# ufos over haiti? What are we seeing here? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 10, 2007, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ufos-over-haiti-what-are-we-seeing-here/415170 "2007-08-10T20:12:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ufos-over-haiti-what-are-we-seeing-here/415170/1 "2007-08-10T20:12:27Z")
Here is a link to a youtube video that someone just e-mailed me. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/up5jmbSjWkw/hqdefault.jpg "UFO Haiti") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up5jmbSjWkw) I am assuming this video is fake, but what could I point to in the video to support my assumption? Is it possible that these are remotely controlled man-made objects that are actually flying in the air, as depicted in the video? ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ufos-over-haiti-what-are-we-seeing-here/415170/2 "2007-08-10T20:15:12Z")
It’s just swamp gas. Or ball lightning. Nothing to see here. Move along. Similar videos are being called viral ads for Halo 3 ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ufos-over-haiti-what-are-we-seeing-here/415170/3 "2007-08-10T20:17:27Z")
I thought at first it was gas lightning. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ufos-over-haiti-what-are-we-seeing-here/415170/4 "2007-08-10T20:44:58Z")
[QUOTE=Arnold Winkelried] Is it possible that these are remotely controlled man-made objects that are actually flying in the air, as depicted in the video? [/QUOTE] More likely they are very good CGI renderings. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ufos-over-haiti-what-are-we-seeing-here/415170/5 "2007-08-10T20:48:01Z")
Obviously it is real. The invasion has begun. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ufos-over-haiti-what-are-we-seeing-here/415170/6 "2007-08-10T20:48:54Z")
It’s fake. You can tell 'cause there isn’t anything like that. ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ufos-over-haiti-what-are-we-seeing-here/415170/7 "2007-08-10T20:55:59Z")
So how do you get these CGI images over a live-action video? Do you have to stop the video at every frame and paste a new picture in it? That seems like it would take too much time. Or do you animate the image on a white background, and then somehow “merge” the two videos together, with one being the top layer? ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ufos-over-haiti-what-are-we-seeing-here/415170/8 "2007-08-10T21:01:50Z")
One of the youtube comments says that the trees are identical- I think they look similar, but not identical. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ufos-over-haiti-what-are-we-seeing-here/415170/9 "2007-08-10T21:05:08Z")
[QUOTE=Arnold Winkelried] So how do you get these CGI images over a live-action video? Do you have to stop the video at every frame and paste a new picture in it? That seems like it would take too much time. Or do you animate the image on a white background, and then somehow “merge” the two videos together, with one being the top layer? [/QUOTE] [Special effects](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_effects). ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ufos-over-haiti-what-are-we-seeing-here/415170/10 "2007-08-10T21:09:52Z")
It was me and a friend. Sorry. Didn’t mean to cause a commotion. I mean, we _were_ trying to keep our speeds down. Give us that. ---
**Author:** ![dnooman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/839c29/32.png) [@dnooman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dnooman)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2007, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ufos-over-haiti-what-are-we-seeing-here/415170/11 "2007-08-10T21:11:19Z")
[QUOTE=adam yax] Similar videos are being called viral ads for Halo 3 [/QUOTE] Yep. Definitely a Halo ad. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ufos-over-haiti-what-are-we-seeing-here/415170/12 "2007-08-11T00:01:04Z")
The focus change at the end is a nice touch, the UFO and the trees move in and out of focus in sync. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ufos-over-haiti-what-are-we-seeing-here/415170/13 "2007-08-11T00:17:37Z")
Yes, the trees are all far too similar. Pause it around 12 seconds or so and take a look. It’s fake, but a bloody good one. There is a very slight similarity to the ‘chad’ UFOs we’ve discussed recently, but only slight. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ufos-over-haiti-what-are-we-seeing-here/415170/14 "2007-08-11T00:34:39Z")
It’s obviously the planet Venus. Don’t you people know anything about astronomy? Sheesh! ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ufos-over-haiti-what-are-we-seeing-here/415170/15 "2007-08-11T01:48:41Z")
I, for one, … Nah, I can’t do it. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ufos-over-haiti-what-are-we-seeing-here/415170/16 "2007-08-11T02:03:13Z")
[QUOTE=commasense] It’s obviously the planet Venus. Don’t you people know anything about astronomy? Sheesh! [/QUOTE] You probably thought you saw something other than Venus. But I assure you, it was Venus. ---
**Author:** ![J\_Cubed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c6cbf5/32.png) [@J\_Cubed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/J_Cubed)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ufos-over-haiti-what-are-we-seeing-here/415170/17 "2007-08-11T02:04:45Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] Yes, the trees are all far too similar. Pause it around 12 seconds or so and take a look. [/QUOTE] We have videographic proof of extra-terrestrial technology and you’re looking at the trees!?!?!?! ---
**Author:** ![Baraqiyal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@Baraqiyal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baraqiyal)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ufos-over-haiti-what-are-we-seeing-here/415170/18 "2007-08-11T02:49:03Z")
I think it’s a viral ad for the upcoming J.J. Abrams movie, widely known as “Cloverfield”. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ufos-over-haiti-what-are-we-seeing-here/415170/19 "2007-08-11T04:49:38Z")
[This clip](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mos9-LReoWQ&NR=1), supposedly shot in the Dominican Republic by a different person on the same day (and from the looks of it, at roughly the same time) seems to show two different objects behind exactly the same trees; the second one appears to be the same (probably) CGI model as in the clip linked by the OP. I’ll admit to a bit of curiosity about the sudden flurry of relatively well-exposed close-up images of ‘UFOs’ that have hit the 'Net in recent weeks, but I’m pretty sure this indeed is either one small group of people cranking out some homemade digital FX or, as others have noted, a fairly elaborate viral marketing campaign. Either way, I don’t really care all that much about who’s doing the advertising, or why. Personally, I would give no more credence to any ‘UFO’ footage posted to YouTube than I would a typical e-mail chain letter. There’s no context, no precise indication of location, no way of verifying the identity of the person who posted, and the footage is so highly compressed that it is pretty much useless for further analysis. If somebody willing to identify themselves sends original footage to a reputable person with expertise in analyzing film or video, and if that person says there’s something interesting there, then maybe I’ll pay attention. This stuff is utterly worthless as evidence of anything, however. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ufos-over-haiti-what-are-we-seeing-here/415170/20 "2007-08-11T05:03:17Z")
Maybe he was straddling the border between Haiti and Costa Rica and which country the cameraman was in depended on how hard he was leaning on each foot. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ufos-over-haiti-what-are-we-seeing-here/415170.md?page=2)