A Ghost's Story Pre-Production Book

A Ghost’s Story Preproduction Book Jennifer Talbott

A Ghost’s Story | Preproduction Book 1

Table of Contents

Story Overview ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………2

Expanded Synopsis ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….3

Story Beats ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………7

Research Items ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………9

Content Experts & Sample Questions ……………………………………………………………………………………………………11

Production Plan & Schedule …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….13

B-roll Shot List …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….15

Location Survey …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..17

Website Site Map ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………18

Survey & Results ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….21


Story Overview

Working Title

A Ghost’s Story: How ghost stories have changes in importance, and what they mean to us today.

Log line

Why do we tell ghost stories? What do they mean to us? By surveying the history of stories of the supernatural in the Western world and exploring the meanings behind these stories, we might find that—whether you believe or not—the ghosts in the tales may have something to tell us after all.

Summary: Do you believe in ghosts? A survey by the Pew Research Institute in 2009 found that nearly one-third (29%) of Americans believe they have been in touch with the dead. But even if you are not a believer, would that stop you from telling a really good ghost story on a dark and stormy night?

This film will explore why humans tell ghost stories, whether they believe or not, and what they mean to us with the help of experts in such areas as folklore and cultural history. Personal ghost stories from locals will be used to engage viewers, to transition between acts and to serve as content for analysis by experts. Stories may be recorded as a standard interview told to the audience, as the storyteller walks through the place of the haunting, or in a group sharing session.

From the nationally-renowned Folklore Institute at Indiana University, professors of folklore can speak about the tradition of supernatural storytelling, the themes that are common to many such stories, and what motivates us to share supernatural experiences with others. Experienced storytellers from the Bloomington Storytellers Guild can also be consulted to break down the characteristics of a good, old-fashioned scary story. Cultural historians will lead the audience through a brief history of how ghost stories have been used over the past few centuries, illustrated through archival artwork—from policing evil-doers to evidence that Catholicism was the one true religion, from a yearning for traditions and life outside the Industrial Revolution to an antiquated sign of someone who has not been Enlightened. Finally, the experts will illuminate how ghost stories can benefit us, by allowing us to explore issues important to our culture, explaining things that cannot be explained, and connecting us to one another through shared emotional experiences.


Expanded Synopsis

Justification

Ghost stories may help us learn about our past and explore our future. By using captivating ghost stories collected from local individuals, this film will entertain while educating. Academic disciplines including folklore and cultural history will be highlighted, giving scholars a public outlet for their research. As the audience learns how supernatural legends have evolved in importance over time and what they mean to us today, they will gain a better appreciation for the telling of haunting tales, to respect the tradition and to add to it themselves.

Story

Belief in ghosts has persisted throughout the Western Hemisphere (and in many Eastern cultures), despite attacks from the Protestant Reformation—when human souls were freed from the transient between-world of purgatory—and the Enlightenment—when science and rational thought attempted to stamp out all that could not be proven concretely. If ghostly encounters continue to be shared despite the lack of proof or dogmatic explanation, there must be other forces at work. Folklore experts, cultural historians and other researchers will provide clues about why we tell ghost stories and the common themes that can be found in supernatural accounts in the past few centuries. By gaining a better understanding of how ghost stories serve individuals and societies, the audience may find that—whether you believe or not—tales of ghostly encounters may serve an important purpose to us all as humans.

Act I

A handful of people will share their ghost stories—either a personal encounter or a story they’ve heard and have an emotional connection to. Stories may be recorded as a standard interview told to the audience, as the storyteller walks through the place of the haunting, or in a group sharing session. As the audience gets drawn in to the stories—perhaps recognizing a popular story from a Southern Indiana haunt—the central question will be posed, “Why do we

tell ghost stories?” However, the most common reason why people tell ghost stories may be simple: because we believe in them. A survey by the Pew Research Institute in 2009 found that nearly one-third (29%) of Americans believe they have been in touch with the dead. Perhaps the better question, then, is what—if anything—can we gain from telling such stories?


