Today, I had the wonderful opportunity to be in on a conference call with two of the stars of the new SyFy show starting this Thursday night called “Fact or Faked,” Ben Hensen (team leader/ex FBI agent) and Bill Murphy (scientist/investigator), as well as the executive producer, John Brenkus.
As a little background, although Ben was an FBI agent, he did not work on things paranormal, but he grew up with a family that showed interest in the paranormal including UFOs and he eventually got into ghost hunting. Bill has been investigating the paranormal for decades and has a brilliantly logical attitude about it that I completely jive with.
These well-articulated, highly intelligent, and open-minded men really gave me my money’s worth (okay, I didn’t have to pay to be part of the conference call, but you know what I mean). I was impressed. They explained that there are 3 criteria for the show to decide whether to look into explanations for recorded phenomenon:
1. Compelling footage that could be credible.
2. Credible eye witness
3. A case they can actually test.
John, the producer of the show really surprised me the most. I knew Ben and Bill would be the brightest of the bright, but you usually think of a producer as being a figurehead, a tedious taskmaster and even a nagging parent, but he was seriously well versed in the subject matter and totally into it. In fact, I decided to focus my questions on him instead of cutie pie TV-crush Ben.
When I asked John about whether the premise of the show; debunking the paranormal might alienate the viewers who are believers in the paranormal, he had a very level-headed response. He reported that the audience is curious and wants to filter out what is real and what is not. (You know, all those videos running around on the Internet purporting captured phenomena?) Bill, the scientist/investigator chimed in that they are not debunking but attempting to replicate the conditions to explain if it is normal or paranormal.
When asked about whether doing the show has proven that we don’t have equipment to pick up phenomena or whether it has jaded him that phenomena actually exists, John explained that science just needs to catch up with techniques and equipment to adequately measure these things. He compared it to the fact that we have oxygen in the atmosphere but we didn’t always have instruments to measure it, but it was still there. I loved this response because that is my exact feeling about the technology we’re using (crude electrician’s tools and photography equipment).
Interestingly, they said that when they dispute things on the show, they do so in a way that makes believers in the supposed evidence sure it really is not paranormal. They go to enormous lengths to be certain they are doing all they can to dispel doubt about whether some Internet viral ghost footage is fact or faked.
As well, John spoke about something I have known forever, but was glad to hear others are studying this; the concept that emotions in an area over a period of time can have a recording effect. I had not heard of this group “Global Consciousness,” but the study is brilliant and I am floored that something I have known since I was a child by being in emotional sites such as war memorials and hospitals and churches is actually being given validation. Emotion imprints/energy!
Oh, and as an AZ resident, I was thrilled to hear their opening episode this Thursday night on SyFy (9 central/10 EST) has footage taken in AZ of some strange lights that they believe was absolutely unexplainable and perhaps the most amazing footage of the season…
I was excited about this show, but even more so now. Thank you, SyFy, for taking the time away from the fantastically cheesy original movies that I adore and getting a show on the air, like “Destination Truth” that makes me wiggle in my seat.