Ouija Board Crate

First off, my apologies for getting this post out late. It's just been very crazy with the start of the school year again. So much to do!

This week, work completed on the Ouija Board Crate. This crate will now serve as a permanent home for the Ouija Board - the centerpiece effect of the attic scene. Note that before we'd just use a cardboard box - and get a new one year after year. Now, we have something that is themed a bit better - a "plussing" of a prop, to throw around an Imagineering term.

For a formal definition, we can turn to the Liar's Guide to Disneyland...

"Plussing" something means making it a little bit better. For example, a Mickey Mouse hat plusses a guest's head (24).

With that term defined, let's move onto the construction process of this original prop.

We started by staining the four posts of the box, which are constructed of two pieces of wood nailed together to form an "L" shape.

 After that was completed, we did a color test by staining one of the pieces of compressed wood that is being used for the boards, or sides of the box. The board just soaked up the stain, leaving it a dark purple in color. That would not do, so we decided against staining the boards.

We then created a stencil out of computer paper for the word "attic" - so the audience knows they're looking into an attic scene (Note: only one other box in the attic scene has the word "attic" spray painted onto it that is still around. When the attic scene first debuted in 2007, the original Ouija Board cardboard box had "attic" spray painted on as well, but in 2008 and 2010, we never got around to adding it again).

While my friend Sam was working on the stencil, I started screwing in the boards to the posts. Observe that I purposely made them crooked.

Then the box started coming together. The boards themselves are two feet in length. I bought that compressed wood at Menards for only $1.97 per 8 foot board. Very reasonable!

Eighty screws later, and it's almost complete.

We then used the stencil and some black spray paint to transfer the letters onto the front of the box.

So hopefully you enjoyed this small insight into the creation of another prop. I can't wait to see how this will look with all the show lighting in the scene. It should be excellent!

Concept to Reality: The Estate Sign

The Greywood Manor estate sign, pictured below, was one of the main projects I took on for the 2010 season. Although Greywood Manor was the name of the haunt starting all the way back in late 2008, there really was no prominent sign that told the audience they were visiting the house of the Greywood family.

Greywood Manor Estate Sign - 2010, in action!

This, however, was an idea that has it's roots all the way back, three years earlier, in 2008. Through the concept images I'm about to display, you'll get an idea of how an project grows from concept to reality.

In early 2008, one of the concept pieces I drew of the exterior of the mansion shows a Gracy Manor estate sign. Notice the design, as it is just a simple plywood board attached to a stake. "Gracy Manor" was also the name I was throwing around before I decided upon the name "Greywood." The name "Gracy" is of course a tribute to the Haunted Mansion. Master Gracey (with an "e") is the supposed owner of Disney's haunt.

This rendering is the first time that my estate sign was visualized on paper.

Estate Sign Concept: Early 2008

So the idea sat, and didn't progress at all that year. Then, in 2009, I thought it was about time to start construction on this project. I refined the look of the sign, and drew up a dimensional sketch for reference while constructing the piece. Unfortunately, I ran out of time in 2009 to actually finish. The idea did not die, however, as I just delayed construction until 2010.

Estate Sign Dimensions, 2009

Construction then began in 2010. To finalize what I wanted the piece to look like, I drew one more concept - an image of what I wanted the completed project to look like.

Estate Sign Concept, 2010

Construction then began with me choosing between some stain colors. I created test patches on a few wooden shims, and then began to stain, and paint my pieces. Note that the hanging sign portion of the prop is stained, while the letters are painted a metallic gold, and outlined with a flat black paint to create the illusion of depth on the flat surface.

So many choices...

Finally, I needed an ornate, iron piece to display on the top, horizontal bar of the sign. I went online, and found this neat door topper piece from Heavy Hitter Ind. Inc. I used one of the side pieces, painted it the same metallic gold as the letters on the sign, and finally finished this project.

Just a bit of paint, and it's perfect!

For 2011, am I going to improve upon this estate sign? Possibly. I'm throwing the idea around for adding some LED lights into the mix so the sign will light up at night, but so far, that's still Blue Sky. If not this year, possibly just the next.

Props Part 3

For the third week in a row, we'll be taking a look at three different props. This time again, all the props are featured in the attic scene.

