cameras and ghosts

[sweetkb713]

In my documentary class one group just filmed in a "haunted" location.

They had problems with their fully charged batteries draining as they walked inside, with their cameras turning on and off (while in the "off" position) and turning off when they hit record, just to turn back on and keep recording!

They were using high-end cameras (costing about $5000) and our entire class has been using these same cameras for the past two months without any problems. I believe that this was happening to ALL their cameras (they used the school's digital cameras as well as their own Hi-8 cameras.)

I wouldn't have believed it except that they got it on film (it was a multiple camera shoot, so one person stood filming the other cameras acting berserk and batteries draining) ... which leads me to my question.

What could have caused this?

Can electrical energy cause something like this to happen?

Radio waves? Moisture?

I know it wasn't a trick because they showed that everything was happening, how the one guy was standing away from the camera (the teacher doesn't give out the remotes) and the camera was in the off position - you have to flip the switch to "off." Also, we watched him hit the record button, saw the camera turn off and turn back on. Same thing with the battery draining, they have footage of the little battery icon and it just goes down, down, down. This was raw footage, no possible manipulation. And there were about five witnesses to this.

Also - they took a "psychic" on their shoot. He seemed to me to be a fraud. He kept talking about how he feels something here and feels something there. It was SO general! Then he said "the kinds of things they'll experience here are footsteps, cold spots." Gee. Could we GET any more generic? The funny thing is that the people don't experience that at all. They have the door open and close and the radio volume lower and raise itself while they watch (the volume is displayed digitally.) No footsteps! No cold spots!!

 

[Ed]

In my documentary class one group just filmed in a "haunted" location.

Also - they took a "psychic" on their shoot. He seemed to me to be a fraud. He kept talking about how he feels something here and feels something there. It was SO general! Then he said "the kinds of things they'll experience here are footsteps, cold spots." Gee. Could we GET any more generic? The funny thing is that the people don't experience that at all. They have the door open and close and the radio volume lower and raise itself while they watch (the volume is displayed digitally.) No footsteps! No cold spots!!

Sounds like a Blair Witch deal. Who owns the rights?

 

[apoger]

with their cameras turning on and off (while in the "off" position) and turning off when they hit record, just to turn back on and keep recording!

The thing that normally turns cameras on and off is... people.
I'd look to an answer there.

 

[sweetkb713]

The thing that normally turns cameras on and off is... people.
I'd look to an answer there.

The guy would hit record and step back with his hands up so we could see that he wasn't doing anything, and about 10 seconds later it turned off and turned back on, still recording. There were no human tricks here. I can't convince you, but these are reliable people, and there were only the other 5 people in the entire building at the time.

 

[apoger]

The guy would hit record and step back with his hands up so we could see that he wasn't doing anything, and about 10 seconds later it turned off and turned back on, still recording.

The camera had no timer and no remote? We are discussing a $5000 camera... right?

There were no human tricks here.

Clever young students would never do anything tricky in a haunted house.

I can't convince you, but these are reliable people, and there were only the other 5 people in the entire building at the time.

No I will not be convinced by this one anecdote.
However you are describing a a very testable situation. Repeated experimentation that provides credible evidence would sway me.

The anecdote is convincing enough that investigation may be warrented. By all means, investigate.

 

[Ed]

I recall a few years ago a couple of us got nice bookshelf CD/Radio/Cassette systems at work. I was fooling around with the RC and everything was just cool. Then the damn thing started changing stations, then the volume, you get the picture. I was pretty perplexed till I heard a buddy laughing, holding the RC for his system.

Sound familiar?

ps. My office wasn't haunted.

 

[CFLarsen]

What cameras were used?

 

[Paul C. Anagnostopoulos]

Yup, Kate, sounds like time to grab a couple of those cameras and pay another visit to the place. Sounds like it could all be done with a remote, except for that battering draining thing.

~~ Paul

 

[CFLarsen]

Yup, Kate, sounds like time to grab a couple of those cameras and pay another visit to the place. Sounds like it could all be done with a remote, except for that battering draining thing.

~~ Paul

Did they go out, recharge the batteries, and walk in again, to see what happened? In other words, did they try to replicate it?

 

[WildCat]

(the teacher doesn't give out the remotes)

I think this is your answer!

When I wsas little I'd play tricks on my sister like that, I'd have a second remote and change her channel on her. It took her quite a while to figure it out, she was going nuts thinking the TV was broke.

Even if the teacher didn't give out the remotes, someone could have had their own remote (often the same remote works for different models by the same company, or it could be a universal remote). Make that DID have their own remote, lots of fun to do that in a "haunted" house.

I'll bet if you cover up the remote sensor on the camera w/ black tape the "ghosts" will go away.

