HauntCon Meets Horror Nights Designers

On the evening of April 29th I had the honor of being one of the representatives of the Universal Entertainment Art & Design team, appearing for a meet and greet session with members of HauntCon.

Our team members represented different design disciplines required to produce Halloween Horror Nights. Scenic Design, Set Decor, Construction, Makeup and Prosthetics, Costuming, Writing and Web Design (me). After introductions and a brief Q&A session in the Pantages Theater, on the Horror Makeup Show stage, we moved into the lobby where guests could view props, blueprints and concept art as well as get a chance for informal chatting with all of us.

The HauntCon folks were VERY nice! Their questions and insights went beyond being fans. They are peers!

On Sunday I went to the HauntCon convention floor at the Ramada in Celebration, FL.

There were lots of great vendors selling lots of fun stuff for Haunters!

Below, I met Dustin during a lunch break who was mid-way through his makeup and prosthetics demo.

Many thanks to HauntCon guru, Leonard Pickel, for his hospitality!

"HAuNTcon is an acronym for the Haunted Attraction National Tradeshow and Conference. A expo and convention "Designed by Haunters, for Haunters" of every age and level of experience. HAuNTcon brings people together who love Haunted Houses and Halloween for a fun filled three days and nights of Haunter Education".

The Entertainment Designer Forum

On the evening of April 23, 2010 I had the honor to be part of a panel composed of top entertainment designers. Our goal was to raise money for the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life, taking place in Celebration Florida on May 23rd. My fellow panelists were:

- Alan Gilmore: Art director for The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and the films Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and The Bourne Ultimatum.

- Stephanie Girard: Set designer for the films Ray, Dreamer, Leatherheads, Dear John and more. Designer for Halloween Horror Nights, Grinchmas and Universal Dubai.

- TJ Mannarino: Director for Universal Studios Entertainment (Halloween Horror Nights, Grinchmas, Mardi Gras), Nickelodeon Studios and Mickey Mouse Club.

- David Hughes: Universal Studios designer. Halloween Horror Nights lead designer for houses, art director for Terminator 3D, art director The Little Mermaid, Disney Studios, and Mickey Mouse Club.

- Ray Keim: Haunted Dimensions, Universal's Halloween Horror Nights

- Kim Gromoll: Designer for Universal Studios (Halloween Horror Nights Streets and Shows), Disney's Animal Kingdom shows

- Rick Spencer: Manager for Universal Studios. Writer for Halloween Horror Nights website, producer of special events, producer/director for Shining Time Station PBS.

- Michael Burnett: Manager of prosthetics for Universal Studios, many feature film and television shows and all prosthetics for Halloween Horror Nights.

- Rich West: Designer for Halloween Horror Nights houses, The Simpson's Ride and Universal Dubai.

- Manuel Cordero: Designer for Halloween Horror Nights houses and Disney parades.

- Nick Farrentello: Designer for Halloween Horror Nights. Set designer for the films Ali and The Trouble with Mary. Designer for the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit roller coaster.

- J. Michael Roddy: Creative Director/Producer for The Shark is Still Working, MonsterKIDS and Halloween Horror Nights.

- Jason Surrell, Author, screenwriter and Walt Disney Imagineer. Author of Pirates of The Caribbean: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies, The Haunted Mansion: From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies and The Disney Mountains: Imagineering At Its Peak.

- Michael Aiello: Writer and show producer for the Bill & Ted show and houses and streets for Halloween Horror Nights.

Below is Rick Spencer, me, Rich West, Michael Burnett, Alan Gilmore, Mike Aiello, Jason Surrell and TJ Mannarino

(thanks Orlando Attractions Magazine!)

Also thanks to Ricky Brigante for his support and coverage on "Inside The Magic" !

It was a wonderful evening of stories, design philosophies and meeting fellow designers and fans.

All three of my Haunted Dimensions HHN paper models were won by guests in the silent auction!

As of this writing we raised over $5000!

On a personal note as cancer survivor, it was an uplifting, satisfying experience to witness the love and concern of cohorts and fans alike during this event!

Six years ago I was unemployed and dealing with an illness which took several weeks to determine its scope and spread. In that dark time of uncertainty I reevaluated my life and career. My life was unquestionably wonderful but the potential of my career had not been fulfilled to my hopes and I questioned whether I had gone as far as I would ever go. Thankfully, after several surgeries and years of observation, I was given a clean bill of health. On top of that, during my recoveries I had created the projects in Haunted Dimensions which helped me get my first freelance job at Universal Orlando! To go from where I was 6 years ago, to where I found myself Friday evening, sitting on a stage as part of a panel of such an amazing collection of talented people (who are also my friends), was almost unbelievable! Truly a gift!

Many of you will know the name Jason Surrell, who is a Disney Imagineer and author of "The Haunted Mansion - From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies", which helped inspire my creation of Haunted Dimensions. Jason is friends with many of my Universal coworkers but I never had the opportunity to meet him until Friday night when he sat on the Forum panel with me. Yes, I brought my copies of his books (including his "Pirates of the Caribbean - From the Magic Kingdom to the Movies) for autographs! I also gave him my Madame Leota paper model, the original of which Jason helped design for Disney.

Before the show started, I had the opportunity to chat with Harry Potter Art Director, Alan Gilmore, who is a very charming, smart, fun guy! We talked a little about his experiences with the Potter franchise, but mostly we talked about about life and kids.

At left, my wife and I with Alan Gilmore (on left)

I also had the opportunity to meet Leonard Pickel, aka "The Godfather of the Haunted Attraction Industry", who is the creator of Haunted Attractions Magazine and the man behind HAuNTcon. Leonard was in the audience for both panel sessions and WON one of my paper models in the silent auction (Psychoscareapy)!

