………………………………………47!
! ! Budget……….…………………….………..………………………………………………....48!
! ! Interview!Questions…………………………………………………………………..….49!
! ! Appearance!Release……………………………………………………………………...51!
! ! References…………….…………………………………………..………………………….52!
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PROSPECTUS!
This%is%the%proposal%submitted%and%approved%by%the%thesis%committee%in%April%2015.%
TITLE:!Medium,!Texas! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!LENGTH:!20!minutes!! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!MEDIUM:!HD!Video!
Introduction!and!Description!
The! wideGspanning! field! of! paranormal! enthusiasm,! research,! and! practice!
encompasses! ghosts,! psychics,! extraterrestrials,! and! cryptids,! to! name! just! a! few!
broad!focal!points!of!interest.!Each!of!these!classifications!then!expands!further!into!
a! dizzying! list! of! specialized! research! and! experience.! Whether! this! farGreaching!
belief! system! inspires! excitement! or! skepticism,! an! intense! fascination! with!
paranormal! work! has! remained! present! and! continues! to! grow! within! modern!
culture.!While!paranormal!devotees!can!be! found!all!over! the!world,! the!region!of!
North! Texas! has! a! community! of! paranormal! enthusiasts! and! practitioners! who!
warrant! a! thorough! investigation.! Among! the! many! paranormallyGinclined!
individuals!located!in!the!area!of!North!Texas!are!a!trance!medium!named!Dwanna!
Paul,!a!ghostGhunting!equipment!manufacturer!named!Jeromy!Jones,!and!a!married!
couple! named! Linda! and! Del! Hill,! who! rent! out! a! haunted! house! for! ghost!
investigations.!!
Dwanna! Paul! has! been! practicing! trance! mediumship! for! over! thirtyGfive!
years.!Mediums!have!the!ability!to!communicate!with!the!dead.!This! is!done!when!
the!medium!“channels”!interactions!directly!from!the!deceased!and!conveys!them!to!
a! living! individual! referred! to! as! a! “sitter.”! Dwanna’s! private! sessions! result! in!
communications!with!lost!loved!ones,!spiritual!guidance,!and!emotional!healing.!In!
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addition!to!lectures,!Dwanna!also!conducts!“circles!of!light,”!séance!style!gatherings!
that! take! place! in! total! darkness.! The! resulting! energy! field! from! these! circles!
creates!an!experience!that!can!be!aural,!tactile,!aromatic,!and!even!involve!floating!
visions!of!light.!By!way!of!this!circle,!participants!experience!a!meditative!state!akin!
to!prayer!and!can!enter!into!a!communication!with!the!spirit!world.!
Jeromy!Jones,!a!father!of!five,!is!an!electrical!engineer!based!in!Denton,!Texas.!
After!working! in! the!corporate!world,! Jeromy!took! it!upon!himself! to! forge!a!path!
into! his! true! field! of! interest,! the! paranormal.! ! He! now! fabricates! specialized,!
paranormal! detection! equipment! fullGtime! for! his! company,! Paranologies.! He! also!
works! twice!a!month!as! an! investigator!with! the!Texas!Ghost!Hunters.!During!his!
investigations,! Jeromy!has! recorded!many! strange! and! unexplainable! phenomena.!
Two!of!Jeromy’s!children!share!an!interest!in!ghosts!and!are!already!learning!their!
father’s!craft.!!
Linda! and! Del! Hill! married! five! years! ago! and! promptly! began! a! business!
together!in!Gainesville,!Texas.!They!purchased!a!house!and!called!it!the!Hill!House!
Manor.!Their!plan!was!to!renovate!it!and!rent!it!out!to!visitors.!However,!when!they!
found!out!the!house!seemed!to!be!haunted!by!ghostly!presences,!their!plan!changed.!
Now,!Linda!and!Del! rent!out! the! tumble!down!house! for!visitors! interested! in! the!
paranormal,! who! spend! the! night! in! a! no! frills! environment! in! an! effort! to!
experience! something! unusual.! Teams! of! paranormal! experts! and!weekend! thrillG
seekers! keep! the!house! fully! booked! and!provide! a! valuable! source! of! income! for!
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Linda!and!Del.!In!addition!to!the!haunted!house,!Linda!gives!lectures!and!provides!
healing!therapy!sessions!while!Del!plays!music!in!several!bands.!!
The! documentary!Medium,% Texas! will! consider! the! practices! and! beliefs! of!
Dwanna,!Jeromy,!Linda!and!Del!in!an!effort!to!shed!light!on!the!growing!fascination!
with! the! paranormal,! while! also! seeking! to! understand! the! communities! and!
individuals! who! function! within! this! subculture.! Dwanna! Paul! will! serve! as! the!
central! character! who,! while! nearing! her! twilight! years,! continues! to! dedicate!
herself!to!a!fully!active!trance!medium!practice.!Dwanna’s!history!and!mystical!roots!
will!be!unearthed!while!her!style!and!approach!will!be!observed.!The!perspective!of!
the!documentary!will!then!spread!outward!to!include!the!other!viewpoints!found!in!
the!area!of!North!Texas!as!represented!by!Jeromy,!Linda,!and!Del,!all!of!whom!each!
have!unique!viewpoints!on!the!experience!of!tapping!into!the!paranormal!realm.!!
The!shared! fascination!with!ghosts!and!spirits!will!be! the! focus!of!Medium,%
Texas.! The! communal! interest! in! the! paranormal! will! serve! to! unify! the!multiple!
perspectives! that! will! arise! over! the! course! of! this! documentary! motion! picture.!
With!these!various!perspectives!and!stories!taken!into!account,!Medium,%Texas!will!
document!a!group!of!very! interesting!North!Texans!who!continually!reach! toward!
the!borderlands!of!human!experience.!!
Purpose!
Medium,% Texas! will! depict! a! variety! of! North! Texas! perspectives! that!
surround! the!mysteries! found! in! the! field! of! paranormal! practice! and! experience.!
Within! the! broad! field! of! paranormal! topics,! the! specific! focus! will! be! on!
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practitioners!who!are!dedicated!to!relationships!with!the!spirit!world.!This!film!will!
avoid! the! common! depiction! of! mediumship! and! spirit! phenomena! found! in!
widespread!media! and! instead! focus! on! the! passionate! people! and! belief! systems!
that!surround!and!support!this!subculture.!Grounding!the!paranormal!documentary!
in! and! around! North! Texas! will! serve! to! focus! the! perspective! within! a! specific!
region! of! the! United! States! in! an! effort! to! avoid! generalizations! that! might! arise!
should!the!project!attempt!to!encompass!a!larger!area.!!!
By! exploring! the! people! behind! this! mysterious! topic! in! a! respectful! and!
ethically! considerate! way,! the! paranormal! experience! will! be! analyzed! not! as! a!
subject!of!ridicule!or!sensationalism!but!rather!as!an!inevitable!negotiation!between!
humankind! and! the! unknown.! This! grappling! with! the! unexplainable! aspects! of!
everyday! life! provides! a! dramatic! quest! for! each! of! the! characters! in! this!
documentary.!!Through!the!experiences!of!these!characters,!the!thin!lines!between!a!
seemingly!very!unusual!belief!system!and!an!everyday!understanding!of!life!will!be!
drawn.!In!establishing!this!parallel!between!the!“normal”!world!and!the!spirit!realm,!
a! true! appreciation! for! the! alternative! belief! systems! and! esoteric! cultures!
associated!with!the!paranormal!will!be!encouraged.!Through!a!specific!exploration!
of!this!topic!as!found!in!North!Texas,!the!experience!and!understanding!of!the!spirit!
world!will!be!drawn!forth!from!what!at!first!glance!may!appear!to!be!a!convoluted!
web!of!practices!and!beliefs.!!
Intended!Audience!
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The! specific! audience! will! be! American! males! and! females! interested! in!
alternate/science! fiction/fantasy/horror/paranormal! phenomenon,! between! the!
ages!of!25G45,!a!bracket!that!assumes!a!certain!commonality!in!a!sustained!barrage!
of!media!exposure!during!the!last!two!decades.!This!specific!target!bracket!expands!
to!include!international!individuals!fascinated!by!the!paranormal!who!are!between!
the! ages! of! 25G45.! It! is! the! hope! of! the! filmmaker! that! this! documentary! will!
transcend!this!specific!age!range!to!include!individuals!of!all!ages!with!an!interest!in!
the! paranormal.! Even! those! individuals! not! openly! interested! in! the! paranormal,!
will! likely!also!have!a!fascination!with!the!mysterious!and!unknown!aspects!of!the!
world.!Though!older!generations!may!experience!a!higher!rate!of!resistance!to!this!
type! of! subject!matter,! it! is! the! intention! of! the! filmmaker! to! strive! to! produce! a!
documentary! that!will! also! appeal! to! elderly!Americans!who!are! interested! in! the!
people!who!work! in! the!paranormal! field.! Since! this!documentary! is!about!people!
who! extend! themselves! past! the! seemingly! restrictive! boundaries! of! human!
existence,!the!overall!hope!is!that!the!appeal!of!this!project!will!transcend!a!narrow!
target!audience!bracket!and!appeal!to!as!many!people!as!possible.!!
Paranormal! conferences! present! an! important! crossGsection! of! the! prime!
target! audience! for! this! documentary.! During! a! recent! trip! to! a! paranormal!
conference! in!Glen!Rose,!Texas,! I!was!able! to!converse!with!conference!attendees,!
who! rank! high! on! the! list! of! target! audience! members.! By! engaging! with! and!
considering! the!various!mindsets!of! conference!attendees,! I! feel! that! the! resulting!
documentary!can!remain! focused!and!on!point.! It!was!also!helpful! to!consider! the!
products! that!various!vendors! successfully! sell! at! this! type!of! conference.!All! told,!
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this! trip! and!and! future! conference! trips! are!useful! in!pondering! the!mindset!of! a!
subculture! as! an! audience!while! also! considering! how! I!might! eventually! sell!my!
own!documentary!to!this!same!audience.!!
Preproduction!Research!
Feasibility%
The! production! area! of!Medium,% Texas! is! in! North! Texas! and! surrounding!
regions.! Since! the!home!base! of! production!will! be!Denton,!Texas,! this! presents! a!
very!workable!situation!for!me!as!the!director/producer/camera!operator!as!well!as!
for! the! small! pool! of! potential! assistants! and! crew! I!will! enlist! to! help!me.! These!
crewmembers!will!also!be!from!the!area!of!Denton,!Texas.!Access!and!permissions!
from! the! various! documentary! subjects! have! been! secured! and! relationships!
continue! to! be! cemented! further! during! the! time! leading! up! to! the! start! of!
production.!I!have!been!speaking!with!Dwanna!Paul!on!the!phone!regularly.!She!is!
keeping!me!updated!with!the!schedule!of!events!she!plans!to!participate!in!during!
late!May.!I!have!also!spoken!with!Jeromy!Jones!and!Linda!Hill,!both!of!whom!assure!
me!that!the!production!may!proceed!in!late!May.!I!am!continuing!to!collect!potential!
interview!candidates,!but!expect!to!continue!to!remain!in!the!immediate!vicinity!of!