 

[Zep]

I was thinking of the "universal" remote control units you can buy in Tandy for $10 to $15. There are IR ones and radio ones, all fully programmable for whatever unit you want...

Btw, were the batteries actually checked as fully charged BEFORE you went in the "haunted house"? Did you sit them still and switched on for a while to see if the charge held? Oh, and did you remove the tin-foil stuck across the removeable battery terminals inside the camera..???

 

[MRC_Hans]

*snip*
Also - they took a "psychic" on their shoot. He seemed to me to be a fraud. *snip*

Oh. And did they frisk this apparant fraud with a vested interest in them having some weird experiences for a generic remote of some kind? You know, it would not need to be acually able to control the camaras; making them act funny would be quite enough.

Or, of course, just one young student with the idea of making some honorable fun.

Hans

 

[Ratman_tf]

On my parent's HP digital camera, the batteries get consumed pretty darn quick. Twice that if the backlit LCD is left on. Twice that if used to record a short movie.

For what it's worth...

 

[MRC_Hans]

For batteries, try this with some application running on a storage battery (camara, cell-phone, even car starter):

Start with a discharged battery. Now plug it into a charger for a short while, say, five to ten minutes (instead of the several hours it should really be on charge). Operate the device. You will now see exactly the event that sweetkb describes: Initially, the battery seems well charged, but it rapidly discarges, running out as you watch.

So my guess is that somebody, deliberately or not, gave the camaras only a superficial charge. Or some of the camaras, that is, since it seems that at least one was operating to document the whole thing (in itself a bit suspicious, if you ask me ).

Hans

 

[apoger]

Keep in mind also that rechargeable batteries degrade with use. Eventually they lose the ability to hold a charge well.

These are "school" batteries, and as such are probably used and abused far more often than batteries that sit in the closet at home.

One lightweight charge to a well used battery, and you can see some very fast drain.

Is that what happened? I don't know. However it's much more likely than a supernatural energy draining attack.

 

[MRC_Hans]

So, it would seem that all observations have mundane, probable explanations. If anybody is still in doubt, directions for an affirmative test is also here:

Use fully charged batteries, confirmed to be in good shape.
Cover remote receiver apertures (be sure t otest that this really puts the rmore out of operation). Redo the session.

Oh, you asked about radio waves; yes, a powerful radio field might do something like that. Is there a large radio/radar installation nearby? Or a cellphone repeater on the roof? If yes, bring a field-strenght meter, as RF esposure on the site might be at a hazardous level.

Hans

 

[figtertype]

What kind of batteries were you using, sweetkb713? As someone who uses a lot of rechargable batteries on various devices, I've found that depending on the type your using, you can encounter some natural power drain issues...

If you're using NiCa (Nickel Cadmium) batteries, you will find that they hold less charge every time you recharge them.

NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride) batteries will charge fully every time, but will loose charge over time even if not in use.

Even with non-rechargables, drained batteries with a little tiny bit of juice left will sometimes show as charged for a few minutes before going dead (no pun intended).

If you try to duplicate the effect in the location, I'd suggest you use the original batteries involved, new batteries of the same type (make certain they're charged though!), and if available, non-rechargable batteries.

 

[sweetkb713]

The camera had no timer and no remote? We are discussing a $5000 camera... right?

The teacher doesn't hand out the remote. I don't know if it has a timer, but it wasn't on a timer. Besides, a timer doesn't act like that when the camera is OFF.

Clever young students would never do anything tricky in a haunted house.
[/B]

Not when they have 2 hours to get footage for their documentary.

No I will not be convinced by this one anecdote.
However you are describing a a very testable situation. Repeated experimentation that provides credible evidence would sway me.

The anecdote is convincing enough that investigation may be warrented. By all means, investigate. [/B]

I'm not trying to sway you. I'm not saying it's paranormal. I'm asking WHAT IT COULD BE. Please don't jump to conclusions about me.

 

[sweetkb713]

Yup, Kate, sounds like time to grab a couple of those cameras and pay another visit to the place. Sounds like it could all be done with a remote, except for that battering draining thing.

~~ Paul

A camera cannot be controlled when it is off. Let's keep that in mind. Also, like I said, the teacher doesn't give out the remotes. I don't know why, but we've never had one in our camera case, so I don't know why other groups would get them.

No offense, but I'm a graduate student who has been doing this for ten years now. I'm not a complete idiot. I know how a camera works and how it can be controlled.

 

[sweetkb713]

Did they go out, recharge the batteries, and walk in again, to see what happened? In other words, did they try to replicate it?

As far as I know, they didn't have that much time to be messing around. They ended up using the extension cord instead of the batteries.