Turns out Leonard is a Haunted Dimensions fan!

The Pilgrimage

Sorry for not posting in while!

I just returned from a long visit to California, from San Diego to Sonoma wine country.

Of course, a visit to Disneyland was manditory.

The last time I visited the New Orleans Square mansion was in 1988!

So much was new that it was as if I had never visted it before.

And the differences between the New Orleans Square mansion and Liberty Square mansion at WDW made it a new experience also. I will write more about in the near future, but for now, here is a shot of me at the gates of the manse, getting reaquainted.

My Newest Paper Model Project!

It is official. I have begun the long process of designing a new paper model kit.
This one will be based on the Hogwarts castle, currently under construction at Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure, for "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter". The working title for my model is "Wizard's Crag", but that may change.
I am using online fan photos as reference.
As usual, I am beginning the process by building a simple model in a 3D application (Lightwave).
It will be a challenge to design. Half of the model will be the cliffs and gully on which the castle sits. I need to make this cliff base interesting, but relatively easy to build, relying on printed textures for most of the effect.

I do not know how big the model will, since it will be limited by the size of letter paper, but I would like it to be at least 12 inches tall.
I will be designing this in my spare time, so I do not know how long the project will take. My mansions took 6 months, and this model will be no less complicated.

So stay tuned, or become a member of my FaceBook page for updates!

Haunted Dimensions Fans

Here is the most recent 3D blocking.

Everybody Wants One!

Astrid writes, "Hello Ray,

My name is Astrid. I am a nurse from Holland, and a big Phantom manor fan. I have built a Phantom Manor model, but I made it completely out of wood. It took me 1 year and 6 months. It is not really finished yet. I still have to complete the chimneys. Most days, when I was off from work, I worked on the house for 8 or 12 hours a day. It took me so much time, and a lot of my social life, haha!

Somedays when everything went wrong I thought I was never able to finish it.

I have faced a lot of big problems, but my husband always had a simple solution. He also made a solar (panel) on the roof, so at night when it gets dark the lights in the house go on.

I want to thank you for making it possible to have my own Phantom Manor at home."

--------------------

Astrid, this is certainly one of the most spectacular modifications of one of my paper models I have seen! I have considered making "solid" versions of my mansion ever since I first designed them, but I dont have the tools or the space.

You have set a new level of excellence in Haunted Dimensions!

Hogwarts Rises!

Over the past week the skyline of Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure experienced a dramatic change!
The great tower of Hogwarts castle, along with Dumblewdore's spire, was installed.
Much still needs to be done, with at least another year's worth of work, but it already looks spectacular!

5 YEARS OF HAUNTED DIMENSIONS!

Haunted Dimensions turned 5 years old over the weekend!
As always, I want to thank you for your continued interest and support.
Although my original intent was purely to share my stuff, this site has helped open many doors for me professionally, and has rewarded me spiritually with the knowledge that so many of you have taken great joy and pride in completing my projects, or have been inspired by those who have!

Thank you!
~Ray~

Ghost in the Machine

As many of you now know, this year's Universal Orlando Halloween Horror Nights theme
is "Ripped from the Silver Screen".
Beginning this Friday, September 25th, Universal Studios will become the realm of the most famous and infamous creatures of Hollywood Horror.
In the process of designing this year's event and web site, we researched the history of horror moves, from the classics to the contemporary, and in our search for the truth behind the movie legends we came across an archive of information about a lost movie theater from the days of Carl Laemmle.
The Universal Palace Theater.
This history of the Universal Palace Theater became an obsession, and the more we researched the theater, the more fascinating and macabre facts came to light. Ultimately, it was decided that a scale model of the theater should be constructed in order to better understand this mysterious structure. Since I have a fair amount of model building experience, I was tasked with recreating the Universal Palace Theater in 1 inch scale, which means this model is over 6 feet wide and 7 feet deep! With the help of many other ar tists and technical specialists, the Universal Palace Theater now exists!
Once the model was completed, it was filmed and photographed extensively, and the photos were combined using an amazing piece of free software called "Photosynth". Photosynth was able to rebuild our model in 3D, by matching landmarks and patterns in each photo to organize them into an interactive 3D experience! I've been given special permission to share this fascinating glimpse of movie history to you, here on Haunted Dimensions!
You will be required to download the free "Silverlight" player, in order to see and explore the Universal Palace Theater. Keep in mind that this is a very new application, and people with older machines or lower bandwidth may have difficulty running the software.
Please step into the Universal Palace Theater!

A Spot of Tea in the Garden

Konstantinos, a 15 years old in Greece, has been featured here and in The Builder's Gallery several times over the years. He is and avid model builder and always does an amazing job!
This time I want to show his latest creation, designed by himself.
Konstantinos added the garden Tea House, from the Phantom Manor grounds!

Konstantinos writes, "I really like the manor's gazebo, but I couldn't find it anywhere, something that forced me to build one. I used the roof of the New Orleans Square Haunted Mansion cupola and the door of the Phantom Manor and kinda mixed them. The result was rewarding!! I also like my models to have extra dimensions, so when you open the door you see a photo of the Grand Staircase (I couldn't find a photo of the foyer). Finally I illuminated my manor by using old Christmas lights. I hope you like it as much as I do!"

Take a look at the beautiful scene!

Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Universal Orlando revealed a few more details about the Wizarding World of Harry Potter coming to Islands of Adventure in Spring 2010.

More paper models? I think so!

Disney World Fantasyland Expansion Announcement Disney D23 Expo on Sept. 12, 2009.

Disney D23 Expo on Sept. 12, 2009.

Introducing, "The Usher"!

Even though certifiably dead and buried, the usher reportedly returns and can be seen prowling the aisles, lobby and catwalks of the Universal Palace Theater...coincidentally whenever subsequent tragedies have struck.