North! Texas,! which! makes! this! documentary! very! feasible! from! a! standpoint! of!
financing!as!well!as!accessing!the!proposed!subjects!of!the!film.!
The! only! thing! to! consider! in! terms! of! cost! and! logistics! is! the! process! of!
getting! from! one! place! to! another! over! the! course! of! the! shoot.! Dwanna! will! be!
located! in! Richardson,! Texas.! Linda! and!Del! Hill! are! located! in! Gainesville,! Texas.!
Jeromy!Jones!is!located!just!outside!of!Denton,!Texas.!In!the!end,!this!type!of!travel!
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requires!a!vehicle!and!I!intend!to!rent!one!for!the!travel!purposes!of!this!production.!
Since!there!will!be!no!overnight!visits!expected!during!the!shooting!of!the!film,!the!
necessity! to!sleep!overnight! in!distant! locations!has!been!removed.!With!all!of! the!
subjects! in! close! proximity! to! Denton,! the! film! crew!will! drive! to! and! from! each!
location!easily!within!a!day.!There!will!be!one!longer!trip!with!Dwanna!that!will!take!
the!crew!to!either!Jefferson!or!some!other!nearby!Texas!town!in!an!effort!to!explore!
ghostly! presences! in! various! establishments! around! the! town.! However,! this! and!
any!additional!longer!dayGtrip!will!not!result!in!any!sort!of!overnight!stays.!
Research%Summary%
Many! documentaries,! television! programs,! and! video! clips! on! psychics,!
mediums!and!paranormal!investigators!are!part!of!the!research!process!for!this!type!
of!moving!picture.!It!is!important!to!know!the!work!that!has!already!been!created!on!
this! subject!matter! in!an!effort! to!glean! the! stylistic! and!narrative! choices!at!play.!
Sensationalism! and! false! tension! remain! the! stylistic! hallmarks! of! television!
programming!that!depicts!paranormal!phenomena.!This!type!of!overly!dramatized!
media!works!on!certain!levels!but!serves!as!a!warning!for!the!production!of!Medium,%
Texas.!Additionally,!I!have!been!reading!multiple!books!on!psychic!and!paranormal!
phenomena.!While!there!is!a!tendency!to!fall!into!the!same!sensationalism!found!on!
television,!this!type!of!writing!is!very!illuminating!for!the!most!part!because!it!gives!
a! good! sense! of! the! first! hand! accounts! and! perspectives! of! enthusiasts! and!
professionals!in!the!field!of!paranormal!research.!In!addition!to!the!swath!of!video!
clips! and! productions! available! on! this! subject,! there! are! many! radio! shows! and!
podcasts!that!pertain!to!paranormal!subjects.!!
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Conferences!are!also!an! important!part!of! this!community!since!they!afford!
an! opportunity! for! the! group! to! gather! and! exchange! stories! and! research.! In!
addition!to! the!possibility!of!attending! local!Texas!conferences,!of!which!there!are!
many,! conference! videos! of! lectures! are! available! online.! The! most! recent!
conference,!PhilosoPhenomena!Conference,!was!held!in!Glen!Rose,!TX.!It!was!there!
that!I!met!a!number!of!psychics!and!investigators!who!have!enriched!my!research!
process! while! providing! me! with! the! option! for! additional! characters! in! this!
documentary.!I!met!Jeromy!as!well!as!Linda!and!Del!Hill!at!the!PhilosoPhenomena!
conference.!As!mentioned!above,!while!at!this!recent!conference,!I!was!also!able!to!
assess!target!audience!members!and!the!types!of!products!on!sale!to!them.!
Books%
Bader,! Christopher! and! F.! Mencken.! Paranormal% America:% Ghost% Encounters,% UFO%Sightings,%Bigfoot%Hunts,%and%Other%Curiosities%in%Religion%and%Culture.!NY:!New!York!University!Press,!2010.!!
Barbash, Ilisa and Lucien Taylor. Cross Cultural Filmmaking: A Handbook for Documentary and Ethnographic Films and Videos. Berkley: UC Press, 1997.
Barber,! Christina! and! Cindy! Berqquist.! A% Field% Guide% to% Scientific% Paranormal%Research%Methods.%Amazon!Digital:!Berqquist,!2014.!!
Beischel,! Julie.! Among% Mediums:% A% Scientist’s% Quest% for% Answers.! ! Tucson,! AZ:! The!Windbridge!Institute,!2013.!!
Benson,!Thomas!W.,!and!Carolyn!Anderson.!Reality%Fictions:%The%Films%of%Frederick%Wiseman.!Carbondale:!Southern!University!Press,!2002.!!
Devillier,!Jennifer.!Dark%Night%Haunting.%San!Antonio,!TX:!Devillier,!2012.!!
Halifax,! Joan.! Shamanic% Voices:% A% Survey% of% Visionary% Narratives.! New! York:! EP!Dutton,!1979.!!
Heider, Karl G. Ethnographic Film. Austin: UT Press, 2006.
Jenssen, Toril. Behind the Eye: Reflexive Methods in Culture Studies, Ethnographic Film, and Visual Media. Trans & Ed. Peter I. Crawford. Denmark: Intervention Press, 2009.
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MacDonald, Scott. American Ethnographic Film and Personal Documentary: The Cambridge Turn. Berkley: UC Press, 2013.
Nichols, Bill. Introduction to Documentary. Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 2010.
Reisz, Karel, and Gavin Millar. The Technique of Film Editing 2nd Edition. Oxford: Focal Press, 1999.
Roberts,! Jane.!Seth%Speaks:%The%Eternal%Validity%of% the%Soul.! San!Rafael,!CA:!AmberGAllen!Publishing,!1972.!!
Rouch, Jean. Cine-Ethnography. Minneapolis: University of Minneapolis Press, 2003.
Ruby, Jay. Picturing Culture: Explorations of Film and Anthropology. Chicago: UC Press, 2000.
Schoch,! Robert! and! Logan! Yonavjak.! The% Parapsychology% Revolution:% A% Concise%Anthology%of%Paranormal%and%Psychical%Research.!NY:!Penguin,!2008.!!
Spence,! Louise,! and! Vinicius! Navarro.! Crafting% Truth:% Documentary% Form% and%Meaning.%New!Brunswick:!Rutgers!UP,!2012.!!
Terrozas,! Jeff.! Ultimate% Ghost% Hunting% GuideTA% Comprehensive% Manual% for% the%Paranormal%Researcher.!Amazon!Digital:!SaberShark!Press,!2011.!!
Treat,!Wesley,! Heather! Shades,! and! Rob! Riggs.!Weird% Texas:% Your% Travel% Guide% to%Texas’s%Local%Legends%and%Best%Kept%Secrets.!TX:!Sterling,!2009.!!
Wiseman,!Frederick.!Five%Films%by%Frederick%Wiseman:%Titicut%Follies,%High%School,%Welfare,%High%School%II,%Public%Housing.!Ed.!Grant,!Barry!Keith.!Los!Angeles:!UC!California,!2006.!!
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Visual%Media%
Chronicle%of%a%Summer.!Jean!Rouch!and!Edgar!Morin.!Criterion!Collection.!1961.!
First% Sleepover.! Linda!Hill.! 2012,!YouTube.!Documentary! remembrance!of! the! first!sleepover!at!Hill!House!Manor.!!
GHoT%investigates%Hill%House%Manor%in%Gainesville,%TX.%Lahvista.!2007,!YouTube.!Ghost!Hunters!of!Texas!present!a! collection!of!video!evidence!during!an! investigation!of!Hill!House.!!
Intro%to%Hill%House%Manor.!Linda!Hill.!2012,!YouTube.!Documentary!introduction!to!the!history!behind!Hill!House!Manor.!!
The%Latest%Breakthrough%in%Ghost%Hunting%EquipmentTJeromy%Jones:%Shopping%for%the%Paranormal.!Just!Energy!Radio.!2013,!YouTube.!Jeromy!talks!about!his!business!and!the!type!of!equipment!necessary!for!paranormal!investigation.!!
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The%Maps% of% Hill% House%Manor.! Linda! Hill.! 2014.! Youtube.! An! overview! of! the! hill!house!manor!through!pictures!and!blueprints.!!
Gates%of%Heaven.!Errol!Morris.!IFC!Film.!1978.!!
Messages% from% the% Spirit% with% Dwanna% Paul.! Tony! Cecala.! 2012.! Youtube.! Dwanna!speaks!to!a!crowd!about!mediumship!and!demonstrates!her!techniques.!!
Nanook%of%the%North.!Robert!Flaherty.!Reel!Enterprises.!1922.!
Trance%Report%with%Dwanna%Paul:%Apports%and%Hauntings.!Trance!Report!TV.!2012.!Youtube.! A! short! podcast! with! video! accompaniment! that! details! highlights! from!Dwanna’s!investiations.!!
Trance%Report%with%Dwanna%Paul:%Beings%of%Light.!Trance!Report!TV.!2012.!Youtube.!A!short!podcast!with!video!accompaniment!that!details!the!beings!of!light.!
Trance%Report%with%Dwanna%Paul:%Haunted%Hotel%El%Capitan.!Trance!Report!TV.!2012.!YouTube.! A! short! podcast!with! video! accompaniment! that! details! highlights! from!Dwanna’s!investigation!of!a!haunted!hotel.!!
Trance%Report%with%Dwanna%Paul:%Haunted%Jefferson%Texas.!Trance!Report!TV.!2012.!Youtube.! A! short! podcast! with! video! accompaniment! that! details! highlights! from!Dwanna’s!investigation!in!Jefferson,!Texas.!!!
Trance% Report% with% Dwanna% Paul:% Paranormal% Photos.! Trance! Report! TV.! 2012,!YouTube.! A! short! podcast!with! video! accompaniment! that! details! highlights! from!Dwanna’s!investiations.!!
The%Store.!Frederick!Wiseman.!Zipporah!Films.!1983.!
Vernon,%Florida.!Errol!Morris.!IFC!Film.!1981.!!
!
Podcasts%
Expanded!Perspectives! ! ! !!!http://www.expandedperspectives.com/!
Bob!Bain’s!Farside! ! ! ! ! ! ! !http://thefarside.tv/!
The!Gralien!Report!with!Micah!hanks! ! !!!!!!http://www.gralienreport.com/!
The!Higherside!Chats!with!Greg!Carlwood!! !!!!!!http://thehighersidechats.com/!
!
!
! !11!
Into!the!Dark!Radio! ! ! ! ! !http://www.intothedarkradio.net/!
The!Paranormal!Podcast!with!Jim!Harold! !!!!!!!!!!!http://jimharold.com/category/theGparanormalGpodcast/!
