Jump to content
Light-O-Rama Forums

Lessons Learned


jimswinder

Recommended Posts

So...is it too early to ask

"What did you do WRONG this year?"

For me...expanded too fast and too much (48 channels to 528).

My sequences were not up to my own (low) standards...ran out of time. I was hoping to have a LOT more songs done,..but I did not.

So next year...I am going to put my effort into doing some Richard Holdman type quality sequencing...

You??

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow Jim, I cant even begin to imagine that many channels. That was a large bite.

Me, I still got to figure out things by error. One of them is arrangement of my items in the yard. I put something with a lot of action closer to the road where as I should have put them further back. Now this is all of the elements in question are all the same height. But the ones I need to move further back and fill and not the main event so to speak. I want the elements that actually are the main attraction in the front and the fill elements in the back. That is one mistake for this year. Other is that I still need to get a better grasp on what levels to use and min and max for my LED elements so that my fades are smoother. Would like to make some elements that are made with strings of say Red, Green, & White and be able to fade in the different colors like Mr. Holdman does. Looks almost like different colored spot lights panning across some of those trees of his.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My big mistake was, in January I think I can do anything. In November I say, What was I thinking!? I'm lucky if my show is as good as last year.

The one thing I did right is read the fourms all year, it keeps me from having tech problems, and reading about all Jim's problems makes me feel better about myself.:P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest wbottomley

Lessons learned for me....

Not to do a display in the Winter.

Since I can't change that, I'll just do things a little different.

I plan to convert my mega trees (only 1) to RGB pixels. That will give it a possibility of 16.7 million colors and 6048 channels.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

rstately wrote:

reading about all Jim's problems makes me feel better about myself.;)

I'm here to help in anyway I can... :P
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mountainwxman wrote:

Not to do a display in the Winter.

Hard to feel too sorry for you folks along the balmy southeast coast this time of year. Tim Fischer can't see his house from the street for all the snow and you're whining and crying about a little "winter"...

And thanks, Jim, for making so many of us feel so good about ourselves while following your tales of woe all year. RStately said it so well...
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest wbottomley

George Simmons wrote:

Mountainwxman wrote:
Not to do a display in the Winter.

Hard to feel too sorry for you folks along the balmy southeast coast this time of year.  Tim Fischer can't see his house from the street for all the snow and you're whining and crying about a little "winter"...


"Little?"

We had 80" of snow last winter, over two feet this winter so far, and temps have been in the single digits with 50-70 mph winds.

I'm not fortunate enough to live in the lower elevations where it's much warmer.

Wind is my biggest issue.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mountainwxman wrote:

Wind is my biggest issue.

Isn't that the truth...

Must be a professional hazard... We have the same problem with our weathermen around here - except Minnesotans call it "hot air"...



Sorry Jim - what was this thread about? Oh yeah - lessons learned. To tell the whole truth, I kind of did the same thing you and Ron did this year - the ol' Superman complex. With all the paid sequencing I did and especially adding the CCR's, I also didn't get everything accomplished I had in mind for this year. And my own sequences are at the top of that list. The new ones were finished just fine, but I only got about two thirds of the existing ones upgraded this year with the new yard elements. The public will never spot it but I know that I could have and should have done better.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Major mistakes? Too much procrastination. Challenges with the new job not having the schedule it was advertised with. Letting some of the volunteers pay too much attention to all the rumors that the show wasn't going to happen, or would be impacted because the guy who got it all started 4 years ago, and has been the public face moved away. Not getting the channel layout and animation window done in time. Not managing to get my home show set up at the same time as the city show.

I think the key thing for me going forward is to make sure we make some progress all through the year.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

George Simmons wrote:

And thanks, Jim, for making so many of us feel so good about ourselves while following your tales of woe all year. RStately said it so well...

Hey...still have 16 days to achieve more woes for your enjoyment!!!

1509415.GIF
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well my major mistake was not getting started early enough, i am starting on next years sequences and lay out, already got plans for when the weather warms up to start building and next year we will be up and going strong

oh ya a big Thanks to all on the forum, you are a great inspiration. hope you have a happy and joyous Christmas and the lights continue to stay blink-in all year. Merry Christmas

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Biggest lesson learned: Not to watch a Holdman sequence after you watch your own! From watching others and I mean the really really good one's, you have to make it more like a movie. After seeing my videos vs watching them on the visualizer I can make some good adjustments. And like Max-Paul said, placement is HUGE! Also gonna take Jims advise too and do more like Holdman. All in all for a 1st timer, I'm still pleased and won't beat myself up right now. BUT expect bigger and better next season. Oh yeah, less songs too. I will take the really good ones and make those have a greater impact. Will also keep reading these forums and asking stupid questions.

My 1st year grade I give myself > C+ .... Still a passing grade :P

Link to comment
Share on other sites

pokrplr wrote:

My 1st year grade I give myself > C+ .... Still a passing grade :P

and yet, our audiences would probably give us an A+
Link to comment
Share on other sites

jimswinder wrote:

pokrplr wrote:
My 1st year grade I give myself > C+ .... Still a passing grade :P

and yet, our audiences would probably give us an A+

Thats a good point! My FB comments all point to an A+. We are definitely hard on ourselves. hmmmm, wondering if we will ever be satisfied??
Link to comment
Share on other sites

pokrplr wrote:

jimswinder wrote:
pokrplr wrote:
My 1st year grade I give myself > C+ .... Still a passing grade :P

and yet, our audiences would probably give us an A+

Thats a good point! My FB comments all point to an A+. We are definitely hard on ourselves. hmmmm, wondering if we will ever be satisfied??

I would imagine if I went from MY quality of sequencing this year to a Richard Holdman type quality next year...only the guys and gals on this forum would really notice...
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I give myself a D+, just passing. All the folks I hand out candy canes to love it, but I see the OOPS. Major mistake, did not apply my time to sequencing enough. Oh well, next year. Oh yea, buy more SPT wire and plugs.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Don Gillespie

jimswinder wrote:

"What did you do WRONG this year?"




Nothing I have been really good Santa is always watching

thought I could get away with out running my security cable through my display this year ya like thats gonna happen again just when you think you can trust the public you get a suprise, but I am glad that I am only adding two controllers to my display each year I do not want to bite off more than I can choose, makes sequencing a little easier. :D
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest
This topic is now closed to further replies.
×
×
  • Create New...