unforum

[Zarggg]

Questions about the Operator and physical objects

[Droshi]

I wouldn't say the Operator is tied to a specific camera/recording device, as Jay's fisheyed chest cam picked him up in Entry #29. I would, however, say that he might be tied to recording devices in general, whether it be harnessing their energy or using them to find his subjects.

As for the locations the Operator symbol was seen (such as the tower or the bath house from Entry #13), there is no 100% clear answer on that, but my theory is as follows: We know that Alex drew the symbol himself all over the papers Jay found in the house, and we also have seen Alex discovering the symbol on the ground in Entry #13. However, we don't know if he began drawing the symbols AFTER finding it on that day, or if he had already made the drawings at that point.

My theory is that Alex had a similar lapse in memory to Jay's current situation but had drawn the symbols at places he had seen the Operator - as clues for himself to follow in case he forgot. Think of the movie Memento. This would mean that Alex had been to the bath house at least once before and drew the symbol for himself to find when he came back with Jay - as a warning, perhaps. This would also explain how the cameraman in totheark's "Exit" knew Alex and Jay would be there and was able to stalk them.

I could totally be wrong, but that's just what I think.

[scabus]

It's all just theory right now. Operator seems to become attached to cameras that capture his image, and it seems he can move through these cameras once they are turned on. The symbols are thought by some to be a form of protection from operator. It was theorized that the symbol on the red tower was there to keep operator from learning of the hidden tape.

[Zarggg]

The protection suggestion was one of my thoughts as well, but we've noticed that he regularly seems to show up where the symbols are drawn (again, not sure whether its a before or after correlation), which is why I'm not sure.

[TOWMPC]

This is probably not the best place to ask this, but it's not really worthy of a new thread, and I couldn't find any other thread that seemed relevant. Where does the name "Operator" come from? Except from the TTA-video, I can't see any connection to SM in that video (except from the overall story line).

While in this topic though, I must add that I really like Droshi's idea that Alex left the (X)-markings for himself, and that I agree with scabus in that the Operator seems somehow connected with the camera(s). That would explain his suddenly reappearance in entry 26. However, since he appears to destroy the cameras after they film him for a few seconds, I doubt he uses them to teleports. I would rather believe that he has gained vision through the cameras, or at least awareness (since he might not have vision in the same way we do). This, however, seems plausible in Alex case since he spotted the Operator at a distance (entry 12). Jays first meeting with the Operator, on the other hand, appears to be in the Return-video. Of course, either TTA have interrupted his "natural" way of finding his victims, or we might just not know about Jays earlier sightings because of his memory loss and TTA's mixing with his equipment.

[Salty]

The creators of Marble Hornets have done a couple interviews about it, and they refered to Slendy as the Operator.

[TOWMPC]

Ok, I've just assumed that the name came from the fans somehow, and couldn't figure out how they came to that conclusion. Not that it matters, it just bugged me for a while now.

[Susil]

This is sort of related to a thought that I had that I think has been mentioned in passing - what does the Operator look like? Not on camera, we all know that - but through your eyes? There seem to be a number of instances throughout series 1 where the characters should, most definitely, notice the eight foot faceless abomination, but don't. The suggestion that's made is that the Operator has somne sort of mind-affecting way of blending in better (someone compared it to the Tardis in Dr Who) and this fits nicely with the entry where the whole crew see him in the park. It could be that each person sees him as a different generic guy - somehow they add a face on to him.

My tentative theory is that this perception-warping aura simply can't fool cameras in the same way it fools the human eye. It messes with the recording and can wreck it beyond repair (the footage before Amy turns the camera on Alex) but cameras still see the Operator as he is. But - for anybody who has seen the Operator as he is, the spell is broken - a sort of 'once seen, never unseen'. In context to MH, Alex is exposed to the Operator via his footage, and is no longer subject to the filter, prompting his searching for it. Cue creepy ARG.

There are 2 issues with this that I can think of: 1. In the entry with the whole crew in the park, someone (Sarah? Seth?) is operating the camera, if he doesn't trick cameras surely they saw him as-is; and 2. When Amy first sees him, her scream suggests she's seeing the creature and not some inconspicuous mental projection. Though, perhaps the Operator can turn off this power for the purposes of being scary.


TLDR verson: Operator uses mind tricks to blend in, once you've seen through them (via film) they don't effect you.

[redherring]

[shoeler]

though everyone seems to see him in entry 12?

I've always kind of considered things that have been "slendered" kind of being like radiation. hanging out with the slenderman, or whatever he's been near for extended periods of time, would be like hanging out in chernobyl: eventually, stuff there gets radioactive, like stuff gets "operadioactive" here. (sorry) So when that happens, you get the weird distortion on stuff: that hole in 21, the weird basement, jessica, and, only recently, masky.

there does seem to sort of be a connection with cameras. slenderman showing up when amy JUST HAPPENS to find the old camera and record with it for the first time in years is just too coincidental. we'll just have to wait and see there though. he could just be a giant camera-whore and like to be on camera.

[Zarggg]

Assuming Entry #12 is the film shoot in the park, I've taken the "What is he doing?" comment by the girl at the end (I've forgotten her name) to mean that no one except Alex (and the camera) could see the Operator.

[morscata12]

I think Amy's reaction to the Operator in Entry 26 is the best evidence we have for this category.

Amy's initial panic starts after the Operator is visible on camera for a second. Then, when she's up the stairs, she first asks "What was that?". When the camera focuses on the Operator, she starts asking "What is that?" If she knew she could see him without the camera, she wouldn't be asking what it WAS if she could see him.

Also, Amy is terrified and fleeing for her life. Why wouldn't she just drop the camera? She's pointing it down the hallway, flicking it around like she doesn't know exactly where to look. It makes sense if she thinks its necessary for her survival.

[Mariolee]

I really like where this theory is going. Let me see if I can solidify it:

The Camera Seeing Theory: You can only truly see Slenderman in his true form after you've caught him on film and seen it. Outside of the camera, Slenderman appears to be either a regular guy or even unseeable at all until you see his true form, then he can't hide from you anymore.

This would explain a lot of things, as in why the Operator symbol is a circle with an X through it, symbolizing not only that he doesn't have a face, but that you should never film him unless you want to start seeing him everywhere.

And like previously mentioned, Amy could probably only see him through the camera, and that's the reason she kept the camera while running to the upstairs (other than the OOG explanation which is to have more Slenderscreentime).

I mean, it doesn't make sense for these guys not to see an abnormally tall man without a face as incredibly creepy and monstrous, and yet they shrug it off as no big deal.

Also, the primary reason I love this theory is because it would imply that Slenderman has been stalking you this whole time, either invisibly or disguised as another guy, and you've never noticed. He could even be behind you right now.

[shonkie]

[Salty]