Motivations behind the tradition of gathering to tell scary stories will be examined from a folklore perspective, by a professor of folklore from Indiana University. The stories told in the opening sequence may serve as content for analysis, as the folklore expert explains the common reasons why people tell ghost stories. For example, a group of college-age girls gather in their dorm lounge to try and scare each other with campus legends, such as the ghost of the murdered co-ed who haunts the basement of Read Hall dormitory. Opening with, “Does anyone know a good ghost story?” is a quick and effective way to promote bonding in recently-formed groups of people, such as freshman living on the same floor together for the first time.

Initiation into a previously-formed group is another benefit of sharing ghost stories; a group of coworkers who have recently been joined by a new employee may use stories of their haunted surroundings to admit the newbie into their social circle. Stories that are tied to specific places may also be a colorful way to disseminate local history and flavor—“Have you been to The Slippery Noodle restaurant yet? It’s haunted, you know.”

Some locations gain such notoriety within a community for their supernatural ties that telling tales will no longer suffice—visits to the haunted sites become a rite of passage. Inevitably taking place at midnight, with a significant other for added emotional intensity, treks to sites like the Big Tunnel in Tunnelton, IN, have simply become something that every teenager from the area must do.

Stories told within families, handed down from generation to generation, may serve as a vivid way to pass down information about the family tree. By telling a detailed story about the time Grandma saw a ghost, children will learn a little about what Grandma was like, what her surroundings were, and imagine what life was like 50 years before they themselves were born.

Act II

Moving away from a folklore perspective, cultural historians will answer the question, “Why have we told ghost stories in the past?” by surveying how ghosts in Western cultures have evolved over the past few centuries. Archival paintings, wood cuts, and other artwork from the periods described will illustrate the evolution of ghosts through time, and out-of-copyright movies involving supernatural characters may also help to bring the history to life.

In the Middle Ages, ghosts seemed to return only to establish and emphasize Christian teaching. They would terrorize the wicked into changing their ways and serve as a terrifying lesson on why Christians must strive to


live without sin on Earth lest they be doomed to wander between worlds after death. As Catholicism consolidated Christians and subsumed pagan beliefs, the fundamental canon of purgatory—the neutral waiting room of the recently-departed soul—became a recurring theme in stories about hauntings. When a Medieval Catholic died, it was the duty of her family and friends to pray for her immortal soul’s exit from purgatory to heaven, and if that duty was shirked her soul would haunt the living to gently (or not) remind them.

When the Reformation took hold in the 16th century, a problem arose with the principal duties of medieval ghosts. Along with the many divergences between Protestant and Catholic dogmas is the belief in purgatory—Protestants did not believe that there was a stop-over for Christian souls between death and heaven or hell, and therefore spirits appearing to family members could not be asking for their prayers. While Catholics saw ghost stories as proof of purgatory and of their own doctrines, Protestants now saw in their ghosts the social and ethical issues of their times. Apparitions would appear to Protestants if they were not given a proper burial, or perhaps because a vow between the dead and the living had been broken. In a more sinister turn, some accounts from the 16th century claim that ghosts were sent as agents of the devil, to try and lead good Protestants down the path of evil.

Moving into the mid-17th and 18th centuries, the supernatural subjects of ghost stories had less of a connection to religion and were more concerned with the societal anxieties felt by their living counterparts. While the Enlightenment movement turned away from irrational beliefs altogether—including religion and otherworldly tales—ghost stories persevered. Coupled with the stark living conditions brought on by the Industrial Revolution, many people wished to return to a simpler time of country living and traditional beliefs. Ghostly encounters continued to be experienced and shared as they were in the time before factories and cities bursting at the seams.

And yet a majority of modern ghosts, starting in the 19th century, seem to have lost their purpose altogether. The spectral characters in legends from the Victorian age to today are often unrecognizable mutes, with no message of revenge or unfinished business to share with their spectators—they simply make their presence known, then vanish without explanation.

Act III

The final question then becomes, “Why should we keep telling ghost stories?” Throughout the ages people have consistently taken away one message from these stories: that there is life after death. Whether loved ones return to assure their friends of their eternal peace or an unknown spirit seems to act without consideration of the living around them, ghost stories reinforce the


idea of the immortal spirit. These tales may help us deal with the idea of the mortal body and comfort us with the thought that some part of us will live on forever.

