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J. Ellen Heineck, the famous astronomer who worked for Project Blue Book, created a system of classification when it came to UFO closing counters.

They were broken down into three main categories.

Close encounters of the first kind, visual sightings of an unidentified flying object less than 500 feet away that show an appreciable, angular extension and considerable detail.

Close encounters of the second kind, a UFO event in which a physical effect is alleged.

This can be interference in the functioning of a vehicle or electronic devices, animals reacting, a physiological effect such as paralysis or heat and discomfort in the witness, or some physical traces like impressions in the ground, scorched or otherwise affected vegetation or a chemical trace.

And finally, most widely known, close encounters of the third kind.

These are UFO encounters in which an animated entity is present.

These include humanoids, robots and humans who seem to be occupants or pilots of a UFO.

Heineck's scale became well known after an up-and-coming filmmaker in Hollywood had read Heineck's work and reached out to him to discuss the third kind category.

And eventually named his 1977 film after it.

For me, it was about research reading books on the matter and eventually meeting my breakthrough partner.

When I say breakthrough partner, he didn't write the screenplay with me, but he inspired the title.

And that's J. Allen Heineck, Dr. J. Allen Heineck, who was the project blue book debunker working for the military as a civilian consultant going around and looking at all these UFO stories.

And finding astronomical, natural, logical explanations for what people were perceiving to be extraordinary or extraterrestrial.

And he was bringing everything down to a terrestrial level until finally he just couldn't explain about 10% of the sightings.

And the 10% of the sightings he couldn't explain were so compelling.

The witnesses themselves were so compelling that he eventually resigned his position.

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