Thriller

[caniac]

have seen the youtube videos and want to attempt to do a skull or pumpkin to do the actual "singing" to the music. was thinking of using thin plywood to screw the rope lights to but it looks like most folks use some sort of frame or wire mesh. anyone wish to share? tips, tricks, etc.

[kzaas]

I would, If I knew what I was talking about:D

[caniac]

[Ron Amedee]

Thats CRACKER's display..He is a regular on here and the best I've seen at animating a pumpkin' face. He will see your post and you will get get help from him. He has helped others . Also George does an excellent job with his face animation.

[MikeH]

Here's a couple of threads you might want to check out:

http://lightorama.mywowbb.com/forum74/16860.html

http://lightorama.mywowbb.com/forum83/17356.html

MikeH

[TJ Hvasta]

What I used..

Main face: 6' x 6' 1/2" pvc, with med gauge cow pen fencing 2"x3" grids, ziptied to the frame.. then 7 sections of rope light, 2 for the eyes.. bottom lid, upper lid (to blink) and 5 sections for the mouth, basically vowel sounds..

Chorus faces (3): 4' x '4 frame, also 2" x 3" cow fencing, same 7 sections of rope light.

I got my rope light from Creative Lighting.. 150' roll of orange 13mm, $55. I made 4 faces, the 1 large, and 3 small faces

Monster mash:

Thriller:

In the Thriller video, the lighting is a little brighter so you can see the framing against the garage wall, also with the strobe flashes it's visable.

[caniac]

TJ Hvasta wrote:

What I used..

Main face: 6' x 6' 1/2" pvc, with med gauge cow pen fencing 2"x3" grids, ziptied to the frame.. then 7 sections of rope light, 2 for the eyes.. bottom lid, upper lid (to blink) and 5 sections for the mouth, basically vowel sounds..

Chorus faces (3): 4' x '4 frame, also 2" x 3" cow fencing, same 7 sections of rope light.

I got my rope light from Creative Lighting.. 150' roll of orange 13mm, $55. I made 4 faces, the 1 large, and 3 small faces

Monster mash:

Thriller:

In the Thriller video, the lighting is a little brighter so you can see the framing against the garage wall, also with the strobe flashes it's visable.

Still digesting all of this, the Lowe's here only has white pvc so i see spray paint in my future. do you use pvc adhesive to assemble it all and then wire tie the cow fencing? do you take the cow out of the fence first? lol

[CLD Kevin]

Just as TJ stated.

I used 3/4" PVC as the frame with a cross support inside. After the frame was built, I spray paint it to match the color of my house. Then tie-wrap 2x4" wire fencing which comes in 5ft x 50 and 100ft rolls. I believe the fencing can be found at both Lowes and HD. I layout the rope light and secure it to the fencing with small tie-wraps. I prefer 3/8" rope as it's easier to bend and just as bright as 1/2". I glued everything and store as is in my shed. I’ve seen others not glue so it can be taken apart for storage.

My main face is 8x8ft and the others are 6x6ft. Because the main face was too big to fit in my shed, I cut it between the mouth and eyes. I use hardware to reconnect.

[caniac]

Jeff Millard wrote:

caniac wrote:

...the Lowe's here only has white pvc...

Check the electrical dept. I've found that the white PVC becomes brittle after a few years. Rewrapping an arch is a bad habit. The grey is said to be better for the outside environment. (I still painted it black...)



Jeff

The problem i have with that is that they don't have all the connectors for the gray stuff. Didn't see any elbows or T's which are necessary for the frame.

Cracker:

How difficult are the mouth movements? Is choosing "Thriller" as the first song I choose to sequence getting in over my head?

[Ron Amedee]

This is a sample sequence from Cracker with excellent mouth movements..it's not thriller yet you will get an idea of the vowel sounds.

Attached files Bad_Things_renew[1] Cracker Version.lms

[Dale W]

caniac wrote:

Jeff Millard wrote:

caniac wrote:

...the Lowe's here only has white pvc...