This chandelier painting on canvas was bought at a Hobby Lobby store. It's interesting, but is not an integral part of the story. It does go along with the real chandelier hanging in the attic though!

This next prop is an Underwood Typewriter. Yes, it's a real antique, but it no longer works properly. I found this through Craig's List. Luckily it was only $20.

The final prop being examined this week is a cage. Two weeks ago, we featured a smaller bird cage. This cage, however, could theoretically hold any small animal. This prop too was bought at Hobby Lobby. It's strictly for decorative purposes, but in the future we might enhance this otherwise stagnant prop.

Props Part 2

This week, we'll look at various paper props.

First off is the Ouija Board. This particular board was bought at a Toys R Us quite awhile ago. It is, in fact, just a simple board game from Hasbro and Parker Brothers. If you want to see more on how the Ouija Board animation works in our attic scene, visit an older blog post all about it here.

Next is an image of the Saukville Examiner newspaper from October 1, 1950. This is also a prop I have covered in depth in earlier posts. View the Saukville Examiner's Conception, Design, and Execution at the links provided.

Finally is a photo of the Resurrection Spell that is displayed on the "shrine table" in the attic scene. Supposedly, this spell from an old witchcraft book is what Elizabeth tried to use to summon her dead parents. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out too well.

Props Part 1

This week, we continue to look at props found both in the attic, as well as in the cemetery.

First off is a 13-hour clock - custom made, and it actually works!

I replaced the face with a print out version of a '13' Hour Clock - a tribute to Disney's Haunted Mansion attraction. I painted the clock hands a blood red, so they would stand out against the mostly black and white face. The hands were originally black. The iron body was then painted and aged as well. It was originally a dark green, but we painted it gold and aged it using a dull brown.

This next prop is a birdcage that I found at a thrift store. It was not meant to really house a bird, as it has no door. Just the creepiness of an empty bird cage, with it's swing slowly swaying in the breeze is all this prop needs to bring a chill to the attic. 

Finally, this lantern, which really works, is housed in the cemetery. Although not oil burning, this lantern was made to look like one. It was already pre-aged, as it was bought online on a Halloween prop website.

That Classic Halloween Scene

Picture the classic scene of Halloween: trick-or-treaters running amok - a community of souls united by the shear fun, joy, and excitement that All Hallows Eve brings with it.

There's a slight chill in the air, but everyone is partying and having a good time.
It's the perfect atmosphere that brings back the kid in all of us, even if it's just for one night!

Following is a video of the street where Greywood Manor resides - full of estates with many other stories to tell. That was Halloween 2010.

Greywood Manor 2007 & 2008

In my first main post, Greywood Manor 2010,

I displayed a video of this past year's 2010 haunt.

Today, I'd like to showcase a collage of how it looked years back, in 2007 and 2008.

2007 was the first year I created the attic scene.

2008 followed, with slight changes.

As 2009 was my freshman year in college, I did not know how much work to expect. Thusly, the attic scene was not set up that year. The only decor set up was the graveyard - a constant since before 2007.

And as we've seen, 2010 brought the attic's triumphant return, again with slight changes.

2011 is looking to be an iconic year as well - not with a resurrection - but with the addition of the "holiday overlay" props that have been worked into the back-story but that have never actually been displayed before. Stay tuned to this blog, as I have some fascinating posts in the works!

The Saukville Examiner - Part 3 of 3 - Execution

I could have split this post up into two distinct articles, but decided to lump them together so I wouldn't have any mini-posts. Note here as well that next week, I will be taking a break from posting as I gather more content to talk about. You will hear from me again in two weeks, however!

We can break "Execution" into two parts - the actual production of the newspaper, and the way the paper was displayed in the attic.

As for production, I printed through Trixie Pix Graphics.
Now although their website is not very well done, and somewhat (perhaps very!) confusing, the end product was very high quality. Using the jpegs from my design showcased last week from Adobe InDesign, I was able to have my newspaper produced.
I bought the $39.95 two copy option with aged paper. Yes, the price is a bit steep. This is a bit of a downside. Like I said before though, the final outcome was good!
It was shipped in a protective hard envelope.