The biggest concerns to societies seem to bubble up in ghost stories, as we hear of spirits who are haunted by the same issues as the living. Passing on stories from other ages can help us learn about these issues, and new stories can help us explore the things that cause anxiety in our own culture.

The word “supernatural” itself means something other than normal, something that cannot be explained by science or the laws of nature. Such stories are a way for us to try to understand events that cannot be explained. If there is no reasonable explanation for why the door opened by itself, it must have been opened by a supernatural entity.

Finally, whether otherworldly encounters are shared with friends, family or strangers, they allow us to learn about each other and help strengthen or form bonds through shared emotional experiences. Whether you believe in ghosts is not the issue; it’s whether you want to join in the storytelling.


Story Beats

Introduction

Someone tells an interesting personal ghost story

Narrator asks audience whether they have told or heard a ghost story before. Wonders that such stories are still popular despite living in an age of reason, science, advanced technology

Expert lists all the forces against ghost stories—the Enlightenment, movements away from religion, other factors—and yet nearly 30% of Americans believe they have been in touch with the dead, probably more than that have shared ghost stories whether they believe or not

Expert/narrator asks the big question: why?

Act I

Folklore expert explains motivations behind telling stories, and ghost stories in particular. Could include: a quick way to form bonds in new groups of people, initiating new members into a previously-formed group, learning about the history of a place or one’s own family, traditions/rites of passage

o Intersperse ghost stories here: a group-storytelling session to illustrate the first point—someone in the group asking ‘did you hear the story about xx’—possibly students in a dormitory

o An older family member telling a younger one about a ghost story that’s happened to someone in the family, saw a dead member of the family, etc.—told in a family setting (at dinner table, in the place where the experience happened)

o A younger group on a journey to a haunted location (in the car, arriving at the haunted place with flashlights, etc.)

Narrator says that while ghosts can pass on history, they have a troubled history of their own

Act II

* Illustrate history with paintings, wood cuts, photos, video clips, possibly stories that were popular/notorious during each period

Folklorist/historian talks about aspects of ghosts in the Middle ages—ghosts returned to emphasize Christian teachings, living a good Christian life

Folklorist/historian talks about what ghosts meant as Catholicism took hold in Europe—asking for prayers to get out of purgatory


Folklorist/historian talks about ghosts during the Reformation—Catholic ghosts vs. Protestant ghosts and the issue of purgatory. How this became a powerful political issue and how ghosts were one tool used to argue both sides

Folklorist/historian talks about aspects of ghosts in the 17th and 18th centuries—ghosts had less to say about religious doctrines—and the impact of the Enlightenment

o Less belief in ghosts because they couldn’t be rationalized o Beginning of serious scientific research into the afterlife o Pushback against the Enlightenment and the stark conditions of the Industrial

Revolution, belief in ghosts as a tradition of simpler times

Folklorist/historian talks about modern ghosts from the 19th century on—the purposeless ghost

o Someone tells a ghost story of a ‘residual’ haunting, or experience with no direct interaction

Narrator says that while evolving with society, ghost stories have survived all of these challenges in the past. Will they continue to survive? Should they?

Act III

Folklorist talks about what we can gain from telling ghost stories, how we use them to explore bigger concerns such as: the question of afterlife, right and wrong, events/feelings that just can’t be explained

o Personal ghost story about being comforted by seeing a loved one who has passed o Ghost story about an event that couldn’t be explained rationally

Folklorist/storyteller returns to the themes of bonding, sharing history o Return to the group storytelling—maybe the ‘boo’ moment and shared laughter,

or the young group going to a haunted location holding hands for courage

Storyteller talks about the aspects of a good ghost story, common themes, enjoyment o Children telling/being told a ghost story, anticipation to fright to laughter o Return to family ghost story, fondly looking over old pictures or family heirlooms,

looking around family home where experience happened

Narrator ends with something profound about why we should keep telling ghost stories—to help us understand the world around us and put into words our fears about this life and the next


Research Items

Ackroyd, Peter and Justin Webb. “Author Peter Ackroyd tells Justin Webb about the UK’s love of the supernatural.” BBC News. Radio. 5 October 2010. Print. Radio interview with author of a book about the history of the Tower in London, the participants discuss why the English as a people are so interested in ghosts although they are generally an empirical society--author mentions “guilt about the Reformation” and the dichotomy between a rational society and supernatural beliefs.

