Question 2: What did you think of the new Hauntworld DVD 17

[drfrightner]

What did you think of the new hauntworld dvd? Did you like it? What was better, worse? Should we make another one? How does it rank vs others we've done.

Let us know.

Larry

[mindtumor]

I thought it was really good. I enjoyed the Darkness segments with John Ives running around, I thought they were funny. Definately do another one!

[gadget-evilusions]

It was the first Hauntworld DVD I had ever bought. I was kind of dissappointed in the quality of the footage and the inconsistency in the way it was shot. Pirates of Emerson and Haunted Overload had the best produced pieces. Ben did a fairly good job, but I wish he hadnt cut it short like he said he did. I would have rather had a more in detail look. It wasnt horrible, but I am picky, my girlfriend is a professional video producer and editor, so my standards are kind of set high.

[damon carson]

I liked the video but you have put together better ones. This one was funny with the John segments but they got a little old as the video went on. Great footage of Darkness and Netherworld other than really fast camera work by Ben in the Haunt footage. Not enough Dr. Lady spread thru like most H.W. vids. Great 13th gate and Haunted Overload segment. More like Audio overload on H.Overload when it comes on. That scream is 3 times as loud as the rest of the Dvd. All and all though good job. Just some things that were good and not so good. But overall I liked it.
Damon

[mindtumor]

I really liked all of the footage, I didn't think there was too much of the John sketches. It be cool if you kind of worked that into all of the future videos a little bit. The haunt overload segment was loud, but I thought the rest of the video was great.

[ClusterOne]

I really enjoyed the majority of the footage, but I am still amazed at the lack of production quality. Audio all over the place, camera work lacking professionalism, honestly I am not quite sure why these videos are twice the price of most of the videos out there...

Not trying to be harsh, but the quality of everything Halloween Productions does is amazing, these videos just seem lacking for some reason. But yes, I will continue to buy them if more are made.

[Speculo]

Sorry if you didn't like the whipping shots, it was actually with intent. I could talk for two weeks about all the stuff in there, and I only had time to do this in one take. So rather than have a hundred cuts, I choose to zip to the items in a scene I wanted to linger on, and save cuts for bigger transitions.

Normally I am very reluctant to show "lights on" ...its not how it was meant to be seen, so if I saw something in my lense I didn't like the look of in house light or didn't have time to discuss I am sure I tore away from it quickly.

I actually could have produced the heck out of this, I was in TV for 18 years, and have emmy nominations and such, but this was exactly what you saw, a one take, unedited, unlit, handheld, camcorder tour of a good chunk of one of our 2006 shows- CURSED.

Now if you really want to see something interesting, HAUNTED MEDIA came out last season and shot the show around Friday the 13th. That issue should come out hopefully around this Halloween. They had real equipment and took a long time shooting. The quality should be great! You will see it all, The crowds, the actors, the make-up, etc.

They used a bunch of new tricks on this one and told me they got the best scare footage they have ever seen.

I like sets and props and animations, but really haunted houses are a stage for the actors. Hopefully the HAUNTED MEDIA DVD show that.

Sorry for the upset stomach! As they say if you can't scare em or make em laugh, go for the gross out!

Thanks!

Ben Armstrong
NETHERWORLD

[drfrightner]

Cluster,

One of the reason for the difference in quality thoughout the tape is that we feature haunts from footage sent to us by other haunters. We did not shoot all this video...had we gone out and shoot the video from one place to another it would be all the same.

Speaking of bad footage, Dr. Lady sends his footage in on VHS, and it was a dup on top of it and was very grainy. We called asked for a new one, and he did in fact send a new one, but it was too late to replace the footage if we are to get them copied on time. We will replace the footage for the next time we dup videos but not this time.

The thing about our videos is more the content, not production value. When you compare a Hauntworld video especially this last one to say another one you may have bought, which one had better information or content? If you thought ours, the production value of each segement doesn't really matter. Does it?

Lastly, we don't sell many of these videos believe it or not, they really don't make the kind of money people think they do. You can't go out and hire professional crews to make them otherwise you'll really be doing them to lose money.

Many people do not know this but I was in television for a while, producing television shows, and I've sold a couple scripts to Lion's Gate Films. If you watch the Dark Rider DVD you'll see some AWESOME produced segments on our attractions. Specifically the Tombstone Ghost and Legends Tour... I produced that segement. I still feel to this day thats the most professional looking segment on the DVD. Either way, one of these days and SOON... I'm going to produce a Hauntworld Video that would be promoted to consumers and marketed to spencers and the like. WHen I do you'll see a major difference.

Am I defended the production quality NO NOT AT ALL... because its not that bad now, and its really more about the CONTENT not production.

Did you like the content? Did you think the content was of use to your ATTRACTION? If it was it was worth every penny! Anyway I hear what you're saying and now hope you understand some of the background here.

