Canton Chills

I spent some time conducting research this weekend on video projectors, DMX lights, fog machines, and wireless transmitters, digital decorations from AtmosFX, and computer show controllers. My goal was to get a good understanding of equipment and cost and keep that understanding in the back of my mind while planning out the display. The theme of the display will be kid-friendly with hints of creepiness scattered about. I imagine something more of a Disney experience: good attention to detail with a warmer, thematic feel. I am also adjusting my mindset such that I think of it more like a show than a display. I am just not skilled enough to know whether the show is built around the display or the display is built around the show. This perspective, I need to understand. On the display side, I also started a task I was curious about for some time. That was, what is the distance to screen size projection ratio for the video projectors I have. I managed to get measurements for the mini...

I've been thinking about the technical work required to create a multi-projector synchronized display. A previous post on the 2020 plan outlined some technologies to put together to make it happen. And, it was possible, albeit, time-consuming. I revisited a project that I hadn't looked too closely at before. Actually, until two years ago, it wouldn't have had the features that interested me, but it does now. It's called the Sprite Video Player by MedeaWiz and it's quite remarkable. But basically, you can load it with video and sound files and remotely command it to play a file on demand. It even works with DMX. That got me thinking about other DMX elements in the display, like lights and fog, and how I would conduct the various animations and scenes. The simple answer came from the fact that I already have some DMX components, including a USB-to-DMX connector and DMX lighting controllers. I can use a computer running either Vixen Lights or XLights and programmed seq...

I think Canton Chills has been a great success over the past 5 years. Big crowds formed in front of the house and children and adults alike have been entertained and terrified. The house has earned a reputation for frightening technical excellence. Dawn and I talk about delivering a more kid-friendly experience every year. I still want it to be entertaining and amazing from a technical perspective. This translates into lots of planning. Our goal: Provide a family-friendly experience that amazes all age groups. The "family-friendly" part simply comes from using more comical animations and toning down the sound and special effects so as not to frighten more sensitive children (and parents). Walkways will be well lit, but scene lighting will still be theatrical. Scary sounds will be toned down and fog will be moved away from visitors. Video projections, sound, and DMX driven lights (both static set lights and color settable floods, including strobe) will all be synchronized. A s...