Baker, Ronald L. Hoosier Folk Legends. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1982. Print. More folk stories from Indiana, greater quantity of stories than book by Dégh, less analysis. Can be used as reference for ghost stories as transitional devices, especially for less-well-known stories that have not been covered by other programming.

Bennett, Gillian. Traditions of Belief: Women, folklore and the supernatural today. London: Penguin Books, 1987. Print. Recommended by Dr. Goldstein, section “The ghost in retrospect” describes how ghost stories have been used from the Middle Ages through 1920, how they were used politically, changes in the aspects of ghosts.

Buse, Peter. Ghosts: deconstruction, psychoanalysis, history. New York : St. Martin's Press, 1999. Print. Includes how ghosts and hauntings have been used in many fields as metaphor, and how humans use ghosts to express difficult emotions such as life and death.

Davies, Owen. The Haunted: a social history of ghosts. Basingstoke, England; New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007. Print.

Follows cultural history of ghosts, similar to/references Ghosts: appearances of the dead &

cultural transformation. Also includes wood cuts, artwork and photographs.

Dégh, Linda, ed. Indiana Folklore A Reader. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1980. Print. Collection of oral folklore accounts around Indiana with folklore analysis. Can be used as reference for ghost stories to be used as transitional devices, starting point for folklore explanation of why ghost stories are told, common themes in ghost stories.

Finucane, Ronald C. Ghosts: appearances of the dead & cultural transformation. Amherst, NY : Prometheus Books, 1996. Print. Delves into the history of ghosts from the Middle Ages through the 19th century, how their descriptions and characteristics have evolved and how society’s relationships with science and religion have affected the perception of ghosts. Key resource for Act II, also includes wood cuts, artwork and photographs.


“Ghost Stories.” Indiana Ghost Trackers. Web. 1 December 2001.

The website of the organization Indiana Ghost Trackers, whose mission is “to provide an open forum for those seeking information regarding paranormal activity, more specifically, Ghosts. Our goal is to unite the paranormal investigation community and advance public awareness.” Site contains about 25 pages of ghost stories collected from members (many during paranormal investigations).

Goldstein, Diane E. Haunting experiences: ghosts in contemporary folklore. Logan, Utah : Utah State University Press, 2007. Electronic resource. Includes chapters on the usefulness of ghost stories, scientific rationalism and supernatural experience narratives, the commodification of belief and more. May contribute to folkloric explanations of why we tell ghost stories. Bibliography and filmography may also be useful for further resources.

Gordon, Avery F. & Janice Radway. Ghostly matters: Haunting and the sociological imagination. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2008. Print. Talks about how ghosts and hauntings are used in culture, literature, and how ghost stories have complex meanings that may be useful to society.

House on Haunted Hill. Dir. William Castle. Allied Artists, 1959. Online streaming/download. This film is now in the public domain, according to a number of sources. Clips of “ghosts” and characters’ reactions to the ghosts can be used as b-roll footage during less visual moments of the documentary.

The Haunting of Hannah House. Prod. Lauren Moore. WTIU, 2005. YouTube. Documentary from this class about the history and myths of Hannah House, a notoriously haunted house in Indianapolis, referenced by Brent during initial pitch for content and structure. Focuses more on one particular story/location, one particular “expert” for the majority of the film. Starts to touch on why people tell ghost stories in a subjective way. Good reference for visuals—wood cuts, illustrations, suggestive visuals such as chandelier swaying.

Lyons, Linda. “One-third of American believe dearly may not have departed.” Gallup, 12 July 2005. Web. 11 November 2011. This article includes results from a national poll on supernatural beliefs in America, is widely-cited in many discussions about ghosts and ghost stories (almost 1 in 3 Americans say they believe in ghosts).

