In selecting my tools that I am going to use throughout this
course, I wanted to make sure that I had at least a basic understanding of how
to use them. I definitely planned to use my FinePix camera, as I use it all the
time to take photographs. I also wanted to use Windows Movie Maker, because at
first glance, it looked incredibly easy to use. I don’t often use the video
part of my camera, but it was pretty self-explanatory. The only thing that I really
have an issue with is the background noise on my camera. I noticed that
sometimes it can sound a bit like static in the background. I have to find a
way to fix that. I also found that my tripod comes in handy as well, especially
when I want the video to be more stable. Using Movie Maker has been easy,
however, I had to learn to have some patience in working with voiceovers. I
tend to talk too fast, so I had to slow myself down in order to make it easier
to understand what I am saying. The thing that I have had the most difficulty
with is the scripts. Not necessarily writing the script, but following it as I am
making my story. Especially with my mobile story, I kept finding myself looking
down at the script to refresh myself on what I wrote. I ended up having to cut
a couple chunks of video of me just looking down reading. This is something
that I hope to work on in the future. Some ethical things to take into consideration is that if you are using something that is not directly yours, you should make sure that you have obtained permission to use whatever it is. That is basically all that I have been
able to reflect on thus far in the course, however, I am sure at the end I will
have a bit more to say.
Thursday, October 13, 2016
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
The Legend of Abigail West - Mobile Story
This video idea came about because I wanted to do something a bit spooky, as it is October. I was going to wait until the "our choice" mobile story, as I felt that this would fit better there, however, that isn't due until next month. I hope this is effective in bringing you along to the chimney (through the pictures) however, looking back now, I wish I had taken some video clips there as well.
Script: Hey guys, in the spirit of Halloween, I wanted to tell you about the legend of Abigail West. Growing up in the Adirondacks, this is a legend that I have heard many times, and I have even had my own experiences. With Abigail, I’m not sure, but definitely with something or someone. As with most legends, the story varies from person to person. But the one that I have heard the most, and the one that makes the most sense to me is that Abigail lived up on West Mountain with her husband and her children when one night during a really bad storm, Abigail was struck by lightning and killed. Now this is the part where the story can get a bit iffy, but somehow the house that she lived in with her family burned down, and the only thing that was left standing was a chimney which is still there to this day. Now no one knows where Abigail is buried. There’s been different reports of her being buried at the base of West Mountain, or she was buried on another road – I think it was called Bear Pond Road – but I am not sure. I have articles that I will link down below for you guys. But, nobody can find her grave anymore. Bobby, Emily, and I have looked, we tried to find it at the base of the mountain – we couldn’t find it. We drove up this road for like an hour one day trying to find it and we couldn’t find anything, and then we walked this trail that was supposedly another location where she was buried and we couldn’t find anything there either. So, who knows where she’s buried now, which I think that adds to the creepiness of the legend that no one knows where she is buried. She was definitely a real person because there are reports of her but nobody knows exactly where she is buried or how she died, because back in those days, there was really no such thing as death certificates. So it’s really up to whatever you want to believe in. I have pictures from the chimney that I have taken, and that my best friend Bobby has taken. He has given me permission to use the pictures. –cut to first two pictures: These two pictures were taken from the first time visiting the chimney. Bobby took the first one, and I took this one- Abigail supposedly haunts the mountain and the surrounding area now. The few times that I have gone up during the night have been really creepy. I’ve always had this really overwhelming feeling of sadness when I am there. I have heard noises that sounded like crying and moaning when I have been up there, and I’ve even seen some shadows, but I am not sure if it was just my eyes playing tricks on me or if it was something real. –Next three pictures: If you stand really close to the chimney, especially at night time, you can feel warmth emanating from it as if there was just a fire burning inside. I have felt the warmth, as well as both Bobby and my sister. Also, supposedly if you knock on the chimney you can hear someone knocking back, although this has never happened to me.- On one of my later night visits with my sister and Bobby, I was the only one that got out of the car because it was very late. It was what paranormal experts refer to as “the haunting hour” – around 3 in the morning. They were both too scared to get out of the car, so I was the only one to get out. I was scared as well, but I didn’t want to let them know, because I am supposed to be the tough one out of the group. When I got out, I was very cold, even though it was one of the warmer summer nights. I just remember feeling sad and like I couldn’t move for a little bit. I wasn’t even that close to the chimney, but I was facing the chimney. I started to get texts from my sister and Bobby telling me to get back to the car or they were going to leave me there, and they were obviously very scared, so I went back to the car because I didn’t want to be left there by myself. I got in the car, and they were both terrified and wouldn’t speak until we got away from the chimney. When I asked them what was wrong, Emily told me that she had heard the moaning sounds that I had heard before – the time we went that I had heard those sounds, they didn’t hear them – but they both heard the sounds on this night that we were there. Then she told me that she was looking to see where I was, and she saw someone standing right next to the chimney and she thought it was me, and then Bobby told her that it wasn’t me because I was standing a few feet away from the chimney. That is when they started texting me to come back to the car. At first I thought they were lying, because that’s what they do. We play around with each other like that, and scare each other. But they were both insisting that they weren’t lying, and normally when they are I can get it out of them, but they both insist to this day that they saw something or someone standing by the chimney looking at me. That really scared me, and it still does scare me that someone or something was watching me while I was out there. I don’t know who or what it was, it could have been Abigail, it could have been something else but it still creeps me out. Every time we go up there now, I still get scared thinking about it. So what do you guys think, is the legend of Abigail real, or is it just a case of getting creeped out by scary stories?
