Filmmakers Claim to Have Captured 'Champ' on Camera While Making Movie about Lake Monster

A still image from the video released by Rossi. *(RichardRossi Live / YouTube)*

According to an August 11th press release from Eternal Grace Church, "filmmakers Richard Rossi and Kelly Tabor may have unintentionally captured drone footage of 'Champ,' the lake monster said to inhabit Lake Champlain, while shooting their film, 'Lucy and the Lake Monster'."

On their website, Eternal Grace Church is described as “a spiritual community supporting actors, filmmakers, artists, writers, and musicians in their creative journey of grace.”

The press release stated that longtime friends Rossi and Tabor were reviewing footage when they noticed a “large, unknown creature gliding beneath the water's surface” near a boat used in the film.

Tabor, whom the release lists as a “true believer,” grew up interested in the lake monster, while Rossi is said to be a “Doubting Thomas who wants verification from scientists.”

A ten-second clip featuring the mysterious object was published to Rossi’s YouTube channel over a week prior to the press release.

In that footage, the object can be seen below the water’s surface in the lower righthand corner of the frame.

"We inadvertently found Champ while reviewing video from a drone. It is real footage, not manipulated in any way," Tabor said.

“We were aiming for some scenic shots of the lake,” Rossi explained, “and we never expected to capture anything like this. We just couldn’t believe our eyes. It’s a thrill to share this unexpected discovery with the world.”

Tabor added, “This adds an incredible layer to our film. While 'Lucy and the Lake Monster’ is a fictional story about a nine-year-old girl and her grandpa looking for Champ, the reality of capturing something mysterious is what makes this moment so special. It reminds us that sometimes, truth really is stranger than fiction. It even appears to have moving fins like a plesiosaur. Our cryptozoology friends are excited."

Rossi also said, "It's only fitting that Kelly, who has looked for Champ over fifty years, would see Champ in the footage first."

The film, which Tabor insisted is “real footage, not manipulated in any way,” was said by Rossi to currently be under evaluation “by trained scientists with a minimum of one earned doctorate degree in science.”

According to a second press release from August 14th:

The present document delineates the preliminary scientific evaluation of the Tabor-Rossi Champ footage, juxtaposing it with the renowned 1977 Mansi photograph. A comprehensive and exhaustive analysis is scheduled for dissemination in the following year.
The Tabor-Rossi footage constitutes the most compelling extant evidence to date supporting the potential survival of a plesiosaur-like species. It incorporates numerous elements that the 1977 Mansi photograph of "Champ" does not possess:
1. The inclusion of a boat in the footage, occupied by two individuals, provides a critical reference for scale, thereby facilitating an assessment of the dimensions of the observed organism. The boat's measurements are documented at 11.8333 feet in length and 4.28333 feet in width, with the subject appearing to exceed the size of the vessel. Notably, large sturgeon are documented to reach lengths of up to 7 feet, with the recorded maximum being 8 feet. Conversely, the Mansi photograph lacks any objects for scale reference.
2. The original Mansi Polaroid depicts the Champ entity in relatively shallow waters, not exceeding depths of 14 feet, in proximity to the shoreline. In contrast, the Tabor-Rossi footage was captured via drone technology in the deepest section of Bulwagga Bay within Lake Champlain, effectively eliminating the likelihood of misidentification as a rock formation or sand mounds, which are prevalent in shallower aquatic regions.
3. An additional caveat regarding the Mansi photograph pertains to the inability of Sandra Mansi to determine the precise location where the image was acquired. In contrast, the Tabor-Rossi footage benefits from the corroborative accounts of multiple eyewitnesses, including cast and crew members, who have unequivocally identified the exact geographic coordinates of their filming location.
4. Importantly, Sandra Mansi did not retain the original negative of her photograph. The Tabor-Rossi footage is distinguished by its production in high resolution using a quality drone camera. The five seconds of footage available on YouTube represent only a diminutive sample of the entirety encompassing a broader five-minute segment that includes the subject in question. This raw footage was retained, allowing for enhanced scientific scrutiny through subsequent review. Initial morphological assessments, conducted through pixel and color threshold adjustments, as well as zoom enhancements, reveal concordance with established plesiosaur anatomical features, while presenting proportions inconsistent with sturgeon or alternative explanations. Noteworthy characteristics include, but are not limited to:
a. A flattened plesiosaur head
b. Locomotion via reptilian-like fins
c. A slender, serpentine neck in conjunction with a more robust body structure
A series of rigorous tests is slated for execution and will be submitted for scientific peer review as part of a scholarly article in the upcoming year, thereby inviting formal academic scrutiny of these findings.

The unusual object photographed in Lake Champlain by Sandra Mansi in 1977.

But not everyone is so certain that Tabor and Rossi’s footage depicts something anomalous.

Some skeptics have expressed suspicion that a movie about a monster in Lake Champlain would just so happen to capture footage of the very creature they have a vested interest in promoting.

In addition, Champ researcher Katy Elizabeth told Coast to Coast AM, there may be a perfectly prosaic explanation for what they filmed.

Elizabeth estimated that the footage was likely "filmed near the Champlain Bridge," an area where she has previously spent time looking for Champ.

"During my many drone deployments in this area," she said, "it is evident that there are a few large rocks and sand mounds in this location, which are visible just below the surface of the water."

One of these large rocks or sand mounds could explain the "creature" recorded by the film crew, she explained.

Elizabeth also noted that the ascension of the drone as it films "makes the object below the water's surface appear to be moving, playing tricks with your eyes," and said she found the clip's sudden ending to be "highly suspicious."

"I would love for this footage to show some potential visual evidence of a Champ animal," she said, "but due to the location that I know very well, my conclusion is that it is a large boulder or sand mound."