In 2013, I began my first hands-on journey into the world of themed entertainment. I asked my parents about creating a larger front yard display than we'd ever done for Halloween prior, involving a projector, fake pumpkins, and even a hay bale. They were hesitant at first, but eventually agreed. So, I used some of my summer work money to invest in some new materials. That first year, it was a simple hay bale in the middle of the lawn with 3 pumpkins on top. The projector projected faces onto them, allowing them to sing and dance a bit. I was proud of what I'd created, but that was just the start of what became an annual tradition.
Fast forward to 10 years later, in mid-2023 I found myself with an abundance of time having just stepped away from active work on the Virtual Disneyland project. I was eager to begin something new, so I turned toward Halloween. I used my phone to create a 3D lidar scan of the front yard, then proceeded to map out a feasible plan. Below are images of the final product- a skeleton filled graveyard with a brand new lighting setup, singing pumpkins, and more! The results of this were astounding- we had 1,000 trick or treaters, far more than we'd ever had before! It was wonderful and I felt the same sense of pride that I had a decade prior watching everyone enjoy my months of hard work. Below is a video as well as photo documentation of the final product!
A major element of this setup is the lighting elements. I was inspired by my time in theatre to upgrade the lighting beginning in 2022, when I acquired a set of RGB flood lights. These were later upgraded in 2023 with additional numbers of lights to create the spooky graveyard and house lighting visible in the above video.
