Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files (2010) s02e15 Episode Script

Vanishing Victim & Sky Serpent

Narrator: Tonight on Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files" Wow.
Holy cow.
Bill: The one thing that's still a mystery is the size of the UFO.
Ignite flares.
Yeah! Yes! Actual evidence of an alien abduction in progress.
Look at that.
Look at that.
Do you believe that you were abducted by something extraterrestrial? I didn't want anything to take me.
Whoa! Wow! Whoo! Are your intentions to harm her family? Hit it! That was amazing.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Oh, my goodness! There's a flying saucer.
I'm getting a series of lights right there.
So, you're seeing what I'm seeing? What the heck is happening? Devin: Ah, it's great to be back.
It is.
Well, guys.
I hope we've all been very busy looking at videos.
Austin: I actually have a really good one.
You care if I start it off? Ben: Please do.
All right.
I have a really cool video that was shot in December 2010 right outside of Seattle.
It was actually filmed on the set of an indie horror film called "I am Zozo.
" Now, during a break, one of the crew members notices this ominous-looking raven that's just sitting outside on its perch in the tree that appears to be watching the production.
Now, he takes out his camera phone to film it.
Ben, why don't you hit play on the video? I want you guys to see what happens next.
Check this out.
All right.
Okay, now, watch when it takes off.
It's gonna fly down.
Ben: Whoa.
Bill: Wait.
Where did it go? Huh.
Did you guys see that? Yeah, it just disappears.
Exactly.
Now, think about this.
The movie is actually filmed on the legend of Zozo.
If you're not familiar with Zozo, it's actually supposed to be a demon that takes the form of a blackbird or a raven.
Now, a lot of people are saying this is actually the demon itself visiting the set of its own movie.
Lanisha: You know what, Austin? I have heard of the Zozo legend before, and it dates back to the early 19th century to a case involving the demonic possession of a young girl.
It's a crazy case, guys.
Devin: This video footage is not very high-definition, so who's to say that this bird didn't just take off and then land on a tree branch that is hidden from the camera's view? Well, you know, that's what I was thinking originally, Devin, but take a look at this.
Here's our bird-- right?-- Up here in this branch.
Yep.
Now, watch this.
As we're tracking this bird, it looks like every branch he could've landed on is visible there.
Bill: You know, Austin, I like this clip, but I have to admit, I'm a bit skeptical because, I mean, think about it.
A video of a demon bird shot on the set while they're filming a movie about a demon bird.
I mean, this could be like a clever viral marketing ploy.
Well, Bill, I agree with you.
I do find it suspicious.
But I don't think we should totally discount it yet.
So, why don't we save it and see what else we have? Well, guys, I have a pretty wild video that I really want you to check out.
The videographer was driving when he sees this light in the sky.
So he grabs his video camera, starts filming it just as the light falls.
So he chases it into the woods, and when he gets to the clearing, he sees a creature.
What? Yeah.
Take a look at this.
Bill: Okay.
There's the light in the sky.
Look at that.
Look at that.
Oh, yeah.
It just seeded the earth.
He chases it into the woods.
Now he's running through the woods.
Oh, there it is.
Check it out.
Austin: What the-- what? Wait a minute.
Ben: It's very clear.
He got a really good shot of it.
I've never seen anything like that.
All right, so, if this video is in fact footage of an alien that landed on earth, it's incredible, but there's a lot of things about it that indicate that it's produced.
Check this out.
Now, if you watch, as the light travels down, when it hits the treeline, it seems to just erase.
Look right here, boom.
It just disappears.
It looks like it's manufactured.
And the movements of the alien are too mechanical.
Ben: And the blink is pretty telling of cg.
There's a certain biology that goes along with the blink.
It doesn't really look like that.
I say we pass on it.
I'll keep an eye out for a solid alien clip that we can test.
Well, guys, what I have is some very compelling video that was shot in December of 2010.
Now, this thing is just barely starting to make the rounds in the paranormal community, and those who have seen it-- many of them believe that it captures what is actual evidence of an alien abduction in progress.
What? Okay.
Yeah.
Take a look at this.
The case is a little complex.
Now, as you'll see here, there are two people right here.
You can kind of see where the woman is.
And then her husband is on the left there.
