Park Town Hotel – Director’s Notes from Rob King – Season 2 – Episode 12

Day 1 – Park Town


Hey: Well we have arrived at the 13th episode, in a hotel that reputedly has 13 ghosts. And we will end on October 31st (which backwards, is 13!!).

 

It was a long day with the trip from Regina, checking into the Park Town and then sorting ourselves amidst the schedules and availability of staff and spaces to shoot in. But the Park Town people are great.

 

We shot some spooky BRoll and a few cool scenes through the boiler area. We also got in a staff interview and a team meeting. Then we went looking for a spirit or spirits in the Cedar Room (one of the hot zones). And we got one, though not one of the hotel’s reputed spirits–one closer to us.

 

We ran a long Spirit Box session. Early on Tom’s name came up twice. Later we got the name Roger and Tom started asking Roger questions–as if he knew him. Turns out that Tom had a friend by that name who stayed here when he was undergoing medical treatment. After he passed, Tom kept a jacket that belonged to Roger. He asked this spirit named Roger  to verify he was Tom’s friend  by stating what Tom had that once belonged to him. The word “jacket” came through the box. Tom got quite emotional.

 

Our night’s work was done, and nicely so–13 hours after we began our day.

 

Hmmm…

 

Rob

 

Day 2 – Park Town


Hey All: Last night was our final investigation of the season. We started in a guest room in the old west wing, with Jeff and Bill. At first it seemed a clean and quiet space but then they established contact via the Spirit Box–particularly with a girl named Lisa. Among the many stories at the Park Town is that of a young girl’s spirit who crosses though the lobby and sometimes plays the piano. Some say she wears a red dress.

 

Lisa said she wore a blue dress. She was either 4 or 14 years old. But many questions to her seemed to get interrupted by some sort of other spirit chatter on the box. The guys asked Lisa to stay with them and while they went to the Cedar Room to join Tom and Priscilla. (I have to admit this was my idea) We had an old piano set up down there and I thought Lisa might escape the spirits that were interfering with her. I also thought she might connect to Priscilla.

 

Anyhow, it was a first for us, as the guys walked down the hall, through the lobby and down the stairs to the Cedar Room with their SB 7 open and them still speaking to Lisa. But by the time they got near the Cedar Room they seemed to lose her. After several attempts, they signed off and had a pretty cool full team conversation about what might attract spirits to hotels.

 

Park Town Rating:

 

Service  – 5
Comfort – 5
Spirit Activity- 3

TOTAL – 13

 

Rob

 

Day 3 – Park Town


Hey: After all that work, it’s hard to believe that we are done. Our final day was light and meant for a few daytime scenes. One of those included our team sitting around a table with the CEO, GM and two managers from the hotel. Our adventures in the Park Town were explained to them, including Tom’s story about Roger. The Desk Manager, Heather, suddenly exclaimed that staff have told her the spirit in the cedar room is named Roger. It was a wild coincidence. Or was it?
We finished on the river bank, where we had our first smudge. Tom showed off his finished TOS2 pipe (part of a web feature we shot along the road) and the team smudged. It was a fitting place to end off.
Then it was back to the Park Town for some good cheer and some great farewells.
As Stanley Kubrick said: “However vast the darkness, we must supply our own light.”
And we did—
Rob

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