Fact check: Antarctica UFO video created by visual effects artist, not authentic
The claim: Video shows footage of UFO in Antarctica
Some social media users are sharing a video that purportedly shows a UFO in Antarctica.
“UFO Shocking footage, in Antarctica, from a helicopter,” reads the caption of a July 14 Facebook post featuring the video.
The video shows an object flying low over water in an icy landscape. Sounds reminiscent of a spinning helicopter rotor are audible.
The video was viewed 7,700 times in a little more than a week.
But the footage is not authentic. It was created by a digital effects artist.
Follow us on Facebook! Like our page to get updates throughout the day on our latest debunks
USA TODAY reached out to the Facebook user who shared the claim for comment.
UFO video created by digital artist, not authentic footage
In 2021, the video was posted on TikTok by visual effects artist Colton Kirkegaard. His account bio, which identifies him as an effects artist, says his posted content is “all original” and “just for fun.”
The video is also posted on Kirkegaard’s Instagram account. The caption states the video was “fully rendered in Unreal Engine 4.”
Unreal Engine is a software platform billed as “the world’s most open and advanced real-time 3D creation tool” on the company’s website.
Kirkegaard did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Fact check:Photo shows sand art, not lightning strike formation
The video was previously debunked by Check Your Fact.
Our rating: False
Based on our research, we rate FALSE the claim that a video shows authentic footage of a UFO in Antarctica. The video was digitally created by a visual effects artist.
Our fact-check sources:
- Check Your Fact, April 21, Fact check: Does this video show a UFO in Antarctica?
- Colton Kirkegaard via TikTok, Feb. 16, 2021, Video
- Colton Kirkegaard, accessed July 21, TikTok profile
- Colton Kirkegaard, accessed July 21, Instagram profile
- Colton Kirkegaard via Instagram, March 3, 2021, Video
- Unreal Engine, accessed July 21, Home page
Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or electronic newspaper replica here.
Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Facebook.
