Beginner seeking advice from veteran haunters

[tchaunt]

@Greg:
Thanks for the tip!

Wow. I can't believe I didn't catch the SF thing. It goes to show what staying up till 3 o' clock and waking up at 8 each day will do to your mind.

So basically, be realistic and don't hack and I'll be fine.

It's actually not. Like the rest of my house, it was poorly planned. There are two full-sized spots set side by side. The 1/2 spot is put in the back, between the two full-sized spots and the work-bench. To get anything in/out of it, you have to pull the van out and twist around....or use the stairs. Yes, I said stairs. The quickest way to get to the 1/2 spot (which we use for our trailer) is to use a set of poorly laid concrete stairs. Obviously, stairs aren't the best way for moving trailers or anything else. The guy that built the house built it for his son and slopped it together.

I can have one up and running in a few minutes. It will have almost all the features of MySpace combined with a wiki (a website based on user contributions--I.e.:Wikipedia, WikiSource, etc.). I think it could actually work. It may even help increase buzz about the event. I'll post when I get it made (and some stuff added).

[tchaunt]

Hey guys! If you want to check it out, I've made a social networking website for the haunt (or soon to be haunt). So come by and check it out!

[robos99]

I don't know:
-What system is best for playing ambiance music.
-How to trigger props/lighting to come on.
-How to use a control board to do this, that, and the other.
-Where to get an affordable fog machine that doesn't overheat in 20 seconds (like the crappy one I got from Kroger's does)
-What to make wall panels out of.

First off, Kelly's book isn't going to really tell you how to build your haunt, so much as it is going to tell you how to manage your haunt. Still though, it's a great book and comes highly recommended by just about everyone here.

I don't know if it's been mentioned yet but the JB Corn books helped me quite a bit with figuring out some construction stuff and wall panels and the like. Do a search and you should be able to find the link somewhere. It's free...I just don't remember where it is. Or just PM me and I'll email it to ya (though I'd rather you looked here for it first).

The problem with your fogger is not with the fogger itself, just the design. Cheap foggers have a duty cycle. They can only be on for a certain amount of time before they need to heat back up. This is not overheating, it's supposed to do this....as much of a pain it might be. Look for higher end foggers that say that can run continuously. But these are more expensive. My personal favorite is the Jem ZR24/7 Hazer/fogger. It's really just a fogger with a fan, but I absolutely love it. Pretty pricey though. If a $12 severed head is the top of your budget, I doubt you'd want the $800 hazer (don't forget the juice to go with it at $25 a gallon). Better to get a couple really cheap foggers (they can be had for $30), and use them wisely. Maybe have a fan to spread the fog out. In a small enclosed space, you wouldn't really need the firepower that some of the higher end foggers have.

All your other questions can easily be answered here, you just need to ask. I'm sure you've figured out by now that you're dealing with some of the best and brightest in the industry around here. If you have any questions pertaining to sound, feel free to PM me if you'd rather not post, but really you might as well post it and get everyone's opinions, and also help answer questions for the lurkers who may be wondering the exact same thing.

[tchaunt]

@robos:
Yeah. I sorta' figured that out today. But so far, it does look like it will be useful.

Someone sent me a private message with the links. Sadly, the books are 110 mb in size. I have dial-up, so that would take 11 hours and 37 minutes to download. Netzero is a worthless piece of trash and automatically disconnects if you don't click something within ten minutes. Pretty much, I can't get them.

Right now, I'm really pi$$ed off. I did an "inventory" of all of my equipment to see what would and wouldn't work. I missed Halloween this year because of f'n marching band, so I didn't pull any of that stuff out. It turns out, the large angel of death prop I made (nearly 14') two years ago somehow got wet and is mildewed. The fog machine I did have is broke and won't work. I think a spider has got down into the input tube and clogged it up. So far, I only have a strobe light (that doesn't have any films), a zen mister-fogger thing ($20 dollars. I think it was actually called 'Liquid Incense' or something), a $10 porcelain skull from Michael's, and a.......uh........kind of a black-out mask. That's about it.
I probably won't actually have a severed head my first season. Most of what I have will be illusions and scare actors with a few scenes.

When I first saw this board, I was like 'HOLY $#!T! I've actually heard about these people before!' I realized on the first day that this forum had the best of the best of the best. I attempted three times to join. I got rejected the first time because I used gmail. The second time, I used ymail (secondary version of yahoo). The third time, I finally got accepted. After I finish eating supper, I'll ask a boat loaad of qestions.