Night!of!the!Living!Podcast! ! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!http://notlp.com/!
Anything!Ghost! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!https://player.fm/series/anythingGghostGshow!
Welcome!to!Night!Vale%! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!http://podbay.fm/show/536258179!
!
Interviewees%
Carson!Mencken! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!Professor!of!Sociology!at!Baylor! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!!Waco,!TX.!! ! ! !!http://www.baylor.edu/sociology/index.php?id=67932!
Cheryl!Andrea! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!!!Clairvoyant,!Medium,!and!Visionary! ! ! ! ! ! !!Irving,!TX.! ! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!http://www.cherylandrea.com/!
Daniel!Spears!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!!Ghost!Host!Tour!Guide! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!!Greenville,!TX!
Dwanna!Paul!(telephone!communication)!! ! ! ! ! !!Trance!medium,!healer,!and!lecturer.Richardson,!TX.! ! !!!!!!!!Dwannapaul.com!
Jeromy!Jones!(Pam!Jones!and!5!kids)! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!Electrical!engineer!and!paranormal!detection!device!designer.!! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!Denton,!TX.!! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!!paranologies.com!
Linda!Hill!(and!Del!Hill)! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!Haunted!house!operators!and!paranormal!enthusiasts.!! ! ! !!!!!!Gainesville,!TX.!! ! ! ! !!!!!www.hillhouse.manor.com/history.htm!
Mitchel!Whitington! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!!!Book!Author!and!Owner!of!23!House!Publishing! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!
!
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Jefferson,!TX.!!! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!http://www.whitington.com/!
!
Conferences%and%Festivals%
Dallas!Psychic!Fair,%Gathering!of!Psychics!and!Spiritualists% % %%%%%%%%%%Saturday,!June!6th,!2015.!Dallas,!TX%
Paranormal!Expo,!Special!Event!at!Hill!House!Manor! ! ! ! !!!Friday!August!28th!–!Saturday!August!29th.!Gainesville,!TX.!
PhilosoPhenomena,%Texas!Paranormal!Unity!Fest.!\% % % %%%%%%%%%Saturday,!March!21,!2015.!Glen!Rose,!TX.!%
Supernatural!Expo,!24!Hour!Paranormal!Event! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!Saturday,!July!18th,!2015.!Lewisville,!TX.!
!
Characters%
Dwanna! Paul! has! been! practicing! trance! mediumship! for! over! thirtyGfive!
years!and!now!conducts!various!private!and!group!sessions!in!both!Texas!and!South!
Carolina.!Dwanna’s!private!sessions!result!in!communications!with!lost!loved!ones,!
spiritual! guidance,! and! emotional! healing.! In! addition! to! frequent! lectures! on! the!
subject! of! mediumship,! Dwanna! also! conducts! what! she! calls,! “circles! of! light,”! a!
practice! that! involves!people! sitting! together! in! a! circle!with! the! lights! turned!off.!
The!resulting!energy!field!creates!an!experience!that!can!be!aural,!tactile,!aromatic,!
or!even!involve!floating!visions!of!light.!!
Jeromy!Jones!is!an!electrical!engineer!and!father!of!five.!After!working!in!the!
corporate!world,! Jeromy!took! it!upon!himself! to! forge!a!path! into! the!paranormal.!!
He! now! fabricates! specialized! paranormal! detection! equipment! full! time! for! his!
company,! Paranologies.! He! also!works! twice! a!month! as! an! investigator!with! the!
!
! !13!
Texas!Ghost!Hunters.!During!his!investigations,!Jeromy!has!captured!many!strange!
and! unexplainable! phenomena.! Jeromy’s! children,! two! of! whom! are! learning! to!
solder,!share!Jeromy’s!interest!in!the!unknown!and!are!already!helping!their!father!
in!the!workshop.!!
Linda! and! Del! Hill,! married! five! years! ago! and! promptly! began! a! business!
together!in!Gainesville,!Texas.!They!purchased!a!house!and!called!it!the!Hill!House!
Manor.!Their!plan!was!to!renovate!it!and!rent!it!out!to!visitors.!However,!when!they!
found!out!the!house!may!be!haunted!by!ghostly!presences,!their!plan!changed.!Now,!
Linda! and! Del! rent! out! the! tumble! down! house! for! visitors! interested! in! the!
paranormal,! who! spend! the! night! using! only! the! barest! of! necessities.! Teams! of!
paranormal! experts! and! weekend! thrillGseekers! book! the! house! frequently! and!
provide!a!valuable!source!of!income!for!Linda!and!Del.!Linda!supplements!the!house!
income!with! lectures! and! healing! conversations,!while! Del! plays!music! in! several!
bands.!!
Style%and%Approach%
Medium,%Texas!will!involve!interviews!and!observational!footage!of!a!psychic,!
a!paranormal!equipment!designer,!and!haunted!house!owners.!The!interviews!will!
take!up!very!little!screen!time!and!instead!contribute!to!the!audio!track!narration,!as!
a! way! to! inform! and! enrich! the! mostly! observational! footage! of! each! character!
engaging! in! their! specific! roles! as! paranormally! invested! individuals.! The! general!
approach! of!Medium,% Texas! will! divert! away! from! the! expected! reality! television!
models! that! tend! to! exploit! mediums,! psychics,! and! ghost! hunters! by! way! of!
!
! !14!
sensationalized!narratives!that!build!up!an!overly!constructed!tension!for!purposes!
of!audience!excitement.!Medium,%Texas!will! instead!present!an!ethical!depiction!of!
paranormal! phenomena! as! seen! through! the! passionate! motivation! of! several!
interesting!people!with!whom!an!audience!can!empathize.!!
Since!some!of!the!fieldwork!will!be!accomplished!in!the!dark,!the!visual!style!
will!need!to!take!this!into!account.!The!remedy!in!the!reality!television!model!is!to!
use! night! vision! cameras! of! some! kind.!While! night! vision! camera! footage!will! be!
used!at!some!points!during!Medium,%Texas,!this!film!will!seek!alternate!methods!to!
represent! these! happenings.! Sound! acquisition! will! be! paramount! in! the!
achievement!of!an!accurate!mood!and!experience!during!these!events.!Additionally,!
both! Dwanna! and! Jeromy,! the! two! investigators! of! the! group,! have! offered! to!
provide!me!with!archival!footage!that!includes!previous!sightings!and!experiences.!
If!night!vision!camera!work!is!to!be!included,!this!archival!material!will!be!the!first!
consideration,!followed!by!the!newly!acquired!night!vision!footage.!!
Treatment%
! Dwanna!Paul,!a! freeGfloating! trance!medium,!arrives!at!her! friend!Andrea’s,!
house!in!late!May,!2015,!to!attend!a!weekend!Shamanic!course!in!Dallas,!Texas,!held!
by!the!27th!generation!Nepalese!shaman!Bhola!Banstola.!After!Dwanna!and!Andrea!
immerse! themselves! in! two! days! of! the! ancient! healing! practices,! storytelling,!
dancing,! and! drumming! lead! by!Bhola,! the! two!women! consider! their! experience.!
Dwanna! is! a!professional! trance!medium!and!no! stranger! to!Bhola’s!metaphysical!
variant!upon!her! craft.!Andrea,! a! former! student!of!Dwanna’s,! is! a! little!harder! to!
!
! !15!
convince,! but! shares! Dwanna’s! enthusiasm.! Their! debate! compels! Dwanna! and!
Andrea!to!initiate!a!trance!session!together,!wherein!Dwanna!channels!the!spirit!of!a!
deceased!individual!who!will!communicate!with!Andrea.!!
! Jeromy! Jones! works! in! his! fabrication! shop! alongside! his! 11GyearGold! son,!
Ethan.!Together!they!solder!a!newly!designed!paranormal!detection!and!recording!
device.!Jeromy!anticipates!trying!the!device!in!the!field!with!his!team!of!Texas!Ghost!
Hunters!the!following!weekend.!Ethan!asks!his!father!about!the!spirits!encountered!
during!ghost!hunts!and!mentions!how!he!is!looking!forward!to!tagging!along!for!the!
upcoming! hunt.! Jeromy! nods! at! his! son! and! smiles! at! the! thought! of! the! family!
business! being! carried! into! the! next! generation.! Jeromy! takes! the! opportunity! to!
teach!his!son!another! lesson!about!the!techniques!and!purpose!of!what!they!do!at!
Paranologies.!
! Dwanna!and!Andrea!prepare!Andrea’s!home!in!Richardson,!Texas!for!a!circle!
of!lights!session!that!they!hope!will!result!in!a!communication!with!the!spirit!world.!
As! the!other!guests!and!participants!arrive,!Dwanna!privately!prepares!herself! for!
the! upcoming! communication.! Once! everyone! is! settled! in! a! circle,! the! lights! are!
extinguished!and!Dwanna!leads!the!group!in!the!session.!In!the!darkness,! it!seems!
that!only!silence!will!be!the!end!result,!but!after!some!passage!of!time,!a!sound!can!
be! heard,! followed! by! several! rapidly! moving! lights! through! the! room.! Everyone!
exclaims!in!shock!as!the!phenomenon!subsides!as!quickly!as!it!appeared.!Before!the!
conclusion! of! the! night,! Dwanna! leads! the! group! in! a! session! of! “tableGtipping,”! a!
process!whereby!a!table!is!made!to!levitate!through!the!joined!energies!of!the!group.!
!
! !16!
After! the! participants! successfully! levitate! a! table! in! the! dark,! the! group! has! had!
their!fill.!They!converse!excitedly!as!they!exit!Andrea’s!house.!!
! Linda! and!Del!Hill! prepare! their! famous!Hill!House!Manor! for! an! incoming!
paranormal!team,!due!in!Gainesville!the!next!day.!Dotty,!Linda’s!87GyearGold!mother,!
is!staying!with!Linda!and!Del! for! the!month!and!follows!the!pair!as! they!complete!
the!necessary!tasks!around!the!property.!Dotty!doesn’t!really!understand!the!whole!
“paranormal! thing,”! as! she! calls! it.! She! frequently! questions! her! daughter! while!
critiquing!her!son! in! law.!Del!escapes!to!the!back!porch!for!a!necessary!break!and!
strums!a!few!notes!on!his!acoustic!guitar,!which!he!has!strategically!left!nearby!for!
some!muchGneeded! stress! relief.!Meanwhile,! Linda! tries! to! explain! to! her!mother!
that! the! world! Dotty! thinks! she! understands! is! actually! full! of! almost! endless!
mystery.!!
! Dwanna!Paul!and!her!friend!Andrea!take!a!day!trip!to!the!wellGknown!town!
of!Jefferson,!TX.!As!the!two!friends!stroll!the!streets!of!the!city,!Dwanna!is!flooded!by!
communications! from! the! spirit!world.! She!dictates!her! experiences! to!her! friend,!
almost! collapsing! from! the! weight! of! communication! once! the! two!women! reach!
