Three days to go before I leave the shores of this island and head to some warmer climes. Dallas Fort Worth is the destination for the next FunFear road trip. I am heading to HAuNTcon 2013 to explore some amazing haunts and attractions in the pre show tours and then on to network with operators and suppliers thought the 3 day trade show. As well as the opportunity to brainstorm with product suppliers it is always a pleasure to enjoy the education sessions and seminars. This all builds to what is usually an excellent evening of outrageous drinking and partying at the costume ball, this years theme being a "Texas Chainsaw Masquerade". To say I was looking forward to this would be an understatement. I will take pictures and share those on my return.
On another slightly different note, after the months of development time spent on our polarity safe LED fittings, we have a new product coming from our manufacturer. Apparently they have further developed our initial design and have made some minor improvements, we will carry out some testing ourselves next week. I am also happy to announce that we will be offering a matt black version of the unit in the coming months. This has been an enormous challenge and athough the external colour is rarely of importance, (especially as you are supposed to be scaring the guests....not giving them time to be looking at the installations) we have achieved what at times appeared to be impossible.
I will keep everyone up to speed on that and a new updated website is being developed which will incorporate a product page with all of our LED products and control system options on as well as our recommended sound stores and MP3 player.
Further updates to come so watch this space.
Ian
Friday, 19 April 2013
Friday, 12 April 2013
2013 The First Quarter
Well it is fair to say that 2013 is proving to be a very productive and interesting year so far.
The twisted technicians have been working very hard in the R and D office refining a new control system for scare attractions. A modular fully controllable unit that can be integrated into just about any attraction to provide control via just about any switch, whether it be pressure mat, break beam or PIR. Output can then be provided to control either relays, servos or dimming circuits for LED units. We are working with an improvement to enable the controller to work over Ethernet and provide remote control and also ultimately a complete DMX over Ethernet system. That will be a few months away i think but at the moment we have working models and the MK3 unit is proving to be one of the most versatile control systems i have seen for mazes and walk through attractions.
We have also been playing with the now world famous Raspberry Pi, this has been a lot of fun and i think with some more time spent on the programming it will be possible to use this very unique unit to provide a black box system for show control and video output.
So February saw the opening of the London Dungeons new site. Sitting very comfortably on the south bank, it certainly feels like it has been there forever. FunFear were invited as guests to view the new location and attraction with a full technical tour. It was an excellent evening and was very interesting to see the techniques used within. Visitors will be pleased to know that although a new building and some new theming as well a new tag line, some firm favorites still remain, as well as some excellent use of new technologies, i would highly recommend a visit if you are visiting London
March saw the final planning and preparation for the fast approaching Halloween Show at Alton Towers.
A site visit was planned and Sally Duguid from the team behind the show, myself and another one our tech guys spent many hours in the capable hands of the Alton Towers event team, a plan was coming together.
The team behind the Halloween Show had a vision of what they wanted. It was very apparent that Alton Towers would provide a perfect location and back drop that would be very hard to match anywhere else. A trade show, speakers from throughout the scare industry, the presentation of Scare awards in one venue. This was going to be a lot of fun. Many hours of planning were still to come though.
April 10th brings the day of the show, all the hours of planning and organising had come to fruition.
Trade stands in place, AV in the right places as well as the other all important starting of the coffee machines, my guys had been up early rigging lighting and control systems and there had been no time for breakfast, so coffee was clearly required.
Delegates arriving, and they appeared to just keep coming, i am not sure of the final numbers on the day but it was an excellent turnout, with delegates from as far afield as Germany, The Netherlands and Jersey. Some familiar faces and a lot of new ones.
I was giving a talk on technical aspects of running a scare attraction, covering some very basic considerations for both lighting and sound installation, as well as demonstrating a new control panel to the industry which provides an option to change sound effects to suit the audience, so daytime events will probably require a very different feel to a night time or dark attraction. As well as the sound switching the panel also provides emergency switching allowing the show state to be dropped into flood lighting and emergency evacuation sound track. This was certainly received very well and a there was a lot of interest on the trade stand following the demonstration.
A great day all round, with workshops and technical talks running along side business seminars creating a huge variety of interest and catering for just about everybody's tastes.
The evening saw a rare opportunity to have a lights on tour of the sanctuary, as well as a full live run, a pleasure for all us techies, a chance to see what we are up against in the tech rooms of our attractions, very interesting opportunity and thoroughly enjoyed.
The night was not done, with the Scare Awards being presented and a chance to let our hair down, drinking, dining and dancing was also still to come.