The Nightmare. Dir. Adam Gray. Syncado Films, 2008. YouTube. Recommended by Dr. Goldstein for structure, this personal documentary follows the story of filmmaker Adam Gray who had a supernatural experience referred to as sleep


paralysis, The Hag or many other names. The film transitions between expert scientists to cultural historians using personal stories from people who have experienced this event throughout the world (Newfoundland, Japan, Zanzibar, America). Also uses archival art (paintings, wood cuts, etc) and clips from old films, possibly out-of-copyright (caught Nosferatu, for example, which isn’t yet public domain).

Weinstock, Jeffrey Andrew. Spectral America: phantoms and the national imagination. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press/Popular Press, 2004. Print. Surveys the importance of ghost stories in American culture over time, including historical events like the Salem witch trials and the use of ghosts in literature and film. Includes how ghosts have been used politically and for explicit purposes.

Content Experts & Interview Questions

Diane E. Goldstein, Ph.D. Professor of Folklore, Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology, Indiana University (812) 855-1168 [email protected]

President-elect of the American Folklore Society (2010) and author of Haunting experiences: ghosts in contemporary folklore. Research interests include belief studies, folk medicine, folk religion, supernatural traditions, applied folklore, the ethnography of speaking, and narrative. Teaches courses on the supernatural (F253 The Supernatural, Fall /256 Folklore & the Supernatural, Spring). Key expert on ghost stories and folklore, have contacted and spoken with in person about the project.

Sample questions:

1. Why do you think people tell ghost stories? 2. Have ghost stories changed significantly in content or meaning over time? 3. Can you talk about how ghost stories have changed over the years, in importance or popularity? 4. What do ghosts mean to people today? 5. Is there anything that we, as humans, can gain/learn from telling ghost stories? 6. Should we keep telling ghost stories?


Ginny Richey Coordinator, Bloomington Storytellers Guild (812) 339-7224 [email protected]

May be a resource on the art of telling ghost stories, why we tell them, why they are popular or unpopular, key themes that recur in stories, and what makes a great ghost story so great. May also provide ghost stories for transitions, or connect production to other storytellers with good ghost stories. Has been contacted about the project.

Sample questions:

1. Why do you think we tell ghost stories? 2. Have you seen the demand for a good ghost story change at all in the past few years? 3. Are there common themes that appear in ghost stories, and if so, what are they? 4. What, if anything, do you think ghost stories tell us about ourselves? 5. What makes a really good ghost story? 6. Do you think ghost stories help us bond? Why?

Rebecca Spang, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Department of History, Indiana University (812) 855-2437 [email protected]

Research interests include cultural history and social/economic theory, modern Europe, France 1715-present. Member of The Center for Eighteenth-Century Studies, and has taught a class on the Enlightenment (J300: Enlightenment? Culture and Knowledge in Eighteenth-Century Europe). The Enlightenment was another key turning point in the history of ghost stories, as belief in ghosts was put to the test of rationality. Has been contacted about the project.

Sample questions:

1. Can you give a brief overview of the history of the Enlightenment? 2. What were the main tenets of the Enlightenment movement? 3. What was life and belief like before and after the Enlightenment? 4. How were ghosts and supernatural beliefs changed by the Enlightenment? 5. Was there a backlash against the pure rationality of the Enlightenment? How did that

affect belief in the unexplainable, such as belief in religion and the supernatural?


Production Plan & Schedule

The documentary will be produced with equipment from the Telecommunications production lab, on Sony NEX cameras, unless a member of the production team has access to other equipment. All interviews and b-roll will be local to Bloomington or Southern Indiana, so travel will be minimal.

January

January will be spent finishing research for the production, meeting with potential interviewees and deciding which experts and storytellers will contribute to the documentary with on-screen interviewees.

February

The production team will select assets to be used as generic b-roll (starting with the list of shots included in this plan), including existing artwork and public domain film/video. Generic b-roll that needs to be recorded can be done before the interview shoots begin and continue as it fits into the schedule. Four weeks will be set aside to shoot and log all interviews, from mid-February until Spring Break starts in March.

