What does your haunt need to have to improve?
I know I struggle with lighting and am always trying to improve it.
I also love to build complex props but never seem to make the time to work on all the background items necessary to really bring the scenes alive.
Verticality. I am trying to achieve it visually by placing props in ways that may result in keeping viewers eyes darting everywhere, but no doubt some will go unnoticed. What I would love but can't have in a walkthrough yardhaunt is physical verticality. Stairs add tension. The best I can do is mound the mulch in the"bog room" in such a way as to give a slight sensation of stepping down into the fog floor.
I have issues maintaining a flow and continuity. Last year it looked like I had a haunted garage sale going on. Sound and lighting are good, fog control could be better (but Mother Nature kicked me in the pants).
I have changed a lot of things this year, so we'll just have to wait and see.
I have the opposite problem of Halstaff. I tend to spend most of my time on the detail bits...the dressing, so to speak. All the little stuff that very few people probably even notice. But have very little in the way of "premier" props.
Minimal prop storage and the fact that I want more props. But realistically, I'd like to improve my lighting setup to highlight the props but conceal the lights at the same time. More props will come eventually.
Really good sound is what I am missing. I have a bunch of animatronic props and some great static pieces but my sound is just a couple of speakers with one of those "haunted sounds" cds. Its a good one but I would love to do some more appropriate sounds for each prop. That and some more space.
With me it's mainly the weather. Sometimes the rains will hold off until later in November, but if they come early then I can usually count on it raining on Halloween.
For me its location. I am very rural. Tots don't come out to the country. I still put up a display. That why I work with a pro haunt. My big challenge there is a need for more time and a bigger budget.
Lighting and the size yard that I have to work with, I am new at the lighting thing! I see how much difference it makes now.......well I plan to get more spot lighting at e moment!
Mine is getting the TOTs to slow down and engage them a bit more in my yard. They run up the driveway, into the porch for candy and then quickly off to the next house. I'm looking for ways to route them more.
I have a somewhat similar issue. My haunt is a graveyard on a slope, where TOTs have to enter through the cemetery gates and go up a winding path to get to our front door. I have four animatronics that run routines, two closer to the fence on the street, one about a third of the way up the path and the fourth near the front door of our house. Adults tend to "smell the roses," taking in all these details and in particular watching my tri-axis skeleton with animated three degree motion arms do his 1.5 minute "show."
But the kids generally just rush up the path, after briefly stopping down near the graveyard entrance to look into my bottomless tomb. I do get to startle them when they get near the front door with a lightning routine, but by and large they run in, get their candy and rush out. I am almost thinking about testing some additional ways to subtly force them to slow down as they make their way to and from the house (such as moving the bottomless tomb to further up the path or adding some other "stop-and-experience" elements).
I am my own biggest weakness. I get too worried about details that less than 1% of people will notice, and don't spend near enough time on lighting and sound.
My goal for 2013 is learning to use lighting to illuminate the details I'm most proud of, and to be more comfortable just covering up the small flaws.
My wife will tell you the same thing - Too anal with the small stuff!! My biggest issue has been our spinning tunnel. Each year I think I have it right and I end up under the tarp helping the motor spin the wheel!!
Lighting has been a pain for me as well. I have some new things in the wings, RGB LED mostly so I can multi-pupose them and use them for lightning as well as highlighting the props.
Acting. Just acting.
The haunt I work is mind-blowing in every other way. It's been compared to Universal Studios on several occasions. We have fantastic sound, props, costumes, makeup, everything.
But we're a charity haunt, so the actors they have to settle for can be pretty lousy. Some are fantastic! But it's those dozen of HORRIBLE ones that really drag us down.
Sound & music. I have good intentions every year, but I always just chuck something out there at the last minute.
Also organization. I'm terrible at organizing people. I try to make my haunt so it can be run by one or two people, in case everyone but me and my wife desert us. Not that it's ever happened as such, except for short lulls during the eveningh.
I have a lot of the same issues, we are pretty good with Lighting but sound is never thought through well enough. I have put my 16 yr old in charge of a few rooms sound this year since that is one of her pet peeves, you don't like it you can fix it LOL!
We too have made our haunt to be ran with minimal help because you never truely know how many people will show up to help.
Space. I do mine in a garage and the ceiling is never tall enough and the walls are always too close together. Then there is that #^@/%ing garage door opener railing that is ALWAYS right exactly where I don't want it to be.
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