As for the display, as you have seen in my Greywood Manor 2010 blog-post, you'll have seen that the newspaper was displayed alongside an image of Elizabeth Greywood on a decorative table.
This, however, had to be placed very close to the chain linked "barrier" that keeps guests from physically entering the scene. Tape was put on the back of the newspaper to prevent it from blowing away. Only the top half of the front cover of the newspaper was visible. Going back to the design, the only visible part that greatly needed to be read was the title of the newspaper, and the main article's headline "Greywood Mansion Haunted?" The rest was purely extra that just enhanced the storyline.

I'll end with one final thought on this project.
Yes, it did take a lot of time, effort, and drive to create this insanely detailed prop, but it was well worth it. I spotted many a trick-or-treaters reading the newspaper Halloween night, and that brought a smile to my face. A great bit of magic from Halloween and Greywood Manor!

The Saukville Examiner - Part 2 of 3 - Design

The design of The Saukville Examiner is as akin to a real newspaper layout as I could possibly make it.  There are four pages I produced in all - the Cover Page, which holds the largest story found within the newspaper - "Greywood Mansion Haunted;" a Local News page, which includes fake and real stories inspired by real events that really happened in Saukville the week of October 01, 1950; a World News page, which includes fake and real stories inspired by real events that really happened in the world the week October 01, 1950; and the Back Cover, which includes Letters to the Editor - commenting on occurences that happened that week, ads, and in very small print, newspaper credits - crediting the sources where I got all of my information from.

Below, I will link to the four full, high-resolution images of the newspaper, and also make some comments about each page.

Front Cover

One neat design element found on this page is the fact that the house pictured here is actually the Greywood Manor house.  It is also interesting to point out that the 1950's Electoral Shock article is a fake one, in that "Page 7" does not exist.  I only created pages 1, 4, 5, and 8.  The "Greywood Mansion Haunted" article does indeed continue on Page 4.


Local News

In this Local News page, I had some fun with the left and bottom border.  The page is designed to blend with Page 5, pictured next, because they are next to each other in the actual newspaper.  If you missed the detail, "SE" featured in the circular emblem stands for "Saukville Examiner."  The large one is merely for a unique design, but if you look closely, small ones end every article.


World News

I have to point out that I really love the globe design I used in the middle of this page.  It really has that old-world explorer's feel to it, perfect for the World News section.  Yes, all of these stories are real - either re-written by me, or taken directly from a source.  The photo of the young girl in the bottom left is indeed the girl the featured in the above story - Millie Millhiser!


Back Cover

I'd have to say that I had the most fun with this page - the Letter's to the Editor!  First off, notice that the "Letters to the Editor" banner across the top of the page is slanted slightly. This was intended, to showcase the fact that this is indeed a newspaper made in the 1950s without the aid of computer technology to help with the alignment.  The letters to the editor were written all by me, with most of them relating to stories that occurred to the townspeople during the week.  The cat that was supposedly lost, is actually a picture of the current cat I have - whose name really is Mintie.  A final note of interest, because of my love of the television series LOST, all the names of the people who wrote the letters in were minor characters found within the Dharma Initiative.

The Saukville Examiner - Part 1 of 3 - Conception

Today, we will take the first of a series of in-depth looks at a very unique prop of mine that appears in the attic scene of Greywood Manor - The Saukville Examiner. This fictitious newspaper, made entirely by myself using Adobe In-Design, is the connective storyline between the three families of the attraction - the Greywoods, the Baywells, and the Rukas.

A still from the Greywood Manor 2010 video.

Saukville, by the way, is the town where this haunt resides.

We can find the purpose of this prop by taking a quick glance at the Back-Story I posted a few weeks ago...

"So what became of the mansion? For more than forty years, Greywood Manor sat vacant.  Then, in 1949, the Baywell family moved in. Just a few months later, they moved out.  It is said that on Halloween night of 49’, the Baywell family encountered extraordinary ghostly activity that frightened them away. Rumor has it that on Halloween Night of 49’, the ghostly Christmas decorations reappeared, along with signs of Elizabeth’s presence. Had the Baywell family stirred up the spirits by making Greywood Manor their home? Neighbors of the Baywells say that they must have left early on November first. They left all of their possessions behind. No one knows where they vanished off to. It is rumored that they moved down to the state of Mississippi, wanting to have gotten as far away from Wisconsin as possible. But others, perhaps the more sinister, believe they never left. A newspaper ran a story on the report soon after. An investigator left a copy in Greywood Manor’s attic, so the next family to move in would know what they were going to be up against." 

