Getting to grips with UFO documentaries

Various threads on ATS already contain lists of links to UFO videos online. By far the longest list is in the thread entitled free documentaries, but there are also numerous shorter threads – including one entitled UFO Documentary Thread

There are also a few guides online to UFO documentaries. One overview guide that I found particularly useful is by Dimitris Hatzopoulos on the documentaries page of his hyper.net website.

I do not wish to duplicate those long lists of links to online videos or of individual one-off documentaries.

However, since I’ve tended to put a fairly strong focus on reading about UFOs (whether in books or online) rather than watching a vast number of documentaries, I’d like to pick the brains of fellow members of ATS so that I can get feel for the major series of UFO documentaries and the resources available in relation to their content.

(I’ve recently finished compiling lists of page references to discussion of various UFO events/documents/personalities in about 1,000 books – I’m not planning anything quite as ambitious in relation to UFO documentaries, but I may do a bit of work in relation to their content…).

Since the longer a documentary series runs, the greater the opportunity for it to consider specific cases in more depth (which is far more of a problem in one-off general UFO documentaries lasting only an hour), I’m particularly interested in the UFO shows which ran for the longest period.

So, what are those series of documentaries and where can someone find details of their content?

I’d welcome very brief views on the following series which I’m aware of and, in particular, any further series that I should look into and/or suggestions for resources relating to their content:
(1) “UFO Hunters”
(2) “Ancient Aliens”
(3) “UFO Files”
(4) “Britain’s closest encounters”
(5) “Sightings”
(6) “UFOs over Earth”
(7) “Riddle in the Skies”
(8) “UFOs and Aliens” (2001)

I’m reasonably familiar with the first three (“UFO Hunters”, “UFO Files” “Ancient Aliens”) and my experience of them has previously deterred me from spending much time on UFO documentaries. I have seen some of the other series over the years (e.g. some episodes of Sightings), but my recollection of them is too limited to form any real view on them.

I have also come across various series that cover paranormal topics, with some episodes devoted to UFOs/abductions – e.g.:
(a) The History Channel’s “The Unexplained”
(b) “Unexplained Mysteries”,
(c) NBC's “Unsolved Mysteries”
(d) Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious World
(e) “Mysteries, Magic and Miracles” (1994/1995)


I know that:

(1) IMDB has pages on quite a few of these series, but generally the details are extremely brief. There are only episode guides for a few of these series.

(2) Wikipedia has pages on a couple of the relevant series, i.e. “UFO Hunters” and “UFO Files” – somewhat to my surprise.

(3) A few of these shows have been released on DVD and Amazon has a relevant page (e.g. “Ancient Aliens – Season One”). Where there is a relevant Amazon page, this has actually tended to be one of the more useful resources that I’ve found, given the combination of customer ratings, reviews and other details.

Apart from those resources (and, of course, basic Google searches) are other members of ATS aware of useful resources for identifying the content and qualify of a series of UFO documentaries?

I think I’ve previously mentioned Arthur Engh’s website, which provides a long list of UFO documentaries with some details – e.g. the individuals interviewed in each documentary (and thereby gives a limited indirect indication of the UFO events that they cover).

Apart from pointing me in the direction of any useful resources, I’d also welcome views on which series (if any) are really worth bothering with.

All the best,

Isaac

Hi IssacKoi

One I really enjoyed was I KNOW WHAT I SAW; not only did I enjoy it, but I think anyone interested in the subject should be aware of this vid.

www.youtube.com...(1+of+9)&aq=f

by James Fox, for History Channel none the less. It's pretty serious and avoided all the bunk usually associated with the UFO field.; Also an interesting take from a mathematics prof. on the Rendelsham 'Glyphs' Penniston wrote in his magic pad.

please note that because it's on youtube.com it's seperated into 9 10 minute segments.

Excellent thread!

I have been trying to track down a series of UFO documentaries recently, on in particular I cannot remember the name of.

It was on the National Geographic Channel here in the UK around 10 years ago and had a guy who looked alot like Alan Alda presenting it, although I think it was a psychologist look alike rather than the actor. The doc has stuck in my mind as there was a point where he was visiting a house in the US as the family suspected they had been abducted, the presenter was talking to a young boy who was no older than 5 and showed him various face shots of Batman, Superman, Spiderman which the kid identified correctly, followed by a picture of a Gray which the kid described as "The man who comes into my room", he then asked him to tell him a story about the 'man' to which the kid described a typical abduction scenario.

I really want to watch this again, even though the only scene I remember sends a chill down my spine.

I think it was Budd Hopkins who hosted the show.

reply to post by IsaacKoi


This is the best UFO related series I've seen to date:

The Alien Files- UFOs Under Investigation.

It's a Canadian production and much of it is in French language with English over-dubbed narration.