Mount!Sinai!Cemetery.!As!Dwanna!catches!her!breath,!her!friend!suggests!they!visit!
the!wellGknown!Big!Cypress!Internet!Café.!Once!at!the!Café,!the!two!women!meet!up!
with! noted,! local! warlock! Duane! Landziak! to! discuss! some! of! the! paranormal!
experiences! that! have! been! reported! to! occurred! in! Jefferson.!Duane! suggests! the!
two!women!chat!with!Jodi!Breckenridge,!a!local!tour!guide!and!noted!authority!on!
!
! !17!
Jefferson!ghost!history.!Dwanna!and!Andrea! find! Jodi,! and!engage! in!a! compelling!
conversation!about!the!supernatural!world!and!Texas.!!
! Linda! and! Del! Hill! welcome! the! Texas! Ghost! Hunter! team! to! Hill! House!
Manor.! Jeromy! and! his! son! Ethan! lead! up! the! investigation,! while! several! other!
ghost!hunters!deal!with!the!equipment!that!must!be!loaded!into!the!location.!Linda!
gives!the!grand!tour!while!Jeromy!and!Ethan!take!notes.!Shortly!thereafter,!Jeromy!
and!his!team!of!ghost!hunters!are!left!alone!on!the!premises.!Their!devices!pulse!and!
beep!in!the!dark,!musty!house.!Suddenly,!a!light!tremor!gets!their!attention!and!all!
eyes! are! on! the! “murder! room,”! one!of! the!most! feared! areas! of! the!house.! Ethan!
carries! the! new! device! he! and! his! father! have! recently! fabricated! for! just! such! a!
purpose.!A!light!pulse!appears!on!the!LCD!screen!attached!to!the!device!Ethan!holds.!
After!a!few!moments!of!suspense,!the!entire!LCD!lights!up!with!a!digital!fire!of!noise!
and!static.!Jeromy!joins!his!son!and!smiles!as!they!record!the!unusual!happening.!!
! Dwanna!and!Andrea!drive!up!to!the!Hill!House!Manor.!It’s!early!morning!and!
the!Texas!Ghost!Hunters!are!packing!up!their!equipment!and!calling!it!a!successful!
expedition.!Linda!and!Del!are!there!to!wish!their!guests!a!safe!trip!back!to!Denton!
while!also!greeting!their!new!visitors,!Dwanna!and!Andrea.!Jeromy!nods!to!Dwanna,!
as!if!sensing!the!common!ground!they!share.!Linda!shows!Dwanna!and!Andrea!into!
the!house.!Dwanna!immediately!senses!the!same!presence!Jeromy!detected!with!his!
equipment.! It! seems! Dwanna! is! a! human! version! of! Jeromy’s! device.! Dwanna,!
however,! can! express! the! feelings! and! the! communication! from! the! spirit.! She!
describes!the!spirit!for!a!time!and!then!leans!on!her!friend,!exhausted.!!
!
! !18!
! On!their!way!back!to!Richardson,!Dwanna!and!Andrea!stop!off!near!Denton,!
Texas!at!the!wellGknown!Goat!Man’s!Bridge.!They!park!their!car!and!walk!out!onto!
the!bridge.!Dwanna!clears!her!mind!and!Andrea!clutches!Dwanna’s!hand!in!an!effort!
to! strengthen! their! ability! to! channel! the! spirits! of! a! local! legend.! But! they! sense!
nothing.! They! look! around! at! the! old! bridge! and! the! slow!moving!water! running!
beneath.!After!a!moment!longer,!Dwanna!feels!the!presence!of!a!ghost!who!begins!to!
speak! to!her!and! tell!his!sad! tale!of! living!on! the!other!side!of! the!bridge.! It! is! the!
famed!Goat!Man.!As!it!turns!out,!the!Goat!Man!died!in!a!very!different!way!than!the!
legend! remembers.! Dwanna! listens!while! Andrea! looks! on!with! a! knowing! smile.!
After!a!time,!Dwanna!looks!at!Andrea!and!the!two!women!walk!back!to!their!car!and!
drive!back!to!Richardson,!Texas.!!
Financing%
Since! this!project!will! be!produced! in! and!around! the! crew’s!home!base!of!
Denton,!Texas,!Medium,%Texas! remains!highly! feasible,! a! factor!which!has!kept! the!
projected! costs! of! production! down.! However,! there! remains! a! need! for! outside!
financing!in!order!to!provide!for!the!continued!research,!travel!costs,!gasoline,!food,!
and! perhaps!most! importantly,! the! eventual! outreach! and! impact! that!will! assure!
that!this!film!reaches!an!audience!upon!completion.!For!this!reason,!Medium,%Texas!
will!seek!financing!from!a!grant!through!The!Austin!Film!Society!and!also!through!
an!IndieGoGo!campaign!that!will!be!launched!during!the!postGproduction!phase.!!
Distribution%Possibilities%
Medium,%Texas!is!expected!to!screen!in!many!film!festivals!including:!!
AFI!Docs!
!
! !19!
Afterlife!Paranormal!Conference!and!Film!Festival!
Atlanta!Horror!Film!Festival!
Big!Sky!Film!Festival!
British!Horror!Film!Festival!
Chicago!Horror!Film!Festival!
Chicago!Paranormal!Film!Festival!
Eerie!Horror!Film!Festival!
Fantasia!Film!Festival!
Fear!Fete!Horror!Film!Festival!and!Convention!
Full!Frame!Documentary!Film!Festival!
Hot!Docs!
Hot!Springs!Documentary!Film!Festival!
Hot!Springs!International!Horror!Film!Festival!
Idaho!Horror!Film!Festival!
Indie!Memphis!Film!Festival!!
Little!Rock!Film!Festival!
Mile!High!Horror!Film!Festival!
Nola!Horror!Film!Festival!
PhilosoPhenomena!Gathering!
Sacramento!Horror!Film!Festival!
The!Scottish!Paranormal!Festival!
!
! !20!
Sheffield!DocFest!
Shriekfest,!the!Lost!Angeles!Horror/SciFi!Film!Festival!
South!by!Southwest!
Terror!Film!Festival!
Thin!Line!Film!Festival.!!
True/Fase!Film!Festival!
Tucson!Terror!Fest!
Medium,%Texas!will!be!sold!at!the!various!paranormal!conferences!and!educational!
venues!once!it!has!had!a!successful!film!festival!run.!
Social%Media%Timeline%
Site% % % %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%Rationale% % % % Availability%
Facebook! ! Communicate!with!fans/supporters! !! 9/15/2015!
Twitter! ! Communicate!with!fans/supporter!! ! 9/15/2015!
Vimeo!! ! Trailers/teasers!for!fans/supporters! ! 9/15/2015!
Youtube! ! Trailers/teasers!for!fans/supporters! ! 9/15/2015!
!
Schedule%for%PreTProduction,%Production,%PostTProduction%
PreGProduction!
JanuaryGMay! ! Research,!Contacts,!Proposal! ! Denton,!TX!
Production!
May!21st! ! Linda!and!Del!Hill! ! ! ! Gainesville,!TX!
!
! !21!
May!23rd! ! Carson!Mencken! ! ! ! Waco,!TX!
May.!24th!G28th! Dwanna!Paul!and!Friends! ! ! Dallas,!TX!
May!29th!G30th! Jeromy!Jones!!! ! ! ! Denton,!TX!
May!31st!! ! Daniel!Spears!! ! ! ! Greenville,!TX!
PostGProduction!
JuneGSeptember! Editing,!Sound!Mixing,!Finalizing! ! Denton,!TX!
February!2016!! Premiere!at!True/False!Film!Fest! ! Columbia,!MO!
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RECONCEPTUALIZATION!BEFORE!PRODUCTION!
As! the! thesis!documentary!neared!production,!Dwanna!Paul! communicated!
to!me!that!she!would!not!be!visiting!North!Texas!during!the!summer!of!2015!as!she!
had!originally!planned.!Because!of!this!unexpected!change,!I!needed!to!find!another!
character! to! replace! her! unique! perspective.! This! character! would! ideally! be!
someone!who!worked!as!a!psychic.!As!it!turned!out,!this!setback!turned!out!to!be!a!
blessing!in!disguise,!since!it!led!to!the!meeting!and!casting!of!Cheryl!Andrea.!
Cheryl!Andrea! is!a!clairvoyant,! clairaudient,! and!claircognizant.!She! is!a!coG
owner! of! the! Dallas! Psychic! Fair! and! gives! private! and! public! readings! for!many!
individuals! inside! and! outside! of! the! spiritual! community.! Cheryl! has! also! been!
working! hard! to! establish! her! new! space,! Now! Center,! as! a! spiritualist! hub! for!
community!events!and!private!services!offered!by!and!for!various!members!of!the!
paranormal!community.!Cheryl!began!her!spiritualist! journey!as!a!young!child!and!
has!communicated!with!her!spirit!guides,!or!“angels,”!ever!since.!!
With! Cheryl! onboard,! not! only! did! the! film! benefit! from! her! unique!
perspective! but! also! from! the! inclusion! of! the! Dallas! Psychic! Fair! event,! which!
permitted! a! viewpoint! upon! the! community! and! a! variety! of! practitioners!not! yet!
considered! as! part! of! this! project.! Meeting! Cheryl! also! led! to!meeting!Morrighan!
Lynn!and!her!paranormal!adventure!team,!Lux!Bellator,!whom!we!followed!down!to!
Yorktown,!Texas!for!a!paranormal!investigation!in!an!abandoned!hospital.!!
The!title,!Medium,%Texas,%was!chosen!when!Dwanna!Paul!was!believed!to!be!
the!main!character!of!the!documentary,!but!once!additional!TexasGbased!characters!
!
! !23!
were!added!to!the!production,!the!title!was!changed!to!Texas%Paranormalists,!a!more!
inclusive!title!that!captures!the!ever!broadening!scope,!as!well!as!the!location,!of!the!
documentary.!Additionally,!under!the!guidance!of!my!thesis!committee,!I!made!the!
decision! to! change! the! planned! production! camera! from! the! Sony! FS100! to! the!
Canon!5D!Mark! III.!This!decision!allowed! for!an! increase! in!mobility! for!myself!as!
the!camera!operator!since!the!5D!is!more!compact!than!the!FS100.!Even!though!the!
original!plan!was!to!include!a!sound!operator,!the!change!from!the!FS100!to!the!5D!
made! this! a! definite! necessity! since! it! became!more! difficult! to! shoot! picture! and!
sound!on!my!own.!!
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INTEGRATION!OF!THEORY!AND!PRACTICE!
Ethnographic!Cinema!!
While! rooted! within! the! documentary! tradition,! ethnographic! cinema,! like!
any!classification,!is!difficult!to!pin!down!within!a!modern!context.!Early!in!his!book,!