March

As interviews are logged for editing, a list of specific b-roll that will be needed to illustrate stories and interviews will be made. This b-roll will be acquired the week after Spring Break, and may include gathering more artwork and shooting additional footage. Editing will also begin the week after Spring Break and continue for three weeks, into April. Note that no work is planned during Spring Break, but this week may be seen as a buffer if additional time is needed.

April

In the last week of editing, music will be selected and the narration will be written. Once it’s clear which gathered assets will be kept in the documentary, a final copyright and licensing check will be made, and any necessary approvals will be confirmed. Narration recording will take place concurrently with graphics creation, and the audio will be sweetened and mixed for the rough cut. The anticipated date of the rough cut screening is the week of April 23, after which tweaks will be made to the documentary based on feedback from the screening. The public screening is expected to happen during the week of April 30, followed by delivery to WTIU.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May

Activity Start End Duration 1/9 1/16 1/23 1/30 2/6 2/13 2/20 2/27 3/5 3/12 3/19 3/26 4/2 4/9 4/16 4/23 4/30 5/7

Research 1/9/12 2/17/12 5 wks

Interviewee selection & confirmation 1/30/12 2/10/12 2 wks

General b-roll & video selection 1/30/12 2/10/12 2 wks

Shoot generic b-roll 2/6/12 2/17/12 2 wks

Shoot interviews 2/13/11 3/10/11 4 wks

Log interviews 2/15/12 3/12/11 27 days

Select specific b-roll 3/5/12 3/9/12 3 days

SPRING BREAK 3/10/12 3/18/12 9 days

Shoot specific b-roll 3/19/12 3/24/12 1 wk

Edit footage 3/19/12 4/6/12 3 wks

Music selection 4/2/12 4/6/12 1 wk

Write narration 4/2/12 4/6/12 1 wk

Approvals 4/2/12 4/13/12 2 wks

Record narration 4/9/12 4/13/12 1 wk

Graphics 4/9/12 4/13/12 1 wk

Sweeten 4/16/12 4/20/12 1 wk

Mix 4/16/12 4/20/12 1 wk

Rough cut finalized 4/20/12 4/20/12 1 day

Rough cut screening 4/23/12 4/27/12 1 wk

Final edit 4/23/12 4/29/12 7 days

Public screening 4/30/12 5/4/12 1 wk

A Ghost's Story: Gantt chart



B-roll Shot List

General b-roll shots

Generic scary story tropes

1. Dark hallway with a door closing 2. Wide shot of an old house with a long driveway 3. Wide shot of cemetery 4. Wind chimes moving in the wind 5. An abandoned swing swaying 6. Barren trees in a forest

Storytelling moments

7. Fire in a fire pit or fireplace 8. People sitting around a campfire telling stories (could shoot at family cottage on Lake

Lemon, pre-made fire pit) 9. Children in a dark room telling stories, storyteller with flashlight under chin

Illustrating the Reformation & Enlightenment

10. Wide shot of Catholic church exterior (could shoot at St. Charles in Bloomington, Scottish Rite Cathedral in Indianapolis, St. Joseph Church in Jasper—pictured below)

11. Interior shots of Catholic church (statues, crucifix) 12. Stained glass window with religious iconography 13. Scientific instruments on a table (could find in Chemistry building)

St. Joseph Church, Jasper, IN St. Joseph Church, Jasper, IN

‘Souls in Purgatory’ stained glass


Specific b-roll shots

Scary story moments

1. Scene from House on Haunted Hill (1959), blind woman/ghost emerging from dark hallway, scared reaction of Nora. According to a number of sources, this film is now in the public domain.

