Thanks all, for the replies. It helps to clear some things up for me. I guess it really came down to how I was interpreting what people were saying about them being different, rather than what they were actually saying was different. Never hurts to ask!

I have yet to run around in a parking lot at night spanking my butt yelling "We got John Wilkes Booth" over and over like a moron.

BUT...if you ever have the urge to, be sure you film it and share it with your friends here at PUG!!!

/laugh.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

Really it's just what the others have said. It's 95% boredom and 1% excitement. The other 4% is unknown.

Maybe I'm looking at it wrong then... Because when I see a show where there's a meeting with a client, a setting up of equipment, an investigation, breakdown, analysis of all the video & audio etc., and a review with the client... yeah some things may be a bit different based on the uniqueness of each location - but I'd be willing to bet every group does this in almost the same fashion.

See what I mean?

Yes, I do see what you mean. In regards to your example, what people see taking place such as the interviewing/meeting with a client, touring the location, setting up equipment the breakdown and examining the recordings and photos for possible evidence is the same with every group, though I personally do NOT like to be told any stories or history of death that took place before the investigation. I like to explore and investigate first, see what we come up with then before I give my results (which are already written in report form, photos labeled, EVPs noted, possible evidence on video marked, etc.), I then ask for the ghost stories from the people and see how it correlates with my evidence and what I sensed throughout the location. After everything, I then do the historical research of deaths, injuries, illnesses, etc. and match that up with our results and the stories the client told us. To me, I’d rather prove myself to myself first and foremost, and then see how, or if, any of what I documented or learned during the investigation compares to the client’s experiences and the true history of the place. I do not like any specific info beforehand as a way to personally test my own abilities and use my abilities hand-in-hand with the equipment.

So, the general synopsis of an investigation on TV and in “real life” is very similar, but how each person investigates is very unique and different. The other thing is, the way I look at it, some of us who have been investigating for years understand the more scientific methodologies, how to use that type of equipment (I’m talking measurements, readings, not thermal imaging cameras), and we’ve (or at least I have) conducted tons of experiments over the years to try and distinguish paranormal energy from magnetic pulls of the earth, household items, electrical circuits…to the simpler aspects like using the proper camera settings, using different methods such as my “repeat the shot” and trying to document activity during EVPs that we may capture on film. It’s all very detailed, when you conduct an EVP session at the same time you’re using a still camera, video camera, possibly something like dowsing rods, noting uncontrolled sounds like animals, bugs, cars, people in the distance…

A new person to the field won’t have the experience and have had the opportunity to make the mistakes we have to learn how to be a better investigator. To me, that’s what’s different. On TV you do not see all the small, detailed but very important specifics of investigating. It is so much more than loading up your van, taking a tour with a client, setting up your cameras and walking around with flashlights and voice recorders. That’s what people see on TV. It can very easily lead some to believe you can go to any of these “abandoned” places with a flashlight, camcorder and voice recorder, and capture all of this paranormal activity within a matter of minutes. Can it happen? Sure, it’s a possibility but it’s not a big reality.

There’s my two-cents… These are the kinds of conversations I enjoy here! Thanks, Tom!!

So it's difficult to say exactly what's different because 20 different teams will give you 20 different answers.

...That's why I wanted to ask, but so far, I have only really had one answer (more or less; I've asked this on other forums as well), that touches on the behind the scenes stuff - which I think would be pretty obvious for the most part - even to those who have no experience being on a team.

Maybe I'm looking at it wrong then... Because when I see a show where there's a meeting with a client, a setting up of equipment, an investigation, breakdown, analysis of all the video & audio etc., and a review with the client... yeah some things may be a bit different based on the uniqueness of each location - but I'd be willing to bet every group does this in almost the same fashion.

See what I mean?

Sleep deprivation when after driving 6 hours to investigate, spending 8 hours for setup, investigation, and tear down... you realize you still have a 6 hour drive home. An extended investigation can be one of the most physically challenging tasks to complete safely, just speaking from a sleep deprivation standpoint...

I can so relate...

So basically, the general consensus is that the only thing different is the behind the scenes stuff? Is that all there is to it, then?

The mind-numbing boredom of actual non-active investigations (the majority)...

Dealing with mentally unstable prospective clients...

Dealing with clients that manufacture backstory or evidence because having their home investigated will make them very popular with their local homeowners association, or give them tea party bragging rights...

Despite advising a client not to do so, they end up inviting all of their immediate and extended family, friends, etc... to watch to proceedings. Then they get ticked off when I pack up and leave...

