[PairaDize]

I don't know if this is the right place for this and if not, I apologize to the mods.

I recently came across a mausoleum prop on YouTube that I love and want to duplicate because it is so simple. I would like to make several life sized and have them all in the background. EXCEPT I do not know where one would find "ghost printed on piece of plastic". Please see the video. It is clearly not something one just paints on a shower curtain or piece of cellophane lol. I welcome any and all suggestions. Thank you!

 

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I think you could find this image on one of those wall scene setters that they sell every year on any halloween site/store.

 

[PairaDize]

I think you could find this image on one of those wall scene setters that they sell every year on any halloween site/store.

Oh my gosh what a GREAT idea! THIS is why I was asking everyone.... I never thought of this and I am sure there are other great ideas out there too!

THANK you for this suggestion, I will definitely look into it and see what I can find.

 

[Ghost of Spookie]

That's a nice effect.

Years ago there was a haunter who worked at a print company who was so kind as to share some of the images he had created for large print paper. My favorite and the one I used was what I called Ghost Lady with Baby. The paper used was a large poster size (printed for me at Kinkos or Staples back then) and I attached it at the top to a rod, similar concept to this guys mausoleum mount, and rigged something to hang it from above the top of the window but a short distance behind the window. Instead of lighting from behind since it was printed on paper, I placed a UV blacklight on the window ledge pointed towards the print so it would illuminate the Ghost Lady. The white of the paper became visible and the black portion of the print just faded into the darkness of the unlit room. My backstory was this was a mother and child haunting our house from our second story window and watching out the window waiting for her husband to return. Had a cemetary set up below outside. Got lots of compliments on it. Here's a photo from 2008 when I used her. Think the print cost me $5 at the time.

One year I had a fan blowing slowing on the back of the poster of Ghost Lady to make it appear like she was wavering in the dark room.

 

[Industen]

Why not just use a mini projector? Replace the front with a hollusion fabric and have moving images. You can get small short throw projectors that don't have to be 7 feet away. I did it last year on a larger scale. If you wanted one static image you can time it out in a video editor to sound and put black space between the image. Gives you more flexibility then just one image.

 

[PairaDize]

Why not just use a mini projector? Replace the front with a hollusion fabric and have moving images. You can get small short throw projectors that don't have to be 7 feet away. I did it last year on a larger scale. If you wanted one static image you can time it out in a video editor to sound and put black space between the image. Gives you more flexibility then just one image.

I have a projector that I use elsewhere. I want to do several mausoleums all together , each with a different image.. like a row you see in a cemetery. That's why I like this idea. Just something different in the background of my cemetery but not THE focus. I have a large area I cover so I am always looking for interesting background "filler". I can't afford 5 or 6 different projectors.

 

[PairaDize]

That's a nice effect.

Years ago there was a haunter who worked at a print company who was so kind as to share some of the images he had created for large print paper. My favorite and the one I used was what I called Ghost Lady with Baby. The paper used was a large poster size (printed for me at Kinkos or Staples back then) and I attached it at the top to a rod, similar concept to this guys mausoleum mount, and rigged something to hang it from above the top of the window but a short distance behind the window. Instead of lighting from behind since it was printed on paper, I placed a UV blacklight on the window ledge pointed towards the print so it would illuminate the Ghost Lady. The white of the paper became visible and the black portion of the print just faded into the darkness of the unlit room. My backstory was this was a mother and child haunting our house from our second story window and watching out the window waiting for her husband to return. Had a cemetary set up below outside. Got lots of compliments on it. Here's a photo from 2008 when I used her. Think the print cost me $5 at the time.

View attachment 744148

One year I had a fan blowing slowing on the back of the poster of Ghost Lady to make it appear like she was wavering in the dark room.

That's a really cool idea!

 

[PairaDize]

Ok after much searching, I did come across a se of two "ghosts" printed on a flimsy vinyl but they will work for a test, I think. If the weather ever gets better, I can work in the garage again lol. This will be a Springtime project.

 

[PatBo]

I don't know if this is the right place for this and if not, I apologize to the mods.

I recently came across a mausoleum prop on YouTube that I love and want to duplicate because it is so simple. I would like to make several life sized and have them all in the background. EXCEPT I do not know where one would find "ghost printed on piece of plastic". Please see the video. It is clearly not something one just paints on a shower curtain or piece of cellophane lol. I welcome any and all suggestions. Thank you!

Why don't you subscribe to the youtube page and ask the guy? ( Most haunters are willing to share )

Another option is a different projection, like the ones on atmosfx.com.

 

[GrinningReaper]

You can also create mausoleums that house a crank ghost, or a tombstone popper skeleton peering up over a door. We line our entire stairwell with mausoleum facades and each one has it's own set of creatures that inhabit them. Some of them are being slowly added as our budget allows. All of them are moving props rather than projections, because a few simple reindeer motors and some skulls don't cost nearly the amount of even one used projector. If they're going to be in the background, simple props are going to fill the bill nicely. Our cauldron creep lives under our upstairs landing porch, and he's the most popular prop we have in the graveyard, partly because he's cool, but also he has the fanciest digs in the graveyard. The mausoleum facade was made from free stuff we got around town. The only real cost was for the skeletons, the fake chains, and some hardware to hang all the Styrofoam stone panels. If you're willing to haunt Craigslist for stuff, you can create your mausoleums for next to nothing, and fill them up for far less than projected images. That said, we do have two projectors running on Halloween night, so we do believe they have their place.

