Too much detail?

[halfcracked]

I've made furniture/cabnitry.
Ive made stage/holloween props.

Am I the only one who finds the detail/construction techniques of the first category impeedes the building of the later?

Workin on my 13hr clock this weekend I kept having to remind myself that it would be viewed at a distance & didn't need to be built like "Old Ironsides". I cought myself trying to breakout the sander to get the plastic flush with the framing even though I knew it was going to be covered in trim. then there was the temptation to sand & do multiple coats when it should look "weathered".

[tcarter]

Everything I do seems to go along that line. And it is always a pity to see the prop, in it's final display spot, with dim light,and not even being able to see that mossy area that I spent hours trying to get just right.

[Wildomar]

You are not alone. I have been working on a few props trying to get them ready for the big day and now I am startingto realize that I may not finish due to my attention to detail.

However the alternative is to a quick job that during the light of day will look cheesy, but at night will probably look fine. While hopefully when I am done, mine will look fantastic during the day and probably great at night.

A long time ago I did a cheap and quick mummy that to this day bothers me since it looks cheesy to me night or day, but every year it probably gets the best response from the kids. So heck if I know how to know when the prop is acceptable to an audience; I just know when it is acceptable to me. And therein lies the rub.

[airscapes]

Yep! Being an Obsessive Perfectionist is a real PIA sometimes, but there is nothing wrong with tight flush fitting joints. I have yet to find anone elses display in my area that didn't scream CHEESE as I pass by.. Keep it as Perfect as you can without wasting to much time, you will be much happier with the outcome and the ooos and ahhhs!

[krough]

LOL. I too can be a bit obsessive compulsive at times.
I always remind myself, it will be dark, it will be dimly lit. I will be staring at the damn thing for hours, most people wont look at it for more than 15 seconds. That usually seems to calm me down a it from over doing it.
Like painting a ground breaker with more than 3 colors, why would I? When lit with par can all im gonna see is the contrast of dark to light, I paint it different colors so it looks good on my work bench . LOL

[dynoflyer]

My dad always used to say, "The objective is the appearance of perfection, not perfection itself."
Said another way, "Gitterdone"
The Cable Guy

[slimy]

I don't worry about details. If I do, I do details for myself. I have a few 'big' pieces that are detailed, but mostly I just get out a lot of stuff. Quantity over quality. I spend a lot of time with lighting, so that hides my lack of detail.

[krough]

My dad always used to say, "The objective is the appearance of perfection, not perfection itself."

That is a great quote, DynoFlyer. Thank you for sharing it

[Da Weiner]

Everyone of us takes pride when making a prop that we tend to build it and overdo it. It's our hobby. I agree that you can get caught up with too much detail especially when TOTs are trying to get from house to house in record time. However, I find that the teenage TOTs do take more time to look around a little bit more but it's usually around 6:30-8 p.m when it's dark and they're making their way home. It is a tough judgement call.

[Brad Green]

No kill like overkill! I sweat over the details because that's what I like to do, It's time consuming and annoying as hell at times, but truth is, others may only see it for a minute, but I have to live with it.

[SpectreTTM]

I know what you guys mean.
I usually have my stuff fully up for 3 events.


My annual Halloween party.

October 31st TOT's

My halloween Open house for Friends and family the Sunday after Halloween


My wife had to remind me that the last one was the most important one.
Those are the people who will be looking at and appreciating the details.

Some of those people are friends who have haunts of there own and didn't get a chance to swing by and see my work.

On another note I have always had a hard time saying "Good enough for Government work " ;) in anything I do.

[Lilly]

yeah i guess i'm the same way i want to get it right the first time and not have to fix it up for the next use.
But you will always look at it even when your done and say i could have...
To me if it looks good in the day ..it 's gonna rock at night.

[dynoflyer]

With two teenagers in the house I do tend to take more time to get it right. . . .the first time. Setting and example and all that. However, with only a week to go, I am pushing a bit.

[mrklaw]

My attention span is usually not long enough to do too much detail. I start a project and by the time I'm halfway through, I'm sick of it and want to move on to the next one. The neighbors are impressed anyway though.

