Crew Motivation

[OblivionHauntedHouse]

I have always known that Halloween and Haunted attractions were in my heart. Half the time, I think nothing other than when I can be back at the haunt and what I can do next. However, as we come closer and closer to completion - I find I am slowly losing the interest and drive of my main crew. Have I over worked them? Did we bite off more than we can chew this opening year? What could I have done to keep them going strong, better yet what CAN I do?

Even though these guys seemed to 'have it in their heart', it is clear they never came close to knowing the amount of work a full scale attraction takes.

Any advice on this topic? I love my guys and would hate to see them get burnt to the point where they do not what to do it again, or come October and they are littarally walking zombies (and not even the good kind.)

Please advise.

[Darkangel]

Are there any quality haunts in the area you could take them too for a behind the scenes tour or something? I know that seeing other shows is always a motivating factor and gets the juices pumping. They are probably a little burned out but thats because they haven't experienced the payoff yet. They just need to experience the excitement of creating a haunt and feeling that passion again they'll bounce back pretty quickly. So horror movie outing, visit other haunts, watch videos of other haunts, things like that might do the trick!

Good luck,
DA

[spookhaven]

I think the tour would be a great idea, it seems they are burnt out on the "haunt" aspect. So what I am going to do is have a picnic at an amusement park, nothing haunt related invite the families (that support their efforts also) and just have a fun day. Could even be done with dinner or picnic somewhere with a family activity nearby like swimming, golf, etc.

[damon carson]

Everyone gets burned out of anything eventually. I always visit another haunt. Or go to a horror movie or something. It gets me back to why I got in this stuff to begin with.
Damon

[Jim Warfield]

Yes, I know How That Works

for you, Damon. Feeling yourself helpless uncontrollably whimpering like a 4 yr. old sure must make YOU feel and once again know why you haunt...so you are on the giving and not the getting end of it all! Safer there isn't it?
HAHAHAHAHAHA!

Sort of like those who costume-up as the very monsters that they are afraid of, everything is "peachy" as long as they don't see themselves in a mirror!
"They are in control, they are in control, they are in control..."

[elowther]

That's a tough one. I've been burnt out for years it feels like. I was finally at a point after 3 years at the old location where I could hopefully have a little fun this summer, make small changes to the haunt and still put on a kick ass show. Now with having to start from scratch it will be the toughest year to date.

Slow and steady wins the race! I make it a point to do something small on the haunt each day so it feels like we are still moving ahead. Even if it's posting on this forum. I need to create my own motivation to keep going.

Spreading out the workload to friends and family helps as well. Any small chore that needs to get done I try to enlist the help of others not on core crew so it doesn't seem so overwhelming. Rotating some of the crew helps as well.

This weekend two of my main guys are taking off so I got on the phone to round up more bodies and it worked. I lined up two more willing to help out.

September is the worst. I don't feel like doing the haunt at all at that point but just fight through it. Darkangel is right. The payoff is so incredible it will give you the motivation to carry you through another year.

Try something fun and creative like making a short video in the haunt. Get actors made up and film a skit or teaser to post on You Tube to get everyone on the crew motivated again.

Have a cookout with as many people as you can invite at the haunt. 2 Hours of work then eat drink and talk about how cool this will be in the end.

I hope this helps.

Eric

[OblivionHauntedHouse]

All of these are great ideas! This is exactly what I am looking to hear. I mean - I was burnt out when I was on their end - working on a core crew for a haunt. Now that it is mine, and even I am getting burnt out - I cannot even imagine the other guys.

We sat in my office yesterday and looked at other haunt videos and how to's. This seemed to help us a ton. We then went to work and tackled a hall that wasnt on our original radar. Supprisingly it was quite usefull to create somwhere there wasnt a 'plan.' It is almost like we all had fun doing it because it wasn't on a list that HAD to be done.

My crew isnt the type that will be recharged after a cookout or a trip to a theme park. Alothough great ideas...it is all just figuring out what motivates them. What I had learnt last night with them and myself - is that if we ALL get truly excited or pumped about something - we do amazing things.


Our moving lights for our Facade come in today so that should fuel the excitement fire. (of course hours of programming on my end, but hell - it will get them all fired up.)

Our plan was originally to be done by this week Sunday with construction and such so Minispotlight.com has a completed surface to light. It looks like we may be mearly a week off schedule. I have been in worse places!

Thanks for all of the comments and suggestions. Maybe all I needed was some inspiration and motivation for you guys. And Eric - hang in there. I feel your pain with the starting from scratch thing. Yikes. WE CAN DO THIS.

[newhorror2010]

I agree!