Well done to all the people behind The Halloween Show, an excellent job well done, Check out their website via The Scare Network here
I would also like this chance to thank my excellent crew for the hard work and long hours they have put in this year already, it is very humbling to see the dedication and commitment they give to the FunFear brand. Thank you.
Ian
The twisted technicians have been working very hard in the R and D office refining a new control system for scare attractions. A modular fully controllable unit that can be integrated into just about any attraction to provide control via just about any switch, whether it be pressure mat, break beam or PIR. Output can then be provided to control either relays, servos or dimming circuits for LED units. We are working with an improvement to enable the controller to work over Ethernet and provide remote control and also ultimately a complete DMX over Ethernet system. That will be a few months away i think but at the moment we have working models and the MK3 unit is proving to be one of the most versatile control systems i have seen for mazes and walk through attractions.
We have also been playing with the now world famous Raspberry Pi, this has been a lot of fun and i think with some more time spent on the programming it will be possible to use this very unique unit to provide a black box system for show control and video output.
So February saw the opening of the London Dungeons new site. Sitting very comfortably on the south bank, it certainly feels like it has been there forever. FunFear were invited as guests to view the new location and attraction with a full technical tour. It was an excellent evening and was very interesting to see the techniques used within. Visitors will be pleased to know that although a new building and some new theming as well a new tag line, some firm favorites still remain, as well as some excellent use of new technologies, i would highly recommend a visit if you are visiting London
March saw the final planning and preparation for the fast approaching Halloween Show at Alton Towers.
A site visit was planned and Sally Duguid from the team behind the show, myself and another one our tech guys spent many hours in the capable hands of the Alton Towers event team, a plan was coming together.
The team behind the Halloween Show had a vision of what they wanted. It was very apparent that Alton Towers would provide a perfect location and back drop that would be very hard to match anywhere else. A trade show, speakers from throughout the scare industry, the presentation of Scare awards in one venue. This was going to be a lot of fun. Many hours of planning were still to come though.
April 10th brings the day of the show, all the hours of planning and organising had come to fruition.
Trade stands in place, AV in the right places as well as the other all important starting of the coffee machines, my guys had been up early rigging lighting and control systems and there had been no time for breakfast, so coffee was clearly required.
Delegates arriving, and they appeared to just keep coming, i am not sure of the final numbers on the day but it was an excellent turnout, with delegates from as far afield as Germany, The Netherlands and Jersey. Some familiar faces and a lot of new ones.
I was giving a talk on technical aspects of running a scare attraction, covering some very basic considerations for both lighting and sound installation, as well as demonstrating a new control panel to the industry which provides an option to change sound effects to suit the audience, so daytime events will probably require a very different feel to a night time or dark attraction. As well as the sound switching the panel also provides emergency switching allowing the show state to be dropped into flood lighting and emergency evacuation sound track. This was certainly received very well and a there was a lot of interest on the trade stand following the demonstration.
A great day all round, with workshops and technical talks running along side business seminars creating a huge variety of interest and catering for just about everybody's tastes.
The evening saw a rare opportunity to have a lights on tour of the sanctuary, as well as a full live run, a pleasure for all us techies, a chance to see what we are up against in the tech rooms of our attractions, very interesting opportunity and thoroughly enjoyed.
The night was not done, with the Scare Awards being presented and a chance to let our hair down, drinking, dining and dancing was also still to come.
Well done to all the people behind The Halloween Show, an excellent job well done, Check out their website via The Scare Network here
I would also like this chance to thank my excellent crew for the hard work and long hours they have put in this year already, it is very humbling to see the dedication and commitment they give to the FunFear brand. Thank you.
Ian
Wednesday, 31 October 2012
Happy Halloween
Scared senseless! Photos show terror on faces of Halloween revellers as they enjoy theme parks' most frightening attractions
By Bill Mouland
|
Faces contorted with terror, lungs bursting with screams of sudden fright, the Halloween party-goers hysterically embrace the theme park slogan 'Be prepared to be scared.'
As Allhallows Night – sometimes known as the Festival of the Dead – seizes Britain with its ever stronger grip, these are just some of the people who have paid to be afraid.
Over two nights in the ever longer run up to October 31 – now worth more than £300m a year and Britain's third most lucrative festival after Christmas and Easter - our photographer captured these images of customers who have paid up to £40 a head to have their hair stand on end, their hearts beat faster and their wits rendered witless.
According to one consultant counselling psychologist yesterday, the desire to be frightened out of one's skin derives from our caveman ancestors who lived their lives entirely on the edge.
'They were not a confident bunch,' said Dr Michael Sinclair, clinical director of the City of Psychology Group in London. 'They were trying to survive in a new and threatening world. They needed to be on high alert all the time so they started to question their environment.