We actually had a bunch of neighbors mention our new wrought-iron fence this week. They thought it was real.

[kerryike]

My attention to detail is usually way overdone, since everything is viewed at night under low lighting.

I live in the city and leave my haunting for my seasonal campsite where our 5th wheel is parked. The campgrounds are large and there are 2 BIG Halloween weekends there, including a haunted hayride that I participate in. Usually there are 700+ on the ride for that one evening and lasts up to 3 hours. Site judging is quite an event too. Almost nonstop visitors from dusk till around 11:00 PM.

Realistically, my big priority should be weatherproofing my props, since it is in the woods and storage is usually in a moist and/or damp area. It's hard not to pay utmost attention to detail...until you're finding out that time is running out all of a sudden.

[-blank-]

to me its not how the TOTs see it, its about how i see it
Thats why i try to fix everything thats not perfect or detailed enough in my eyes.

[jdubbya]

Good topic. It's hard to find a balance between being personally satisfied with your work, and just getting it done to have another prop for the collection. My problem is starting things too darn late, and then finding more things to do and rushing to get them done as well.
I personally love details, even if other's don't see them. I appreciate it when someone takes time to notice the little things, and last Halloween had parents come back after TOT hours (when the kids weren't rushing them) to take pictures and just look at things. It was a nice afterglow standing there explaining how things were done/made.
It is, in a sense, a hobby, so why not pursue it with the same vigor?

[Wyatt Furr]

I wrangle over the lettering of a sign, I paint a prop for close-up inspection,I shade the edge of a tombstone......
Yeah, you cant see most of the details in the dark but, during the day you can.
My yard is small, so most things are seen close up.I dont feel its wasted effort
The time is well spent for me

[morgan8586]

I suffer with the attention to detail when I mache. Does the layers of "skin" meld well together? Can anyone see the seams between pieces? Are the wrinkles too much or not enough? Did the paint and stain combination look real enough?
Things usually work out in the end, but I spend weeks trying to get it right...If I could just throw things together, I'd have an army of groundbreakers rather than the 4 I have now.

[spokanejoe]

We are all our own worst critics. But when I am trying to gt the flesh tone just right , or make sure that the blood stains show up in red light....I realize that it may not be that important and then I think....." Its for the children"... and I work to make it the best I can......BUWHOWAHAHA

[Long_Tom]

Yes, it's for the children ... but it's also for us. It's frustrating to be out on Halloween night and see something that just isn't working out the way it should. Conversely, when you wander through your own cemetery scene and everything is exactly how you wanted it, that's very satisfying.

If that means you build up slowly, so what? All that means is that the neighbors will be curious year after year, to see what masterpiece you are going to add this year.

[CerysCrow]

tcarter: Your crypt gate is rockin'!

[turtle2778]

LOL, this is soo funny. I often wonder this same thing. I get myself soo bogged down in making it look realistic that i forget that people really wont appreciate all the details. They will never look close enough to really understand all the hard work we put into things. Its too bad we cant do a road trip and see all these great haunts that we all put together. At least we fellow haunters will do our hardwork justice, by commenting on all the details cuz we actually notice it.

[turtle2778]

OMG!!!! TCarter...i sat with my mouth open the WHOLE time while i watched your slideshow...you crypt and guardians...they are absolutely fan freakin tastic...WOW!!!!

[Bone Dancer]

Pictures by tcarter_02 - Photobucket

OMG is right, if you haven't seen this, do it now. Totally amazing.
Goto the 2006 album

[tcarter]

Wow! thanks for the kudos!

[Mr Unpleasant]

Indeed! That is quite an entrance! I wouldn't go in there and I'm a grown-up(well sorta)

Paying attention to detail is relative to what you can live with, I think. Yes the darkness hide a lot, but we still have to take pictures and still post them on the forum for all to see. I was construction for 20 yrs and I learned something from it that may apply to this.

I was screwing a security screen over the glass entry doors to a church, the foreman (a friend of mine) said, "you missed a screw at the top." I told him, "It really didn't matter it was just for estetics anyway". He said to humor him and put it in anyway, with that that last screw caught the edge of the glass and shattered the whole door.

