So I have to come up with a short video for my first editing assignment in a Digital Video class I'm taking at UND. I was thinking of holding off on the "Blue" idea for now, as it's too long for this assignment anyways, and doing a mini documentary on the fraternity house I live in, which is supposebly haunted by a member who died there in 1971. For those of you not in the Urban Legends Board, here's a little background:

Another story I'd like to share involves the house I live in, or rather, the fraternity house I live in which is supposebly haunted by a member who died here on October 17, 1971; a senior at UND named Tony. When myself and a few buddies pledged here, we heard stories of a tragic fire that happened in the seventies that not only destroyed most of the house, but claimed the lives of a member and his fiancee. The fire started around six AM in Tony's basement apartment, which is now our laundry room. It spread so quickly that he didn't even have enough time to warn all the sleeping members before the flames had spread to the foyer, blocking the front doors. People were climbing out windows and sliding down drain pipes to escape. After everyone was out, Tony looked around but did not see his fiancee, who, as it turned out, was on the back side of the house unbeknownst to him. He ran back inside and down to the basement to his room, and apparently choked to death on the smoke because his body was found at the bottom of the basement stairs, where our letters are inscribed into the floor. Hearing that Tony had gone back inside, his fiancee ran in to find him, and must have passed by him as the stairs collapsed behind her, because she was found in a storage closet at the far end of the basement, and died in the hospital two days later. Thinking that since we were pledges (or donkeys, as the older guys had taken to calling us, and the name sticks to following classes to this day), the older guys were just trying to fuck with us. So we went to the campus library and found all of the Grand Forks Herald newspapers on microfilm, the October 18th issue showing the charred shell of the front of our house on the front page. The story behind the hauntings was true, so what now? Every older member here has their story of when they had a run in with Tony, and I had my first the other Friday night. I was walking up the stairs from the basement, as I had been in the kitchen fixing a snack, and as I walked I heard what sounded at first like my footsteps echoing, but then the sounds became more staggered and it began to sound like someone was walking up the stairs behind me. The difference was enough to make me jump involuntarily as I reached the foyer, getting the attention of another guy who was in the adjacent room studying. He asked me what was up and shrugged when I told him what I thought had just happened, saying, "I wouldn't worry, Tony won't hurt you. He's our brother." Maybe a half an hour after this, my hands were still shaking slightly as I stood on the porch with a few other guys talking. I told the guy next to me about my incident, and he freaked out, claiming that the same thing happened to him a week earlier as he was walking back up from the kitchen at three AM, alone. He literally ran from the foyer back to his room and slept with all the lights on. We both stayed up all night that night thinking of ways to make my video camera watch the basement all night, every night of the week to see of we could capture anything on film. If we get anything, I'll post it here. Other things happen often too, especially around this time of year. Lights turn on and off, people hear footsteps in the hallway and look out to see nothing there, kitchen doors slam shut and open, and people claim to feel cold drafts in the basement, which is always hot due to the kitchen and boiler room and has no ventilation save for the vent above the stove in the far back area of the kitchen. During ceremonies, I've witnessed candles set up in this basement just flicker and die for no reason, as there's no airflow and no one was moving around them. Apparently, a few years ago some girl came upstairs from the basement (where the girls bathroom is) and told some older members about this guy she met and played a game of foosball with in the basement. She said he told her his name was Tony, and she then described him right down to his odd sideburns. When they went downstairs to investigate, the basement was empty and the kitchen door leading outside in the back was still locked up and deabolted. The girl never came back to the house, and apparently she graduated my freshman year so I probably won't get the chance to ask her about it. This year on the night of the 17th, my roommate and I are going to camp out in the basement with my video camera and see if anything out of the ordinary happens.

I'm thinking of a documentary style shoot, aka me the camera man following two or three guys in their investigation of the supposed hauntings. It would include footage of the old newspaper records (I basically already have permission to use them on film), interviews with people who have supposebly had encounters, maybe a trip to the PD to look at case evidence if it's possible, and also footage of poking around in the dark and camping out waiting to see if anything happens.

