Thread: Several categories of questions...

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Ok so our Halloween plan is big this year, as big if not bigger than last years Jurassic Park. We are doing our own version of Alice in Wonderland and we are not only adding a lot of new set pieces but thinking of a new method for construction.
I'm posting this here to save on space. I really don't want to be posting a bunch of different threads and having to wade through and find them again and again.

First up, we are building a Vortex tunnel. One big issue is the kind of motor to make it go. We have been using the tutorial linked on the monster page of projects but we can't seem to find that motor. We want the tunnel to turn at about 5 rpm.
What kind of motor would be best for that and what price range would we be looking at for it?

Next, we (so far just me and my co-director) are looking at possibly putting up a wall around the front yard, about mid to late August, to hide all construction. The past few years we have had big builds that attracted all kinds of attention, and some complaints from the city asking what the hell we are doing. We will ask the city before putting a wall up and explain that we would like to minimize driver distraction and keep our set up under wraps. We hope that the city will allow us to put it up and we know if we have a big wall hiding whats going on people will be itching with curiosity.
So to put up a wall, we will need a durable but easy to put up and take down material. Standard plastic won't work and neither will wood panels. Both cost a handful and present difficulties. Is there some kind of heavy duty tarp like material to make temporary walls with? The walls will probably need to be anywhere from 8'-10' tall to hide pretty much everything.

And finally, for now, I have another question about the tunnel. What is the best material to put inside the tunnel? Would a heavy canvas hold up well enough? We are going to paint the fabric possibly before putting it in the tunnel and maybe a little more after its in place.

Thanks to everyone ahead of time for help! I will post more questions as I get them. We are holding a meeting tonight so there may be more posted this evening.

Ok so walling off the entire yard is a no go with other people. But we are looking at walling off a section of the yard for construction.

Also I am looking for music to play. So far we have gotten a liking toward Midnight Syndicate's Lullaby and some Nox Arcana songs. We are inclined toward lullaby like songs and I would prefer music without lyrics and more of a classical feel rather than a heavy metal feel.
So does any one know of good music to use along the lines of Midnight Syndicate, Nox Arcana and the lullaby, maybe even circus feel?

Make all your constructions movable. Build in the back and store them, roll out the week of.

For a rotating motor, you can get gear-reducers which are electric motors with a gearbox already attached to it to slow down the rotation speed.

If that's too expensive, you can use the multiple-pulley method, kind of like in a drill press. Build a plywood frame to mount your shafts and bearings, and rig up any ol' electric motor. Garage sales and flea markets are your friend!

"So does any one know of good music to use along the lines of Midnight Syndicate, Nox Arcana and the lullaby, maybe even circus feel?"

Have I got the perfect music for you!!

The album is called "Music For Zombies" by Music For Zombies. I didn't care for most of the tracks on this album, but 3 really stood out for me.
Track 2, "Zombie Sonata", is a dry, macabre piece played on pianos (one grand and one standard). Good mood music with a couple of good shrieks at the end for good measure.
Track 5, "Spirit Symphony", and track 6, "Carnival Of Souls", are probably THE TWO songs you're looking for. "Spirit Symphony" is a more subtle piece. It's somewhat carnival-like, with spooky overtones, played primarily on a marimba and xylophone. "Carnival Of Souls", played on (I think) a full blown calliope, is a creepy piece that immediately evokes images of psychotic clowns and freak shows gone awry.
Another song you may want to check out is "Hell" by Halloween Music. It's a classical string piece, with subtle background noise, and a steady stream of voices speaking in low tones, but their words are inaudible (you can tell they're speaking, but you can't understand any of the words). A very creepy background track.
I'm not sure if you can find these gems elsewhere, but I got them from emusic.com.
Hope this helps,
John

Pumpkinhead - Those songs may be in the range we are looking for. I have to run them past the rest of the group to see if others like them but I think "Carnival of Souls" will be a definite for us.

Bryan - We are looking to use a multiple pulley method to slow down the rotation, but we still need a motor to attach to it. We would prefer something small and possibly quiet or at least quiet enough we can drown most of it out with music.

So far what we have for music is using Midnight Syndicate's "Lullaby" for the Rabbit Hole. We are thinking of speeding it up or cutting the track short so each group can hear the children chanting "Join us in the ground", which is a creepy addition that ties into the imagery of going down the rabbit hole.
Right now we are looking at using the tune of Pop goes the weasel/All around the mulberry bush/Jack in the box song for the vortex tunnel, but we may switch to carnival music. The idea with the vortex tunnel is to be a black light nightmare. We are also going to try angling the walkway so it appears as though the tunnel is shrinking as you go through it.

I'll get a better description of our haunt set up later so you guys can get an idea of what we are aiming for and you can add helpful hints to building some of these things.

Our Alice in Wonderland set up, if all goes to plan, will be by far our biggest set up to date. Hopefully it will out shine the pirate ship and perhaps encourage the city to promote a community haunted house again.
This description is how we have planned the haunt to go, but may not be it's final product.

The ToT's will come to the entrance of the Haunt, a long winding tunnel that varies in width and height. Within the tunnel they will hear an eerie, charming tune (Midnight Syndicate "Lullaby") and witness a hazy color changing aura within the walls. At the end of the tunnel stands a massive knotted tree trunk, with hedges at it's side full of roses that were once white but have been sloppily painted red. Where the tunnel ends, a round room of doors and three familiar characters await their arrival. They will have to choose a guide from the three, a combat ready Alice wielding a flamingo shaped axe; An ornery, time obsessed White Rabbit with a clock chained to his wrist; Or a sly, demonish Cheshire Cat dressed in a suit with a toothy grin permanently splitting his face.