 

Check the electrical dept. I've found that the white PVC becomes brittle after a few years. Rewrapping an arch is a bad habit. The grey is said to be better for the outside environment. (I still painted it black...)

 

Jeff

The problem i have with that is that they don't have all the connectors for the gray stuff.  Didn't see any elbows or T's which are necessary for the frame.

Cracker:

How difficult are the mouth movements?  Is choosing "Thriller" as the first song I choose to sequence getting in over my head?

You can use schedule 40 pvc fittings (white) to glue onto electrical conduit schedule 40 pvc piping.

I would recommend painting it black to reduce the effect of exposure to sunlight. Though, if you are only going to have it out for halloween, it would not be an issue for a number of years. PVC I have used that was exposed to UV rays would need replacement every couple of years.

[caniac]

Ron Amedee wrote:

This is a sample sequence from Cracker with excellent mouth movements..it's not thriller yet you will get an idea of the vowel sounds.

can i get the mp3 to go with this? won't let my just play it without the mp3.

[Ron Amedee]

Caniac PM Sent
Check you email

[Tracy West]

I used plywood for my castle face that I created last year. It works ok but the build up and tear down is not fun. I am doing frames this year and then I can just store it in one piece.

[caniac]

Tracy West wrote:

I used plywood for my castle face that I created last year. It works ok but the build up and tear down is not fun. I am doing frames this year and then I can just store it in one piece.

that's my thought, plywood seems like it would be easier but the pvc frame will be ton's lighter. Lot's of good tips on here and the PVC is relatively cheap, i think i can build the frame's for $50 or less each.

[caniac]

any thoughts on using regular rope lights for the singers as oppose to LED rope lights. given that this display will only be up maybe 4 days tops, power is not a consideration. brightness and sharpness though would be.

[Tracy West]

I used the basic rope lights from home depot last year and they were bright enough and were cheaper than the LED ropes. I used LED rope lights for my house and yard.

[caniac]

what about gluing the PVC? i saw the cement but it had ton's of warnings regarding respiratory issues. I am an asthma sufferer so that is a major issue. would Elmer's work?

[Guest guest]

caniac wrote:

what about gluing the PVC? i saw the cement but it had ton's of warnings regarding respiratory issues. I am an asthma sufferer so that is a major issue. would Elmer's work?

I and my wie do too caniac, but if you do the gluing OUTDOORS and not inside a house, garage or other small enclosure, like a storage shed, you should be okay, just stay UPWIND when gluing. And if you have one or can afford one, get a respirator, I don't have one, so I just use those surgeons masks/dust masks that cover the nose and mouth.

I use these when spray painting items, gluing and even when soldering to help keep from breathing the solder smoke.

I also use small computer fans wired to an adapter for helping to blow the fumes, spray or smoke away from me while I am working too.

Just some suggestions that may work for you or not. I know they work for me just fine.

[caniac]

Orville wrote:

caniac wrote:

what about gluing the PVC? i saw the cement but it had ton's of warnings regarding respiratory issues. I am an asthma sufferer so that is a major issue. would Elmer's work?

I and my wie do too caniac, but if you do the gluing OUTDOORS and not inside a house, garage or other small enclosure, like a storage shed, you should be okay, just stay UPWIND when gluing. And if you have one or can afford one, get a respirator, I don't have one, so I just use those surgeons masks/dust masks that cover the nose and mouth.

I use these when spray painting items, gluing and even when soldering to help keep from breathing the solder smoke.

I also use small computer fans wired to an adapter for helping to blow the fumes, spray or smoke away from me while I am working too.

Just some suggestions that may work for you or not. I know they work for me just fine.

not an option, command central is in an office building. I rented a 14' x 14' room and wired it to my network, etc. Have all my goodies (minitaure mega tree) there. trying to avoid carrying stuff off and bringing it back. doesn't need to hold water so I was wondering if PVC cement was really necessary. there is a fire escape door i could open that doesn't set off alarms but don't really want to go there.