CineTEthnography,!Jean!Rouch!writes!that,!“The!more!these!films!are!attacked!from!
the! exterior! and! interior,! the!more! they! seem! to! develop! and! affirm! themselves”!
(29).!These!attacks!are! inevitable! and!go!all! the!way!back! to!Nanook%of% the%North!
(1922),! considered! by! many! to! be! the! first! example! of! ethnographic! filmmaking,!
albeit!one!that!used!many!staged!situations!to!achieve!its!goal!of!portraying!the!Inuit!
lifestyle!that!was!set!against!the!backdrop!of!a!harsh,!natural!world.!Over!the!almost!
one!hundred!years!since!Nanook%of% the%North,!various!documentary!traditions!and!
approaches! have! continued! to! arise! and! the! documentary,! Texas% Paranormalists,!
draws!from!several!of!these!formal!traditions,!but!it!is!first!and!foremost!indebted!to!
the!ethnographic!cinema!tradition.!!
With! its! direct! link! to! anthropology,! Karl! Heider! found! it! difficult! to!
disconnect!ethnographic! cinema! from! the! social! sciences.!He!believed! that!a! “long!
term”!study!was!necessary!in!order!to!do!justice!to!the!subject!matter!(Heider,!4G5).!
What!constitutes!as!“long!term”!is!up!for!debate,!but! it!should!be!dissociated!from!
the!journalistic!approach!of!rapidly!descending!upon!a!location!and!group!of!people!
in!an!effort!to!harvest!a!bare!necessity!of!story!coverage.!With!Texas%Paranormalists,!
I! made! every! effort! to! connect! on! a! personal! level! with! the! subjects! of! the!
documentary! and! spend! as! much! time! with! them! as! possible! before! and! during!
shooting.! Certainly,! the! question! of! inconvenience! becomes! an! issue! when!
!
! !25!
attempting! to! integrate! a! film! crew! into! a! space! and! spend! prolonged! periods! of!
time!with!the!subjects.!For!this!reason,!the!crew!size!was!kept!to!a!bare!minimum!of!
two,!except!for!one!occasion!when!a!third!person!was!added!to!assist!with!lighting!a!
dark! space.! Jean! Rouch,! who! seemed! to! be! opposed! to! crews,! would! likely!
recommend! the! training! of! a! paranormalists! subject! in! the! operation! of! sound! or!
lights,!but!this!type!of!interaction!was!simply!infeasible!for!this!type!of!production.!
The! length!of! the!production!window! for!Texas%Paranormalists% lasted! fifteen!days.!
This!number!is!not!as!long!as!some!periods!of!entrenchment!with!a!group!of!people!
but!was!most!practical!given!the!time!constraints!of! the!thesis!schedule!as!well!as!
subject!availability.!!
!Heider! also! believed! that! ethnographic! cinema! should! seek! to! connect! the!
norms!found!within!the!subculture!back!to!itself!as!a!specific!group!as!well!as!to!the!
surrounding!cultural!and!social!context!from!which!it!springs!forth!(5).!In!the!case!
of! Texas% Paranormalists,! the! subculture! of! paranormal! practitioners! in! the! North!
Texas! area! is! effectively! depicted! and! shown! to! connect! to! itself! as! a! distinctive!
social! group.! This! group! stands! at! a! certain! remove! from! the! more! widespread!
culture!of!the!Texas!area!in!which!it!remains!rooted.!It!is!important!to!note!that!the!
world! of! nonGbelievers,! skeptics! who! hold! paranormalists! in! contempt,! is! not!
depicted! in! the! documentary.! As! the! filmmaker,! my! reasoning! for! leaving! this!
perspective!out!of! the!documentary! is! that,! in!a!way,! it! is!already!understood!and!
internalized! by! the! majority! of! viewers.! The! chosen! subGculture! is! increasingly!
visible! on! national! and! global! television! as!well! as! in!mainstream!movies.! In! this!
way,! Texas% Paranormalists! treads! familiar! ground! while! steering! clear! of! the!
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sensationalist,! exploitation! that! can! so! easily! be! leveled! at! people! with! unusual!
beliefs.!My!refusal!to!show!both!sides!does!perhaps!weaken!the!balance!of!the!piece.!
However,! I! think! it! strengthens! the! perspectives! and! the! community! of! the!
paranormalists!that!I!have!chosen!to!depict.!!!!
While! Texas% Paranormalists! draws! from! the! historical! approaches! of!
ethnographic! cinema,! the! documentary! aspires! to! a! certain! commerciality! that! is!
often! absent,! and! unnecessary! if! proper! funding! is! in! place,! in! traditional!
ethnographic! productions.! ! The! Sensory! Ethnography! Lab! out! of! Harvard! is! an!
exception! to! this! trend! in! commerciality,! as! it! seems! to! strive! toward! a! more!
marketable,! or! at! least! wellGdistributed,! blend! of! ethnography! and! documentary.!
The!mix!of!interviews!and!observational!footage!found!in!Texas%Paranormalists%is!a!
departure!from!the!more!scientific,!unbiased!study!of!a!subculture!often!found!in!an!
ethnographic!agenda.!So,!even!though!Texas%Paranormalists! is!very!much!indebted!
to! the! ethnographic! tradition,! the! formal! approach! departs! rapidly! from! an!
ethnographic!base!and!connects!to!the!documentary!traditions!of!CinemaGvérité!and!
Direct!Cinema,!both!of!which!are!inextricably!linked!to!ethnographic!cinema!in!their!
own!ways!but!are!decidedly!more!cinematic.!
CinemaGvérité!and!Direct!Cinema!
Jean!Rouch!provided!an!important!connection!between!ethnographic!cinema!
and!the!new!method!he!called!cinema!vérité,!when!he!made!his!film,!Chronicle%of%a%
Summer! in! 1961.! However,! Rouch! credits! both! Robert! Flaherty! and! Dziga! Vertov!
with!foreseeing!cinemaGvérité!when!they!“Invented!the!notions!of!the!participating!
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camera!and!of!kinopravda![or,! film!truth]”(Rouch,!98).!The!willingness!to!combine!
the! techniques! of! observation! and! participation! demonstrates! the! conception! of!
cinemaGvérité! for! Rouch,! which! allowed! him! to! “filmGthink”! as! Vertov! suggested!
(Rouch,!98).!The!American!variation!on! cinemaGvérité,! known!as!direct! cinema,! is!
more!restrictive!and!relies!on!an!observational!mode!that!remains!unobtrusive!and!
nonGparticipatory! (Nichols,! 31).! Both! of! these! documentary! traditions! are! of! vital!
importance! to! a! theoretical! consideration!of!Texas%Paranormalists,! a! documentary!
that!integrates!both!a!participatory!interview!style!alongside!lengthy!sections!where!
a!strictly!observational!approach!is!used.!!!
The! search! for! truth! in! documentary! moviemaking! is! always! illusory! and!
defined!by!an!attempt!at!its!capture!instead!of!its!actual!attainment.!The!sociological!
aims! of! Rouch! are! not! completely! separate! from! the! aims! of! a! filmmaker! such! as!
Errol!Morris,!who!works!in!a!highly!modern,!characterGdriven,!cinemaGvérité!mode!
that!has!shifted!over!the!decades.!The!early!work!of!Morris,!Gates%of%Heaven!(1978)!
and!Vernon,%Florida!(1981),!were!of!particular!interest!to!me!in!the!way!both!films!
construct! a! sense! of! place! and! a! wellGdefined! subculture.! The! studio! feel! of! the!
interviews!in!the!later!work!of!Morris!can!seem!a!little!cold!and!removed!compared!
to!his!on! the! spot! interviews! in!Gates%of%Heaven! and!Vernon,% Florida.!While! I! took!
time! to! carefully! light! each! interview! subject! in! Texas% Paranormalists,! they! were!
always! shot!within! their! own! space.! In! a!way,! this! is! a! blending! of! the! older! and!
newer! interview! style! of! Errol! Morris.! However,! the! narrative! flow! of! the!
documentary! is! more! in! line! with! the! American! direct! cinema! of! the! 1970s! and!
1980s.!!
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Among! the! many! documentary! luminaries! of! direct! cinema,! including! the!
Maysles! brothers,! Pennebaker,! and! Barbara! Kopple,! the! documentary! work! of!
Frederick!Wiseman! has! been! the! most! critical! in! my! own! understanding! of! how!
observational! documentaries! can! be! structured! without! employing! the!
commercialized! threeGact! structure!best! suited! for! fictional! films.! In!writing!about!
Wiseman’s,!The%Store!(1983),!Thomas!W.!Benson!and!Carolyn!Anderson!outline!this!
narrative!approach!perfectly:!!
As! in! most! Wiseman! films,! we! are! put! into! a! very! peculiar! position! as!spectators.! The! absence! of! a! clearly! narrative! structure! encourages! us! to!watch!each!scene!with!a!special! focus!on!its!presence,! its!existential!reality.!In! addition,! we! look! beyond! the! particular! scene! for! ways! to! knit! our!experience!of!the!film!into!a!coherent!whole!and!discover!that!we!can!do!so,!in!the!absence!of!narrative,!only!by!moving!to!a!speculative!plane,!where!we!notice!the!formal!and!thematic!relations!among!the!scenes!(296).!!
The!narrative!that!Wiseman!constructs!in!each!of!his!films!is!in!many!ways!fluid!and!
left!open! to!conjecture,!and!yet!highly! structured!by!his!editing!choices.!However,!
the!inherent!manipulation!within!the!filmmaking!craft!should!not!be!overlooked.!It!
is! through!the!craftGbased!elements!of! the!production! that!a! filmmaker’s! intention!
becomes!revealed.!Editing!is!of!principle!importance!in!the!documentary!experience!
and!just!as!Wiseman’s!directorial!perspective!creeps!into!and!informs!the!narrative,!
so!does!my!own!approach!to!editing!and!structure.!!
Editorial!Connectivity!and!Structure!
!Texas%Paranormalists!hops!between!a!variety!of!characters!and!structurally!
unites!them!without!ever!revealing!a!visible!oppositional!force.!This!is!a!departure!
from!the!way!that!commercial!documentaries!are!typically!structured,!and!while!it!
may!hurt! the!marketability! of! the! completed!work,! it! feels! correct! for! the! subject!
!
! !29!
matter! and! style.! Despite! this! lack! of! visible! opposition,! there! is! an! implied!
opposition! from! the! outside! culture! of! skeptics! and! nonGbelievers,! along!with! the!
attempts! of! the! paranormalists! in! the! film! to! communicate!with! the! spirit! world.!
Because! neither! of! these! obstacles! is! ever! seen,! the! viewer! is! left! to! decode! this!
internalized!opposition!and!turn!it!into!a!personal!experience!of!being!an!outsider.!
