Underwater room

[ResHallHaunter]

Hey all,

We are in the process of setting up our haunted house and I'm at a standstill with one of the rooms. In the room you walk past some windows that look into another room. I want to make the room that you look into an underwater scene with drowning victims (our theme is a cruise ship). What colors should I paint the walls so that they look good under a black light. I can envision exactly how I want the room to look but I'm not sure what to do to put it into action. Any ideas on how to make it a great underwater room?

[Allen H]

It seems like you have two things going on here, Is it a black light room, or underwater?
I would Highly recommend an Aqualight if you want an underwater effect.
http://www.americandj.com/ProductDet...temNumber=1612

[TALA]

I believe that the scenes aren't compatible anyway. Either an underwater or black light. If I was to make an underwater scene through windows, I believe pictures would work...

How long do you actually expect your customers to be looking through the window? I personally don't want people staying any longer than 45 seconds in a room.

[ResHallHaunter]

Let me be a little more specific. No actual water will be involved. Blacklight is just the type of lighting I have chosen because it's within my current remaining budget. I don't understand why this isn't compatable. The idea is this the guests will walk past the windows and see drowning victims. What they can't tell is that one of the glass panes is missing and as they walk past one of the drowning actors will pop out the window at them. I just thought that painting the room a bright bright blue or green would give it a better underwater look.

[deathstaste]

I think

what they are saying is that black light will not give the effect of being under water
since you are on a budget save the black light for another room and use blue lights to get a water effect on the cheap shine them through jars of water either hanging or on uneven bases that can be set in motion by your actor.

[Allen H]

Well said deathtaste, I think the blue lights through water would work way better than a black light for underwater. Black lights are so common now in clubs that they might think they are looking through windows into a discotech.
If anything paint the room normal colors, that way it will look like a normal room filled with water as opposed to a blue room.
You could paint the room and props like normal, then use a wash in a paint sprayer to give everything a blue green tinge. That might help carry they illusion. Water affects colors because the light we view them with is filtered through it. A big key here will be a bit of movement to the light. Maybe blue lights under a clear storage tub, the storage tub has an inch or two of water in it and an aquarim pump to keep the water moving, this set up would be inexpensive. also a simple gel wheel could help give the illusion. If you go with a gel wheel in front of a light then I would hit it with a heat gun so it crinkles a bit and gives out uneven color.

[ResHallHaunter]

Ahh ok thanks for the information this greatly helps me!

[screamforadream]

Another option for you to do (which can incorporate your black light) is to have windows, with Tekno Bubbles (http://www.teknobubbles.com/) and have a bubble machine on the outside of your haunt and the bubbles will help give an underwater effect, especially if you put the bubble machine on the floor and use two fans, one to blow the fans vertically, then another to blow them upwards. (because bubbles rise).

Just a thought.

Then, you can also use the blacklight bubble fluid to drip from the ceiling and make little puddles and drip marks with it (like the water is starting to come in.) I am a HUGE fan of this fluid, I use it for many effects even outside of bubble fluid.

Hope this helped.

[Banshee]

Audio track of water sounds can go a long way in adding to the effect.

[ResHallHaunter]

I love the idea of a bubble machine

[damon carson]

I beg to differ. Larry and Haunted Productions have made some awesome underwater scenes for there blacklight mini golf. I suggest you go to hauntedproductions.com and see what they did. Its amazing there Atlantis mini golf. But then he has a very talented team. Good luck. There are also d.j. lights that you can use that make walls and floors look underwater. Hydo or Aqua Splash? I cant remember the name but they are cool. Ya and bubble machines as well. And maybe a tv with a head or a shark swimming by. There are alot of options.
Damon

[ScaryPAGirl]

I think deathtaste had a great idea. I also thought of this machine http://www.thisnext.com/item/424AA68...-Theater-Umine that would project the look of being underwater. I don't know how well the bubbles would show up, plus like someone else stated, they are only going to be looking through the window a short period of time.

I think walking down a hallway that had holes cut into the walls made to look like portholes http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_qlPyws6tDz...%2Btrimmed.jpg with seaweed hanging around them, some kind of clear gel to make them look wet with plexiglass in them and then have like one or two that are real and have an actors head or arm come out with seaweed or some kind of wet air blaster would be neat.

[damon carson]

Black light techno bubbles. Aquariums with air hoses. Its just too easy.
Damon