You'll see that she moves around a bit.
And all of a sudden, the sheets just seem to disintegrate into the mattress, and she disappears.
Wow.
Yeah.
There are 13 minutes where she is gone from the frame.
Devin: Look! Look, look, look! She's coming back.
And then she just reappears? She just reappears, and her husband just seems, like, unfazed and only turns over as if nothing had happened.
Jael: Wow.
Well, whatever's happening here, it appears to me to be physical in the room.
I don't think that this is computer graphics.
This is definitely an interesting case.
Austin: You know, the clip is pretty remarkable, but what led them to set up a camera in the room and film themselves in the first place? Ben: That's a good question.
This woman actually had an event that prompted her to set up this camera.
She saw a UFO outside of her window.
That same night when she went to sleep, just as she lays herself down, next thing she knows, she's in this other examining room.
She was so disturbed that her husband, trying to comfort her, set up a security system to see if anything was going on.
Yeah, Ben, I'm on board.
I just can't figure out how or why someone would hoax something like this.
I completely agree.
Alien abduction cases, especially with video, are very difficult to come by.
So I say we lock it in.
Yeah.
Yeah.
I agree.
I'm on board.
All right.
Well, then we need to find our other video today.
So, I have a really interesting video that comes all the way from the UK.
Now, this video was shot by Harry St.
Louis in a town known as Stratford in June of 2011.
Now, Harry was walking the greenway, which is a path reserved for cyclists and joggers when he looked up and spotted what appeared to be a flaming serpentine-like UFO lighting up the sky.
Take a look at what he captured, guys.
Whoa.
Look at that.
Jael: Wow.
You see its movements? It's pretty erratic.
Yes.
How is-- Ben: It's going up and down.
Jael: Right.
It has like an undulating motion.
Lanisha: Now, when Harry posted this video online, it caused quite a stir.
Now, some people are saying that it's actually proof of alien propulsion, and others are saying that it's simply an misidentified stunt like an RC plane.
Devin: You know, at first glance, it looks like a meteor that has broken the earth's atmosphere and it's gonna crash into the ground.
But meteors don't undulate and turn or pull up.
Well, guys, considering all the videos that we've seen today, which is your favorite? Lanisha: You know what, guys? I'd really love to get out there and explore some of that UK UFO phenomenon.
I think this is some of the better UFO footage we've seen.
I mean this flaming UK UFO, I'm all about it.
You know, I have to agree with Austin.
I think Lanisha's UFO case is the one we should investigate.
Disappearing woman.
The woman who disappears in her bed presents so many challenges for creating experiments.
I would love to go to England and investigate that.
Well, it sounds like everyone wants to go to England.
Bill, you can take Austin and Lanisha and go to Stratford and see if you could figure out what this object is in the sky.
And I'll go with Devin and Jael, and we'll go to Droitwich to see if we can figure out anything about this video where this woman seemingly disappears from her bedroom.
All right.
All right.
Let's do this.
Bill: We're out of here.
Devin: Well, guys, we're all the way out here in Droitwich, England, investigating a possible alien abduction case.
Now, this really is a fascinating piece of footage.
It shows what appears to be a woman with her husband in bed, and she just disappears-- is gone for over 13 minutes and then reappears like nothing had happened.
It was shot December 9th of 2010 by a woman who wishes to remain anonymous.
So we'll call her Sonya.
She's an American living in England.
It's really exciting that she's agreed to meet with us, because she has been very hesitant to come forth about her story.
Ben: Well, guys, I think we're pulling up to it.
I think this is the place.
Devin: We're about to meet Sonya and her husband.
Given the sensitive nature of her story, she's asked to have her identity remain concealed.
So that's what we're gonna do.
Well, Sonya, thank you so much for meeting with us.
So, why don't you start and just take us back to the very first time that you can recollect something strange was going on? That would have been in December 2010.
I noticed a big light right outside the window.
It was very, very bright.
I recall standing there thinking that somebody was watching me.
Within a blink of an eye, I found myself somewhere else, and then I felt things, like, poking me, prodding me, and before I knew it, I mean, I was, like, back in my bed.
Devin: Was it this event that led you to recording the video that we have today? Well, yeah.
It is.
I was terrified.