'If they saw a wild animal, for instance, they had no reference point for it, so they would tend to think the worst – their minds racing with the worst case scenario. They needed to fight or take flight.
'Anxiety has been developed as a protective mechanism ever since. It's like wearing a suit of armour – although it feels uncomfortable we are in a heightened state of protection. We know something is there, but we also know it's not real. We also get a feeling of togetherness and social acceptability.'
So that, claims Dr Sinclair, explains why thousands of people line up at this time of year to experience the 'terrifying scare mazes' (part of the £39.50 entry ticket to Alton Towers in Staffordshire) or the 'Farmhouse of Fear' at the otherwise docile sounding Twinlakes Park in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire.
'We have a couple of attractions – Punishment and Pie Factory – where people cannot stand any more and we have escorted them out,' said Dave Rose, a marketing assistant at Twinlakes which is transformed at this time of year into the venue for Xtreme Fright Nights (£14.99 to £22 a ticket, depending on when you want to go.)
Punishment, according to the blurb, pushes punters into a dark simulation of a military boot camp where the screams of the participants are only matched by those of the actors bussed in to create the scary atmosphere.
'Suddenly you are plunged into
darkness,' promises the advertisement. 'The floor creaks with the sound
of slow moving footsteps as the prisoners climb high into the castle.
Climbing higher and higher you reach a stone step. Screams of pain can
be heard ahead.'
The theme park has also forged a macabre link with the otherwise innocent Melton Mowbray pie in an attraction that somehow blends Sweeney Todd with the Texas Chainsaw Massacre under the title The Pie Factory.
'Make your way through the gory pie factory and witness horrific happenings,' urges the blurb. 'Watch your back and try to escape with your limbs intact.'
The fact that it all comes with
advice to wear sensible footwear, beware of strobe lighting and leave
mobile phones, cameras and loose change behind is all part of the
comfort blanket that no harm will really come of you.
'It's a safe risk taking because it's not actually a ghost that's going to get you or scare you to death,' says chartered psychologist Ros (correct) Taylor. 'Deep down you know you are play acting and that you can go home afterwards and everything will be OK.
'It's like watching a horror film through your fingers. However scary it is, you know you are not really out there in the wilderness.
'Going to these places is a kind of stimulation. It's why people bungee jump or jump out of planes. It's thrill seeking and some people have to have it in their lives.'
By Bill Mouland
|
Faces contorted with terror, lungs bursting with screams of sudden fright, the Halloween party-goers hysterically embrace the theme park slogan 'Be prepared to be scared.'
As Allhallows Night – sometimes known as the Festival of the Dead – seizes Britain with its ever stronger grip, these are just some of the people who have paid to be afraid.
Over two nights in the ever longer run up to October 31 – now worth more than £300m a year and Britain's third most lucrative festival after Christmas and Easter - our photographer captured these images of customers who have paid up to £40 a head to have their hair stand on end, their hearts beat faster and their wits rendered witless.
Don't look now: A Halloween reveler gets what he
has paid for as gruesome-looking character screams at him in the
darkness on the Sanctuary attraction at Alton Towers
According to one consultant counselling psychologist yesterday, the desire to be frightened out of one's skin derives from our caveman ancestors who lived their lives entirely on the edge.
'They were not a confident bunch,' said Dr Michael Sinclair, clinical director of the City of Psychology Group in London. 'They were trying to survive in a new and threatening world. They needed to be on high alert all the time so they started to question their environment.
'If they saw a wild animal, for instance, they had no reference point for it, so they would tend to think the worst – their minds racing with the worst case scenario. They needed to fight or take flight.
'Anxiety has been developed as a protective mechanism ever since. It's like wearing a suit of armour – although it feels uncomfortable we are in a heightened state of protection. We know something is there, but we also know it's not real. We also get a feeling of togetherness and social acceptability.'
Surprise:
A woman holds her hands up in fear as one of the actors at the Xtreme
Fright Night at Twinlakes theme park in Molton Mowbray
No escape: This woman closes her eyes as a hire hand lets out a surprise high-pitched scream in the darkness
No
turning back: Screaming, jumping and clinging onto each other in fear
Halloween thrill seekers in The Sanctuary attraction in Alton Towers
Nerve-wracking: According to one consultant counselling
psychologist yesterday, the desire to be frightened out of one's skin
derives from our caveman ancestors who lived their lives entirely on the
edge
So that, claims Dr Sinclair, explains why thousands of people line up at this time of year to experience the 'terrifying scare mazes' (part of the £39.50 entry ticket to Alton Towers in Staffordshire) or the 'Farmhouse of Fear' at the otherwise docile sounding Twinlakes Park in Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire.