Are there any quality haunts in the area you could take them too for a behind the scenes tour or something? I know that seeing other shows is always a motivating factor and gets the juices pumping. They are probably a little burned out but thats because they haven't experienced the payoff yet. They just need to experience the excitement of creating a haunt and feeling that passion again they'll bounce back pretty quickly. So horror movie outing, visit other haunts, watch videos of other haunts, things like that might do the trick!

Good luck,
DA

I 110% agree with you DA, I felt myself getting a bit burned out at one time during my 8th season THEN I took a trip to 2 very special haunted houses in the recent past. I left each house with a huge grin on my face & for the most part speechless. I realized I was fired up again & couldn't wait to get back home to start working! This is my 10th season & I'm going strong!

[KBFTodd]

hmm...I don't really know your current situation but when I ran a maze many seasons ago I would do the following to help with moral and stuff:

I would let the talent rotate positions ( costume allowing) to keep it fresh and not get burned out doing the same thing all nite.

We would have pot-lucks.

I would gather everyone after closing and tell them how much they rocked and let them share their favorite scares for the nite, makes for some great laughs and brings the crew closer together....

Heck I would even throw on a costume and do some scaring of my own.....amazing how that would energize some ppls !!!

[hauntman666]

last year was the same when i was helping out building a haunt everyone was kinda getting tired so what we did one night was have myself and some of the other makeup artists put makeup on others and ourselves and turn off all the lights on the haunt while we had friends walk through the haunt dark it familiarizes you with the haunt better being dark or you could do like a small mock walk-through just between the main people that are there and have them switch it up to see what others do with other rooms one person might like one persons idea of a scare in a room and try and incorporate that with something that already did good

[lonewolfmage]

Crew Motivation

Greetings~

(Warning gonna be a little long)

Seeing as though we as haunters; be it Pro, Semi Pro, Home Haunters, or Newcomers, we are in a way "down to the wire". to get things going for this season.

With this economy the way it is ... many of us have had to "scrimp and scrape" to be able to do what we have or want to to do ..

Some of us have even have had to cancel our attrations or "down size" due to financial or otherwise difficulites.


Be that as it is .. EVERY ONE .. from Pros to Newcomers need a break sometimes .. sometimes it's for a few days .. some times its for a week .. depending on your situation.. to just "kick back" and relax.. and have NOTHING AT ALL to do with haunting ..

Granted, YES you COULD get your crew together and just have "haunt free days" (meaning just gather as freinds, NOT as staff people, and just discuss anything OTHER THAN haunt stuff, save the haunt stuff for when you are at the "place of business" ) that could definatetly work... unless of course some (including yourself as owners) are that dedicatied that you cant go more than 10 minutes without talking or suggesting something that would look GREAT in your haunt....


Mind you I TOTALY understand the deication we ALL have to our haunts .. no matter how big or small they happen to be ..

However, sometimes, even in the busiest of times... you HAVE TO take a break...even if it's for a day or a week, (Sorry,Johnathan from RFR I have to put this in here) .. Look what John had to do .. He HAD to take a week off .if not more to take care of. "family matters" ( sory about the mispelling if I did ) He had to to do what he had to do .. ...

Hell at this point we (all haunters) should AT LEAST have ; Budget Planned, Safety and Fire Coding in place, Floor Plans, and majority of walls either built or placed (depending on situation) Actors for areas, Props bought( so they get there in time) and other MAJOR things done.. Again yes I 100 % understand each situation is diffrent from Pro to Newcomer.

The other TWEAKING can be done (depending on what it is) at the last minute(dress rehersal .. or even during the production (sometimes an actor or other staff member will suggest something and it just works, and people will notice something they didn't the last time they went through your haunt).. lighting adjustments.. moving of fog machines.. etc.

This just what I have found that does help sometimes keep motivation going .. as well as get "fresh" ideas flowing ..

Of course, as always( as has been mentioned before) , keep your staff ( either paid or un-paid) happy reward them SOMEHOW ... even if they do the littlest thing . even if it's just helping to build a few walls.. or helping to secure something.. or moving a light to see a certain thing better.

Recognize ALL your crew that you have, in one way or another .. even if its giving them a 10$ gift cert to a dollar store or something ... they WILL remeber that .. and you will have some one that will stick with you and be willing to work with you ..

~Just my humble(and long ) thoughts

(As a current home haunter with about 10 people, and still growing, and will follow for a commercial haunt, when WE feel it's time to do so , that are willing to help that have "followed" me and and other friends of mine) and stuck with us for the past 10 years or so.

LoneWolf/Jeff