I mean I was, um, tying a string around my arm To-- to my husband's arm Jael: Yeah.
because I didn't-- I didn't want anything to take me.
Do you believe that you were abducted by something extraterrestrial? Well, yes and no.
I mean, I-I don't really know the answer to that question.
What was the last occurrence that you remember? The very last thing that I feel occurred was just, uh.
Wednesday night, actually.
So, Sonya, you feel as though these events still could be happening now? Yeah.
So, you guys had a cctv camera, and it was recording to a DVR.
When you played it back on a monitor, you recorded that with a cellphone.
Do you still have that file? Well, maybe some of our tech savvy can help you analyze the raw files.
We'll do our best.
Thank you.
Jael: So now we'll use Sonya's testimony to try and replicate the same scenario that was shot on tape the night of her abduction.
So the bed's still here.
And it looks like it hasn't been touched.
You know, sometimes when I hear about these abduction cases, I wonder if maybe the person was simply a sleepwalker.
You know, I thought about that, but if it was sleepwalking, then we would've seen that in the security footage.
That's true.
Well, another popular theory online is that perhaps this was just a large full-body pillow that was also in the bed, but then there would appear to be a third figure.
So I don't really think that that's a possibility.
Well, in my mind, I think the simplest explanation is that maybe she's just on the edge of the bed and she rolls over and falls out.
And then gets back in and doesn't recall it because she was sleeping.
Well, let's test that.
I can play the role of Sonya and exit the bed.
And then when I climb back in, I'll mimic the same movement seen in the footage.
Well, and I can play the part of Sonya's husband.
And I'll record the results off the monitor with a cellphone just like they did.
Perfect.
Well, what do you say we get started, guys? Sounds good.
All right.
I'm all framed up here.
Why don't you guys hop in bed? Let's kill the lights.
Let's go green.
Goodnight, honey.
Jael In 3 Disappear.
Devin: We've traveled all the way to Droitwich, England, to investigate what some people believe to be proof of an alien abduction.
For this experiment, we're gonna be testing the natural explanation that Sonya was asleep and unknowingly rolled out of bed and then climbed back in.
Jael In 3 Disappear.
Nice.
That looked pretty good.
All right, Jael.
In 3 Reappear.
All right, guys.
I got it.
Lights up.
Come take a look.
Here you go right here.
Boom.
Look at that.
Did you see that? Wow.
That's pretty good.
Now, you see how she fell out, but you could actually see her kind of roll off to the side and not directly down like the original video.
Oh, yeah.
It looks like it's almost pulling the sheets with her.
In the original footage, Sonya appears to just melt, disintegrate into the bed.
Check out the reappear.
Here she is right here.
Huh.
Now, you did a really good job of not revealing yourself underneath the covers, but it didn't come from the center like the original video.
If someone posted this video online, you might be confused initially, but after a while, you can just figure out what's going on.
The original footage is really perplexing.
I think we need to move on to something that has a little bit more control in giving us what we see in the original video-- a figure that seems to be rising and falling beneath the sheets.
Exactly.
You know, I have an idea for this but it does involve investigating the hoax theory.
Well, when we interviewed her and her husband, I really felt like they were being sincere, but it's kind of convenient that this video doesn't have an audio track to it.
Well, you guys, to replicate this, we could use a high-pressure air pump, some tubing, and a bladder.
Inflate it from beneath the bed and then deflate it.
That'll give us more control over the type of figure that we can form underneath the sheets and the direction that it comes from.
I think we should try it.
Okay.
Let's get set up.
Cool.
Jael: For our next test, we've got a vinyl inflatable that will create the illusion of the figure in the bed.
We'll be using a high-powered air compressor that will fill it.
And, alternately, we'll be using a vacuum nozzle to deflate it.
We've also created a monofilament rig that can be pulled to create the effect of Sonya's arm moving under the sheets.
All right, guys.
Let's do this.
I'll let you know when to stop inflating when she reappears, and I'll let you know when to roll over.
Okay.
Let's kill the lights.
Okay.
Devin: Recording.
Ready for disappearing woman in 3 2 Oh, that looks really good.
[ Chuckling .]
Oh! That looks great.
Ben's still sleeping.
Reappear.
Yes.
Roll over, Ben.
All right, you guys.
