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My Own 'Haunted Mansion' Attraction...Dream Realized

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  • My Own 'Haunted Mansion' Attraction...Dream Realized

    Greetings, Fellow Haunt Fans!

    My name is Kevin Karstens, I am a professional illustrator, and tho I have not had access to a house or yard to haunt for well over 20 years (we live in an apartment, the wife and I) I have wanted to create a dark ride inspired by Disney's Mansion since I was about 8 years old, back when my kid sister and I created 'rides' in our backyard (complete with fully operational animatronic figures, powered by record players, audio on cassettes and black light effects) which we pushed neighborhood kids through in a wheel barrow at 25 cents a head...


    As I have no ability to create a full scale haunted attraction, I came up with another way to realize my dream...create everything as fully functional miniatures, and film them with a mini DV cam, moving along inside/past them to create a 'POV ride experience'...

    So far I have created 6 of the proposed 11 fully operational miniature scenes from the 'Spectre Seekers: Daark Valley Orphanage' concept/script I came up with ...


    You can see more on the 'Daark Orphanage'
    via the link below here, including videos of the fully functioning miniature sets and concept artwork:

    http://kkarstens.wix.com/daarkvalleyorphanage


    Here is the POV video (including the 'queue') so far...





    Thanks for taking the time to look all this over, and I would love to hear what you think...


    -K
    Last edited by Kevin Karstens; 05-02-2014, 09:49 PM.

  • #2
    Great!

    This was fun!

    My childhood was filled with miniature based shows, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, Stingray, Joe 90 etc (Supermarionation is go!), I have a soft spot for the format that has lingered on.

    Also seems like a great way to run experiments with sets and ideas for scenes on a small (and therefore thrifty scale), dropping the camera in to get a customer POV is a neat way to see if the effect works.

    For some reason this seems to be a better 'simulation' for a haunt than a computer animation walk through...

    The idea of a 'whole room' peppers ghost is going to be very costly when you scale it up, you are going to scale it up aren't you

    Using the ipad/ phone as projectors, inspired.

    Thanks for this, great job and much food for thought,

    Dave

    Comment


    • #3
      Originally posted by VCDave View Post
      This was fun!

      Very glad you like it so far...thanks!

      The idea of a 'whole room' peppers ghost is going to be very costly when you scale it up, you are going to scale it up aren't you
      No, that's the point of my doing it all this way, in miniature, actually...I cannpt afford to do a full scale version, nor do I have any place to do it...(Iwe live in a two bedroom apartment, and this thing would play out to need as much space as the Haunted Mansion, if done right)...

      RE, 'a 'whole room' peppers ghost is going to be very costly'...no, not really...the glass size needed would be no larger than the front of most department stores...or you could add 'posts' in the room and ONLY put the glass between two of them where the effect would be required...


      Using the ipad/ phone as projectors, inspired.

      Thanks for this, great job and much food for thought,

      Dave
      Again, many thanks...

      I am currently almost done with the miniature room this effect will appear in (the 'room' in this test clip is just a box, LOL)...




      -K

      Comment


      • #4
        "RE, 'a 'whole room' peppers ghost is going to be very costly'...no, not really...the glass size needed would be no larger than the front of most department stores...or you could add 'posts' in the room and ONLY put the glass between two of them where the effect would be required..."

        Ah, of course, you can control the viewing angle from the car the customer is sitting in, so you could be selective..

        I'm looking forward to seeing the development of this project, good luck!

        It's usual to build 3D models for theatre sets so one can work out the 'blocking' or placement for actors and props. I think that you might have hit upon a technique that could really assist with full scale haunt design, even though I appreciate that is is not your specific goal.

        What camera are you shooting the POV with?

        Cheers

        Dave

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by VCDave View Post

          Ah, of course, you can control the viewing angle from the car the customer is sitting in, so you could be selective..
          Spot on...



          I'm looking forward to seeing the development of this project, good luck!
          Again, much appreciated...


          It's usual to build 3D models for theatre sets so one can work out the 'blocking' or placement for actors and props. I think that you might have hit upon a technique that could really assist with full scale haunt design, even though I appreciate that is is not your specific goal.
          Actually, the Disney guys (and Universal Studios, from a few documentaries I have seen) do it for every attraction...example footage, from 1969/Haunted Mansion...(I am flattered you would give me credit for the conception of the concept, but I 'cannot tell a lie'...





          What camera are you shooting the POV with?

          LOL...well, as I am the cliched 'starving artist', the best I could do is a handheld Vado HD...donated to me by a very good friend...



          -K

          Comment


          • #6
            Love that Disney footage, utterly fascinating, the 'disk' movement system for the animatronics, just brilliant, like a pantograph.

            "Actually, the Disney guys (and Universal Studios, from a few documentaries I have seen) do it for every attraction...example footage, from 1969/Haunted Mansion...(I am flattered you would give me credit for the conception of the concept, but I 'cannot tell a lie'..."