2. Scene from House on Haunted Hill (1959), ghost of Annabelle appearing in Nora’s window, scared reaction of Nora.

Introducing IU professors

3. Detail of engraving on Memorial Hall pass-through 4. Wide shot of Sample Gates towards campus 5. Wide shot of Student Building

Illustrating family story based in French Lick, IN

6. Establishing shot of entrance to French Lick, from inside a car, of the West Baden Springs Hotel and streets

7. Wide shot of Cooke family house in French Lick, IN 8. Interior shot of Cooke family house in French Lick, IN—possibly the mural in the

living room

Illustrating story from IU campus, current Career Development Center building

9. Wide shot of Career Development Center exterior 10. Interior of Career Development Center basement

House on Haunted Hill (1959)

West Baden Springs Hotel, French Lick, IN

Engraving on Memorial Hall, “Evil spirits cannot enter an inhabited house unless invited – Sir Walter Scott”


Location Survey

Dr. Goldstein’s office, exterior 508 N. Fess St., Bloomington, IN

Sound: street sounds are minimal, although it’s on Fess, it’s a little-used road Power sources: will need to run power from inside building 506-508, did not see any external outlets Staging: limited A & C permit parking behind the building on Park Ave, can unload on Fess Lighting: if shot in the afternoon, sun will be behind Fess in the West

This is a possible location for Dr. Goldstein’s interview (one of the content experts). In front of her office is a nice, quiet courtyard next to the department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology’s building. The interior of Dr. Goldstein’s office is very cluttered with boxes, would not have room to bring in equipment and would likely have a lot of distractions in the background.


Website Site Map

Home

The home page will feature the log line and short synopsis of the film as well as a trailer when it becomes available. Depending on the availability of resources, the front page may have a visually-appealing, interesting layout that will feature one item from each of the secondary pages ‘About the film,’ ‘About ghost stories,’ and ‘Media.’ Each of these items will take the space of one screen, and users can scroll vertically to move through the items (for reference, see: http://www.thecombine.org, http://www.groupme.com, or a horizontal-scrolling layout at http://www.rumdiarythemovie.com).

Along with the global navigation, four elements will be persistent across every page: a search box, links to social media accounts, and contact information in the footer. A possible wireframe for the home page is included on the page 20.

The proposed navigation is based on anticipated user goals when visiting the site for A Ghost’s Story. These goals may be imagined in scenarios such as:

A user has heard about the film and wants to learn more about it. They may start in the “About the film” section, for details about the film and information on how to watch it.


A user finds the site when searching for information on ghost stories or other issues brought up in the film. They may be more interested in the topical “About ghost stories” section, and after reading stories or watching clips from the documentary may become intrigued enough to explore more about the film.

A user has seen the film and wants more behind-the-scenes information. They may either start in “About the film” to see the crew and read updates, or in the “Media” section to see production photos or assets used in the film.

About the film

This section will give users information on how to watch the film—which could include future screening dates, distribution information, WTIU air dates, or even an embedded video player so users can watch the film from the site. If the film can be watched instantly from the site or another website (WTIU, YouTube, etc.), a “Watch” button will be persistent across all pages on the site. Information about the cast and crew as well as a blog with news updates can also be found here.

About ghost stories

Here, users will find information about the topic of the film. Ghost stories told in the documentary will be included here, either as text with photographs or clips from the documentary. If any stories were found during research or recording but were not used in the final film, they may be found here as well. If possible, there will be a way for users to submit their own short ghost story to add to this section (stories will be screened by the production team and added to the site if appropriate). An interactive timeline of aspects of ghost stories over the past few centuries may be an interesting addition to this section, if resources allow.

Media

Photos from the production—both stills taken during filming and behind-the-scenes images—will be available in the “Media” section, as well as interesting clips from the film. Clips may include content that did not make it into the final documentary as ‘bonus features.’

Contact

While casual users may wish to contact the production team with questions, media outlets and other professionals may also be looking for contact information. To ensure it is extremely easy to find this information (and therefore avoid missing any beneficial opportunities), contact information will have its own page as well as being persistent across all pages in the footer. This section may also include a downloadable press kit, depending on resources.



Survey & Results

A brief survey was created and distributed to gauge interest in and knowledge of the subject matter of “A Ghost’s Story,” as well as finding how aspects of the production might affect viewers’ likelihood of engaging with the documentary. 15 individuals responded to the survey, and while the age of responders skewed younger than the core WTIU viewership (87% were less than 40 years old), the education level may be a close match to current viewers, as almost all respondents had some college education and more than a quarter had Master’s or other professional degrees. The survey and a summary of results can be found on pages 22 and 23.

