Your new series Strange Curiosity - in a few words, what is
it about?
Strange Curiosity
is a paranormal documentary series on subjects not only about ghosts,
but strange phenomena experienced by people around the world and other
bizarre subject matter. Not only do we tell the stories, but we
immerse the viewer into the action to see if any of it holds truth.
What were your inspirations behind creating Strange
Curiosity? My brother Barry and I have always had an
interest in paranormal subject matter through various experiences growing
up, and we learned how to do film documentary work through two seasons of
being the stars of the Discovery Channel television series Ghost
Lab. There was a certain way of telling the story that I wanted to do that didn't always happen when dealing with network
television, so I took it upon myself to do it my way. Before Strange Curiosity you and
your brother Barry did Ghost Lab, treading similar territory if I'm
not mistaken - so do talk about that old show of yours, and what are the
main differences between that one andStrange Curiosity ? Ghost
Lab was an intense investigative series where we employed the use of a
mobile "surveillance" lab to research hauntings from a
scientific theory perspective through experimentation.
Strange Curiosity
is more
observational with an emphasis on the story, the phenomena, and the people
involved. Investigation is minimal, and it is only used to try to
quickly validate claims. So
do talk about your brother for a bit, and what makes him the perfect
partner in your paranormal investigations?
The Klinge Brothers |
My brother and I
have done everything together for many years. From jumping bikes on
homemade ramps to building forts out of cardboard boxes in the backyard.
As adults, I had managed to capture an EVP at Alcatraz while on a tour by
accident. When I showed him, he was blown away, and that's when I
hit him up to form a paranormal investigation team with me. He was
the guy with the video camera, and I had an audio recorder. That's
how it started out. In addition, there seems to be an energy that my
brother and I have when we are together that seems increase the levels of
activity in a location. We can't put our finger on it, but it works.
So the Klinge Brothers are for life. Back to Strange
Curiosity: How do you come up with the topic for each show, and how
much research goes into it, usually? The topics for each
episode usually come from casual conversation with people involved.
The John Wayne Gacy episode came about from a dinner conversation I had
with the owner of the R Theater where he was telling the bizarre story.
I told him right then and there I have to get this story on film.
The Black Eye Kids story came from me knowing the author of many Black Eye
Kids books (David Weatherly) and the conversations I had with him.
He set me up with people who had the experiences, and once I hear the
stories, the overall story process goes from there. It is a very
organic process, and the stories twist as they naturally occur. So do take us
through the process, how do you go about your investigations on camera,
what are some trusted methods you use? Like I mentioned
earlier, the process is very organic. It has to be when dealing with
the paranormal because if not, the show is totally scripted. These
things don't happen on command, and they don't follow a pre-production
story board. So I generally will film all of the interviews first to
see how a natural story can flow. I then will investigate in a very
basic way to see if I can get voices or other pieces of evidence that will
support the stories being told. Then I film reenactments of the
stories told to really draw the audience into the feeling I am trying to
portray that is in direct correlation to my emotions and thought process.
So what you see is a story as it happens, and I will literally change my
mind on direction 100 times during filming if I have to. I film a
ton of b-roll and I film everything in full color (even in the dark)
because I want the viewers to be there with me The result is the
roller-coaster ride you see in the completed episode.
|
On Strange
Curiosity you also do lots of re-enactments - so what can you tell us
about those, and how much emphasis do you put on realism and authencity
when doing them? The reenactments are a way to draw the
viewer to the picture I see in my mind when I hear the stories. I do
all the casting, and I do all of the costuming when applicable. The
reenactments follow the telling of the story by the interviewee presicely
as the story is being told. The reenactments are a very important
part to this show, and I take great pride and detail in making them as
accurate as possible. I have four kids, and all of them are in at
least one reenactment on Season 1, and most of the Black Eye Kids I used
are from the local Middle School drama club, so reenactments are a way I
can involve the community in the show as well. Do talk about the shoots as such, and
what's the spookiest thing that ever happened on set? Well
I have been involved in the paranormal pretty much full time for the past
10 years, and not much surprises me; however, during the filming of the
Black Eye Kids episode, we drove to Killeen, Texas to interview a random
psychic to get his thoughts on a particular case. We showed up to
the Killeen Public Library a couple hours before it closed, so it was
dark. After the interview, I pulled the car closer to the door so we
could load our gear, and that's when I noticed two teenage boys in jeans
and hoodies under the street lamp just staring at me. You couldn't
see their faces. So I locked the car, and went inside the building.
