Air cannon question

[Empressnightshade]

A cheap comedy shot, but why not?

Tony,

I am finding out that it's the "cheap" shots that are the most enjoyable to the customers. I have beat my head against a wall trying to make a "special" scare work when it's the cheap ones that get the most scares and attention.

Besides, I'm still trying to find a scare for our second cannon. Got the first one all taken care of. :twisted:

[Jim Warfield]

Customers are open for potty humor because potty is on their minds, "Will I make potty now or much later when I'm at home?"
Does an air cannon make it's sound just from the release of a large amount of compressed air or is there something else happening to accentuate the air under pressure?
If it is just air being relaesed I might have a idea to improve upon it. (But of course it would not be a change every haunt would or could make use of.)

[Empressnightshade]

Well, if the "Flatulence" smell from Sinister Scents is flowing in the breeze, even though the air cannon doesn't really come off as sounding like a human, I think they will get the message. :lol:

[Jim Warfield]

Butt in 20 years of seeing and hearing all the customers coming through here I have heard some human sounds that definately did NOT sound "Human"!

[Nightmaretony]

I was going to have it triggered from a sound system with the flatulence sound at maybe 30 watts amplified. A SERIOUS type of rip roaring, tear the seat from your pants type of fart sound. And since it is coming from an outhouse in a redneck cornfield, why not?

A THEMED cheap shot!

[HauntVentFX]

How about a special feature in a haunted house called the Hall of Farts? Complete with flatulent sounds and special "smells" from Sinister Scents! :shock:

[Infoamtek]

Something like that was used at a circus themed haunt at Knott's Scary Farm. You walked through a room with a bunch of elephant butts facing out and some of them would fart as you passed by.

[Jim Warfield]

Sort of like The Ravens Grin hall of toilet seats, all engraved with words of wizz-dumb.
"Who wizzed on this toilet seat, that was dumb!"
I personally have affection for my homemade toilet seat, a very rough- hewn, crude, almost circular creation that scares most buttz by just looking at them!
The phart noises have already usually happened long before this toilet seat hallway.
"Remember, a "Brown-out" can be more than just an electrical term."
"Electrical" means not enough "Juice", the other means a little too much "Juice".

[Monster-Tronics]

Mmmm.... “The Hall of Farts”, that is definitely one haunt I would not want to miss! I hope it’s not scratch and sniff thing....

I’ve got a bunch of mounted animal heads that do different things, one that has sound that does the old “ah-ah-choo” and sneezes water spray, and a deer rear that of course does its thing, was thinking about adding Sinister Scents to it. My wife likes to pick up everything she sees at stores and at one of the shows she picked up a bottle of the flatulence, her hands smelled like farts for a week. Needless to say, farts are almost always funny!

Jim, most air cannons use only the rush of air and a pipe for resonance.

Tony, the outhouse scene should be very funny. You might consider having the amplified sound of the hillbilly grunting and groaning at a normal level and then just use the sound and air from the air cannon to make the loud fart blast. Could have him say “I knew I should’nt a ate Ma’s bean dip!” Corey Minion has some very loud low pitch cannons vs the bang you get from other cannons. Those would work great.

[Nightmaretony]

I already have that planned, my next door neighbor came up with the idea. As is, it would be a multiple soundtrack gig.

The scene is a cornfield with real corn growing. 2 outhouses, 1 metal, 1 wood (those were FUN bringing them on the freeway, got some spectacular waves

Soundtrack 1 is original of mournful wind, stalks rustling.
Soundtrack 2 is Hillbilly Hell from Virgil (VERY perfect for the cornfield!)
Soundtrack 3 and 4 are of each outhouse with the appropriate sound effects.

One outhouse will have the air cannon and fart sound, triggered by the same actor who will come rushing out of it.

Halfway enclosed area, fog machines doing their thing, but outdoors. Lightset up shining down the paths so you hear straight into the light most of the time. Didnt get the windmill, going to get an 8 foot tall replica (they go for 40 bucks or so). Clothesline with chonas, of course


Overall, a humorous scene. Orignal scene was much more serious and amazingly spooky. The outhouse air fart is the giggle side of things.

[Jim Warfield]

It's "Comedy Relief" used since at least Shakespeare. The tense audience sometimes really appreciates the little break. It is a reset, now that they have relaxed, you can scare them some more.
The majority of my full front room routine is set up like this, build tension, dissapaite it. Of course being rather cheap, I do alot of it with my story telling , voice and pace of delivery.
To tell the whole story takes a long time and I am also working to keep from ever boring anyone in the room.
Even if someone is ever even half bored , I think they can appreciate the extreme effort they see me making to inform and entertain them so they feel kindly toward me and allow me to keep their admission money without beating me up, pinching me, rifling my pockets.