Good afterlife documentaries are rare here in the States. When two are released in the same year, that’s big news!

This could be the year.

A couple of weeks ago I shared a rough cut of Dan Drasin’s landmark film, Calling Earth, which examines technical spirit communication with a focused, analytical eye… and which is close to completion.

Another film is scheduled for release soon… The Life After Death Project, by Paul Davids… and a short introductory trailer was posted this week.

I’ll include below some links to the two films and their producers, and to the new trailer. But first, let’s talk about this latest film by Paul Davids.

First I should warn you that the biggest surprise you’re likely to see in Paul’s trailer is the segment with me in it, which gets a little spooky… and I’ll explain in a moment what I think is happening with the gas-like emissions, shape-shifting and other distortions. Meanwhile….

Paul’s film seems to be geared (moreso than Dan’s film) to the general public and mainstream market, for various reasons:

• It revolves loosely around a central plot, which is the life and possible afterlife activities of one Forrest J Ackerman, an avid writer, editor, agent, and researcher of sci-fi literature and monster movies. Ackerman was an atheist during lifetime, but apparently changed his tune in the afterlife. Paul Davids presents evidence that Ackerman has been busy since his death in 2008, creating strange anomalies in our world. Many of the interviews in the film are used to support that idea, while lending some insight in the nature of the spirit worlds and how they interplay with our world. (The weird goings-on during my interview might be a case in point.)
• The film is drawn more toward spooky anomalies (troubled spirits, bumps in the night….) than to serious spiritual influences on our world (inspiration, meaningful communications, loving transworld connections, our ancient spiritual heritage and paradise destiny….), and this bias toward the dark side is typical of mainstream films. It stirs hormones and attracts an audience.
• The film includes a wide spectrum of interviewees—nurses, doctors, filmmakers, scientists, afterlife researchers, psychic mediums, NDE survivors, and others with strange stories to share.
• A token skeptic is included in the film in the name of “fair and balanced reporting,” a principle that originated in early journalism to promote objective reporting… but has evolved into something of a festering tumor in the body of modern journalism. The traditional mainstream media today (CBS, NBC, ABC, daily newspapers…)  often insist on dissenting views in the reports they publish. A recent example of how objective journalism has evolved into a media sickness is global warming. Though it is accepted as reality by more than 90 percent of climate scientists, mainstream reports about global warming usually give equal voice to a few loud, vocal detractors, who are often funded by energy companies and far-right political groups that choose to be in denial of the historic dangers posed by global warming, usually for financial, religious, and political purposes. In the case of afterlife reporting, decades of serious research can be undermined, negated and neutralized in a few seconds of film footage by the shallow comments of one or two skeptics.

All that said, Paul Davids’s film is inventive, fascinating, and enjoyable, and I think it’s something the public could enjoy… and learn from.

So… here’s the 8-minute trailer to Paul’s film:

And here’s what might be happening during my segment, which begins about 6 minutes into the trailer. First, there’s an emanation of spiritual substance (ectoplasm) from my hands. Then, the spirit group present at the event tries hard to open the veil between our world and theirs in a way that will manifest on digital recording media… not an easy feat! The result is a melting-away of physical structure, especially my body. The strangest part is the last few frames, in which my face morphs into something kind of freaky… which (yeah, I suppose it’s possible) the spirit team could indeed have planned in honor of Mr Ackerman. Why me? If the above scenario is correct, then maybe the spirit group involved that day figures that I understand the spirit worlds (and the playful nature of some of our spirit friends) well enough to see the humor in this kind of thing without being ‘spooked.’  🙂

This, of course, is speculation that makes sense to me based on 20+ years of afterlife research, especially ITC.

Other people will certainly have other speculations about those anomalies (most notably, pixel distortion due to flawed recording media)… but I’d be leery of any views that are expressed with “certainty”… as certainty in cases like this often reflect an overcompensation for insecurity.

More about Paul Davids…       and his film….

A Huffington Post article about Paul’s film…

More about Dan Drasin…      and his film….

An FMBR event featuring Dan Drasin next month…

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Other reviews of movies about the afterlife:

Nosso Lar (Our Home) – an other-worldly (but realistic) portrayal of a spiritual outpost where people who’ve died can recuperate into an afterlife paradise. This Brazilian film has an English version: The Astral City.

Chico Xavier – a dramatic look at the life and afterlife of a great Brazilian medium. (English subtitles)

Calling Earth – a serious documentary by Dan Drasin about Instrumental Transcommunication (ITC), the use of technology to get in touch with the worlds of spirit.

Life After Death Project – a dramatic documentary by Paul Davids about the afterlife, including ITC research.

Twilight, Camille, and Coraline – three silly, fun, and somewhat dark movies that illustrate our human misperceptions about the afterlife.