            I credit you with reminding me of the concept, not necessarily conceiving of the concept, conceptually speaking of course

            The VADO is doing a good job, I'm wondering if a video 'bore scope' might be even better.

            It's late here in the UK, I might* be rambling.

            *definitely am.

            Dave

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by VCDave View Post
              Love that Disney footage, utterly fascinating, the 'disk' movement system for the animatronics, just brilliant, like a pantograph.
              In those days, the Disney guys had to make do with a LOT of simplistic mechanical apparatuses...have you ever seen the odd 'record LP' style controlling mechanism for the figures that shoot at each other in the Ballroom? (Haunted Mansion)

              5314.Justice_2D00_Ghost.jpg_2D00_500x0.jpg


              I credit you with reminding me of the concept, not necessarily conceiving of the concept, conceptually speaking of course

              ...I'll take it!...


              The VADO is doing a good job, I'm wondering if a video 'bore scope' might be even better.
              Well, it would mean a change in the look/quality of the vid...and at this point, plus I no longer have the miniature sets I filmed (apartment/office too small to store/keep them, destroyed after filming) and I only have 4 or 5 scenes left to finish the full 'attraction' anyway...but something to consider for another 'ride' if I get the urge to do one...


              It's late here in the UK, I might* be rambling.

              *definitely am.
              Not in MY opinion...I really appreciate the feedback and interest, plus you're in the UK, the one place I want to visit before I die (I LOVE everything about it, from the architecture to your media/TV/films/music...so now that I know you reside there, it will be tough to 'bore' me...

              Thanks Again...


              -K

              Comment


              • #8
                "In those days, the Disney guys had to make do with a LOT of simplistic mechanical apparatuses...have you ever seen the odd 'record LP' style controlling mechanism for the figures that shoot at each other in the Ballroom? (Haunted Mansion)"

                That's the thing! My guess is that the 'record' controls one plane of movement of the puppet/ automaton , say up and down of the whole arm holding the pistol, the uncut disk is fully up and a cut right to the centre spindle fully down. You now add in another disk (and set of actuators) for each movement you need, torso left to right, wrist up/down and so on, hence the stack of disks a bit later in the vid which creates a composite movement.

                "Well, it would mean a change in the look/quality of the vid...and at this point, plus I no longer have the miniature sets I filmed (apartment/office too small to store/keep them, destroyed after filming) and I only have 4 or 5 scenes left to finish the full 'attraction' anyway...but something to consider for another 'ride' if I get the urge to do one..."

                Consistency of image, sure, I was just riffing. I did a quick hunt on e-bay and there is a new breed of flexible lead tiny profile bore scopes that connect via usb to a computer, cheapish too, question over Mac drivers though...


                "Not in MY opinion...I really appreciate the feedback and interest, plus you're in the UK, the one place I want to visit before I die (I LOVE everything about it, from the architecture to your media/TV/films/music...so now that I know you reside there, it will be tough to 'bore' me..."

                It's typical isn't it, we'd love to go riding around the deep south on Harleys, shooting guns, watching endless episodes of NCIS, sipping back yard sour mash and heartily supporting your goddam constitutional right to live your life as you damn well please

                Cheers

                D

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by VCDave View Post
                  That's the thing! My guess is that the 'record' controls one plane of movement of the puppet/ automaton , say up and down of the whole arm holding the pistol, the uncut disk is fully up and a cut right to the centre spindle fully down. You now add in another disk (and set of actuators) for each movement you need, torso left to right, wrist up/down and so on, hence the stack of disks a bit later in the vid which creates a composite movement.
                  Exactly.
                  You can see them 'programming' the device here...(I have the vid set to start at the 2m39s mark where this occurs)...




                  Consistency of image, sure, I was just riffing. I did a quick hunt on e-bay and there is a new breed of flexible lead tiny profile bore scopes that connect via usb to a computer, cheapish too, question over Mac drivers though...
                  No worries...I have a PC...

                  Thanks!

                  I shot the 'Soul Stealer' scene yesterday, somewhat 'blurry' screencap (camera was in motion, my apologies...the video looks much more clear) of Pepper's Ghost and FX on glass with miniature set an 'iPad window'...

                  SoulSteal_Shot_02.png



                  It's typical isn't it, we'd love to go riding around the deep south on Harleys, shooting guns, watching endless episodes of NCIS, sipping back yard sour mash and heartily supporting your goddam constitutional right to live your life as you damn well please
                  Oh, goodness...please tell me you are funnin' me...I LIVE here and even I would NEVER do those things...I LOATHE the South, find Harley's unsettling and loud, have never seen NCIS, and do NOT drink at all...tho I do love that Constitution, when it's not being maligned for embarrassing purposes ...


                  Thanks again,

                  -K

                  Comment

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