I guess the moral to that was; Don't go crazy with the details and know when to walk away (this applies to drywall taping too.

[Sweeney Family Horror]

If it makes you happy, do it. Just don't torture yourself over a small mistake or imperfection that most of your audience will never notice.

[Gothic Nightmare]

I totally appreciate the level of detail others put in to their work. But I'm just the opposite. Anything I can slap together with duck tape for .50 is fine by me as long as it looks ok in the haunt and does the job.

I'm always amazed when people think I have holograms and animatronic robots, and God knows what else, when the truth is it's just some stuff made of yard sale finds, twine, spray paint, and duck tape. One guy last year asked if we used to work for Disney. I thought, "are you on drugs or something?" I've found that people tend to embellish a good haunt's details anyway.

Just scare' em. That's what they want. Scare the crap out of them. And smile :)

[THeme ssaGE]

I agree that a prop should look good in the light too. It shows the integrity of the prop. Plus its a motivator, morale booster when it looks good in daylight..., and its uninspiring, and gets handlled differently when its got just the bare minimum.

However there comes a time when the detail takes a backseat to getting the haunt open on time....and sometimes that means being able to slap something together thats gonna work.

I have some props that I've made and when I look at some I see how more detail would of been better....but then I remember that I was trying to keep a sense of opening night in mind, when I made them.

[harryhood]

I'm all about the details, that's what I find most satisfying. But it all depends on what you're into and how you're haunt plays out. Also you're theme dictates a lot of if you need quality. Ours was about voodoo this year, so detail was crucial. I think high detail really separates you from the crowd. But do remind yourself where and if it will be seen.

[halloweenguy]

I get caught up with details too, but sometimes you just got to go with the 20 foot rule....If it looks good from 20 feet then let it go!!!

[Ghostess]

I am way too wrapped up in details. Thankfully, I'm a stay-home mom right now, so I can work on those little things. You'd be surprised at how many people notice the little things (mainly at the party when they have plenty to time to really study stuff). Unfortunately, I have to force myself to let things go as we near the big night when I am totally scrambling to finish setting up the things I save to do for after the party. It drives me nuts! I agree with the 20 foot rule... and lived by it in my cemetery this year since I had a lot of stuff that was broken, worn, or needed touch ups. If I couldn't see it from the road at night, then I didn't worry about it. :)

[skeletonowl]

i barley do anything anyway so i can't worry about details :)

[HalloweenZombie]

Even if someone only sees the details for just a moment in passing, whether they are looking for detail or not, their brain will register it as being more realistic. While someone may not appreciate the detail of a prop, their imagination will take them to a different place and it preps their psyche for for a scare.

[Revenant]

I think a lot of it also depends on the type of haunt i.e. atmosphere vs. high startle. In a more atmospheric haunt/area it's all about the details, because that gives them the immersion that lets their imagination actually put them in your world. If it's a high intensity haunt (or section of a haunt) where someone/thing is jumping out at them or chasing them every other step of the way, the little details really won't be very important or helpful outside of the few key ones you really want them to notice.

[Lauriebeast]

Well, I too am a stickler for details. Even though most people wouldn't notice, I look at it as a lesson in patience and the honing of my skills. I found this to be particularly true with sculpting.

[halfcracked]

Working with my father this weekend to replace part of my backyard fence my father inadvertantly coined a great fraze for this....

I was getting too fussy on the fence boards & he tells me "don't go furniture on me". that's exactly the problem building something to furniture standards (1/64" tollerance usually) on something that Doesen't need it.

hehe - "Going Furniture" - I like it!

[Lilly]

that a good one ..kudos to dada

[IshWitch]

Lordy!
Mean I'm not the only one?

Brad Green said "No kill like overkill! I sweat over the details because that's what I like to do, It's time consuming and annoying as hell at times, but truth is, others may only see it for a minute, but I have to live with it."
Brad is right, I have to live with it
BUT
I've noticed many a time when something I threw up in the last seconds as ToT's approached looked better than something I spent ages working on.
yeesh!

So I guess I will do the detail where it makes me the happiest, use the 20ft rule as much as I can and try NOT to "go furniture" on things I don't have to!
LOL
:D