As you can see, this fake newspaper gives the sense of the haunted history of the mansion. The paper itself is dated Sunday, October 01, 1950. In summary, the leading story - "Greywood Mansion Haunted?" - looks upon the Baywell family's disappearance that occured in the year 1949. After almost a full year of investigating, the SSS, or Spirit Society of Saukville (a fake paranormal investigation group), has finally pieced together the mysteries of the mansion's past.

Even though only one half of the front page of the newspaper was viewable this past year sitting on a table next to a photo of Elizabeth Greywood, there is more to the paper! Since I created this newspaper as a project for my Computer Design class I took this past year, I added a full other three pages that are full of both original and period-specific newspaper articles.

In my next post, entitled Design, I will display full high-quality images so you can read all the stories present within the newspaper. I'll also take you a bit behind the creation of these stories and the layout of the newspaper in general. In the final post, Part 3, about The Saukville Examiner, I will talk about what I had to go through to actually get the newspaper printed, and the logistics of displaying it this past Halloween.

Timeline

This is a follow-up to "The Back-Story" I posted last week.

Below is a timeline of important dates within the story of Greywood Manor.  Just like the written back-story, I use this information to find correct time-specific props to use in the show scenes.  Again, the casual guest would have no way of knowing all of this information, but us using this information to make decisions for our haunt greatly adds to its "correct" feeling.

May 13, 1825 – William Greywood is born in Maine.

October 01, 1829 – Lillian Welle is born in Maine.

December 24, 1847 – William married Lillian.

April 04, 1848 – Village of Saukville is established.

July 1849 – William & Lillian headed out west.

April 1850 – William & Lillian reach the Village of Saukville.

October 31, 1850 – Greywood Manor is completed.

September 22, 1856 – Lillian dies giving birth to Elizabeth Greywood.

December 24, 1865 – William dies hanging himself.

October 31, 1908 – Elizabeth supposedly dies.

July 1971 – Baywell Family moves into Greywood Manor.

November 01, 1949 – Baywell Family abruptly moves, or vanishes, out of Greywood Manor - supposedly down to Mississippi.

1996 – Ruka Family moves into Greywood Manor.

October 31, 2008 – Ruka Family opens up the house every Halloween for paranormal investigations.

The Back-Story

It seems that if you want an experience to be very rich, it has to have a solid story behind it. Today, I'm presenting what could be considered the story of Greywood Manor. It is important to point out that in viewing the haunt, there is no way to pick up all of the details behind this story - although this is a goal we try to forward each year. The back-story's main purpose is to aid myself and others that help me set up the haunt to have a solid foundation to rest upon. When we are adding props, musical cues, or special effects, we use this back-story to make sure everything fits. The fact that we are following a kind of "rule book" makes the haunt feel much more organic and correct to both us, the creators, and the guests who view it during trick-or-treat.

The following, thusly, is "The Back-Story of Greywood Manor." It is important to know that this version was updated for Halloween 2010 . Not all aspects, however, were able to make it to the show - the ghostly holiday decorations being what was left out. Due to budget and time constraints, it was decided to omit that part of the segment, or what may even be considered an overlay, this past year. It will, however, make it's grand debut this 2011!

"The Back-Story of Greywood Manor"

Pioneer William Greywood, a fisherman, lived in Maine all of his life up until the year 1849.  During the 20 years of his life in Maine, he married a woman named Lillian Welle on Christmas Eve of 1847.  In July of 1849, they decided to move out west, in search of gold.  A true 49er, William, along with his wife Lillian, made their way out to the just established village of Saukville.  Located in Southeastern Wisconsin, the village (established April 4^th of 1848) was only scarcely populated.  Most of the settlers lived out near the larger town of Port Washington, a prominent fishing port off the shore of Lake Michigan.   William decided to build out in wooded seclusion a few miles from the Milwaukee River.  He loved the area so much that he decided to build his house out in the woods, away from everyone else, to live in peaceful solitude with the land and the love of his life.  He was tired of being a fisherman, and figured that he could easily supply for himself and Lillian.  If he ever did need to go into a larger town, Port Washington was only a few miles away. On October 31st, 1850, Greywood Manor was completed.  This was just in time for the harsh Wisconsin winter brewing in the months ahead.  They loved their house, and easily survived the winter months.   Visited only by a few locals, William and Lillian believed that they were living the perfect life – quiet and peaceful.