It is interesting to note that while only 36% of respondents revealed that they believed in ghosts (in line with the national Gallup poll that found 29% to believe), 73% claimed that had told a ghost story at some time in their life. This leads directly to the initial question of the documentary: why have most people told ghost stories when only a third believe in ghosts? Furthermore, most respondents enjoy telling or listening to ghost stories—which may indicate that there is an interest in the superficial topic of ghost stories.

A vast majority of respondents (81%) said that a program featuring local people or places would make them at least a little more likely to watch, suggesting that including stories from the WTIU viewing region may increase viewership.

Finally, as the production begins it will be important to note that a slight majority of respondents (57%) said they would expect a documentary that includes people telling ghost stories to make use of dramatic reenactments. 40% of respondents were unsure, possibly reserving their decision until they knew more about the quality of the reenactments. From an open-ended question, those who answered almost unanimously commented that if done well (namely are well-acted), reenactments are a good visual complement to stories and break up the

narration. One respondent specified that, “They can be done well, but they can also be hokey. I

still like them either way because it adds a visual,” while others pointed to aspects that cause the viewer to “quickly tune out the program,” such as “poor acting,” “slow motion and such,” and when “people are just reenacted by slightly more attractive versions of themselves” (see survey results for full comments).


Survey & Results

Please answer the short survey below, it should take no longer than five minutes. Your answers will remain anonymous, and will help shape the proposal for a 30-minute documentary for a course on documentary design. Thank you for your time and your responses!

1. Have you ever told a ghost story?

11 : Yes 3 : No 1 : Don’t remember

2. Do you enjoy ghost stories? Please check all that apply.

7 : Yes, telling them 11 : Yes, listening to them 2 : No

3. Imagine watching a documentary in which someone tells a ghost story. Would you want

to see a dramatic reenactment (by actors) of the story as it's being told?

8 : Yes 1 : No 6 : I'm not sure

4. In a few words, how do you generally feel about reenactments in documentary films or

TV shows based on real events?

If the quality is good they add to the experience.

I like these if they are done well.

If done well, then great. If done...not great...then meh.

Sometimes, they are done well and necessary to the story. This is especially true when there are period costumes or the mood needs to be set. Sometimes, they are done poorly, like in "I didn't even know I was pregnant." When the people are just reenacted by slightly more attractive versions of themselves, you've done something wrong. Also, drunk history has maybe ruined me on reenactments forever.

Sometimes they end up being cheesy due to poor acting. I like reenactments that let you know the characters more... like Are You Afraid of the Dark? on old-school Nickelodeon.

They can be done well, but they can also be hokey. I still like them either way because it adds a visual.

They break up the narration...add visuals.

If they are done well, I have no problem with them but if the actors reenacting the events aren't believable then I quickly tune out the program.


As long as the acting is done well, it's fun seeing reenactments.

It depends on how they are approached. Errol Morris' reenactments are not bad but it's easy to fall into "Unsolved Mysteries" territory when doing them.

I enjoy them if they don't feel really corny, with slow motion and such.

If reenactments are relevant and well acted, I tend to think they're reasonable inclusions in documentaries.

I think it's interesting, and more intriguing if it's well made.

tough question

5. Does the fact that a TV show might feature local places or people affect your decision to

watch it?

2 : No, it doesn't 13 : Yes, it makes me at least a little more likely to watch 0 : Yes, it makes me at least a little less likely to watch 0 : I haven't thought about it 1 : Other

6. Would you expect the characteristics of ghosts, as described in ghost stories, to have

stayed the same over time?


7. Do you believe in ghosts?


8. Please indicate your age.

13 : Less than 40 years 2 : 40 years or older

9. Please indicate your highest level of education.

1 : Less than high school 0 : High school or GED 3 : Some college 7 : Bachelor's degree 4 : Master's or other professional degree 0 : PHD

Documents

A Ghost's Story Pre-Production Book