Does this sound interesting enough? This is the time of year to do it, and it'd be something I could keep in our library on VHS or something for future generations. I also gave some thought to making a second, bullshit version; which would include staged events of "encounters" just for the hell of it.

ooo get me into the urban legends board...

Do it!

A lot of people get ideas and just talk about them; nothing ever happens. Never ask IF you should make a film, you know the answer. It's just a matter of doing it.

Ouch. That hurt me. Right here... ;)

LOL. Yeah. You!

Thanks for the input, there's a good chance I'll end up running with the idea over the course of this semester. In the meantime, I had talked with Asylunt about putting together a similar mini-mentary about Gopher Ordnance Works in southeastern Minnesota (it's in the LDB, for those interested). I just yesterday bought some hardware for converting my Hi-8 footage into .avi's for editing on my personal computer, and although it's low quality, this next video is pretty cool. A rockin' way to experience history, if you will

http://www.unddpc.org/GopherTwo.wmv

You might want to right click on it and do a little "Save As" action, because it's 2:02 long and weighs in at 17 MB or something. It's a .wmv format again, so those of you with Windows Media Players can view it without any issues. I can convert it to a low quality .avi for those with Macs and such, but due to some recent issues in the Minnesota private forums, I no longer have webhosting; so midnightgroup.org is no more. So thank Apoxx for hosting this for me.

Once again, I apologize for the low quality imports and the lack of a tripod; this footage was all old stuff and when I put this vid together I was learning my new equipment. Now that I have it, though, expect more in the near future; I love shooting with my Hi-8...

I liked your Gopher Two flick; it was well shot and well edited. I don't think you need a tripod a lot of the time, especially when you want the viewer to feel like they're exploring along with you. It seemed very steady (unlike, say, "The Blair Witch Project" or "NYPD Blue" which go from vertigo/nausea to irritating, respectively) and didn't scream HANDHELD! HANDHELD! at all.

Though, I'd have integrated the quotes with the footage - supered them over something darkish. ...And since you seem to be going for a bit of a historical angle, maybe a different choice for soundtrack would be more appropriate.

Well done, though.

I thought it was cool as well. When you're back here next summer, I'm all about helping you out with the project.

Asylunt

Please get me on the Urban Legends board too! I did my BS capstone paper in Urban Legends..love em!
I like your idea Heartless, same goes for the help.

Posted by Heartless So I have to come up with a short video for my first editing assignment in a Digital Video class I'm taking at UND. I was thinking of holding off on the "Blue" idea for now, as it's too long for this assignment anyways, and doing a mini documentary on the fraternity house I live in, which is supposebly haunted by a member who died there in 1971. For those of you not in the Urban Legends Board, here's a little background: I'm thinking of a documentary style shoot, aka me the camera man following two or three guys in their investigation of the supposed hauntings. It would include footage of the old newspaper records (I basically already have permission to use them on film), interviews with people who have supposebly had encounters, maybe a trip to the PD to look at case evidence if it's possible, and also footage of poking around in the dark and camping out waiting to see if anything happens. Does this sound interesting enough? This is the time of year to do it, and it'd be something I could keep in our library on VHS or something for future generations. I also gave some thought to making a second, bullshit version; which would include staged events of "encounters" just for the hell of it.

i think it sounds really interesting...although i would probably make it with suppossed encounters just to make it more interesting. i hate seeing ghost documentaries of people walking around and finding nothing...it frustrates me...yes it is the truth but its damn boring. so for entertainment value i would include it but thats just me.