[robos99]

Yeah those books are quite a large file, but well worth it in my opinion.

Don't let your lack of equipment get you down. My first haunt was done with just a few latex masks, some ancient audio equipment that I pieced together, and strobe lights. Of course, it wasn't a very good haunt......haha. But point is, you buy what you can, and make the rest. Being so young you've probably got more time than you do cash...hopefully your parents let you use the power tools. haha.

[tchaunt]

@robos:
I do realize a haunt can be done with just about anything. And even with what I've got, I could provide much better scares than a lot of the haunts around the Taylor County area. Most places here start up, go for one season, get closed. Most of it is the mind set of 'Haunts are cheap and easy to run and they'll get me more money to buy tobacco with!' They really don't care. That's why I'm trying to learn so much before I get started. I don't want to be a haunt in Taylor County. I want to be the haunt in Taylor County.

I have anything but time.....sadly. I made the mistake of joining marching band. I got stuck with having to do quite a few other things with the High School band. Now, I've got pep band on a lot of Fridays, Jazz band every Tuesday, Photography class each Wednesday, and a few more random things that pop up. That's what I call my break. During the marching season, we have sectionals on Monday, full band practice on Tuesdays, visual rehearsal on Wednesdays, full band practice on Thursday, full band practice and a half-time performance on Friday, and a full band practice along with a contest on Saturday that we usually get home from at 2 o' clock......on Sunday morning. I missed Halloween this year because of marching band. I didn't even decorate! Check out my blog post for more details. And more info about how confused I am right now.
I do get to use power tools though. *Laughs maniacally*

[screamline studios]

Hey tchaunt,

There are way to many things that would take forever to talk about in a post if you would like give me a call, I have no problem giving anyone a helping hand (440)205-0111 Home or (440)392-2666 Shop

Jason Blaszczak

http://screamlinestudios.com

[tchaunt]

Hey tchaunt,

There are way to many things that would take forever to talk about in a post if you would like give me a call, I have no problem giving anyone a helping hand (440)205-0111 Home or (440)392-2666 Shop

Jason Blaszczak

http://screamlinestudios.com

I would love to call you, but as weird as this sounds, I hate phones. Mainly, I hate my normal voice. People say I don't, but I think I have a speech impairment to a certain extent that makes me sound........awful.......on the phone. THe phone only emphasizes the hick-accent-thing.

[screamline studios]

What the hell do i care how you sound on the phone?? I just care about this indusrty and people like you in it.

Jason Blaszczak

[tchaunt]

What the hell do i care how you sound on the phone?? I just care about this indusrty and people like you in it.

Jason Blaszczak

I think that's a compliment.
It's just something I try to avoid. I don't mind talking to people, I just hate my accent (I consider it a speech impairment). XD
Oh well. I may call you sometime over the weekend...when my phone service offers free long distance. I'm not going to make a promise though. I will try to call you eventually though.

[tchaunt]

Yet again, I would like to say thank you to everyone who has been helping me get started. I have already learned so much from you all.

I just finished Kelly's book 'So You Want to be a Haunt Entrepreneur'. I learned even more from that book. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is serious about getting started in the haunt industry. This book is a steal for just $19.99 (w/o shipping)!

Plus, I've created a new website. Here's the link.

[tchaunt]

Hey guys! I've been looking into getting a haunt and I found what looks to be a great website/company. You can get a 3,200 sq. ft. haunt built for you including all of the special effects, costumes, etc. for just $85,000. The company that builds the complete haunt is called Halloween Productions Inc. I was wondering if anyone on here has done any work with them. I figured that the best way for me to get started would be using this offer to learn. My partner and I have already started a few fundraisers. We already have a few basic budget plans. If you want to see them, they are somewhere in my newest post on my blog (link in signature).
Please tell me what you think of this company. With me being a new haunter, I don't want to get suckered into losing hard-earned money.

[robos99]

So you're saying you can come up with 85k? Shit, introduce me to your friend, I could use some cash. Haha. Seriously though, unless you happen to have this money already, or know of a family member or close friend willing to invest, the odds are very very slim that you'll get that kind of cash simply through fundraisers and seeking sponsors. For a first year haunter with no experience you can pretty much count out major sponsors.