As I went up the elevator and the doors opened, those two teenage boys
with hoodies still on walked down an aisle of books. No noise.
No expression. And I still couldn't see their faces. The
library was closed at this time so there is no way they could have gotten
in PLUS there is no way they could have made it up to third level that
fast. So I told a security guard, and he had mentioned he saw them.
My two camera guys also said they noticed them, but when the guard looked
at security footage, no one was there. Still not creepy enough? So as we are pulling out, standing on the street corner are those two same
kids watching us drive away. During the course of filming interviews
and research, I did hear that when people talk about these beings, they
tend to show up. Going one step further... after we interviewed the
Reverend on the same episode about the possibility of this stuff being
demonic, we were packing up the cars and the strongest stench of sulphur
came upon us. The Reverend was frightened and said he had never
smelled that before, but pointed to demons being described as smelling of
sulphur. In a split second the smell was gone. Welcome to a
day in my life!
|
The
$64-question of course, where can your series be seen? Strange
Curiosity is now available on iTUNES and will soon be available on Amazon.
Just click
here.
You've
so far shot one season of Strange Curiosity - any plans for more,
and other future projects you'd like to share?
We
actually have another episode already filmed, and we have a couple other
projects underway as well. The great thing about filming your own
documentary is you can do it at your pace based on demand. The more
people want it, the more we produce. Neilsen ratings are out the
window (as they should be anyway, but that is a whole other topic).
What got
you into paranormal investigations to begin with, and is there any way to
learn this?
My
interest in the paranormal goes back to childhood, and the moment that
sealed the deal for me making me realize this is a real thing was an
experience I had in 1990 at 17 years of age in Gettysburg when I
accidently witnessed and filmed a ghost regiment walking through a field.
Fast forward to 2007, after nearly twenty years of research I tried my
hand at capturing an EVP at Alcatraz while on a business trip to San
Francisco. I picked up a recorder at Radio Shack on my way to the
dock, and by some freak lucky chance, was allowed by the park ranger into
solitary confinement by myself. After a short time of recording and
playback, there was a clear voice that answered one of my questions.
I was hooked. It seemed too easy, but nonetheless it worked, so I
got my brother on board and we set out on an adventure that is still
going.
Anyone
can do this, but only people with logical but open minds coupled with a
skeptical nature can investigate properly. Throw out the magic.
Throw out the potions. This stuff is real, but it exists in a
natural world bound by the same set of physics but in a different
playbook. Hypothesis, experimentation, conclusion, repeat... that is
how it should be done.
... and since this is first and foremost a
movie site, your favourite and least favourite movies?
I
actually love comedies, and the sillier the better. My favorite
movie is probably Step Brothers or Anchorman (I am a huge Will Ferrel
fan), and romantic movies bottom it out for me... so probably the Notebook
or anything similar. I only watch those by force.
|
Feeling lucky? Want to search any of my partnershops yourself for more, better results? (commissions earned) |
The links below will take you just there!!!
|
|
|
As
far as paranormal movies go, I love the thinker movies like The Others or
The Skeleton Key. In fact, we have a theory that we have witnessed
activity for ourselves that we call "The Others"-theory based on
that movie.
Your/your
series' website, Facebook, whatever else?
www.9diamondproductions.com
www.strangecuriosity.com
www.everydayparanormal.com
https://itunes.apple.com/us/tv-season/strange-curiosity-season-1/id1162832431?ls=1
Twitter:
@klingebros
Facebook:
Klinge Brothers
Anything else
you're dying to mention and I have merely forgotten to ask? I
think you got it. Thanks
for the interview!
|