Posted by Heartless Thanks for the input, there's a good chance I'll end up running with the idea over the course of this semester. In the meantime, I had talked with Asylunt about putting together a similar mini-mentary about Gopher Ordnance Works in southeastern Minnesota (it's in the LDB, for those interested). I just yesterday bought some hardware for converting my Hi-8 footage into .avi's for editing on my personal computer, and although it's low quality, this next video is pretty cool. A rockin' way to experience history, if you will http://www.unddpc.org/GopherTwo.wmv You might want to right click on it and do a little "Save As" action, because it's 2:02 long and weighs in at 17 MB or something. It's a .wmv format again, so those of you with Windows Media Players can view it without any issues. I can convert it to a low quality .avi for those with Macs and such, but due to some recent issues in the Minnesota private forums, I no longer have webhosting; so midnightgroup.org is no more. So thank Apoxx for hosting this for me. Once again, I apologize for the low quality imports and the lack of a tripod; this footage was all old stuff and when I put this vid together I was learning my new equipment. Now that I have it, though, expect more in the near future; I love shooting with my Hi-8...

ok i finally saw it. i loved the editing and i would have to agree that even though its a bit shaky it doesn't take away from the movie. i liked the quotes, it definitely made me wonder and anticipate. the only thing i would change is the MUSIC. god that song sucked ! but thats just my taste.
oh yeah and i would probably make it go black longer and fade it out a bit slower (music i mean) so its not so abrupt.

but overall awesome work! was that with your digi or regular film camera?

Thanks for the input, c_c. That was all old 8mm footage...

Posted by Heartless So I have to come up with a short video for my first editing assignment in a Digital Video class I'm taking at UND. I was thinking of holding off on the "Blue" idea for now, as it's too long for this assignment anyways, and doing a mini documentary on the fraternity house I live in, which is supposebly haunted by a member who died there in 1971. For those of you not in the Urban Legends Board, here's a little background: I'm thinking of a documentary style shoot, aka me the camera man following two or three guys in their investigation of the supposed hauntings. It would include footage of the old newspaper records (I basically already have permission to use them on film), interviews with people who have supposebly had encounters, maybe a trip to the PD to look at case evidence if it's possible, and also footage of poking around in the dark and camping out waiting to see if anything happens. Does this sound interesting enough? This is the time of year to do it, and it'd be something I could keep in our library on VHS or something for future generations. I also gave some thought to making a second, bullshit version; which would include staged events of "encounters" just for the hell of it.

Excellent idea.

But think outside the box as far as format goes. Documentary is a pretty malleable genre, and the conventions have shifted over the years. Be experimental. Blur the lines between fact and fiction.

Watch as many documentaries as you can, and borrow from theri bag of tricks.

As for 'staged events,' see Thin Blue Line, a GREAT documentary film.

Good luck and have fun.

Posted by Heartless So I have to come up with a short video for my first editing assignment in a Digital Video class I'm taking at UND. I was thinking of holding off on the "Blue" idea for now, as it's too long for this assignment anyways, and doing a mini documentary on the fraternity house I live in, which is supposebly haunted by a member who died there in 1971. For those of you not in the Urban Legends Board, here's a little background: I'm thinking of a documentary style shoot, aka me the camera man following two or three guys in their investigation of the supposed hauntings. It would include footage of the old newspaper records (I basically already have permission to use them on film), interviews with people who have supposebly had encounters, maybe a trip to the PD to look at case evidence if it's possible, and also footage of poking around in the dark and camping out waiting to see if anything happens. Does this sound interesting enough? This is the time of year to do it, and it'd be something I could keep in our library on VHS or something for future generations. I also gave some thought to making a second, bullshit version; which would include staged events of "encounters" just for the hell of it.

Excellent idea.

But think outside the box as far as format goes. Documentary is a pretty malleable genre, and the conventions have shifted over the years. Be experimental. Blur the lines between fact and fiction.

Watch as many documentaries as you can, and borrow from thir bag of tricks.

As for 'staged events,' see Thin Blue Line, a GREAT documentary film.

Good luck and have fun.