Ghost Ship

[carson]

Hi all,
I have a 200' steamship that was built in 1910 and I currently use it as a haunted house of the professional kind. What I need help with is I would like to have monitors running in the que line. With this it would need to be in some form of loop with the video showing an eerie footage with subliminal images flashing. This footage could be layered and audio needs to be matched.
The haunted attraction story line is in 1930 during a holloween custome party the ship dissappears, no trace of it found.
73yrs later this ship surfaces with it's ghostly patrons still dressed in their victorian costumes dancing in the ballroom to the skeleton band playing a moldy off note tune, roaming through the halls, and waiting for more guests to arrive. I can give a character list, room description, wardrobe, or anythingelse that might be needed.
If anyone can help with this, please I need the help.
Thanks Carson

[asterix]

Subliminal messages?? "Buy more beer... Buy more beer".....

Sounds like a fun job - forget the monitors and get yourself a projector, or a fog machine with some interesting lighting. Then project some crazy spooky whirlpool vortex crap into the water after the boat has left.

What sort of help are you looking for exactly? Ideas? Production? Tech advice?

[carson]

I have the strobes, fog machines,gobo lights,mini spots, mini search lights, and even the original search light working. What I do need is to set the theme in the que line while they are waiting up to 1hr sometimes. The projector is a good idea however part of the wait is on the dock and the rest is on the main deck of the ship. The deck wait is in a long rusted steel corridor with a series of old paint peeled cabin doors. Some of these rooms you can see into which is already naturally spooky.
Best if you see the web site www.bobloboat.com
This is our restoration project site and it will paint a better picturefor you. If we could get carlton brewery to get VB over in the states I would be a happy man.
So in the end I need help with ideas on visuals, sound, and any other hauntingly dark ideas.

[skyvat]

Search these forums for "LCD screens" and you should turn up a variety of threads for inexpensive, light monitors of middling quality. They are essentally the screens that attach to a playstation or can be fitted in the backseat of your SUV for the kids. Some of those staggered every few yards might do the trick. There's definately higher end approaches but better to start low and work up to what you need.

This sounds like an amazing project as I am always in awe of the work being done at the Disney parks. There's a ride in Florida called something like the "Xtra-terror-estrial" or something that handled crowds this way - always giving them something new to watch. The whole experience - the ride, the line, everything - is a great design.

Great to use video projectors and project some ghost images on random surfaces of the boat and thru generated smoke. That could be really effective. I didn't see any ghost ship images on your site, only pix of the ship. Are there photos of the place after the haunted house treatment?

[asterix]

There's a theme restaurant in Australia called dracula's. The tech in there has been adding the building for over 10 years. Its got all sorts of wicked creepy mechanised stuff - sound effects/characters - even a little wierd train ride that take you into the restaurant.

Projectors and fog on the outside if dark (I presume everyone will be lining up at around the same time?). Then make some sound effects with whispers and scratches and scuttering and wooden boat screeching. That can be effective enough. And then just some nice photos and wierd stuff along the walls. People like to talk when there queing up for a social event. Even if its a documentary about the ship. thats a point of interest.
If you've got people in character - have them standing out the front talking in coloquialisms.
Even put in a port hole inside the corridor - an lcd behind showing ocean or whatever - and then have some wierd pirate ship guy jump in front of the camera really close to it. Just to give them a fright....

Why bother letting them line up inside? Let em line up outside and get one of those crains to load them onto the ship in a wooden cargo box.

LCD's sound like a good idea but its all going to get expensive. Whats your budget looking like?