# This is how a professional Lighting Designer does Halloween



## dbruner (Aug 23, 2012)

OMG! I wish I lived in your neighborhood! Do you get a ton of drive-by's?


----------



## moshrider1000 (Sep 20, 2009)

Here's a few more photos.


----------



## Ghost of Spookie (Sep 28, 2008)

Beautiful photographs! Real eye candy. You should have tons of people walking and driving past to see your yard. What kind of LED lighting did you use? I like the effect of the streaming colored light as well.


----------



## jfiffick (Sep 26, 2005)

Very impressive!


----------



## Count Chocula (Oct 19, 2007)

very nice, lighting is my favorite part of any haunt


----------



## Porter (Oct 30, 2009)

Very nice. I believe lighting is key to everything.


----------



## ZombieRaider (May 18, 2008)

Excellent use of lighting!


----------



## Scatterbrains (Nov 16, 2008)

Somebody knows how to use a camera...spill it..what's the secret for such awesome pics.


----------



## AWAaviatrix (Sep 20, 2010)

Really good work! Looks fantastic. Learning about lighting is on my bucket list.


----------



## annamarykahn (Oct 4, 2009)

wow

you definitely know what ur doing, no doubt about that

lighting and pics are perfect!

amk


----------



## Halloweeeiner (Sep 20, 2007)

amazing!!!


----------



## TJN66 (Oct 7, 2011)

Yes...definately AMAZING!!


----------



## moshrider1000 (Sep 20, 2009)

Thank you all. I'm VERY proud of this year's show. It has been (and continues to be) a lot of work. This lighting isn't the kind of stuff I can leave set out so it goes out and comes in on the nights I run it. 



Scatterbrains said:


> Somebody knows how to use a camera...spill it..what's the secret for such awesome pics.


Thanks Scatterbrains! I'm using a Nikon D40 on full manual mode with the ISO set at 1200, shutter speed of around 1/4 to 1/13 of a second depending on the intensity of the lighting look and an aperture as wide as possible (lowest number the lens will allow for a given zoom). The biggest trick I use though is when taking a photo I HOLD the shutter release button until the shutter movement is complete. Momentarily pressing the shutter release button and then letting go of the button right away will shake the camera during the shot. Pressing and holding doesn't cause you to shake the camera as much. BTW I didn't use a tripod for any of these photos! If I had I could use a lower ISO and slower shutter speeds to get less digital noise (graininess). 

I've got several more photos I'll post later, and keep an eye out for video.


----------



## Lil Ghouliette (Nov 5, 2010)

I really like your lighting too. Especially since the lights can not be seen, just the effects of them. How do you hide your lighting? Are they all LED lights?


----------



## Rania (Oct 27, 2011)

Looks beautiful!


----------



## Terra (Sep 23, 2007)

Bravo!

Wow, such a treat to see. My favorite was the big tree that is two colors.


----------



## Deadview (Aug 9, 2011)

Highlighting the branches of the trees is always a great effect. The backlighting is also very nice it always makes and prop look that much larger.


----------



## Misdomt (Oct 26, 2010)

Very inspirational work!


----------



## pumpkinking30 (Aug 27, 2012)

Great pictures. The lighting is awesome.


----------



## Sauron the Great (Nov 3, 2009)

I LOVE the back lighting, never thought of doing that, nice touch. Is that a real flame in the pumpkins?


----------



## Trex (Nov 6, 2010)

You have a great eye, the lighting and the photos are so well done!


----------



## moshrider1000 (Sep 20, 2009)

Thanks All. I'm so happy with it this year I think I'm going to go ahead an add Tuesday night as an additional show night! I'm still looking for someone to do video production. I wish I would have thought about that part 2 weeks ago! 



Sauron the Great said:


> I LOVE the back lighting, never thought of doing that, nice touch. Is that a real flame in the pumpkins?