That looks pretty good.
Come check out the side-by-side.
Okay.
So, here we go.
[ Laughs .]
Look at that.
Just sinks right down.
That's cool.
It does look like it's almost going into the mattress.
And then she reappears.
Look at that.
[ Laughs .]
That even looks like a leg right there, and then you roll over.
Wow.
And then the form is there.
Yeah, and it even looks like two people are laying next to each other.
The first thing that I notice with our video, of course, is the speed that it deflates.
In the original video, when she disappears, it just almost instantly flattens.
I think we got the whole motion of it sinking into the mattress right.
The speed is wrong.
And the other thing I'm noticing as well is that the movement from our monofilament line just looks a bit unnatural.
It's almost as if the comforter were being pinched up.
Yeah.
Plus, I'm kind of seeing the monofilament line.
It needs to look natural.
I think that there's someone underneath the sheets.
Here's what I'm thinking.
It's kind of an elaborate hoax, but I think we can literally cut the mattress and then the frame and maybe with some sort of like a lift, lift someone right up from beneath the bed.
Right from the center of it.
Yeah.
I mean, that's what it looks like in the original video.
Let's do it.
I'll go prep your mattress.
By combining a cutout of a mattress and a hydraulic lift, we're gonna expand on the hoax hypothesis.
Jael will be playing the role of Sonya, and Ben will be operating the lift from this position.
Hopefully, this will get us really close to matching the original video.
Okay.
Ben, will you grab the light? Lights out.
You guys ready? Ready.
All right.
In 3 2 1 Lift up a little bit And let her down.
Nice, stop.
Really nice.
Reappear.
Nice, you guys.
That looked really good.
Did it? Yeah.
You got to see this in playback.
Okay.
Look, you immediately start to melt into the sheets.
I love it.
That's good.
It's completely flat.
Look-- and she reappears right here.
That's really good.
You know, I actually got the movement down.
You guys, I am really impressed with the way this looks.
I mean, the hydraulics look great.
Well, you know, despite the success that we had with this film and replicating the footage, I really feel like Sonya was being very sincere.
Sonya's story is more complex than just this video look how elaborate this would've had to have been if it were a hoax.
I just really don't see motive.
I think to do a full investigation, we should stay and do a night investigation.
All right.
Let's do it.
Narrator: Coming up on "fact or faked, Paranormal files" Is there somebody trying to communicate with us? Whoa.
Whoa.
Whoa.
Look at that.
Look at that.
Are you extraterrestrial? Ben: We came really close to replicating the original footage with our experiments.
However, just because we're able to show how it could've been done in this particular case, it doesn't mean that Sonya nor her husband were involved in any type of hoax.
So what I want to do is stay here and do a night investigation.
Let's see if there's anything anomalous in the house that could support her claim.
All right, guys.
The last camera's in place.
Perfect.
Our first camera, which is our full spectrum, is trained directly at the bed itself, and I put an e-pod on the bed so that if there are any anomalous electrical disturbances, that should go off as well.
Our IR camera is actually in the doorway of the bedroom, looking up the steps, and then our third camera is actually the astroscope.
It's pointing outside through the doors towards the sky where Sonya saw the UFO.
So, Sonya mentioned that she felt a presence as recent as a couple of days ago.
So we need to sweep for any evidence of extraterrestrial activity.
So I'll be roaming the grounds looking for anything anomalous.
Okay.
Now, I've got two meters with me.
I've got an electromagnetic field meter, and I also have our EVP recorder with us.
I mean, Sonya believes it could be something involved with an alien abduction or some type of interdimensional being.
Yeah.
So we'll do an EVP session.
You guys ready to do this? Let's do it.
Let's go green.
Okay.
Look.
When it grounds itself to these sheets, it turns on.
So I think this is just kind of a static buildup that's actually here.
Why don't we move it to the windowsill? All right.
Hey, Jael.
We've now made it into Sonya's room, and we're gonna start a little EVP session here.
I'll keep it nice and quiet.
Okay, we're recording.
We were noticing that there were some indications that somebody or something might be here.
If there's someone or something who has any business with the family here, what is your name? Ben When did that turn on? Just now, I think.
It doesn't want to reset, does it? It won't turn off.
All right.
Well, let's continue.