There are thirteen 45 minute episodes-

01 UFO Hunters
02 Imposters or Cosmic Visionaries
03 UFOs, Lies and Videotape
04 Secret Files
05 The Science of the Unexplained
06 Unsolved Mysteries
07 Tales of Strange Abductions
08 Cosmic Conspiracy
09 Mysterious Phenomena
10 Future Perfect
11 Journeys to Elsewhere
12 UFOs, Culture and Media
13 The Day the Gods Fell to Earth

Despite some irritating camera work (trendy out of focus shots, extreme close-up black and white profiles shots of interviewee etc) the content and commentary is very good indeed.

Originally posted by torsion
reply to post by IsaacKoi

 

This is the best UFO related series I've seen to date:

The Alien Files- UFOs Under Investigation.

Many thanks Torsion - coincidentally, I first heard of that series a few days ago and spotted the title of the third episode as potentially relevant to my interest in hoaxes. I started watching that episode last night - it includes discussion of at least one photo of an "alien" that I am covering in a project I'm currently completing.

Spotting the title of that one was of the prompts behind my wanting to obtain resources indicating the content of UFO documentaries (such as lists of episode title and contents for the major series of UFO documentaries).

I've been surprised how difficult it is to find good resources which give an idea of what is out there in terms of giving an overview of the content of the many different UFO documentaries...

All the best,

Isaac

Originally posted by Apollo1988
I have been trying to track down a series of UFO documentaries recently, on in particular I cannot remember the name of.

It was on the National Geographic Channel here in the UK around 10 years ago

I think it was Budd Hopkins who hosted the show.

I'll get back to you on this. Looking into this specific example will probably help me identify relevant resources which help identify the content of the many UFO documentaries out there.

All the best,

Isaac

Not sure if you know about this website, I use it quite alot for my massive taste in different science documentaries and the occasional UFO/Paranormal kind. Might be of some use.

topdocumentaryfilms.com...

One shot documentaries are much better. Any series' first duty is to ENTERTAIN rather than inform, whereas a documentary made for just that purpose, will be far more informative. These specials air occasionally, but I'd recommend looking for them online vs. the series. The series just don't have enough time (or motivation) to really examine and present the evidence on all sides.

Many series shows (looking at you Ancient Aliens) completely ignore the facts of a case in order to ENTERTAIN the viewer. Actual documentaries go further.

Originally posted by IsaacKoi

I've been surprised how difficult it is to find good resources which give an idea of what is out there in terms of giving an overview of the content of the many different UFO documentaries...

All the best,

Isaac

I know what you mean! But having said that I will watch any UFO documentary because I'm interested in the whole social/cultural side of the subject. I've even watched Overlords of the UFOs and have The Arrival (some kind of tacky drama/documentary made by the Unariun Brotherhood) in my to-watch list - and I will gladly suffer it in the interest of learning!

In UFOs Under Investigation I was especially interested in Michael Persinger's views in the episode titled Science of the Unexplained. Though his theory can't account for all UFO activity it goes a long way to explaining some sightings and possible all abduction incidents.

Originally posted by Apollo1988
Excellent thread!

I have been trying to track down a series of UFO documentaries recently, on in particular I cannot remember the name of.

...
the presenter was talking to a young boy who was no older than 5 and showed him various face shots of Batman, Superman, Spiderman which the kid identified correctly, followed by a picture of a Gray which the kid described as "The man who comes into my room", he then asked him to tell him a story about the 'man' to which the kid described a typical abduction scenario.

I really want to watch this again,

Hi there,

I'm fairly sure you have in mind Nova's "Kidnapped by UFOs".

Your summary prompted a recollection of a Nova documentary and then it was easy to find the details, including (a source I hadn't thought about before, although I should have) the official website relating to the relevant docuementary:

www.pbs.org...

A transcript is also available online and includes the following:

www.ufoevidence.org...

JOE MORTON: Hopkins shows four year old Ryan familiar characters, like Santa Claus and Batman.

RYAN: A policeman.

BUDD HOPKINS: A policeman.

JOE MORTON: Among them is this drawing, of an alien.

BUDD HOPKINS: Ever seen anything like that before?

JOE MORTON: Hopkins next asks Ryan to make up a story about this picture.

BUDD HOPKINS: Then, what does he say?

RYAN: He comes upstairs and sees a person sleeping, with his eyes closed. And he walks them down the stairs.

My search for resources to make it easier to find details of the contents of UFO documentaries continues...

All the best,

Isaac

reply to post by IsaacKoi


Isaac, though you've mentioned Arthur C Clarke's Mysterious World there was also the follow on series Arthur C Clarke's Mysterious Universe in 1994.

Episode 11 was titled Callers From The Cosmos. It features the work of SETI, the "Face on Mars", John Mack, Alan Godfrey's Todmorden incident, Betty Hill and other less familiar abduction cases. Howard Menger also demonstrates his model flying saucer constructed in his workshop! Priceless stuff, indeed!



Hope this helps.

