Click here to support the Daily Grail for as little as $US1 per month on Patreon

Paranormal Pans in the BlackBxx

By Gregon

When I spoke to writer/producer Daniel Knauf recently (creator of the wonderful esoteric TV series Carnivàle), he mentioned some paranormal-type happenings on the set of his new creation, BlackBxx: Haunted:

But even if Knauf wanted to leave the paranormal genre behind, it may just be that the weirdness could follow him. During the recent shoot for BlackBxx: Haunted, he noted that “weird stuff” happened without the slightest need for special effects; in one instance, the cast praised the convincing nature of a pot flying across the room, only to find that wasn’t one of the designed effects. Though Knauf wasn’t overly surprised that such things happened: “With all the energy crackling in that house, I wouldn’t be surprised if the cast had generated some parakinesis”.

Knauf has now posted a couple of camera angles of the footage taken from different angles. I’ve embedded one of the views below:

Effects caused by cooling/heating on the stove top, or sympathetic poltergeist activity due to the subject matter of the show? Cue Twilight Zone music…

You can gain access to the upcoming BlackBxx: Haunted release via varying subscription/support levels at the BlackBxx website.

Update: Daniel Knauf offers the following details regarding the pot movement:

The pot in question has been placed squarely on the front burner. It hadn’t been touched in over an hour. The nearest actors were approximately 20 feet away in an adjoining living room.

Greg
Editor
Greg is the owner-editor of The Daily Grail, as well as the author of a number of books including Stop Worrying, There Probably is an Afterlife.
Related

11 Comments

      1. COMPUTED
        Yes, of course I realise the handle is steel wire which is not so thin, because if it were, it wouldn’t be a very good handle if it bends and is too short (ouch that’s hot!).

        Again small pots and pans are prone to falling of the stove if placed on a burner un-centred or one which is too big. Haven’t you ever had this happen to you?

        http://www.sulaco.co.za/hotel-food/beginners-guide-pots.aspx

        “Large pots can be placed on solid top stoves or large individual gas burners, while smaller size pots are best heated by individual burners or solid top elements. All pots and pans should be handled carefully, so that they do not fall.” …

        Computed 😀

        1. Retry
          As you can see, the handle was not protruding at 90° from the stove. It was diagonally placed, possibly to avoid the very thing you’re basing your argument.

          And it doesn’t really look as if the pot was off-centered from the burner.

          1. We both know………
            Hahaha….

            We both know the pot just fell off the stove, and like you, I love a good argument! (Is this the right room…?)

            Mate, I’m “this close” to setting up a stove cam for my small pot!

            Cheers!

  3. But…but…
    Doesn’t it look like one end is pulled up by a string and pulled off the stove top? It reminds me of the “effects” in Three Stooges movies. There must be more info…I find it hard to believe anyone would praise the convincing nature of this effect at face value. I’d find it more convincing if the cast said something like, “That looks a bit stilted, can the effects department smooth it out a bit, so it looks like someone is lifting the pot by the handle or just shoving it off the stove, instead of teasing up the wrong end?”

    So jaded… :-/

    2. String
      Being an inveterate showman is a real disadvantage when something actually real happens on a film set.

      I can only tell you that there was no string or any other physical or digital effects work. The pan fell off the stove by itself. Period. I would testify to it under penalty of perjury and submit to a polygraph.

      If that isn’t enough to convince you, consider this: Every room in the house was covered by multiple cameras. There was no “offstage.” Our physical effects were limited to whatever we could rig from outside the house by remote control.

      Since the strength of the BlackBxx format is rooted in the fact that the performers are immersed in the story, inhabiting their characters for the full real-time duration of the story, there are no cuts, no resets. “Action” was called, followed by “cut” 32 hours later. So the FX we used had to be concealable, triggered by remote and 100% reliable. Strings, bungees and wires were not an option, as the actors needed to be able to move freely about without inadvertently “tripping” an effect.

      This limited us mainly to audio and flickering lights. I financed BlackBxx: Haunted out of my own pocket. If I was going to go to the time, trouble and expense to rig a gag like that, you can bet that pan would’ve been FLYING across that kitchen. It simply wouldn’t have been worth it otherwise.

      And if you can tell me how to safely and reliably rig an effect on or near a gas range that people are actually using to cook their meals, there’s a job open for you at BlackBxx.

      D.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Mobile menu - fractal