The!result!of!this!subdued!opposition!from!mainstream!culture!and!the!spirit!world!
results!in!the!creation!of!a!moving!mosaic!of!interesting!characters,!which!turns!the!
documentary! into! a! vignetted! character! study! rather! than! a! plot! driven! spectacle!
with! a! satisfying! payoff.! The! ghosts! and! spirits! are! never! found.! Instead,! what! is!
experienced! is! a! world! spread! across! a! Texas! landscape,! where! characters! often!
share! space! with! one! another,! and! if! they! do! not,! then! they! certainly! share!
commonalities!in!a!belief!system!dedicated!to!the!paranormal.!!
In!editing! the!mosaic! structure!of!Texas%Paranormalists,! continuity!dictated!
the! cutting!of! observational! scenes.! For! example! there! is! a! scene!between! Jeromy!
Jones!and!his!stepson,!Ethan,!where!they!are!building!something!in!the!garage.!This!
is! a! clear! example! of! continuity! driven! scene! where! actions! dictate! the! shot!
progression!and!as!a! result,! the! scene!has!a! clear!beginning,!middle!and!end.! It! is!
perhaps!important!to!note!that!the!editing!and!information!delivery!does!not!make!
it!clear!that!Ethan!is! Jeromy’s!stepson.!This! information!is!effectively!edited!out!of!
the! narrative! for! the! sake! of! a! more! continuous! and! lessGdistracting! experience.!
After! all,! editing! is! about! cutting! out! the! unnecessary,! or! extraneous! bits! of!
information!in!favor!of!that!which!will!cause!the!story!to!move!forward!in!a!way!that!
is!as!unburdened!as!possible!while!remaining!meaningful.!!
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Continuity! editing! is! also! used! in! the! transference! between! the! various!
vignettes!and!characters!in!the!overall!structure!of!the!documentary.!If!possible,!the!
key!characters!are!shown!to!share!space!together!in!an!effort!to!pass!the!narrative!
torch!between!one!storyline!and!the!next.!This!is!done!most!effectively!when!Jeromy!
and! Linda! are! shown! to! be! associates! at! a! Paranormal! Expo! before! the! narrative!
transfers! from! Jeromy’s! storyline! to! Linda’s.! The! transfer! between! Jeromy! and!
Cheryl!is!less!tangible!and!based!more!on!shared!ideas!and!beliefs!rather!than!their!
own!association,!which! is!never!shown,!and! to!my!knowledge!does!not!exist.!This!
type!of!editorial!leap!is!more!in!line!with!the!classic!concept!of!intellectual!montage,!
as!pioneered!by!Eisenstein! in!which,! “The!conclusions!and!abstractions!which!can!
be!drawn!from!the!actual!events…are!of!first!interest”(Reisz!&!Millar,!33).!!
This! ideological! continuity! is! less! sequential! and! more! rhythmic! in! its!
attempt! to! associate! the! personal! beliefs! and! practices! of!many! people! under! the!
common! banner! of! “paranormal.”! This! editing! style! is! in! full! effect! at! both! The!
Paranormal!Expo!and!The!Dallas!Psychic!Fair,!both!of!which!allow!many!different!
perspectives! to! gather! together! in! a! common! space.! The! editing! style! takes! on! a!
montage! quality,! considered! by! Spence! and! Navarro! as,! “supremely! cinematic”!
(184)! in! its! overall! affect.! The! interviews! create! an! informational! and! structural!
base!from!which!these!more!cinematic!montage!elements!can!be!permitted!to!arise!
and!make!a! lasting! impression!of! space! and! commonly!held!believe.!Through! this!
approach,! the! documentary!Texas% Paranormalists! strives! to! create! an! overarching!
communal! filmic! space! where! the! various! perspectives! can! be! gathered! together!
and!considered!as!a!unified!subculture.!!
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Ethics!!
A! documentary! motion! picture! should! not! be! undertaken! or! completed!
without! a! full! consideration! of! the!many! ethical! pitfalls! that! will! be! encountered!
during! the!many! phases! of! creation.! This! eventual! personal! inquisition!must! first!
emerge! during! preGproduction! and! continue! through! production,! postGproduction!
and! finally! carry! through! until! the! screening! of! the! documentary! for! a! viewing!
audience.!Spence!and!Navarro,!inspired!by!Foucault,!aptly!state!that,!“It!is!useful!to!
think!of!documentaries!as!exercises!of!power!and!examine! the!political!and!social!
consequences!of!this!power”(86).!As!a!documentarian,!I!have!no!desire!to!exploit!or!
misrepresent!the!members!of!the!paranormal!subculture.!It!is!naïve!to!believe!that!I!
do!not!hold!a!significant!amount!of!power!to!potentially!discredit!or!betray!the!trust!
of! the! subjects! who! have! graciously! agreed! to! participate! in! the! documentary.!
Finally,! it! is! important! to! be! fully! aware! of! and! establish! the! line! between!
documenting! difference! in! the! paranormal! community! and! creating! a! divisive!
“otherness”! that! increases! the! rift,! imagined! or! real,! between! the! paranormal!
community!and!“normal”!society.!!
Because! the! subject! matter! of! Texas% Paranormalists% deals! directly! with! an!
unusual!belief!system,!my!initial!approach!toward!the!subjects!was!one!of!absolute!
delicacy.!I!had!the!benefit!of!working!on!a!documentary!about!Bigfoot!enthusiasts,!
Community%Cryptid,!before!undertaking! the!production!of!Texas%Paranormalists,! so!
my!understanding!of! outsider! communities!had!been! sharpened!and! sensitized! to!
the!ways!in!which!community!members!might!be!offended!or!feel!misrepresented.!I!
was! also! able! to! use! this! previous! experience! to! build! trust! and! an! open,! honest!
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communication!about!my!own!perspective!as!a!filmmaker!standing!on!the!outside!of!
a!phenomenon.!While!I!never!openly!stated!my!own!skeptical!stance!on!humanity’s!
ability!to!communicate!with!the!spirit!world,!I!did!make!it!clear!that!I!am!ready!and!
willing! to! accept! evidence! that! proves! otherwise.! The! truth! is! that! I! am! more!
classifiably!an!agnostic!when!it!comes!to!paranormal!communication,!which!in!my!
case!means!that!I!believe!in!the!possibility!of!spiritual!communication!and!am!very!
fascinated!by!the!attempt!to!do!so.!This!form!of!belief!has!kept!my!vision!and!ethical!
approach! toward! the! subjects! of! the! documentary! fair! and! nonGjudgmental! from!
preGproduction!through!postGproduction.!I!made!every!effort!to!make!it!clear!to!the!
participants! of! the! documentary! that! my! main! concern! was! in! observing! and!
capturing! the! practice! and! ritual! of! a! belief! system! and! the! way! that! community!
forms!as!a!result!of!this!commonly!held!faith.!!
During!the!production!process!itself,! I!continued!my!honest!communication!
with!the!many!participants!of!the!documentary.!My!questions!reflected!my!interest!
in! understanding!why! individuals! are! drawn! to! this! particular! practice! and!what!
exactly!they!are!seeking!through!the!various!paranormal!rituals.!I!captured!as!much!
as! possible! and! tried! to! remain! aware! of! the! universal! display! of! humanity! that!
accompanies! the!niche!practice! of! the!paranormal! in! each! subject.!All! the!while,! I!
worked!very!hard!to!push!against!a!mode!of!capture!that!might!result!in!“othering”!
the! subjects! of! the! documentary.! However! I! did! have! to! accept! the! fact! that! this!
particular! documentary! is! very! much! about! a! way! of! approaching! life! that! is! a!
departure! from!what! is! perceived! as! “normal.”! On! this! note,! there! are! inevitable!
moments!in!which!subjects!stated!beliefs!or!practices!that!could!be!misunderstood!
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! !33!
in! the!wrong! context.! I! remained! very! aware! of! these! personal! insights! or! beliefs!
that!might!be!misinterpreted!out!of!context!and!avoided!using!them!in!the!final!cut.!
My! enthusiasm! was! completely! genuine! and! the! connections! that! were! fostered!
between!myself!and!the!subjects!of!the!documentary!were!very!real!and!helped!to!
guide!me!as!I!undertook!the!most!delicate!process!of!all,!postGproduction.!
During! postGproduction,! all! of! the! careful,! ethically! sound! efforts! of! a!
documentarian!can!fall!apart!for!the!sake!of!entertainment!and!commerciality.!The!
documentary!editor’s!job!is!to!render!actuality!in!a!way!that!represents!the!identity!
and!beliefs!of!each!subject!while!remaining!aware!of!a!more!general!audience.!The!
consideration!of!what!constitutes!an!interesting!and!nonGexploitative!product!in!the!
eyes!of!the!subjects!that!remains!both!engaging!and!entertaining!for!the!viewers!is!a!
very!difficult!balance!to!achieve,!but!it!can!done.!I!have!worked!very!hard!to!avoid!
using! moments! that! will! misrepresent! the! subjects! when! viewed! out! of! context!
while!still!holding!firm!to!the!overall!purpose!of!the!documentary!itself,!which!is!to!
depict! an! outsider! group,! a! general! belief! system,! and! a! ritualized! practice! that!
results!in!the!creation!of!community.!I!believe!that!I!have!achieved!this!goal!and!it!is!
my! honest! hope! that! both! the! subjects! of! the! documentary! as! well! as! a! general!
audience!will!share!my!feeling.!!
SubjectGFilmmaker!Relationship!
Politeness! and! straightforward! communication!were! of! utmost! importance!
for!the!production!of!Texas!Paranormalists!for!the!reasons!outlined!above.!There!is!
a!mutual!trust!that!must!be!established!in!the!relationships!that!occur!as!a!result!of!
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! !34!
any!documentary.!The!subjects!trust!the!filmmaker!with!their! images,!actions,!and!
representation! as! digitally! rendered! artifacts.! Likewise,! the! filmmaker! trusts! that!
the!subjects!will!allow!a!certain!entrance!into!their!personal!lives!and!spaces.!!This!
is! a! particularly! large! leap! for! the! subjects! of! the! documentary,! since! they! must!
ultimately! relinquish! a!measure! of! their! power! to! the! filmmaker.! Nevertheless,! it!
remains!a!ritual!of!focus!and!dedicated!vision!for!both!parties.!And!there!are!always!
hazards.!It!is!the!job!of!the!filmmaker!to!attempt!to!spot!this!hazardous!terrain!and!
act!as!both!protector!and!extractor!of!the!ephemeral!story.!The!above!relationship!
of! mutual! trust! was! sought! after! and,! to! my! knowledge,! accomplished! on! every!
account.!!
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PRODUCTION!
Overview!
The! production! of! Texas! Paranormalists! consists! of! interview! and!
observational!footage!acquired!in!and!around!the!North!Texas!area.!The!majority!of!
production!occurred! in! late!May!and! June!of!2015.!Additional! shooting!days!were!
added!in!June,!July,!and!August!of!2015.!!!
Shooting!Schedule!
5/20/2015! Waco,!Texas!