'We have a couple of attractions – Punishment and Pie Factory – where people cannot stand any more and we have escorted them out,' said Dave Rose, a marketing assistant at Twinlakes which is transformed at this time of year into the venue for Xtreme Fright Nights (£14.99 to £22 a ticket, depending on when you want to go.)
Punishment, according to the blurb, pushes punters into a dark simulation of a military boot camp where the screams of the participants are only matched by those of the actors bussed in to create the scary atmosphere.
Covering up: As Allhallows Night – sometimes known as
the Festival of the Dead – seizes Britain with its ever stronger grip,
these are just some of the people who have paid to be afraid
Lucrative: Now worth more than £300m a year, Halloween is now Britain's third
most lucrative festival after Christmas and Easter
Anxiety has been developed as a
protective mechanism since cavemen. Although it feels uncomfortable it puts humans in a heightened state of
protection
According
to promoters revelers at Punishment in Melton Mowbray are plunged into a
dark simulation of a military boot camp where the
screams of the participants are only matched by those of the actors
The theme park has also forged a macabre link with the otherwise innocent Melton Mowbray pie in an attraction that somehow blends Sweeney Todd with the Texas Chainsaw Massacre under the title The Pie Factory.
'Make your way through the gory pie factory and witness horrific happenings,' urges the blurb. 'Watch your back and try to escape with your limbs intact.'
Twinlakes has forged a macabre
link with the otherwise innocent Melton Mowbray pie in an attraction
that somehow blends Sweeney Todd with the Texas Chainsaw Massacre under
the title The Pie Factory
Entrants are advised to wear sensible footwear, beware
of strobe lighting and leave mobile phones, cameras and loose change
behind
'It's like watching a horror film through
your fingers. However scary it is, you know you are not really out
there in the wilderness'
'Going to these places is a kind of
stimulation. It's why people bungee jump or jump out of planes. It's
thrill seeking and some people have to have it in their lives'
'It's a safe risk taking because it's not actually a ghost that's going to get you or scare you to death,' says chartered psychologist Ros (correct) Taylor. 'Deep down you know you are play acting and that you can go home afterwards and everything will be OK.
'It's like watching a horror film through your fingers. However scary it is, you know you are not really out there in the wilderness.
'Going to these places is a kind of stimulation. It's why people bungee jump or jump out of planes. It's thrill seeking and some people have to have it in their lives.'
A participant at Extreme Fright Night is given a scare by a bloody-faced man
Faces of fear at Xtreme Fright Night, but just why do people pay so much money for the pain?
As one reveler appears to run for cover at Twinlakes another turns away in fear
Friday, 26 October 2012
Gangnam Style..
I featured a few of these videos on the blog last year, this one is well worth the watch, especially with the popularity that the track has achieved this year. As of October 23, 2012, the music video has been viewed over 530 million times on Youtube...!!
Thursday, 25 October 2012
When Home Haunting Goes Wrong...!
Evening,
I just had to share these pictures that i found on the net. Now the home haunting market has not quite reached the shores of this island, however as i travel to the states on a very regular basis i am more than aware of the passion and huge amounts of time and money that goes into producing some amazing creations and attractions in their own right. I have spoken at length to some of the owners of phenomenal home haunts, and i kinda get it. Below are some pictures of what appears to of happened when it goes wrong, check out the site they came from here.
I just had to share these pictures that i found on the net. Now the home haunting market has not quite reached the shores of this island, however as i travel to the states on a very regular basis i am more than aware of the passion and huge amounts of time and money that goes into producing some amazing creations and attractions in their own right. I have spoken at length to some of the owners of phenomenal home haunts, and i kinda get it. Below are some pictures of what appears to of happened when it goes wrong, check out the site they came from here.
Saturday, 20 October 2012
Scarecam 2012
Good evening,
Just a quick entry to inform you about this years scarecam. An updated version has been installed by our resident AV expert and is concentrated on the "Twisted Maize" here at Tulleys Shocktober Fest.
It is live every evening that the event is running and we have full screen option with four cameras.
To view this little bit of "fright entertainment" try www.scarecam.co.uk
Just a quick entry to inform you about this years scarecam. An updated version has been installed by our resident AV expert and is concentrated on the "Twisted Maize" here at Tulleys Shocktober Fest.
It is live every evening that the event is running and we have full screen option with four cameras.
To view this little bit of "fright entertainment" try www.scarecam.co.uk
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