Thanks. Back light is a great way to make anything look creepy. It looks even better with a little haze/fog in the air so you see the beam and the silhouette cutout of the figure in the beam. 

Yes I use traditional tea light candles in all of my pumpkins and the tall scarecrow/pumpkin has a propane flame projector at the top. It is a big hit but it also puts out a lot of ambient light that can kill some of the lighting looks. I'd love to be able to control it remotely but that is a whole different animal.


----------



## Sauron the Great (Nov 3, 2009)

moshrider1000 said:


> Thanks All. I'm so happy with it this year I think I'm going to go ahead an add Tuesday night as an additional show night! I'm still looking for someone to do video production. I wish I would have thought about that part 2 weeks ago!
> 
> 
> 
> ...



VERY well done and thanks as I am going to play around tonight to see if I can get some back lighting, are you using floodlights?


----------



## Sadler Vampire (Nov 2, 2007)

moshrider1000.... where in SW Wisc are you. Im more SE to SC Wisc. The Oconomowoc/Delafield area just off of I-94.
GREAT Photos BTW.


----------



## GhostTown (Jul 6, 2011)

It's pretty good.


----------



## jewalker13 (Aug 5, 2010)

I would like to do something like this for next year. Any chance of a lighting tutorial? Great Stuff!!


----------



## Palmdale Haunter (Sep 26, 2010)

Wow! Looks great!


----------



## moshrider1000 (Sep 20, 2009)

Sauron the Great said:


> VERY well done and thanks as I am going to play around tonight to see if I can get some back lighting, are you using floodlights?


I'm using a combination of Chauvet Colorado 1 TriTour fixtures and higher end moving lights for almost all of the lighting. The LEDs are all a fairly narrow beam, more of a spot than what the theater world would call a flood. They have a 17 degree beam spread angle (from one edge of the beam to the other the angle is 17 degrees). Typically a wash light is going to be over 35 degree spread. The biggest impact is the moving lights and the ability to use them for many uses through the entire show. It makes it look like there's lights going every which way when really it's a few lights that keep moving, changing colors and projection pattern. 

There's a few other LED fixtures, a huge strobe, and some misc. stuff mixed in. I'll write up a complete list after work and post it up. 



jewalker13 said:


> I would like to do something like this for next year. Any chance of a lighting tutorial? Great Stuff!!


It comes pretty natural to me but I can jot down some notes over the next couple of days. Again some of it comes from pattern projection from moving lights which I only have because I use them in my profession. One interesting note I'll mention now, the last photo in my first post. The tree has 3 different fixtures on it. One uplight on either side of the trunk and the moving light casting the amber form the side/back (you can see where the light is by looking at the beam in the haze). The different angles of light hit the branches at different places on the branch and really ads a lot of dimension to the tree. 



Sadler Vampire said:


> moshrider1000.... where in SW Wisc are you. Im more SE to SC Wisc. The Oconomowoc/Delafield area just off of I-94.
> GREAT Photos BTW.


I sent you a PM.


----------



## moshrider1000 (Sep 20, 2009)

I finally found a production company that is willing to take the challenge of filming this. I'm excited to finally have hope of getting some quality video after my attempts the last two years failed miserably.


----------



## Johnson724 (Jun 24, 2009)

moshrider1000 said:


> Thank you all. I'm VERY proud of this year's show. It has been (and continues to be) a lot of work. This lighting isn't the kind of stuff I can leave set out so it goes out and comes in on the nights I run it.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Very good shots with no tripod. Even with a tripod I usually use the timer to let any shaking get done with.


----------



## Red (Aug 10, 2009)

Looks amazing! Great job.


----------



## annamarykahn (Oct 4, 2009)

can't w8 for video

amk


----------



## Laurie S. (Dec 4, 2007)

Well, *CRAP*, you people are just making me feel ridiculous! 

Your display is gorgeous!!


----------



## matrixmom (Oct 29, 2010)

Holding the button down never worked for me.

you can just buy one of these and snap away!!