Is there somebody or something that has visited this family and had contact with the woman who lives here? Whoa, whoa.
Whoa.
Look at that.
Whoa.
Look at that.
Is somebody, something-- animal, human, or other being-- here in this house with us? Is there somebody trying to communicate with us? Are you extraterrestrial? Are your intentions to harm the family? Look at that.
It's still-- it's going wild.
It's spiking all the way up to 100 at times.
Are your intentions to harm her family? How did it go? Devin: It was good.
Did you enjoy your trip? Yeah.
It was wild.
So, Ben, how did your case go? It was awesome.
It really was.
Now, remember, we went to Droitwich, England, to investigate this film that many people are saying is an actual alien abduction caught on tape.
Devin: So, for our first experiment, we tested the theory that maybe Sonya just rolled out of bed and then climbed back in unknowingly because she was asleep.
Seems like a logical place to start.
What happened? Jael: It's not bad, but you can tell that I'm going over the edge of the bed, as opposed to simply sinking into the mattress.
Devin: It didn't match the original video.
So for our next experiment, we took a large inflatable.
We put it underneath the sheets, and Jael inflated and deflated the inflatable to be an air compressor.
The only thing is we were never able to match the speed in which Sonya disappears.
So, ultimately, we decided to use a hydraulic platform to replicate the effect.
Ben: Take a look.
She sinks into the bed.
Austin: That's really good.
Jael reappears.
Look at the covers.
Bill: That's like an exact match.
Exactly.
It's spot-on, guys.
Nice work.
Yeah, but this was an extremely elaborate build, and we had a really hard time believing that Sonya would go through all of that work just to create a hoax.
So we decided to stay and do a night investigation.
Now, Sonya had mentioned that during her experiences, she felt as if there were voices communicating in a telepathic way to her.
So we decided to do an EVP session.
And in reviewing it, at the very moment I asked a question, this is what we got.
Is there somebody trying to communicate with us? Wait a minute.
Can you play that again? Bill: One more time please.
Is there somebody trying to communicate with us? I heard it.
It's almost like static, right? Right.
That static that you're hearing appears nowhere else throughout the whole EVP session.
Bill: You know, that is really interesting, because a lot of people who believe in alien contact feel that extraterrestrials communicate through electromagnetic fields.
Which means that this could be evidence of an alien communication attempt.
Now, remember the video itself, we promised Sonya and Sayf that we would have it analyzed.
So we took it to our video analyst who works for the FBI and NASA on different contracts.
He was actually able to take the corrupted file and open it.
He looked into the metadata and found that there was nothing that indicated that the thing had been manipulated in any way or that there was any post-production software used on the file.
Now, he did find something else that was interesting.
So, take a look at this.
Let's pull up the original video.
Now, just about the point before Sonya disappears, you notice that there's something right about here.
He sees what he thinks might be a foot.
When she disappears, it's still kind of there.
Jael: Wow.
So he thinks she was just there, but in a different position that made it look like she was sunk? Quite possibly.
She had rolled really quickly closer to her husband and that was seen as more of one form.
You know, I'm really torn on the video.
It looks like there's a foot in the video the whole time, which would lead us to believe she never went anywhere.
They don't seem to have the motive or be the type of people that would want to create a hoax like this.
Lanisha: I've never met the family, but I feel as though maybe what we're seeing is just simply misinterpreted or maybe even faked.
After having spoken to the family, I'm convinced that they were not involved in a hoax.
I think that the theory of the optical illusion is an interesting one, and it could be the answer, but I just don't think we have enough evidence to close a case.
I think that we really nailed this case as far as replicating a video, but we have other supporting evidence, which I feel is credible.
I wish we could give more answers to this family, but I think for now, we have to leave the case open.
Fascinating case.
You guys did a great job.
So, you had a case in England, as well.
Tell us what happened.
Well, as you know, we traveled to a place just outside of London called Stratford to investigate this fiery UFO in the sky.
Let's take a look at what happened.
So, here we are, Stratford, England, in London's east end.
Austin: Well, I'm excited to be here and investigate this serpentine-looking UFO with light radiating off the back, almost like the tail of a comet.
Well, in June of 2011, Harry St.
Louis was on the greenway, when he looks up in the sky and spots something really strange far off in the distance.