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18 esponses to Life After Death Project… a Film By Paul Davids

Mark ,(and all interested) I have just watched this complete documentary today via a private Paranormal groups website. They include all paranormal shows shown on tv and more. They take new members only on weekends. Please let me know if you are interested I can give you further info on becoming a member.
All my best, Marri

macyafterlife says:

May 26, 2013 at 8:00 am (Edit)

Thanks Marri,
A lot of readers might appreciate the opportunity to view the paranormal website!
Mark

Mark,

Your portion of the interview sent chills (the GOOD type of chills) up my spine! I would actually be surprised if this was NOT ITC related – I just KNOW that you were surrounded by invisible friends during this interview! I’m really, really looking forward to watching the upcoming film in its entirety.

I don’t believe I asked you about this yet, but I’ve been mystified by something that I read in ‘Spirit Faces’ – and I was reminded of it by the discussion of the other-worldly phenomena that was discussed in the film trailer. I still can’t get over it. It has to do with current director of IONS Laurie Monroe. It was mentioned that a ‘green stone’ of sorts manifested and materialized in a room at a spiritist hospital in 1997. It was referred to as an “apport”. Are there any other documented sources that you know of relating to this incident?

Thanks!!

Ricky

macyafterlife says:

May 26, 2013 at 3:37 pm (Edit)

Ricky,
I’m not sure if Laurie’s experience in Brazil was documented elsewhere or not.
A quick ‘google’ didn’t turn up anything…….
Mark

PS – Laurie died a few years ago, and the current director (I think) is Carol Sabick..

Your segment definitely sent chills up my spine as well! I found it to be a very humbling moment in the video knowing that you, Mark, work as a major gateway between our world and the spiritual world.

I am very interested in your opinion about this topic – what do you think about current television shows such as Ghost Hunters, Ghost Adventures, The Haunted Collector, etc.? Do you find them to be genuine or are they more for entertainment purposes?

Also, do you believe deceased friends and relatives are communicating with us daily? Do you find that many of us need to become more in tune to receiving these messages? I know that you have touched upon this in your writings and I have actually tried your heart meditation relaxation technique with much success! Many psychics have mentioned that we need to focus more inwardly and become less distracted by outer stimuli which seems to run parallel to your thinking.

Thanks, Mark!

Karen

macyafterlife says:

May 26, 2013 at 3:30 pm (Edit)

Thanks Karen, I’m sure I’m not as much of a gateway (or vehicle) as a lot of other good folks who quietly share information and healing energies from the other side on a daily basis, bringing light into the world… through channeling, meditation, energy healing, and so on.

I don’t have a lot of interest in the ‘bumps-in-the-night’ sessions on TV or in general (recording in cemeteries and haunted houses, that sort of thing).

My main interest involves developing a rapport with finer spirit, and encouraging any sort of beneficial interplay between their worlds and ours… with a special emphasis on ITC, of course.

I know that heart connections that were strong during lifetime remain strong in the afterlife, and it’s common for us on Earth to receive ‘gifts’ from our loved ones over there in the form of loving feelings, warm fleeting thoughts, impressions, gentle voices, pleasant images (especially in our dreams), and, more and more nowadays, anomalies in our equipment. Including phone calls from a recently departed family member or close friend.

I agree, it would be great if everyone could direct more of their daily attentions inward, to that finer source within us. Not easy to do, though, in this world of so many sensory distractions!

Mark

Actually that distortion in your segment is quite commonplace. Its a rendering error in digital media files. Do a Google search for “broken gifs”, “datamoshing” and “glitch art”. It happens when key information (I and P frames) are messed up. Motion from one place in the video is moved into the image in another place.

macyafterlife says:

May 26, 2013 at 3:07 pm (Edit)

It seems odd that most of the distortion would be limited to my body, and just a small amount in the surrounding walls and furnishings.
I’ll look into that too… online samples of datamoshing, to see if it’s ever centered around certain items in the frames, or if it’s always spread randomly across the frame.
Thanks for the tip,
Mark

As a follow-up thought, perhaps there is a message buried in the madness; if only we knew how to interpret this. Maybe this I / P frame glitching could be used by folks on the other side in a similar way to the feedback video snippets from the ITC site. Perhaps there is a message for you or about you in this strangely glitched sequence?

macyafterlife says:

May 26, 2013 at 3:04 pm (Edit)

I hadn’t thought of messages (or images) hidden within the video noise in that clip.
I’ll take a closer look……….
Mark

It would be interesting to take some video of something like snow from a dead tv channel with limited info with some random pixel movement, and datamosh it to see if something similar to the ITC videos takes place. Somewhere buried in the fractal-like information could be a message or image. There are a number of how-to videos on YouTube to show how to start the process. Since we’ve been wholesale moving away from analog transmission, its possible the disincarnate have also moved forward, but we haven’t been listening yet.

macyafterlife says:

May 26, 2013 at 7:50 pm (Edit)

Good speculations.
Datamoshing is new to me (thanks for the introduction!), and from what I’ve read about it today, I suspect it could open up a whole new line of ITC experiments, as you suggest.
Mark

davehaith says:

July 6, 2013 at 6:25 am (Edit)

I have already replied here but somehow the posting got lost.
So if it appears twice forgive me….