After they choose a Guide to take them through Wonderland safely they will be asked to choose a door. Some doors will permit only the guide while locking the group out, others will lead nowhere or never open, and one will be the path to take. Through the right door they will stumble into a room lit by blacken lights casting an eerie glow upon everything. Chairs sit on the ceiling and teapots are strewn about. Cakes and treats are scattered but uneaten by even the strongest stomached beasts. Ghostly glowing writing tells a tale of a terrible beast that was slain by a magical blade and a madly chattering man awaits his guests.

The Mad Hatter is in a disarray and suffers from delirium. His paranoia strikes at random and his tea partying friends are all gone. The March Hare's head sits upon a platter, face stricken with fear, and the Dore Mouse is tied neatly into the Hatter's bowtie. Alone and damaged he suffers and takes his anger out on those foolish enough to cross upon his ruined unbirthday. Their guide will have to use clever words, outward violence or a simple rush of time to hurry their group away from the Mad Man and into a deep underground awaiting them.

The thick fog and a scent of fungus fills their lungs as they wander into a glowing dank room. Mushrooms sprout all around, large and small, growing and shrinking. A sweet smell of a strange tobacco is in the air and they come to realize they are not alone. A hulking mass, unable to move speaks to them in convoluted rhymes, sounding like a warning but who really knows. The Caterpillar is immovable from his Hookah, sucked into an opium haze. Unwilling to move he has grown to immeasurable size but his unused limbs have withered and are near dead. Disgusted the guide tries to usher the group away, but the Caterpillar tempts them with treats and stories untold. In a subconscious effort to stop himself from drawing another breath of opiate poison his remaining feeble hands grasp and pull at the Hookah. In a bout of sudden anger the Caterpillar tries to rise up and wrestles himself to freely feed his addiction. His spell on the group is broken and the guide rushes them away, hearing his final garbled forewarning of things to come.

Through the fungal draperies they pass into a small, once regal hall. Faded velvet curtains form a door, beyond it sounds foreboding calm. Within the room is dimly lit and painted with red and white stripes, thin outlines of hearts drawn in black upon them. A throne sits in the room and in the throne sits a queen, the Queen of Hearts. She too wields an overly used looking axe shaped as if it were a flamingo. Her face is sour and derangement lingers in her eyes. Upon spotting the trespassers in her kingdom, she whips up into a violent rage, bellowing for their heads. Swinging up her axe the lights flash and the fearful guide pushes the group past her blunted blade and into an escape tunnel. Her shouts can barely be heard over the childish tune that plays as if on a worn, wobbling record (A manipulated version of "Pop goes the Weasel).

The Tunnel is awash of vibrant, nauseating colors, twirling and spinning, glowing like a toxic mash. Among the colors a deep red stands out and down the tunnel is the rest of poor March Hare, pinned to the tunnel with only one paw left dangling and flopping as the scene turns about. He seems as though he tried to escape beheading but was caught and left as a punishing reminder to all who offend the Queen. Staggering out of the tunnel, and regaining footing is only half the challenge now. A boar-ish roar from behind reveals Tweedle Dum, a towering oaf with tusk like teeth and blood spattered clothes. At his feet lay small arms and legs, various bones and trick or treat bags, their contents spilled out upon the floor. Distracted by Dum, the guide tries calmly to reason with the lummox and get him to find a victim else where, while behind them Tweedle Dee, a smaller, swine like monster lurks in hiding. He grabs at the group hoping to snag another treat for his insatiable belly. Panicking the guide rushes the group out down a teetering ramp and into apparent safety.

A calm quiet room lies ahead with a table set up near a door marked "EXIT". On the table small bags bear the label "Eat me, Drink me" and inside are waxen bottles and colorful candies, a treat for the success of surviving Wonderland. The guide bids them fare well and scampers away to lead another group through the treacherous Wonderland, sneaking into the Rabbit hole through doors that supposedly lead nowhere.



Sooo.... Any thoughts? Ideas for music, build tips, general reactions??

Alrighty, we are still looking for a good motor to use for our tunnel of colorful doom. We are looking for something AC and preferably cheap (under 300$). We will be gearing it to get 5 rpm on the tunnel.
Any ideas at all for the best type of motor to get???

Also we will be using real rabbit fur for some of the costumes, so I am curious about stretching or scraping the leather on the skins to make them thinner without losing the fur? How would one do this with an already tanned hide?

Lastly, any thoughts on using a mold to make edible mushrooms for the Caterpillar to eat? What to use for making the mushrooms, how to make the molds, etc?

Any one know where I might be able to find the sound of a record cracking and popping? I've been checking youtube from time to time when I remember to look but I haven't found anything yet.

Holy Crap, I wish I was going to your haunt. Sounds scary and fun!!!! For the mushrooms what about a fondit. I have heard it is very easy to work with and edible.

Originally Posted by the dogman

Any one know where I might be able to find the sound of a record cracking and popping? I've been checking youtube from time to time when I remember to look but I haven't found anything yet.

Check this site out.
http://www.freesound.org/samplesViewSingle.php?id=30974