Interview!with!Professor!Carson!Mencken!at!Baylor!University.!Supporting!footage!
acquired! around! the! immediate! campus! including! a! haunted! library.! TwoGperson!
crew.!!
5/21/2015! Gainesville,!Texas!
Interviews!with! Linda! and!Del!Hill! in! the! haunted!property! they! own.! Supporting!
footage!of!haunted!property,!including!a!tour!given!by!Linda!Hill.!Del!Hill!performs!a!
song!he!wrote!about!the!house.!TwoGperson!crew.!!
5/22/2015! Corinth,!Texas!
Interviews! with! Jeromy! and! Pam! Jones! in! their! home/workplace.! Observational!
footage! of,! Ethan,! one! of! five! children,!who! builds! his! own! devices! in! the! garage.!
Supporting!footage!of!the!home!and!workshop!also!captured.!TwoGperson!crew.!!
5/26/2015! Corinth,!Texas!
Observational! footage!of! Jeromy!and!Pam!at!work! in! the! garage! as! they! complete!
many!orders!for!shipment.!OneGperson!crew.!!
!
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5/29/2015! Prosper,!Texas!
Interview!with! Cheryl! Andrea! in! her! home.! Observational! footage!with! all! of! her!
animals.!TwoGperson!crew.!!
5/30/2015! Corinth,!Texas!
Observational! and! interview! footage! of! Pam! and! Jeromy’s! five! children! as! they!
conduct!their!own!paranormal!investigation!and!talk!about!why!they!are!interested!
in!the!paranormal.!Travel!with!the!family!to!Goat!Man’s!Bridge!in!Denton,!Texas!for!
additional!footage.!OneGperson!crew.!!
5/31/2015! Greenville,!Texas!
Interview!with!Daniel!Spears!in!the!center!of!town.!Observational!footage!captured!
in! a! variety!of! locations! around!Greenville! including!a! graveyard,! a! torture!house,!
and!a!haunted!movie!theater!while!Daniel!explains!the!historical!importance!of!each!
location.!OneGperson!crew.!!
6/2/2015! Jefferson,!Texas!
Interview!with!book!author!Mitchel!Whitington!in!his!haunted!home.!Observational!
footage! around! the! house,! around! the! town,! and! in! the! local! graveyard.! Mitchel!
arranged! an! interview! with! two! owners! of! another! haunted! home! in! Jefferson.!
However,!they!had!second!thoughts!about!being!included!in!the!documentary.!OneG
person!crew.!!
6/3/2015! Dallas,!Texas!
Observational! footage! of! a! Deep! Ellum! radio! show! hosted! by! Cheryl! Andrea! and!
Morrighan!Lynn.!OneGperson!crew.!!
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6/5/2015! Corinth,!Texas!
Observational! footage!of! Jeromy!sharing!his!paranormal! investigation!vidoes.!OneG
person!crew.!!
6/5/2015! Irving,!Texas!
Observational!footage!of!Mitchel!Whitington!giving!a!talk!at!the!Irving!Public!Library!
on!the!topic!of!“Haunted!Texas.”!OneGperson!crew.!!
6/6/2015! Dallas,!Texas!
Observational!and!interview!footage!of!the!monthly!Dallas!Psychic!Fair!held!in!the!
Doubletree!Hotel!(the!final!fair!to!be!held!at!this!location).!TwoGperson!crew.!!
6/27/2015! Dallas,!Texas!
Observational! and! interview! footage! of! the! Now! Center! Grand! Opening.! This!
location!will!also!be!used!for!future!Dallas!Psychic!Fairs.!TwoGperson!crew.!!
7/18/2015! Lewisville,!Texas!
Observational!and!interview!footage!of!the!24!Hour!Paranormal!Supernatural!Expo.!
Jeromy! and! Pam! Jones! were! in! attendance! along! with! Linda! and! Del! Hill! from!
Gainesville,!Texas.!OneGperson!crew.!!
7/25/2015! Yorktown,!Texas!
Observational! footage! of! a! ghost! investigation/adventure! conducted! by! a! new!
paranormal! team!of!psychics.!Morrighan!Lynn,!who!has!been! in!previous!shooting!
days,!is!in!one!of!the!key!roles.!The!team!is!called!Lux!Bellator.!ThreeGperson!crew.!!
8/28/2015! Gainesville,!Texas!
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Observational! footage! of! a! paranormal! event! held! at! the! Hill! House! Manor! and!
hosted! by! Linda! and! Del! Hill.! They! both! give! tours! to! the! attendees! and! various!
enthusiasts!and!investigators!conduct!experiments!in!the!rooms.!TwoGperson!crew.!!
Crew!
David!Goodman!–!Director/Producer/Cinematographer/Editor!
David! is! a! southern! filmmaker! currently! based! in! Denton,! Texas! where! he! is!
pursuing! his! MFA! degree! in! documentary! production! at! The! University! of! North!
Texas.!His!narrative! and!documentary!work!has! screened!at! various! film! festivals!
across! the! United! States.! As! a! cinematographer,! David! has! contributed! to! many!
films,! most! recently! to! the! wellGreceived! feature! film,! Last% Summer,! which! is!
currently!available!on!Netflix!Instant.!!!
Garret!Graham!–!Production!Sound/CoGproducer!
Garrett! is! a! documentary! filmmaker! and! philosopher! based! in! Denton,! Texas.! His!
work!is!focused!on!environmental!and!activist!issues.!His!most!recent!documentary,!
Don’t% Frack% with% Denton,! concerns! the! attempts! of! a! local! community! to! ban!
hydraulic! fracturing! within! the! city! limits! of! Denton,! Texas.! In! addition! to! his!
directorial!talents,!Garrett!is!a!highly!skilled!production!sound!operator.!!
Equipment!
The!equipment!consisted!of!a!Canon!5D!Mark!III!DSLR!camera!mounted!on!either!a!
Manfrotto! tripod,! for! interviews,! or! on! a! selfGpurchased! Revo! SRG1000! Shoulder!
Support! Rig,! which! was! used! for! the! observational! footage! in! the! documentary.!
Location!sound!was!captured!using!the!702!Sound!Devices!recorder!paired!with!a!
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shotgun!microphone!and!usually!a!wireless!lavalier!microphone.!This!double!system!
recording! technique! was! ideal! for! the! effective! capturing! of! the! documentary!
content!while!also!insuring!the!professional!monitoring!of!the!equipment.!!
Experience!
The! shooting! experience!went! incredibly! smoothly!due! in! large!part! to! the!
flexibility! and! willingness! of! my! wellGchosen! crewmember,! Garrett! Graham,! an!
eager!and!insightful!partner!during!the!process!of!producing!this!documentary.!!The!
actual! subjects! of! the! documentary! were! also! very! accommodating.! Their!
willingness!to!invite!us!into!their!homes!and!allow!us!to!capture!moments!of!their!
lives!showed!great!generosity!and!trust.!It!was!my!constant!goal!as!a!documentarian!
to!never!betray!that!trust.!!
Except! for! two! instances,! Daniel! and! Mitchel,! all! of! the! interviews! were!
conducted!making!use!of!a!twoGperson!crew.!As!the!director!and!cinematographer,!I!
would!set!up!the!camera!and!the!lights!while!Garrett!handled!the!placement!of!the!
microphones.! Once! everything! was! set! up,! I! would! focus! on! the! questions! and!
conduct!a!conversation!with!the!various!subjects!while!Garrett!monitored!the!sound!
setup!and!also!kept!an!eye!on!the!camera!framing!and!focus.!!
A!majority!of! the!observational! footage!was!acquired!making!use!of! a! twoG
person!crew.!!In!these!instances,!I!operated!the!camera,!which!was!mounted!on!the!
shoulder! rig,!while!Garrett! stayed! in! close!proximity! and!operated! the!702!Sound!
Recorder!and!microphone.!When!Garrett!was!unavailable,!I!operated!the!camera!on!
the! shoulder!mount! and! gaffGtaped! the! shotgun!microphone! to! the! handle! of! the!
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shoulder!mount.!I!then!hung!the!702!from!my!shoulder!and!followed!the!important!
action!at!the!various!locations.!The!solo!shooting!experiences!are!noted!in!the!above!
section.!!
Except! for! a! sound! error! inside! the! haunted! Yorktown! Hospital,! the!
observational! collaboration! between! Garrett! and! myself! worked! very! nicely! and!
produced! some! highly! effective! results! that! will! create! a! moody! and! engrossing!
documentary!experience.!!
Budget!
A!full!budget!is!included!in!the!appendix!on!page!48.!!
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POSTGPRODUCTION!
Equipment!
The! double! system! picture! and! audio! captured! in! production!were! synced!
using! PluralGEyes! software! and! then! imported! into! Adobe! Premiere! as! an! XML.!
Picture!and!sound!editing!were!done!on!Adobe!Premiere!in!the!University!of!North!
Texas!graduate!editing!lab.!Minimal!color!grading!was!applied!using!Premiere!Pro.!!!
Schedule!
5/21/2015!–!7/15/2015!–!Viewing,!Transcribing,!and!Logging!the!Footage!
7/16/2015!–!8/3/2015!–!Organization!and!First!Assembly!Cut!arranged!
8/11/2015!–!8/17/2015!–!Editing!
8/17/2015!–!1st!Rough!Cut!
8/18/2015!–!8/24/2015!–!Editing!
8/24/2015!–!2nd!Rough!Cut!
8/25/2015!–!8/31/2015!–!Editing!
8/31/2015!–!3rd!Rough!Cut!
9/1/2015!–!9/4/2015!–!Editing!
9/4/2015!–!4th!Rough!Cut!
9/8/2015!–!9/10/2015!–!Editing!
9/10/2015!–!5th!Rough!Cut!Screened!at!Colloquium!!
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9/11/2015G9/16/2015!–!Editing!
9/16/2015!–!6th!Rough!Cut!
9/21/2015G9/25/2015!–!Editing!
9/26/2015!–!Final!Cut!
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RECONCEPTUALIZATION!DURING!POSTGPRODUCTION!
During! the! initial! phases! of! editing,! I! realized! that! I! had! acquired! an! over!
abundance!of!footage.!This!resulted!in!too!many!characters!and!the!feeling!that!the!
focus!was!shifting!away!from!my!three!initial!main!subjects.!Nevertheless,!I!moved!
forward!and!attempted!to!make!everything!fit! into!a!thirtyGminute!movie,!a!rather!
long!short!film!by!most!perspectives.!The!first!cut!of!the!documentary!reflected!this!
impulse!to!keep!all!of!the!characters!and!most!of!the!situations!that!were!captured!
over!the!course!of!the!documentary.!After!screening!the!first!cut!to!Tania!Khalaf,! I!
was!wisely!advised!to!begin!cutting!characters.!!
