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The Story of the 2008 Halloween Show


thebaronn

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So I started the Halloween show way back in June. I was ready to be ready on time this year!! Then on July 4th my wife had twins! And my schedule went out the window. I didn't touch anything in the months of July and August. I found this fantastic song that I definitely wanted to do using LOR but it wasn't for sale. I could have just recorded it online but I wanted to do this the right way. So I started my email campaign to the group Perfect Reflection to let me use their music. They wanted to know what I was gonna do and I directed them to my website and they said they would get back to me.

September- Then September rolled around and I got the green light from my wife to go crazy. Then i completely changed the design of the house. I was gonna go for scary, but I changed it to fun instead. Then Mid-September I had the idea to put lights on my costume and go wireless on Halloween night. At first I wanted purple LEDs so I was rewiring the 50ct purple LEDs from creative displays to run on 12V. After about an hour I decided that was a no go. So i purchased some battery LEDs from various places. I had it all planned out so I was thinking "I got time." I started putting up the lights and everything (i changed my plans 2 times) and then I lost my sequences when someone formatted the 2nd hard drive on my computer! SWEET!! Then the best thing happened, the manager of Perfect Reflection emailed me a copy of THE song for my display!!!

October- The display was up an running on the 12th with only a couple of songs. I added more songs over the next week while I built the castle for the driveway and finished it. On October 13th I was at the Halloween Spirit Store and heard a great CD and purchased it. I st in the car in front of my house and listened to the CD while watching my show and decided I needed something else. I need to tell a story on Halloween night (No matter how lame, corny, or crazy it turned out) So i started to splice music together using a Virtual DJ program. My job is interesting. I work 3 days a week, anywhere from 16-24hours for that given day. I was lucky because I was working several 24hr shifts and was able to sequence at work. I made a script and spliced the music together and was ready to go. I just had to set up a few things and finish the costume. Then I was really lucky and got the flu!!! That was awesome! I was out for 3 days, I mean I cant remember the last time I felt that bad. Then I went to work and I finished sequencing it on the 28th, best thing about LOR is that when u watch it in the viewer and its good, you know it will be good. So on the 29th I started the costume. then ran into a snag, I didn't buy enough LEDs. I called my contact in Florida and she over-nighted me 400 more battery LEDs. So on the 30th I was finishing the costume and wiring it up and every thing. I woke up on the 31st and realized that I had not wired the Skull or the Scythe!!! I'm a genius. So i went outside first and hooked up last minute stuff, strobe, fogger a dry-ice moat in front of my castle. My family arrived to see the show at 430pm (time flew) and still had some wiring issues with the costume. At 530pm we set up the audio equipment and were running it. At 7pm I was still not finished, but I ran out side and played my best song for the first time for everyone (its the one at the end of the Halloween show) and then of course, THE LAPTOP FROZE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SONG!!!!!!! WTF????? I quickly restarted the computer and ran the song to a cheering crowd in the street. I left everything playing and went inside to hook up the costume. I finished it and then when I hooked up the costume, it wasn't very bright. I used all the battery packs and it just wasn't enough, but screw it, the show was gonna go on! I had several shills in the crowd ready to "die" when I touched them, it was gonna be great!! As I'm walking out the front door it starts pouring down rain! So all my buddies helped me grab the computer, the DJ equipment, strobes and the fogger and bring them into the garage. And it was done, no show. I was rather pissed! I think I was rated-R for a while. The Cheryl and Robert from my work drove 60 miles just to see my display so I felt obligated to try again and then my buddy Scott said, "lets do it now, we can still hear it in the car" I said why bother the lights don't even work and now the ELL is disconnected. So as I'm connected things I accidentally wire a 6V power source to the CMB where a 4.5V source should go and the lights go crazy, but I don't have enough to power the board and the lights (the light were 4.5V lights and to run the board I had 2 6V lantern batteries) So my buddy runs around town at 10pm looking for a place that is open that sells lantern batteries (thank you Walgreen's). I jacked the costume up when I ripped it off the first time so now I'm finished rewiring it and with the new found power it looks like it will work great. So we go outside and put on 1 and only Halloween show from a bunch of people from work, a few carloads of people and my family. and here is a copy of what it looks like (no fogger, no strobes, it is still raining! but the DC board still keeps going!). So check it out, I hope you enjoy it.

COMPLETELY WIRELESS BABY!!!!!



And yes the back of the costume does not have lights, When the initial costume wasn't very bright I had Scott start cutting wires to unnecessary LEDs in the back of the costume to get the rest of them to be brighter!

And my gut is not that big, that is a backpack with all the fixens!!

Thank you for looking! And feel free to post a comment!

Eric
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Outstanding!! I'm so glad you actually got it working and got to record it. You will definitely be ready for next year!

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I can feel your pain.:X I do a haunted yard every year. This year was going to my biggest yet. The weather had been fighting me for 2 weeks, thought I was ready then 15 minutes befor start time 3 sensors died. (I use optical sensors to trip props and or LOR sequences.) No replacements to be found I quickly regrouped and looped my sequence and let it roll. Only ran with half me display working, but the crowds loved it. Now I Have to pack it all away and start on christmas.:(

Attached files 160534=9317-DSCN0685.JPG

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I swear that the weather was taunting me. Halloween was the first real reain of the season!!! WTF???|I think my 1000W pre-amp blew from the rain, I havent tried it yet because I long as I don't try it, there is a chance it is working still!! LOL!!! But smoke on electronics is bad.....usually. I have had an 8ft black widow on my roof since October 1st and it never fell. The wind was sooooo bad that it fell off 3 times. The last time it yanked the nails out of the roof!!!!

GRRRRRR!!!!

Next year I will set up a 200ft X 200ft canopy to make sure the weather is not a factor, LOL!!!

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I have to tell you...that was very very freaky. Something about it really makes it very scary. the fact that you have a skull head that is lighted...the fact that your walking around...the music...the voice...really scary!

However, that is beyond and impressive and really shows the capability of LOR!

Great work!

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So I had a lot of complaints about the audio so i added csubtitles to the youtube video!

All you have to do is go to the youtube video page. On the bottom right corner of the video screen there is a triangle (to the right of the volume speaker). Highlight that and turn on the closed captioning!

And it works!!

Eric

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OMG!!!!

You are a GENIUS!!! That is fantastic. I must admit that it's hard to understand you; something a little less granular would have been better.

Still, in my best Wayne Algar, "I'M NOT WORTHY, I'M NOT WORTHY, I'M NOT WORTHY"

Fantastic show. Well done!!!

Cheers
Evan

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