On September 22, 1856, Lillian died giving birth to Elizabeth Greywood. William was devastated.  His true love was with us no longer.   He was left to raise Elizabeth by himself.  The following years, he slipped slowly into a deep depression, for his soul mate was gone.

Christmas of 1865 was fast approaching.  Being a practicing Christian, William still decorated for the holidays.  This would be the last time he would decorate the manor.   He had managed without Lillian for almost ten full years, but finally couldn’t take it anymore. He hung himself the night of December 24, 1865.  Extremely distraught, Elizabeth, 9 years old at the time, struggled with his death.  She had loved him very much, and was sad to see him go.  She tormented herself for believing she was the one that killed both her mother and father. She decided to keep living her life in the manor.  Because of the grief stricken by her father’s death, the Christmas decorations never came down.  She, along with a few townsmen, buried her father in the front yard near her mother's grave.  Following this, Elizabeth went into isolation.  No one is quite sure what happened to her after this incident.   

This story goes that she lived up until All Hallows Eve of 1908.  Sometime near the end of the 19^th century, it is believed that Elizabeth caught wind of the great Spiritualist movement that was started by the Fox Sisters in 1848.  She is thought to have learned about the movement while she was in town once or twice (always dressed in disguise) to obtain a few essential items for her survival.  She was said to have tried to contact her parents in the spirit world using many techniques, including the use of a Ouija Board.  No one is sure if she ever succeeded.  Some believe she aroused a demonic spirit in place of her parents.  The evil spirit may have pretended to be her parents, gained her trust, and then turned on her.  On Halloween of 1908, she is said to have died, perhaps by the evil spirits that had become part of her life.

So why did no one intervene to help her?  Common knowledge around the town at the time was that the house was vacant.  The tales, though, kept anyone at bay that may have investigated at the time.

So what became of the mansion?  For more than forty years, Greywood Manor sat vacant.  Then, in 1949, the Baywell family moved in.  Just a few months later, they moved out.  It is said that on Halloween night of 49’, the Baywell family encountered extraordinary ghostly activity that frightened them away.  Rumor has it that on Halloween Night of 49’, the ghostly Christmas decorations reappeared, along with signs of Elizabeth’s presence.  Had the Baywell family stirred up the spirits by making Greywood Manor their home?  Neighbors of the Baywells say that they must have left early on November first.  They left all of their possessions behind.  No one knows where they vanished off to.  It is rumored that they moved down to the state of Mississippi, wanting to have gotten as far away from Wisconsin as possible.  But others, perhaps the more sinister, believe they never left.  A newspaper ran a story on the report soon after.  An investigator left a copy in Greywood Manor’s attic, so the next family to move in would know what they were going to be up against.

After the Baywell family left, the house, again, sat vacant for another forty years.  In the year 1996, the Ruka family moved into Greywood Manor.  They, however, were smart enough to leave the house every Halloween night.  They would stay at a local hotel instead.  The haunting, apparently, still continue to this day.  In 2008, the son of the family, Justin, started to open the house up to the public on Halloween night as a form of paranormal investigation.  Every single person that has visited thus far has experienced something paranormal.  Come witness the phenomenon for yourself this next Halloween.  Relive the story of Greywood Manor!

Greywood Manor 2010

In my first content driven post, I wanted to give a brief summary, or overview, as to what Greywood Manor is all about.  I cannot think of a better way to do this than to post a video.

Following is a six minute edit of what guests experienced at Greywood Manor this past year. The content was recorded on All Hallows Eve; October 31st, 2010.  Trick-or-treating was held between the hours of 4:00 and 7:00 pm.  Thusly, you will see shots of both day and night, as this is what I must cater the haunt for.  The two main show scenes this past year were the cemetery and the attic.  I've compiled video from both, editing in only the music that goes with each scene or prop.  For clarity, the background noise was discarded, as to fully experience the ambiance of Greywood Manor.

Please enjoy!  More detail will come in following posts.  If you have any suggestions, please feel free to leave a comment as to the material you would like to see in future topics.