Script: Hey guys, in the spirit of Halloween, I wanted to tell you about the legend of Abigail West. Growing up in the Adirondacks, this is a legend that I have heard many times, and I have even had my own experiences. With Abigail, I’m not sure, but definitely with something or someone. As with most legends, the story varies from person to person. But the one that I have heard the most, and the one that makes the most sense to me is that Abigail lived up on West Mountain with her husband and her children when one night during a really bad storm, Abigail was struck by lightning and killed. Now this is the part where the story can get a bit iffy, but somehow the house that she lived in with her family burned down, and the only thing that was left standing was a chimney which is still there to this day. Now no one knows where Abigail is buried. There’s been different reports of her being buried at the base of West Mountain, or she was buried on another road – I think it was called Bear Pond Road – but I am not sure. I have articles that I will link down below for you guys. But, nobody can find her grave anymore. Bobby, Emily, and I have looked, we tried to find it at the base of the mountain – we couldn’t find it. We drove up this road for like an hour one day trying to find it and we couldn’t find anything, and then we walked this trail that was supposedly another location where she was buried and we couldn’t find anything there either. So, who knows where she’s buried now, which I think that adds to the creepiness of the legend that no one knows where she is buried. She was definitely a real person because there are reports of her but nobody knows exactly where she is buried or how she died, because back in those days, there was really no such thing as death certificates. So it’s really up to whatever you want to believe in. I have pictures from the chimney that I have taken, and that my best friend Bobby has taken. He has given me permission to use the pictures. –cut to first two pictures: These two pictures were taken from the first time visiting the chimney. Bobby took the first one, and I took this one- Abigail supposedly haunts the mountain and the surrounding area now. The few times that I have gone up during the night have been really creepy. I’ve always had this really overwhelming feeling of sadness when I am there. I have heard noises that sounded like crying and moaning when I have been up there, and I’ve even seen some shadows, but I am not sure if it was just my eyes playing tricks on me or if it was something real. –Next three pictures: If you stand really close to the chimney, especially at night time, you can feel warmth emanating from it as if there was just a fire burning inside. I have felt the warmth, as well as both Bobby and my sister. Also, supposedly if you knock on the chimney you can hear someone knocking back, although this has never happened to me.- On one of my later night visits with my sister and Bobby, I was the only one that got out of the car because it was very late. It was what paranormal experts refer to as “the haunting hour” – around 3 in the morning. They were both too scared to get out of the car, so I was the only one to get out. I was scared as well, but I didn’t want to let them know, because I am supposed to be the tough one out of the group. When I got out, I was very cold, even though it was one of the warmer summer nights. I just remember feeling sad and like I couldn’t move for a little bit. I wasn’t even that close to the chimney, but I was facing the chimney. I started to get texts from my sister and Bobby telling me to get back to the car or they were going to leave me there, and they were obviously very scared, so I went back to the car because I didn’t want to be left there by myself. I got in the car, and they were both terrified and wouldn’t speak until we got away from the chimney. When I asked them what was wrong, Emily told me that she had heard the moaning sounds that I had heard before – the time we went that I had heard those sounds, they didn’t hear them – but they both heard the sounds on this night that we were there. Then she told me that she was looking to see where I was, and she saw someone standing right next to the chimney and she thought it was me, and then Bobby told her that it wasn’t me because I was standing a few feet away from the chimney. That is when they started texting me to come back to the car. At first I thought they were lying, because that’s what they do. We play around with each other like that, and scare each other. But they were both insisting that they weren’t lying, and normally when they are I can get it out of them, but they both insist to this day that they saw something or someone standing by the chimney looking at me. That really scared me, and it still does scare me that someone or something was watching me while I was out there. I don’t know who or what it was, it could have been Abigail, it could have been something else but it still creeps me out. Every time we go up there now, I still get scared thinking about it. So what do you guys think, is the legend of Abigail real, or is it just a case of getting creeped out by scary stories?
Scene Setting: Video was taken on my porch at my house in
CT. I am the only one in the video. In the background is part of the stairs
leading to my house, a brick wall that is attached to my porch and some Trick
or Treat lanterns behind me.
Photographs were taken on West Mountain Road in Queensbury,
NY. In the photographs are the chimney that was once attached to Abigail’s
house, and me.
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