First timer in Lake Mary, FL

[dgander]

Just started this year, converting my 14,000+ static to 48 channels. Lots of extension cords to make this year but hopefully much easier next year to modify. Hope you enjoy.

 

 

[Orville]

Looks nice.  Welcome to this crazy holiday lighting hobby.

[EARLE W. TALLEY]

dgander your display looks great, the programming is outstanding, the only thing you need to do is learn how to shorten the sequences down to about 2 min each, most people won't stay and watch a 4 min sequence, otherwise you did good for the first year.

Earle

[Orville]

15 hours ago, EARLE W. TALLEY said:

dgander your display looks great, the programming is outstanding, the only thing you need to do is learn how to shorten the sequences down to about 2 min each, most people won't stay and watch a 4 min sequence, otherwise you did good for the first year.

Earle

I'm not sure that this is exactly true.  I have a few sequences that are within the 4-6 minute range, and so far, no one has complained, or driven off when watching the show.

Not only that, but I think it could very well be the type song it is.  If it's a slow song, those I try to cut back to the 2 minute or less time frame, but if it's a quick paced, dance to the music type song, seems folks don't mind those being a lot longer than 2 minutes;.   I guess it just depends on the persons taste in music and how the lights are sequenced to it. LOL

[Jimehc]

I have folks Parked in Front of My House / Display for an hour or more every night -> 64 songs, 2.75 hr show, and the show is broken down into 4 segments, Show repeats twice per night...

Edit: Although, in my neighborhood I do not have to worry about traffic, I am not on a main drag, I have 260' of frontage and people can exit around the block back to main street...

And if it matters to anyone - I'm the President of the HOA

Edited December 5, 2021 by Jimehc

[Orville]

2 hours ago, Jimehc said:

And if it matters to anyone - I'm the President of the HOA

LOL.  

Sadly, you would be the exception, so many of them can be complete a$$e$ when it comes to the way WE decorate and when we start setting up and tearing down that takes some time.  Including other members of a HOA as well.   I'll never move into a neighborhood with one, not ever again with my experiences with them.

[k6ccc]

3 hours ago, Jimehc said:

And if it matters to anyone - I'm the President of the HOA

That can help.  A friend of mine many years ago took that tactic about putting some ham radio antennas up.  Much easier after he was on the board.

 

[dgrant]

Here its a POA but the same. So when I first moved here, I got onto the Board and have been on there ever since. First year for my lights to music, I let the board know up front what I was planning and asked for objections. None, so I proceeded. At the time, very few homes in the area of 150, actually decorated. Just tonight I drove through the entire area and saw that at least a 3rd of the homes are decorated now, possiby more but lights weren't on yet. LOL, the first year of lights to music, I saw homeowners over at the local Lowes, buying lights! Then we sponsored a decorating contest and more people jumped on-board. Even another forum member lives here and has his show running. I'm sad to say, I'm dark this year, first time since I moved here in 2010

[tlogan]

14 hours ago, dgrant said:

Just tonight I drove through the entire area and saw that at least a 3rd of the homes are decorated now, possiby more but lights weren't on yet.

Maybe it's Covid fatigue, but this year in our neighborhood of 45 houses, we are approaching half of houses putting up at least SOME lights. In the past we've had, maybe, 8. Everyone else is doing static with some with a LOT and some with only a few bushes or a tree or two. Lately, everyone I've seen in the neighborhood comments on the number of lights and I say, "it doesn't take much. It all adds up." I hope my display and encouragement has helped. People have said things like I don't have, lights, or I don't know what to do and I've said I have PLENTY of lights if you want some and I'll come help you get started. And I try to mention that my display wasn't always this big, either....you have to start somewhere.

And, BTW, I AM President of the HOA!

As a side note, when we moved here almost 20 years ago, there was street nearby with about 60 house on it and almost EVERY one of them had lights, I had heard (and it looked like) some neighbors got together and decorated some of the holdouts' houses, too. Some just lined the sidewalk with walkway lights but, MAN, was it a show! Lots of traffic but the layout allowed it to move. We parked at the start and walked the entire street one year with out dog and one family had their garage open and decorated with a live Santa, so we took pictures with the dog. The last couple of years it's down to only a handful. So, as I talk to people in our neighborhood, I kind throw in there that WE could be the new place everyone wants to drive by.

[dgander]

Well my show is 25 songs. I break them up into 3 song segments. After each song I have a 1 min seq that has just the star and nativity lit and I talk about the charity I am highlighting this year. There are 7 of these 1 min segments where I can say different things about that charity. Total of 80 minutes, then it loops.  So far no one seems to have an issue with length. I would say most stay for 2 maybe 3 songs. Early in the evening I may bring out my portable wireless speaker so that walkers can enjoy but I limit that since I do not need neighbors or the HOA giving me issues. Our HOA has a contest actually each year. I won last year and now they say I can't get first place for 2 more years. Everyone stopping by said they were going to vote for my house anyway LOL.

 

I too have noticed more houses putting up lights this year. Some even 2 weeks before Thanksgiving (I never turn mine on until Thanksgiving night). I don't know if it is because of the contest or people were bored. I can tell you all the stores around here are now out of Christmas stuff, it didn't last long.

[dgander]

One more song link for everyone. Being on the corner makes it hard to video, have to move back and forth, cars driving by, airplanes flying over, etc. I am hoping to find someone with a drone that can video it for me with a smoother traverse. I can always lay the audio track back down separately later for those recordings that get interrupted by people walking by and  asking "Are you filming it?" LOL

 

 

[k6ccc]

Yes, laying down the audio in post is the preferred way.  And a good editing job from multiple angles can work well.  Take a look at the top video on this page for an example.  Two camera one time through, then move the cameras for a second time through.  That gave the guy doing the editing four camera angles to work with.

http://www.newburghlights.org/Videos.html

 

[dgander]

Yes, now I need to reload my Sony Vegas on my PC (the old movie PC got hit with lightning) and decide which song I want to spend the time doing multiple angles. Thanks for the link.