The!first!character!to!be!cut!was!Carson!Mencken,!the!professor!of!sociology!
from!Baylor,!who!served!as!a!structural!support!character!to!break!up!the!action!of!
the! documentary,! introduce! the! various! beliefs! of! the! documentary,! and! keep! the!
momentum!up!between!the!various!locations!and!subjects.!He!also!offered!the!one!
skeptical! voice! found! in! the! documentary,! something! that! would! have! been!
mandatory! in! a! longer! work.! Carson’s! perspective,! while! very! well! spoken! and!
highly!interesting,!presented!an!oppositional!viewpoint,!and!because!the!majority!of!
the! characters! were! believers,! there! was! too! much! of! an! imbalance! with! Carson!
included!in!the!shorter!work.!By!removing!Carson!from!the!documentary,!I!was!able!
to! keep! the! perspective! focused! strictly! on! the! believers! and! the! finished!
documentary!felt!more!cohesive!and!hit!a!more!ideal!running!time.!!!!!
The!next!two!rough!cuts!positioned!Mitchel!Whitington!and!Daniel!Spears!in!
the! position! of! structural! support! characters! who! were! used! to! keep! up! the!
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momentum! and! divide! the! various! locations! and! subject! matters! found! in! the!
documentary.! By! the! time! of! screening! the! third! rough! cut,! I! was!wisely! advised!
once! again! by! Tania!Khalaf! to! consider! removing! both!Mitchel! and!Daniel! for! the!
sake!of!focusing!the!documentary!even!further!on!the!stories!of!the!main!characters.!
While!both!Mitchel!and!Daniel!have! interesting! insights! to! share!on! the!subject!of!
the!paranormal,! they! ended!up! creating! a!distraction! from! the!narrative! flow!and!
focus!of!the!piece.!!
! The! fourth! cut! of! the! documentary! presented! the! most! streamlined! and!
engaging!use! of! the! footage! thus! far.! The!main! characters! carry! the!weight! of! the!
story!and!the!observational!footage!is!used!in!a!way!that!immerses!the!viewer!into!
the!world!and!space!of!belief!shared!by!the!community!of!paranormal!practitioners!
and!enthusiasts.!After!a!test!screening,!I!realized!how!fixated!I!had!become!on!fitting!
the! documentary! into! certain! time! constraints.! Once! I! went! back! to! editing,! my!
resulting! approach! let! the! piece! breath! and! I! reshuffled! some! of! the! narrative!
information.!I!was!able!to!turn!everything!around!and!produce!a!finished!film!that!
both!speaks!to!the!community!represented!in!the!documentary!as!well!as!to!a!larger!
and! more! general! public! who! have! an! interest! in! the! culture! that! surround! the!
paranormal!subject!matter.!!
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EVALUATION!OF!COMPLETED!WORK!
PreGproduction!
The! project,!Texas% Paranormalists,! went! through! a! few! phases! during! preG
production.! Dwanna! was! the! starting! point! of! the! project! and! at! one! time! was!
planned!to!be!the!only!character!in!the!documentary.!After!contacting!Dwanna!and!
following!up!with!some!of!the!subjects!from!my!previous!documentary,!Community%
Cryptid,! I! was! compelled! to! expand! the! characters! in! the! proposed! thesis!
documentary! to! include! Jeromy! Jones! and! Linda! Hill.! Because! of! this! expansion,!
when!Dwanna!dropped!out!of!the!planned!project,!I!was!able!to!quickly!bounce!back!
and!continue!forward!with!the!motion!picture.!!
Planning!and!scheduling!the!rest!of!the!project!was!simplified!because!of!the!
easyGgoing! nature! and! willing! collaboration! of! every! character! involved! in! the!
production.!Because!of! this,! I! lined!up!everything! that!needed! to!be!accomplished!
and!I!proceeded!through!production!with!no!further!roadblocks!or!issues.!
Production!
The! production! flowed! smoothly! from! the! organized! approach! to! preG
production.! All! of! locations! were! within! relatively! easy! driving! distance! from!
Denton,!Texas,!where!I!am!based.!Garrett!Graham,!my!production!sound!recordist,!
was!very! accommodating!with!his! schedule! and!was! therefore! able! to! accompany!
me!on! almost! all! of! the! fifteen!production!days.! Because! of! the! great! flexibility! of!
Garrett! Graham! and! the!many! subjects! who!were! to! appear! in! the! documentary,!
production!was!really!a!matter!of!securing!the!equipment,!making!sure!the!batteries!
were!charged,!organizing!the!shoot!days!and!getting!to!the!locations!on!time.!Once!
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we!met!up!with! the! subjects!of! the!documentary,! the! job! turned! into! an!amicable!
communication! either! in! the! interview! mode! or! in! an! observational! sense.! Once!
again,!there!were!no!major!issues!encountered!during!the!process.!!
PostGProduction!
! After! the! smooth! flowing! phases! of! preGproduction! and! production,! postG
production!seemed!destined!to!follow!the!same!pattern.!The!process!of!transcribing,!
organizing,!and!finally!editing!was!merely!a!matter!of!showing!up!and!putting!in!the!
necessary!hours.!The! resulting!documentary! lives!up! to!my!personal! expectations!
and!will! undoubtedly! prove! to! be! an! enjoyable! experience! to! a!wider! audience.! I!
look!forward!to!sharing!Texas!Paranormalists!with!the!masses.!!
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APPENDIX!
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Interview!Question!List!for!Texas%Paranormalists!
General%Paranormal:%%
What!is!paranormal?!
What!is!a!ghost/spirit?!
Why!do!people!get!into!this?!
What!got!you!interested!in!the!paranormal?!
Describe!your!approach!to!paranormal!research,!communication.!
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Individual’s%Business%
What!is!generally!involved!in!your!line!of!work?!
Tell!us!what!you!specifically!you!do!in!your!line!of!work.!
Tell!us!about!your!experiences!during!your!line!of!work.!Stories?!
How!did!you!get!interested/involved!in!your!current!line!of!work?!!
Have!you!ever!been!genuinely!scared?!Will!you!tell!us!about!it?!
What!keeps!you!going!in!this!field?!Why!continue?!
Do!you!feel!that!there!is!a!great!deal!of!paranormal!work!out!there?!!
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Community:%%
Is!there!a!community!that!gathers!in!shared!interest!around!paranormal!activity?!!
Talk!about!the!community.!What!brings!them!together?!What!does!community!add?!
How!would!you!describe!the!people!who!get!into!paranormal?!!
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Misconceptions:%
Do!you!think!people!who!share!an!interest!in!the!paranormal!misrepresented?!!
How!would!you!describe!the!misrepresentation!that!occurs?!
Will!you!talk!about!the!embarrassment!associated!with!sightings/experiences?!!
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Spirit%World%
How!would!you!describe!the!spirit!world?!!
What!do!spirits!look!like?!!
What!do!spirits!sound!like?!
Do!spirits!take!up!space?!Are!they!ever!present?!Dimensional?!!
How!do!you!know!the!spirit!world!exists?!
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Philosophy:%
How!does!your!interest!in!the!spirit!world!affect!your!views/beliefs?!
What!are!your!views!beliefs?!!
Does!your!interest!in!the!spirit!world!change!your!perception!of!religion?!!
Do!you!believe!that!Christianity!and!the!paranormal!work!together?!
How!have!you!changed!as!a!person!since!you!interest!in!the!paranormal?!
What!do!you!believe!happens!when!we!die?!!
Will!you!talk!about!spirituality!in!relation!to!the!paranormal?!
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Texas%
How!do!you!view!this!type!of!experience!and!interest!from!within!Texas?!
Is!this!common!everywhere!or!are!there!quirks!specific!to!this!state?!
Do!you!feel!welcomed!by!the!community!here!or!do!you!feel!embarrassed?!
Do!many!people!realize!your!particular!line!of!work?!!
How!would!you!describe!a!really!successful!paranormal!experience?!!
How!do!you!feel!that!you!are!contributing!to!an!ongoing!dialogue?!!
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Circle!back!around!to!opening!questions!and!relate!them!to!Texas!if!need!be.!!
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Inquire!about!future!contacts/locations/filming!opportunities!!
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!
PERSONAL APPEARANCE RELEASE FORM
For a Documentary “Program” Tentatively Titled: “Medium, Texas”
I hereby authorize David Goodman, graduate student in The Media Arts program at The University of North Texas, and the producer of the documentary tentatively titled “Medium, Texas,” to record and edit into the Program and related materials my name, likeness, image, voice and participation in and performance on film, tape or otherwise for use in the above Program or parts thereof (the “Recordings”). I agree that the Program may be edited and otherwise altered at the sole discretion of the Producer and used in whole or in part for any and all broadcasting, non-broadcasting, audio/visual, and/or exhibition purposes in any manner or media, in perpetuity, throughout the world.
Producer, David Goodman, may use and authorize others to use all or parts of the Recordings. Producer, David Goodman, its successors and assigns shall own all right, title and interest, including copyright, in and to the Program, including the Recordings, to be used and disposed of without limitation as Producer shall in its sole discretion determine.
Printed Name of Person Appearing: ________________________________
Signature of Person Appearing:
Address: City, State, Zip:
Email: ________________________________
Date: Phone: ____
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References!
Chronicle%of%a%Summer.!Jean!Rouch!and!Edgar!Morin.!Criterion!Collection.!1961.!Film.!
Benson,!Thomas!W.,!and!Carolyn!Anderson.!Reality%Fictions:%The%Films%of%Frederick%Wiseman.!Carbondale:!Southern!University!Press,!2002.!Print.!!
Gates%of%Heaven.!Errol!Morris.!IFC!Film.!1978.!Film.!!
Heider,!Karl!G.!Ethnographic%Film.!Austin:!UT!Press,!2006.!Print.!!
Nanook%of%the%North.!Robert!Flaherty.!Reel!Enterprises.!1922.!Film.!!
Nichols,! Bill.! Introduction% to% Documentary.! Indianapolis:! Indiana! University! Press,!2010.!Print.!!
Reisz,! Karel,! and! Gavin! Millar.! The% Technique% of% Film% Editing% 2nd% Edition.% Oxford:!Focal!Press,!1999.!Print.!!
Rouch,!Jean.!CineTEthnography.!Minneapolis:!University!of!Minneapolis!Press,!2003.!Print.!!
Spence,! Louise,! and! Vinicius! Navarro.! Crafting% Truth:% Documentary% Form% and%Meaning.!New!Brunswick:!Rutgers!UP,!2012.!Print.!!
The%Store.!Frederick!Wiseman.!Zipporah!Films.!1983.!Film.!!
Vernon,%Florida.!Errol!Morris.!IFC!Film.!1981.!Film.!!
Wiseman,!Frederick.!Five%Films%by%Frederick%Wiseman:%Titicut%Follies,%High%School,%Welfare,%High%School%II,%Public%Housing.!Ed.!Grant,!Barry!Keith.!Los!Angeles:!UC!California,!2006.!Print.!!
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