Now, he takes his phone out and starts videotaping this thing in flight.
Now, when he posts the video online, it instantly went viral.
Austin: Well, we're about to meet with the videographer.
Let's see if he can tell us a little bit about what he witnessed in the sky that day.
Narrator: Coming up on "fact or faked, Paranormal files" Do you believe that this may have been extraterrestrial in origin? Ignite flares! Yes! Whoa! Wow! Hit it.
[ All cheering .]
Bill: We're about to meet Harry St.
Louis up on the greenway.
He recorded some spectacular footage of a UFO over the skies in Stratford.
Harry? Harry.
Hey, how do you do? Bill.
Hi.
This is Lanisha.
And this is Austin.
So, Harry, tell us, what were you doing here the day you shot that video? What, what was so unusual about what you were seeing? So, Harry, how big did it appear to be from where you were standing? And you were standing where? Like fire.
How far away would you say it was? Do you believe that this may have been extraterrestrial in origin? Now, what kind of camera were you using to record this UFO? Can we use this camera for our experiments? Yeah, sure.
Yeah.
Thank you so much.
Thank you, Harry.
Take it easy.
All right.
Well, he gave us a lot of information.
That's actually very, very helpful.
So I'm thinking we're probably gonna have to run some tests using some pyrotechnics, and we cannot do that here, but I did find a nearby testing facility where we can definitely run our tests safely.
Well, before we leave here, we need to determine the distance of the object to the vantage point.
Let me get a measurement from here to the first treeline.
Okay.
We are at 306 yards.
Mm-hmm.
And then you want to grab the tall building to the left because we know it's no farther than that.
Let's see if I can get a read on that, cause that's actually pretty far.
That's about a mile away.
There's two scenarios.
One, it was a smaller object that was much closer and he's misjudged its distance and size, or, two, it's actually a large object and it is that far away.
We have our work cut out for us.
All right, guys, so, let's head over to our test site and get these experiments started, all right? Let's do it.
Let's do it.
All right, guys.
Right outside of Oxford at the Bailey's farm.
This little airstrip should work perfect.
Yeah, I think so, too.
Based on the measurements we took at the greenway, we're looking for a spot that's 306 yards at the minimum and 1,578 at the maximum.
The first row of fence post from where I'm standing is 306 yards away.
So that's the minimum distance that we need to be from the vantage point to the UFO.
Perfect.
What's our second point? The second point, okay.
You see that stone structure? Sort of a red brick? That is about 1,562 yards.
So that gives us a 1,200-yard spread to perform our aerial acrobatics.
The one thing that's still a mystery is the size of the UFO.
Well, it's really easy to look at that footage and just go, "wow.
" That's something huge.
But in dealing with forced perspective, it could be something a lot smaller than a bus.
You know what I'm thinking? What's that? It could be a stunt kite.
And if the operator was hidden behind the treeline, then all you'd see is the kite high up in the sky.
You know what? Let's start building this kite.
Right now, we're getting ready to launch a stunt kite.
We want to see if what Harry saw that day was actually somebody close to the camera just performing aerial acrobatics with a kite that had some sort of a glowing tail.
In the case for our glowing tail, we're using fiber-optic fabric.
It's battery-operated.
We're gonna attach it to the back of the stunt kite.
Hopefully, we'll be able to mimic the undulating motions and mimic that original video.
Austin: All right, Lonnie.
Go ahead and lead me.
Let's keep these lines taught and off the ground so we don't get them tangled on anything.
All right.
Sounds good.
What Lanisha and I are gonna do is we're gonna head to our first marker, which is 306 yards, and we're thinking at this close of a distance, we could use forced perspective and actually make the object look the same size as what we're seeing in the original footage.
Lanisha, you guys are at a perfect distance.
All right, Bill.
Copy that.
All right, Austin.
Getting that fiber-optic fabric turned on.
You ready to fly this thing? Go and send it up for me.
All right.
Let's do it in 3 Yeah! Yeah.
All right, Austin, let's get out of sight so the only thing Bill sees is the kite.
Copy that.
I'm now filming.
All right, Austin.
I'm gonna need you to get that kite to rise, dip, and then rise again.
Copy that.
Hey, Bill.
