So that was 2011.
College has taken up most of my time for 2012 - meaning that the Manor will be on hiatus this year.
However, I do plan on continuing this hobby of mine far into the future. My goals are to keep it metamorphic; always full of change, excitement, and innovation. Interesting projects will come on the horizon I believe!!
Thank you for all of your support over the 2011 season.
-Justin
12/08/2011
The Story of Halloween 2011
Set up for Halloween 2011 started in late September this year. It always begins by constructing the attic scene, as it is the most detail oriented out of the two (attic & cemetery). In addition, it can withstand any harsh Wisconsin weather that may come our way, as it is essentially located inside.
The first thing we always do is install the large black canvas that becomes the backdrop of the scene. This also doubles as a divider to create the "backstage" area. It is where I keep all the boxes of decorations that are brought up from storage in the basement, as well as house the mechanics of some of our animated props.
The second prop we wanted to get up right away was the Christmas tree, as this was new for this year. Once we got that up and figured out where exactly we wanted it put in the scene, we lit it with a blue spotlight, and went crazy from there. All the other props were placed in relation to the tree, as to make the scene look fully fleshed-out. The attic houses a lot of detail, especially in its massive number of props, so it is important to get the basic layout of the scene set before we add all the small details.
About a month before Halloween, the cemetery fence gets put up in the front yard. I try to build my props to be very sturdy so they can withstand the wear and tear that occurs by being installed and torn down year after year. I'm pretty sure this thing could withstand 100 mph winds, so I never worry about putting this out early. The same goes for the Greywood Estate wooden sign. Anyways, we grow out the grass in the cemetery for about a month to give it a more natural, organic feel. It's those little details that really set this haunt apart from others out there, and make it "feel" right.
As the weeks passed, the graveyard slowly started getting its tombstones installed. These are one of the hardest props to maintain, as the wind can easily get to these. And man, the weather was not good to us this year! The neighbors' various haunts suffered some damage as storms blew past throughout the month.
About a week out from Halloween, the decayed garland and wreaths went up to frame the attic scene on the garage. Final flood lighting also went into the graveyard. Lighting is something I've never been too concerned about, as trick-or-treating occurs mostly during the daylight hours, but I am slowly building up a collection of lights. The graveyard boasted three flood lights this year. In addition to the red (to light the pop up ghost) and the blue (to light the tombstones), I added a green (to again, light more tombstones). This year we had more gravestones in the cemetery than ever before, and it was looking way too dull at night without that second spotlight focused on them. The blue and green created an eerie wash of color to the entire area that looked very nice.
The week of Halloween itself was very crazy personally for me - but in a good way! With projects being due for school, trips with friends to other haunted attractions (for both entertainment and research), and other various events to attend, it can get very hectic. It is my absolute favorite time of year, however, and in all - I think it was a very good time!
And then it's Halloween night - or the last Sunday in October, in my case, as that's when our town holds its trick-or-treating hours. The hours, like usual, were from 4-7pm. Usually, the greatest number of trick-or-treaters visit during the first two hours. And then the last hour (from 6 to 7) is when it gets dark out. Unfortunately, like I stated before, the weather was very bad. There was a slight breeze, but the main complaint comes from the cold rain that visited as well. It was never a downpour, but a light to steady shower that lingered for the entire day. This made it very cold, prevented us from putting our bio-snow in the cemetery, as well as running the fog chiller.
The weather also caused our trick-or-treater count to be down this year. In the past, the number has danced around 250. This year, we only got about 170 or so. To be safe, I had bought enough candy canes for 500 guests. We still have some left...
That being the case, I still had an amazing time that day. I got numerous compliments - even a guest that I did not know saying that I would make a good Imagineer! It is this fuel that keeps me going year after year. In the end, it really does come down to being able to provide a unique, entertaining experience for your guests, both young and old alike.
If you have any comments or questions - or if you ended up seeing my haunt in person this year, feel free to comment respond with your thoughts below. I'd love to hear what you all think!
The first thing we always do is install the large black canvas that becomes the backdrop of the scene. This also doubles as a divider to create the "backstage" area. It is where I keep all the boxes of decorations that are brought up from storage in the basement, as well as house the mechanics of some of our animated props.
The second prop we wanted to get up right away was the Christmas tree, as this was new for this year. Once we got that up and figured out where exactly we wanted it put in the scene, we lit it with a blue spotlight, and went crazy from there. All the other props were placed in relation to the tree, as to make the scene look fully fleshed-out. The attic houses a lot of detail, especially in its massive number of props, so it is important to get the basic layout of the scene set before we add all the small details.
About a month before Halloween, the cemetery fence gets put up in the front yard. I try to build my props to be very sturdy so they can withstand the wear and tear that occurs by being installed and torn down year after year. I'm pretty sure this thing could withstand 100 mph winds, so I never worry about putting this out early. The same goes for the Greywood Estate wooden sign. Anyways, we grow out the grass in the cemetery for about a month to give it a more natural, organic feel. It's those little details that really set this haunt apart from others out there, and make it "feel" right.
As the weeks passed, the graveyard slowly started getting its tombstones installed. These are one of the hardest props to maintain, as the wind can easily get to these. And man, the weather was not good to us this year! The neighbors' various haunts suffered some damage as storms blew past throughout the month.
About a week out from Halloween, the decayed garland and wreaths went up to frame the attic scene on the garage. Final flood lighting also went into the graveyard. Lighting is something I've never been too concerned about, as trick-or-treating occurs mostly during the daylight hours, but I am slowly building up a collection of lights. The graveyard boasted three flood lights this year. In addition to the red (to light the pop up ghost) and the blue (to light the tombstones), I added a green (to again, light more tombstones). This year we had more gravestones in the cemetery than ever before, and it was looking way too dull at night without that second spotlight focused on them. The blue and green created an eerie wash of color to the entire area that looked very nice.
The week of Halloween itself was very crazy personally for me - but in a good way! With projects being due for school, trips with friends to other haunted attractions (for both entertainment and research), and other various events to attend, it can get very hectic. It is my absolute favorite time of year, however, and in all - I think it was a very good time!
And then it's Halloween night - or the last Sunday in October, in my case, as that's when our town holds its trick-or-treating hours. The hours, like usual, were from 4-7pm. Usually, the greatest number of trick-or-treaters visit during the first two hours. And then the last hour (from 6 to 7) is when it gets dark out. Unfortunately, like I stated before, the weather was very bad. There was a slight breeze, but the main complaint comes from the cold rain that visited as well. It was never a downpour, but a light to steady shower that lingered for the entire day. This made it very cold, prevented us from putting our bio-snow in the cemetery, as well as running the fog chiller.
The weather also caused our trick-or-treater count to be down this year. In the past, the number has danced around 250. This year, we only got about 170 or so. To be safe, I had bought enough candy canes for 500 guests. We still have some left...
That being the case, I still had an amazing time that day. I got numerous compliments - even a guest that I did not know saying that I would make a good Imagineer! It is this fuel that keeps me going year after year. In the end, it really does come down to being able to provide a unique, entertaining experience for your guests, both young and old alike.
If you have any comments or questions - or if you ended up seeing my haunt in person this year, feel free to comment respond with your thoughts below. I'd love to hear what you all think!
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