 

[PairaDize]

You can also create mausoleums that house a crank ghost, or a tombstone popper skeleton peering up over a door. We line our entire stairwell with mausoleum facades and each one has it's own set of creatures that inhabit them. Some of them are being slowly added as our budget allows. All of them are moving props rather than projections, because a few simple reindeer motors and some skulls don't cost nearly the amount of even one used projector. If they're going to be in the background, simple props are going to fill the bill nicely. Our cauldron creep lives under our upstairs landing porch, and he's the most popular prop we have in the graveyard, partly because he's cool, but also he has the fanciest digs in the graveyard. The mausoleum facade was made from free stuff we got around town. The only real cost was for the skeletons, the fake chains, and some hardware to hang all the Styrofoam stone panels. If you're willing to haunt Craigslist for stuff, you can create your mausoleums for next to nothing, and fill them up for far less than projected images. That said, we do have two projectors running on Halloween night, so we do believe they have their place.

View attachment 744209 View attachment 744210

Yes!!! This is exactly my thoughts and close to what I see in my head. I wanted more visual interest in the backgrounds like you explained. I thought by using the plastic sheet ghost set up as per the video, it was a cheap way to get an immediate, affordable and interesting effect right now while allowing more costly replacements to be inserted over time. I also have two projectors currently... one is used outside in a much larger stand alone mausoleum and the other is used in an upstairs window. Both were fairly expensive when you include the videos, materials, and the housing to keep them safe and protected from weather. I have a small budget and have to spend wisely.

You have an awesome display! Do you have more pictures of your haunt?

 

[GrinningReaper]

You have an awesome display! Do you have more pictures of your haunt?

I am historically bad at taking pictures of my haunt. I get so caught up in the actual event, that stepping back and recording it doesn't often happen. Here's a couple our housemate took while I was setting things up. One thing you can see, is we put up half finished props all the time. The blue marble mausoleum doesn't have its detailing done, doesn't have it's critters haunting the broken open spots, has no top, and doesn't even have a black backing to hide the stairwell behind it. But on Halloween night, if filled a gap, so we're good with that. This year, visitors will get to see it all decked out with dead things. We think it's okay to put things out that aren't quite finished if it hides things that are even less impressive.

Like you, we have two projectors. One is used to project a demon-like skeleton on the large tombstone to the left of the mausoleums. (You can see him lit up in the first post. He doesn't have nearly the spot like look of the picture, but you know how cameras are when it comes to low light.) The other projector is for dancing skeletons through an upstairs window. We also have a set of blinking eyes on the Haunted Bears mausoleum, but that's one of those silly little blinking eye lights that Home Depot sold. At 75% off the after Halloween sale, we couldn't resist. By the way, if you need more videos, bookmark AmosFx or your favorite sites and drop by to check for sales. All our videos were purchased at half off because we waited for them to show up on sale.

We are REALLY budget conscious. But when you make most of your stuff, a budget can go much further. Our graveyard popper cost us less than $15, and that includes the first motor we burned out after our first year because he wasn't balanced properly.

All this does speak to what you mentioned. Even though we have the same graveyard display every year, it is constantly in flux. Tombstones move around each year, new ones are added. New ideas are worked on, and because we're at the end of a dead end road, we rely on people loving the display so much that they come back the next year to see what's new.

Even though the mausoleum facades are the last layer of the graveyard, it houses some of our most beloved props. We're good with that. It slows people down to see if they're really seeing what they think they see. That in turn means the foreground tombstones get a longer look as well. Creating an interesting backdrop to your prized props is all part of the bigger haunting picture.

 

[PairaDize]

I know exactly what you mean all around! My picture attempts are rushed events because I spent my time "fixing" stuff right up until the last minute and didn't want video if I wasn't satisfied. Which I never am. So pictures are scattered and video non-existent.

I love what you have done and you nailed it when you said about the layers. That's what I want to do as well... set up better layers.

I really like what you have done and the thought behind it. It looks great. I really really like the cauldron creep. I plan on adding a popper too. I need more moving things. We usually have actors but due to covid last year, we didn't use anyone and that was really missed. Things felt flat. So we have GOT to install movement this year. I was just checking out deer motors on Amazon lol. And I have friends & family well versed on what to look for at Yard sales. It's about that time of year again too. I really want oscillating fans and a foot massager from yard sales his year .. I need the parts... HAHAHA.

Thanks for sharing and keep working on it. I'd love to see more and I will keep an eye out for your how to's or plans and such.

 

[GrinningReaper]

We did a tutorial years ago when we just started building the mausoleums. You can find it at Mausoleums On a Tight Budget . All our mausoleums are made from reclaimed stuff; mostly in the manor described in the tutorials. However, the O'Lantern family is a bit of a mosh up of those techniques and a couple of pieces from a stereo unit that someone was throwing away. We try to see things others are throwing out or giving away with the eyes of haunters on a really tight budget. Our largest individual purchase was an older family's skeletons, pumpkins, and other Halloween stuff that they were selling for $50. They were retiring from full scale haunting and going to easier to maintain inflatables. We have a dozen skeletons and as many pumpkins from the transaction, along with other creepy things. We sent them pictures of our haunt last year to let them know we're putting them to good use.