How's that looking? Underwhelming.
I've shot enough video.
Why don't you join me at the vantage point for a side-by-side comparison? Right off the bat, I could see little-- a dot moving, but I wasn't seeming a flaming, serpentine tail undulating through the sky.
Lanisha: Exactly.
In theory, the fiber-optic cloth was a great idea, but in practice, you can barely see it.
You know, we can take some good things from this, though.
I think we learned a couple things.
With forced perspective, we had a small object in the sky and it looks roughly the same size.
So we could possibly put something else up in the sky that's about the same size, about the same distance, but we need to start working with some pyrotechnics and light this thing up.
Okay.
Let's get to work.
I mean, when you think about it, the kite was really a plausible explanation for what Harry believed was a UFO that he recorded in this video.
But anybody watching the test would have seen that it was a kite.
Well, you know what, guys? Something operated by remote control should eliminate that issue.
I think our next move is to go with the RC planes.
I like it.
Let's rig the wings with pyrotechnics.
That way, it gives us that same trail almost like a comet tail we're seeing.
I'll stay at the vantage point with the camera.
Any changes in position that are needed, I'll go, and I'll radio you guys.
All right.
Let's get this thing rigged up.
Let's go.
Got it? Got it.
You get that.
Bill: Right now, we're attaching titanium magnesium flares to the tips of each wing.
Each side gets two separate flares.
The reason is we wanted to increase burn time and each one will be on a separate circuit.
Once we're airborne and in the right position, we're gonna fire the first set, and then we're gonna fire the second set.
Should give us about two minutes of burn time in the air.
Hey, guys.
Everything is ready to go.
Our plane is all wired up.
The flares are attached.
Why don't you guys head over to the launch position? I'll stay here at the vantage point, and we can go ahead and start this test.
Sounds good.
Works for me.
All righty.
Austin: Lanisha and I just positioned ourself at our 306-yard mark.
It's now our control zone for our RC plane.
On Bill's cue, we're gonna launch it into the sky.
Lanisha's gonna detonate the pyrotechnic system.
We're gonna see if we can re-create this video.
Lanisha: All right, Bill.
We're at the control point, and we're ready to launch this plane.
Okay, guys.
All right, here we go.
[ Chuckling .]
Hey, Bill.
How's that looking? Okay.
I got him in frame.
I can see the treelines.
That's perfect.
All right, Bill.
We're gonna maintain this altitude, and on your cue, we'll ignite the flares.
Okay.
On 3 Ignite flares! Yes! Jael: This clip of a sunrise over Fredon, New Jersey, was shot on October 17, 2011.
It shows a strange light anomaly floating just above the sun that some claim is the mythical planet Nibiru, whose appearance is said to foretell the end of the world in 2012.
So, is it fact or faked? The answer, coming up.
Jael: This video shows an odd illuminated sphere hovering above the rising sun.
Many claim it's the mysterious planet Nibiru, whose appearance is said to portend the end of the world.
But is the anomaly fact or faked? Fact.
The object seen is definitely present on the footage.
However, its appearance doesn't indicate the end of the world, nor is it the planet Nibiru.
It's fixed parallel position to the sun indicates a simple reflection bouncing off the camera's internal optics.
Bill: We're testing the theory that the UFO that Harry thinks he recorded is actually an RC plane with flares attached to the wings.
Okay.
On 3 Ignite flares! [ Chuckles .]
Yeah! That looks amazing.
Okay.
Now go ahead and start the dip.
Yes! Yes! All right, guys.
Go ahead and bring that plane down and join me at base camp for a side-by-side comparison.
Look at that.
Austin: That is a lot closer.
You got the motion.
I mean, we certainly framed it right.
You know what? I'm seeing two distinct trails, though.
You do see the separation from the wings compared to how close it was to my vantage point.
But as far as using flares to create the light, we're on the right track.
This is so much closer than what we have with that kite.
The only thing I'm having a problem with is the scale of it.
Yeah.
You know what? Maybe it was something a lot bigger and a lot farther back.
So, why don't we get this cleaned up and move on to our next test, all right? Austin: I think our RC plane test was a huge success.
It gave us the effect we were looking for.
The only problem is, using forced perspective and putting an object so close to us, we were clearly able to define the object with the autofocus on the camera.