Regarding ‘datamoshing’

I’m sure you’ve all noticed this but I note a similar effect in the Dan Drasin documentary at the following time points…

At 13.45 where Lisa Butler is talking about her dead mother

At 28.04 with Linda Chisholm

At 33.05 with Lisa Butler.

I was told by Paul Davids that the anomaly on the Mark Macy section of his Life After Death Project documentary was recorded on two separate cameras.

Is that normal for this glitch Gemenon?

macyafterlife says:

July 6, 2013 at 12:34 pm (Edit)

Thanks for the comment, Dave.
That’s interesting that the same anomalies occur in the Dan Drasin film.
I hadn’t noticed it. Will view the film again as time permits.
I’m pretty sure our spirit friends were involved in my interview with Paul Davids.
I figure there’s still a big interest “over there” to keep trying to get our attention and to foster a rapport between their world and ours.

(In typical WordPress fashion, your first comment was suspended until I’d read and approved it. From here on out, any comments by you will be approved and posted automatically.)

Mark

Mark,
Regarding white noise… I would like to share via Orion Silverstar,
“I have always tried to make people aware of the hidden dangers that there can be in any form of spirit communication, even I.T.C. It is not a game but very real and can open up door ways or portals into other worlds that can enter your space in time. When in the presence of a non human power or energy it can have an effect on you.”

Mark, although I haven’t personally practiced itc, I’ve had very strange experiences regarding my evp recordings to the point I no longer record.

I started by only recording outside in my back yard.-then one day because of an ‘accidental’ trip that caused me to push my record button while attempting to connect to my pc..I heard, “What happened to Marri?” after that, I started to also record inside my home.

I never felt a NEED for a protection prayer because I knew my intentions were pure. Clearly, I erred somewhere between this fine line of earth and the afterlife.

What are your feelings towards this, does one need to say a protection prayer before any type of communication takes place and if so, what prayer do you recommend?
I sincerely appreciate your input towards this. Thank you.

macyafterlife says:

May 26, 2013 at 7:58 pm (Edit)

Hi Marri, nice hearing from you again, by the way. I think it’s been a few months….

To me, the most important thing in ITC research is to be in a generally good frame of mind at this point in your life. No pressing issues that are stressing you out or dragging you down emotionally. The inner peace that you feel on a day-to-day basis creates a fine spiritual vibration which can be used as a bridge by finer spirit for various good purposes, including ITC contacts.

With that frame of mind, a prayer before experimenting can be very useful, probably providing a sort of anchor or focal point… getting the attention of your helpful spirit team.

On the other hand, if a person’s in a stressful or emotionally down period, in my view it’s best not to experiment. The rough vibrations from your troubled emotions will attract more troubled and troublesome spirits. In this case, I don’t think a prayer will be effective enough to provide protection.

Mark

Thank you Mark. I knew if you saw my picture you would remember me, lol!

A good frame of mind,nothing weighing one out..the rough vibrations..all this I was aware of… I read enormous amounts of material. Became acquainted with you through WorldITC, William O’Neil, Doc Mueller,Friedrich Jurgenson, (Konstantin Raudive-my favorite),Raymond Moody, Fischback, Anabella Cardoso, became a member of AA-EVP in Oct. -2007, read Sarah Estep’s fabulous ebook Voices of Eternity as well as Roads to Eternity.The list goes on and on…

I kept thinking maybe something to do when I was in my 20′s I once tried to contact a spirit to come through via a wicca book I read by Yvonne Frost…didn’t notice anything. Also once tried an ouija board with my sister…cannot recall outcome, must not have been of importance..Yet I wonder.

I so believed in evp and how to go about it…I wanted to ‘bridge the gap’ To this day I don’t quite grasp what happened. There is a reason. I don’t have the right question to ask myself..Ever hear of Terri Daniel (A Swan in Heaven) or Neale Donald Walsch(Conversations with God)?

Sorry for this lengthy post and thank you for your time in reading it. It certainly has been a few months. I read all your blogs. They are an inspiration to me! Blessings-always.

macyafterlife says:

May 27, 2013 at 6:40 am (Edit)

Thanks for the background, Marri… gives me a better idea of ‘where you’re coming from’.
I heard of the Conversations with God book when it was a quick bestseller… haven’t heard of A Swan in Heaven. (Didn’t read either one, though I read some reviews of the Walsch book.)

Mark