A guy I know recently managed to get in on National Geographic and did his own TV show about urban exploration across Asia. The premise starts with haunted places but he undresses the superstitions and gets to the reality beneath it. I've only seen one episode so far and it's not quite as heavily reliant on exploring as it is on interviews and history, but it seemed pretty cool.
Re: New UE TV show <Reply # 1 on 9/1/2013 7:21 AM >
I just watched the whole episode. Very interesting.
I especially enjoyed learning about the rich history behind this place, he did a great job explaining it. He's got a pretty fantastic voice for narration.
Re: New UE TV show <Reply # 2 on 9/1/2013 8:36 AM >
Yeah, he really turned the rumours on their ear with some pretty solid history. You can find some of the other episodes he did on Youtube now too, including ones in Hong Kong and Japan.
Re: New UE TV show <Reply # 3 on 9/1/2013 1:48 PM >
I found the history and veteran interviews gripping, the explore views interesting, but the focus on superstition (and attendant dramatic music) was challenging to sit through. Thanks for sharing the video.
Re: New UE TV show <Reply # 4 on 9/2/2013 5:07 AM >
Posted by Tenebrae I found the history and veteran interviews gripping, the explore views interesting, but the focus on superstition (and attendant dramatic music) was challenging to sit through. Thanks for sharing the video.
I mostly agree with you though I personally thought the exploring aspects could be done more interesting, maybe if they focused more on scouting and perhaps had some teamwork to play around with.
The ghost stuff just comes with the territory, especially in Asia, and as soon as it's been introduced it's set aside without looking closer at whether or not it's real. The show did obviously pander to the superstitious idiots who keep two dozen ghost-hunting shows on the air, and pulled a bait-and-switch which wasn't appreciated by those people.
From what I've seen the initial response was:
"I was disappointed with it. Show ghostly evidence next time not just interviews abt the place's history."
"Disappointing. The teasers shows this as a ghost related program but it turns out, it's a historical documentary."
"Yes the history of the haunted places are interesting to watch but the selling point for any horror themed shows is always ghostly encounters and this show is greatly lacking in that aspect."
" boring. ..we wanted to know if there r really ghost exist in this world...not digging out grandfathers story."
"Show more evidence or proof , less interviews"
"i was expecting he'd expLore the cLark base during the night 'tiL day breaks to see if there were ghost or any paranormaL activity, in which, unfortunateLy, rj did not do that couLd have been satisfying."
"Not really creepy at all! It would have been better had there been video and evp evidences and not just interviews and reenactments."
"we are confused, may be our English skill is weak, but we felt like it was finished without any particular ghostly information except digging up some history."
Re: New UE TV show <Reply # 5 on 9/2/2013 9:59 PM >
Yeah, I watched a bit of it... it's definitely a clever spin on the urban exploration show pandering to the "scary supernatural crowd", but I think that might kind of divide audiences too much... like you said, especially in Asia (They love them ghosts and are very superstitious). The ghost hunters will probably feel duped and bored, and the explorers and other history buffs will probably be turned off by the ghost aspect of it (or at least the way it is advertised is probably towards the scariness). I guess depending on the TV spots for the show will really make or break this... just look at M Night Shamalayn. His first movies were always pandered towards the horror crowd but failed miserably and now he's sort of a joke and hasn't really reclaimed himself as a solid director.
Of course I'd love to see anyone doing this type of thing to succeed and I definitely want some updates! Either way I wish your friend luck and for the best!
Do you have any part in this show or you just know the guy? "Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore." - Andre Gide
Re: New UE TV show <Reply # 6 on 9/3/2013 4:45 AM >
I met the guy several years ago and we only recently ran across each other again. He's asked me for help and advice on one or two occasions, never anything too important.
I've since seen two other episodes on Okinawa and Hong Kong which follow a similar process. My favourite of the three is probably the HK one. You can find them in smaller segments (with irritating audio quality) here: https://www.youtub...7GFw?feature=watch