THE CREATION OF A PICTOGRAM

1. The magnetic barriers are created. This is when the trilling or whistling sound can be first heard.

Update: The toroid or tube shaped energy fields are created by activating an Earth energy spot.

2. The plasma balls are created and released (or captured) inside regions restricted by the barriers.

3. The plasma balls move in linear or circular paths "painting" intersecting regions defined by the barriers by laying down the crop. The balls' energy is cut off by Control Barriers in some regions in order to leave these parts unaffected.

4. The barriers are released letting the balls escape and disintegrate. It is necessary that the balls don't affect the surrounding field, so they are either decharged before releasing or taken up from the field level.

See an animation of how a Moon Crescent shape is created!
18 frame version (60 Kb)
full 90 frame version (200 Kb)

(these are Gif animations and don't need any extra software)

There are some eye-witness reports telling about bigger light formations above the fields before the Circles are found. Maybe these "UFO"s are responsible for creating the barriers as well as the plasma balls. It's possible I have personally observed this kind of "ethereal ship" (see the report here).

It is before and after the actual creation of the pattern that the balls can best be seen, though in the darkness they can also be seen shining through the stalks even if they fly actually among them.

It is true that the eye-witnesses don't describe the balls moving under the seedhead level but above it. This is only natural, because the altitude of the balls is impossible to determine unless the witness is very near to the scene or observing the balls from a very low altitude. Both of these situations can be considered very rare.

Since the balls are light-emitting, they are seen as solid balls also when they are actually among the crop. Only their brightness may seem to be lower. It is understandable that the observer makes the assumption the lightballs are flying above the crop because it feels more reasonable. Anyway, the energy in the light balls might as well work from above the crop.

See an animation of how the Chiseldon 1996 pictogram may have been created!
21 frame version (50 Kb)
full 100 frame version (250 Kb)

(in the smaller version you have time to read the narration)