To give you some comparison as to what sponsors will really bring in, the 4th of july event my city produces which attracts 250,000 people over 4 days and has major name entertainment booked, sells the grand sponsorship with naming rights for only 75k. So to come up with 85k in sponsorships, you'd need to sell a lot of little sponsorships. You keep mentioning you're from a small town...are there even enough businesses in your town to support this?

Second, 85k is just the price of constructing the haunt. You still need the land, insurance, utilities, any permits necessary, advertising (and you'd be shooting yourself in the foot to spend 85k on a haunt and skimp on advertising), contingency funds...the list goes on. Work on that business plan, specifically the income/expense statements, and you'll see just how much all this adds up.

I'm not going to tell you you can't do it, because I don't know you. But I think the odds of someone your age coming up with over 85k from fundraising only and then running a successfull haunt are slim. I read your blog, I've seen some of your plans for fundraising. Think about how many cars you need to wash to make 85k. And remember, you can't claim that all these fundraisers are for charity unless your haunt is a 501(c)(3). You might be able to connect with a local charity, but you need to make that clear.

Really, the home haunt, or working with someone else to run an existing haunt, is probably the more realistic way to go. You're not even 18, you can't sign a contract. Unless you come up with the money in cash this haunt builder might not even want to work with you, since you can't be held to a contract. Of course, if you have some rich friends/family....go for it.

[tchaunt]

So you're saying you can come up with 85k? Shit, introduce me to your friend, I could use some cash. Haha. Seriously though, unless you happen to have this money already, or know of a family member or close friend willing to invest, the odds are very very slim that you'll get that kind of cash simply through fundraisers and seeking sponsors. For a first year haunter with no experience you can pretty much count out major sponsors.

To give you some comparison as to what sponsors will really bring in, the 4th of july event my city produces which attracts 250,000 people over 4 days and has major name entertainment booked, sells the grand sponsorship with naming rights for only 75k. So to come up with 85k in sponsorships, you'd need to sell a lot of little sponsorships. You keep mentioning you're from a small town...are there even enough businesses in your town to support this?

Second, 85k is just the price of constructing the haunt. You still need the land, insurance, utilities, any permits necessary, advertising (and you'd be shooting yourself in the foot to spend 85k on a haunt and skimp on advertising), contingency funds...the list goes on. Work on that business plan, specifically the income/expense statements, and you'll see just how much all this adds up.

I'm not going to tell you you can't do it, because I don't know you. But I think the odds of someone your age coming up with over 85k from fundraising only and then running a successfull haunt are slim. I read your blog, I've seen some of your plans for fundraising. Think about how many cars you need to wash to make 85k. And remember, you can't claim that all these fundraisers are for charity unless your haunt is a 501(c)(3). You might be able to connect with a local charity, but you need to make that clear.

Really, the home haunt, or working with someone else to run an existing haunt, is probably the more realistic way to go. You're not even 18, you can't sign a contract. Unless you come up with the money in cash this haunt builder might not even want to work with you, since you can't be held to a contract. Of course, if you have some rich friends/family....go for it.

Believe me, I know this won't be very likely for my first year as a home haunt. But I think it would be a good goal for when I do start getting my name built up. I know that I'll have to pay heating/cooling bills, electric bills, purchase property, etc. for the haunt. But this is definitely my goal. It may not be easy to reach, but whats the point of a goal that you don't have to work for?
On the fundraiser note: I don't think I claimed that they are for a charity did I? If I did, I didn't mean to.

I have done a lot of thinking about how I can get sponsors without being 18. Honestly, I figured I couldn't get the usual type of sponsors that people think of. I consider a sponsor to be anyone who helps you financially. Even someone who donates $30 will be considered a sponsor to me. I don't want to make people feel like they have to donate $20,000. I would rather have 20 people donate $2 than 1 person donate $40.
I'm not planning on getting all of the money within a few weeks. I'm just going to work for it. If I have to, I'll fund-raise for five years just to get enough money to start a quality haunt.

[MidnightEvil]

You need to get Tim Harkleroad's (KroneDaddy) new book
"Make Your House Everything You've Ever Haunted"

If you want to start your first haunted attraction you need this book.
This is a No nonsense, to the point, tell it like it is, kind of book.
If you want to go pro, this is a must have Book for your collection,

Here is the link --- http://www.kronehouse.net/booksales.html