Thanks
Larry

[damon carson]

Believe me it was worth every minute I love it when you show your haunt on H.W!!! Even though its made me a little dizzy from watching some of it your haunt is amazing and filled to the brim with detail. I would love to visit sometime! Great job!
Damon

[MDKing]

The quality of the footage for this type of video should be secondary, since it wasn't intended to be a showcase for producing skills rather showing off great haunts. When Netherworld, The Darkness, and Pirates of Emerson and others send in footage, regardless of how the video quality looks, it's going to be under priced! These haunts inspire, and I've learned a lot from them in previous movies, and I'm really looking forward to seeing this one.

Allan

[wickedondvd]

Let’s be honest here… People now a day expect things to be of high quality or at least in line with the price they paid. Now some of you here own very extensively detailed haunted attractions, which you have put a lot of heart, sweat, and most of all MONEY into. I would think you all charge accordingly to the QUALITY of the product you’re selling. It really doesn’t matter if it is a walk through attraction or a DVD.

Larry you charge a certain amount of money to enter your attractions because they are high in quality, detail, and entertaining. To say, well it really doesn’t matter about the quality its all about the content… well perhaps than you should write a book. I agree a lot of your content is great, but you’re dealing in a visual medium where people want to look at eye candy. I would be the first on line to buy a book with some great content… I got Kel’s book as soon as it came out. However certain things like cell phones going off in the background, audio all over the place, quirky or rocky camera work, just add to how unprofessional the videos are.

You really don’t need a “crew” of professionals to make a high quality DVD in today’s high tech world. Hire one person who went to film school who knows how to shoot and edit, and I guarantee you will see a huge difference in the output. Not only will you see a difference in the quality you might even sell more copies because of it. Film making just like set design, set construction, prop making, and everything else that goes into creating a haunted attraction is an ART FORM. If it was not an art form then every 13 yr old kid on youtube would be raking in the big bucks shooting for Hollywood. I don’t mean to come off as rude or knocking you, but just because someone writes scripts or produces a show, does not mean they can edit or operate a camera in a manner in which the final product will look professional.

You say you don’t sell a lot of the hauntworld videos. Well you’re selling the last one for $35.00. You have to sell at least 20 copies or it wouldn’t make much business or even practical sense to ever make another one. That’s $700 dollars right there! More then enough to invest in a lav microphone so we can hear you, or a decent tripod, or a higher quality camera. I am sure there are even college kids or ones who are just graduating that have experience and talent editing film that would love to work on one your videos for $700. Looking at the credits of your video, you don’t pay anyone anything… It looks like everything is done in house, by you or Jim. Just putting 700 towards a Mac would up your production value by %100…

Another example is the Hauntworld magazine. You put text on backgrounds that are so busy it’s almost impossible to read the article. Why not hire someone like haunted attraction magazine does, that knows what they are doing so when their mag goes to print, they know you will be able to read it! Such things as these in an industry magazine baffle me. Maybe you need to spread the wealth a little bit, sacrifice a bit of your profit to make a better product for all.

Perhaps it’s just me and my lack of patience for anything that looks like it was shot on a home video camera without a tripod. I am in no way saying you should stop making hauntworld… the content has been at least good and sometimes great in many of these videos. I guess the point I am trying to make with this huge rant is “Getting what you pay for doesn’t apply here.” $35.00 dollars does not get you the quality I think it should get you. I would have to suggest the prices on these videos come down, because I would not pay 35 dollars to go into a haunt with black walls and no actors, and that seems to be the quality you’re getting with these videos.

[MDKing]

$35 dollars is nothing! I just watched mine, could be worth hundreds or thousands to me for ideas alone.

Allan

[mindtumor]

The videos are fine. I can't believe this is getting complained about so much. The camera is shaky because people are walking through their attractions filming it. Who cares if a cell phone rings on camera while Larry is talking, I don't. I own almost all of the hauntworld videos and never once have I said to myself "Gee I sure wish I hadn't bought this because someone in the background is making noise." I think the haunt footage is good and the information that is given out is worth the price of the video alone. And as far as the magazine goes, I have a copy of hauntworld issue #15 right here in my hand and I am not having a bit of trouble reading any of the articles.

[mindtumor]

I don't know why Larry would want to hire haunted attraction magazine to lay out hauntworld. I have a copy of Hauntworld #15 here in my hand and an issue of haunted attraction magazine that is only a couple of issues old, Hauntworld #15 is layed out way better than the haunted attraction magazine. Maybe in the very begining of hauntworld magazine, haunted attraction was layed out better, but the last 2 or 3 issues of hauntworld have had great layouts. I am not knocking haunted attraction but its definately not better than hauntworld.

[wickedondvd]

Perhaps my words did not come across like i meant them:

What i meant to say why not hire someone LIKE haunted attraction magazine does... not hire HAM themselves, but hire someone like they do for their magazine.