It's time to stop playing with toys and break out the big guns.
Our next move is to go with the full-size plane rigged with pyrotechnic flares.
This should give us the scale we're looking for.
By using an actual plane, it would definitely solve the range and distance issues.
And with the increased wingspan, we can add even more pyrotechnics, which would definitely make the plane more visible from a distance.
And, guys, I arranged a plane that should give us every element we need.
Check this out.
Whoa! Austin! Wow! Yeah! Check that out.
Austin: You guys, not only is this gonna have pyrotechnics attached to it, there's gonna be two of them.
Whoa! Wow! Yeah! Whoo! [ Laughs .]
[ Laughs .]
Lanisha: So, after running our kite and RC craft experiment, we now believe our best bet at replicating the UFO seen in Harry's video is to use two stunt planes rigged with pyrotechnic flares.
This should give us the movement and scale we're looking for.
All right, guys.
Let's go check out the planes.
Yeah, let's do this.
[ Claps .]
Nice work.
Good job.
Oh, man.
This looks great.
I think this is our answer here.
You guys, this is an SA1100 silence twister aircraft.
This thing weighs less than 1,000 pounds.
But it's strong enough to do extreme stunt flying like you just saw.
The best part about this is that we can rig up pyrotechnic flares and make this thing look like it's on fire as it's up in the sky.
Not only is this gonna have pyrotechnics attached to it, there's gonna be two of them.
These guys fly so close together, it looks like one plane, almost like they're connected.
Let's start getting this thing rigged up.
Let's do this.
I'm so excited to watch these things work, Bill.
Each one burns for about a minute, so between the two, we'll get about two minutes of burn time on these.
Right.
I mean these things are like sparklers on steroids.
We've got our first fuse already connected.
It's wired in.
When this one is ignited, it's gonna then eventually burn out and trigger the second one.
It's gonna happen when the pilot hits the switch on the inside.
So we've connected the contact to under the wing here to an electrode.
All right.
Cameras are ready? All set up, guys.
All right.
Let's get it up in the air, set fire to the sky.
Let's do it.
Whoo! Wow.
Look at that.
Whoo! All right! [ Chuckles .]
Yes.
Flight team approaching start position.
All right, flight team.
Keep that altitude between 5 and 1,000 feet for me.
Copy that.
Climbing to 1,000 feet.
They're almost in position right now.
I can actually see them in the camera already.
All right, guys.
Get ready to ignite those flares.
Copy that.
Ready to ignite.
Bill: I got him in frame.
Why don't you go ahead and give him a countdown right now to hit those flares? All right, flight team.
Ignite those flares in 3 2 1.
Hit it! Flight team igniting flares.
Yeah! Yeah! Tanisha: We now believe our best bet at replicating the UFO seen in Harry's video is to use two stunt planes rigged with pyrotechnic flares.
Hit it! Flight team igniting flares.
Yeah! Yeah! Austin: You guys, the pyrotechnics they use on these planes are literally the equivalent of napalm.
I mean, this is some heavy-duty stuff.
I'm serious.
These guys are flying so close to each other, and then they literally light their pyro at the same time.
Check out what happens.
Devin: Oh, my gosh.
Is this the original video? Bill: Thank you for asking.
No, this is the replication.
Wow.
This is spot-on, you guys.
Check out the side-by-side.
Jael: That's an exact match.
We thought so.
That's it.
It looks exactly like the fiery serpent that you see in the original footage.
Austin: You guys think it looks good from the vantage point? Wait till you see it from the plane's point of view.
Look at this.
What? Wow! Wow! That's so cool! That is awesome! That looks like so much fun! You guys, seeing these in person was pretty amazing.
But the case didn't end with what you see here.
When we got back to the United States, I made some calls back to the UK, and I learned that there was an actual-- an aerobatic team that was performing stunts in the area during the time that Harry actually shot his video.
Devin: Oh, my gosh.
Are you serious? Austin: Case closed.
Lanisha: So, there you have it, guys.
Once again, excellent job.
I think this final experiment nailed it.
That's what it was.
And the confirmation that you got when you came back, also, as well.
Nice job.
Amazing.
Yeah.
Thanks, guys.
All right.
You guys are so good!
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