Maintaining a professional working relationship with members of a group. The occasional friction point might make for great television, but in my case, neither my time or money invested are cheap and therefore I want to maximize my investigative results. This doesn't include wasting valuable onsite time dealing with power struggles or attention squabbles...

Sleep deprivation when after driving 6 hours to investigate, spending 8 hours for setup, investigation, and tear down... you realize you still have a 6 hour drive home. An extended investigation can be one of the most physically challenging tasks to complete safely, just speaking from a sleep deprivation standpoint...

Limited resources. Without an endless production budget, you might be forced to adapt equipment or methods to serve a more budget-conscious investigation. You may be forced to buy used equipment or make do with lesser quality instruments. The benefit of this is that an investigator has a better understanding of the limitations and strong points of the equipment that he/she uses, and will be more likely (hopefully) to use it in a correct manner...

Just to mix it up a bit, here are some reasons I love the work put into an average investigation:

You usually have time to savor the environment. Even if nothing is actively happening, you can take a mental snapshot of the surroundings. You do have time to smell the roses and enjoy the location for all it is...

You don't have the pressure of being forced to make a snap judgment on whether or not the location is haunted just to suit a show's agenda...

Through trial and error, you have the freedom to adapt methods that work for you, and you don't have to conform to the "Televised group mentality". Finding your own answers in this fashion is much more rewarding anyway...

Finally, a benefit of a normal style of investigation is that all your collected data, no matter how astounding or average, is yours. You feel a special connection to it, and the location where it was collected. To me it means more if it was collected on a relaxed investigation and not scooped up during a frenzied television production. Real investigations have a personal feel that imprints your memories. It is really satisfying...

Anyway, I do ramble...

Andy

What, you don't bring along your boombox to play all your favorite Halloween spooky sounds? /blink.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

I think most of what you mentioned is pretty obvious though - that all that "boring" stuff is not shown. This can't be the big beef that everyone who says it is different has... That's like saying watching football on t.v. doesn't portray 'real' football because it doesn't show the players leaving home to go to the stadium, or show the coaches going over their play books, or the caretakers mowing the field before the game...

The thing is, the parts you are seeing on t.v. - directly related to an investigation - are pretty much the same, aren't they? Or is there something else that I am missing here?

Since there are no standards or set protocols in paranormal investigation, it varies from team to team. Yeah - some of the equipment is the same. Some is different. People try different things. Some investigate with psychics. Some never would dream of doing it. So it's difficult to say exactly what's different because 20 different teams will give you 20 different answers.

I think that a big difference is that a television show distills an investigation into an hour (or less) of the most eventful portions. It shows very little of the time actually spent where nothing happens, the hours spent analyzing evidence - often with no results, the reality of dealing with clients, the research that goes into a location, the ambiguity of many of the evidence you do come across and more. Plus there's no spooky atmospheric music, and of course sometimes investigation happens with ambient lighting available. And then there's provoking (or lack thereof). It's not a technique I'd use. Plus sometimes paranormal activity is remarkably subtle - and I don't see that as being portrayed well on paranormal television.

Those are just a few things off of the top of my head from my limited experience investigating.

What, you don't bring along your boombox to play all your favorite Halloween spooky sounds? /blink.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

I think most of what you mentioned is pretty obvious though - that all that "boring" stuff is not shown. This can't be the big beef that everyone who says it is different has... That's like saying watching football on t.v. doesn't portray 'real' football because it doesn't show the players leaving home to go to the stadium, or show the coaches going over their play books, or the caretakers mowing the field before the game...

The thing is, the parts you are seeing on t.v. - directly related to an investigation - are pretty much the same, aren't they? Or is there something else that I am missing here?

Those are just a few things off of the top of my head from my limited experience investigating.

Television has to be entertaining, from what I hear actual investigations are hours

of boring with small bits of excitement /smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

Yeah, that's pretty much it... It is entertaining in a very sadistic sort of way, though. /mellow.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

Screaming like a schoolgirl (no disrespect to schoolgirls) won't get you far in an investigation role, so I suppose that could be one difference.

First, not all shows are the same, so I'm sure some are closer to "reality" then others.

A complaint I hear a lot is on the equipment that is used, that they are not being used

properly (ie: thermal cams on GH). I would just guess that most groups dont run around

screaming and threatening ghosts like the GA boys do /wink.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' /> .

Television has to be entertaining, from what I hear actual investigations are hours

of boring with small bits of excitement /smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

I'm not talking about the obvious things that inevitably come up - like faking evidence, yadda yadda... But true differences outside of any notoriety or t.v. crews. I know that many members here are investigators themselves, and I have done investigations myself. So I'm asking in all seriousness here... how is what YOU do any different than what is portrayed on television?