Heck with all that knowledge on where to find UFO Documentaries you shoud design a link page for others to view. You can also setup up a varities of UFO Documentary search engines arrnage by topic, if you had the time. If you have an adsense account with google you can design your own search engines. You place adds and get paid for it. You can also add third party advertisers like the History Channel.

Whether or not that is your cup of tea or not, I don't know, but great job on providing the rest of us with UFO Documentaries Links.

Originally posted by IsaacKoi

Originally posted by Apollo1988
Excellent thread!

I have been trying to track down a series of UFO documentaries recently, on in particular I cannot remember the name of.

...
the presenter was talking to a young boy who was no older than 5 and showed him various face shots of Batman, Superman, Spiderman which the kid identified correctly, followed by a picture of a Gray which the kid described as "The man who comes into my room", he then asked him to tell him a story about the 'man' to which the kid described a typical abduction scenario.

I really want to watch this again,

Hi there,

I'm fairly sure you have in mind Nova's "Kidnapped by UFOs".

Your summary prompted a recollection of a Nova documentary and then it was easy to find the details, including (a source I hadn't thought about before, although I should have) the official website relating to the relevant docuementary:

www.pbs.org...

A transcript is also available online and includes the following:

www.ufoevidence.org...

JOE MORTON: Hopkins shows four year old Ryan familiar characters, like Santa Claus and Batman.

RYAN: A policeman.

BUDD HOPKINS: A policeman.

JOE MORTON: Among them is this drawing, of an alien.

BUDD HOPKINS: Ever seen anything like that before?

JOE MORTON: Hopkins next asks Ryan to make up a story about this picture.

BUDD HOPKINS: Then, what does he say?

RYAN: He comes upstairs and sees a person sleeping, with his eyes closed. And he walks them down the stairs.

My search for resources to make it easier to find details of the contents of UFO documentaries continues...

All the best,

Isaac

edit on 3-1-2011 by IsaacKoi because: (no reason given)

Christ, nice find. Shame that I can't seem to find it on any of the main video sites. I guess it is a bit old. Thanks for your efforts, I will keep trying to track it down. It's not as, scary, when it is in text form.

Originally posted by Apollo1988
Not sure if you know about this website, I use it quite alot for my massive taste in different science documentaries and the occasional UFO/Paranormal kind. Might be of some use.

topdocumentaryfilms.com...

Great - the list entitled "Mystery" is useful since the pages at those links do not merely have ufo/paranormal documentaries to watch but (more importantly for my present purposes) have a reasonable amount of text describing each documentary with comments from viewers.

My thanks to you and the others that have commented so far.

All the best,

Isaac

Now that I've turned my attention to UFO documentaries, one tool that I've found very useful in the last few days is a very easy way to download videos from Youtube, Google Video and other websites.

Google Video is particularly useful since it has much longer videos, including complete documentaries lasting over an hour (as opposed to downloading mulitiple shorter sections from Youtube).

The tool I've been using (and I'm sure there are others, in addition to plugging URLs into websites such as Keepvid.com) is a Firefox extension at the link below:
www.downloadhelper.net...

From that website:

Download helper is a Firefox extension to help in downloading media files from the Web. In particular, it is able to store on your disk movie files for which the web site does not provide a "Save File" feature. In addition, DownloadHelper can download, in 3 user clicks, all the image and video files linked from a Web page.

Basically, when viewing a video you just click on the extension that is installed after downloading it from the above website and it can be stored on your computer.

Ok, it will still be necessary to compile information on each of these videos but at least using such tools it is easier to store them on a local hard-drive for future reference rather than rely upon them being available on a website.

IsaacKoi
Apart from those resources (and, of course, basic Google searches) are other members of ATS aware of useful resources for identifying the content and qualify of a series of UFO documentaries?

Since I started this thread (goodness, was it really 3 years ago I posted this one ?!?...) Veteran ufologist Barry Greenwood has posted a useful excel spreadsheet cataloguing his personal collection of UFO documentaries and news broadcasts:
www.greenwoodufoarchive.com/inventories/TV_UFO_DVDs.xls

reply to post by IsaacKoi


Isaac, that spreadsheet, while incomplete, is an incredibly valuable resource. For me, it helps with my chronology of the Cash-Landrum case and its coverage in the media.

I can think of many ways this would assist someone working on a UFO history, especially from a sociological perspective, in examining how and what things were discussed, and what kind of an audience it reached. It also may serve as guide to where to find some "lost" UFO footage. There's a lot of potential in this resource!

I counted eleven shows on cable dealing with the ufo and alien agenda. Hanger 1 is one you forgot on your list.
One can surmise that this topic is either very popular and makes lots of money, or it is a public service announcement.
If number two is correct then you can say the human race has some serious social problems with talking about the truth amongst ourselves. I find it all entertaining but very frustrating. So much deceit and manipulation takes place in life and in this universe. I feel blessed to love the simple things in life and think inner peace is valuable. So worry about only those things you can deal with and let the creator God deal with the rest. Peace.