Remote Timer Control for Nikon (bought on Amazon)...sorry lost the link, just plugs into the camera and voila non-shaky pics.


----------



## TNBrad (Sep 12, 2007)

WOW now those look great
Thanks for shareing


----------



## Rania (Oct 27, 2011)

matrixmom said:


> Holding the button down never worked for me.
> 
> you can just buy one of these and snap away!!
> 
> Remote Timer Control for Nikon (bought on Amazon)...sorry lost the link, just plugs into the camera and voila non-shaky pics.


Most cameras have an option for a 2 second delay. That is what i use.


----------



## moshrider1000 (Sep 20, 2009)

matrixmom said:


> Holding the button down never worked for me.
> 
> you can just buy one of these and snap away!!
> 
> Remote Timer Control for Nikon (bought on Amazon)...sorry lost the link, just plugs into the camera and voila non-shaky pics.


Those really only work with a tripod though and I hate running around with a tripod. Several of those shots were taken from different heights to get different perspectives. That's time consuming with a tripod. The button trick works for me, may not work for all. 



Rania said:


> Most cameras have an option for a 2 second delay. That is what i use.


Also a good idea.


----------



## The Real Joker (Sep 8, 2008)

Amazing photographs. LOVE the lighting!!


----------



## kmb123 (Oct 6, 2009)

jewalker13 said:


> I would like to do something like this for next year. Any chance of a lighting tutorial? Great Stuff!!


Yes please!


----------



## moshrider1000 (Sep 20, 2009)

I said I'd post more information about the lighting I'm using. First, here's a few pics during the day where you can see a bunch of the fixtures. 

There are 24 RGB color mixing LED fixtures of various brands and quality. 
6 Elation moving head lights
7 old school small moving head lights
2 black lights
2 traditional spot lights
a string each of orange and purple LEDs across the front of the house. 
The lighting is controlled by Hog 3PC. To time the lighting to the sound track the Hog system receives commands directly from the audio file via MIDI. The Midi commands are embedded as a separate track that only the lighting control system receives. Each time there is to be a lighting change there is a Midi command that triggers that change. This happens 98 times during the show. The show also contains 30 cues that the lighting console controls the timing of, giving the show a total of 128 cues. 

The spot lights, LED light strings and black lights are all run off or two cheep dimmer packs from Guitar Center. 

The main plan behind my design for this show is to light the props in several different ways and sync the different looks to the music. I am not a fan of the flashy trashy, seizure inducing Christmas light shows and I do not want my Halloween haunt to turn into that. Lighting is more about creating looks and feeling what is happening during the music than it is about flashing to the beat (unless that is the feel during that moment in the song). Halloween, to me, is also more about the props and making them look their best. Anyway, back on track. 

To make the goal of lighting the props in eerie ways happen I used several standard lighting techniques. First standard front light. It isn't used a whole lot but the moving lights do project some front light on the scarecrows and also the tombstones. The two traditional spots front light two of the grave stones. Front light gives a "normal" kind of look by creating normal looking highlights and shadows. Front light won't cast much of a beam in haze or fog when viewed from the normal audience perspective. Also the construction material has little effect on how the light shows, with the exception of how the light may or may not hit objects behind the main subject. 

One thing I like to use more than straight front light is up lighting. Up lighting casts light from the bottom up and fills in places where there normally would be shadows. It also casts strange shadows, for example the eye sockets stay shadowed. Side light from various different angles is used a lot also. Side light from a forward angle or straight from the side can light the subject well while still casting some great shadows. Side light directly from the side or from behind will cast great beams and shadows in fog and haze. Also construction material can make for some very interesting effects with the lights.

Now the thing everyone's been talking about, back light! Back light needs one of two things, or optimally both, to work at all. It needs a construction material that is somewhat transparent and haze or fog. Back lighting is highly effective with haze to show the beam. It also works well on surfaces that are very dimensional (skeletons, corn stalks and trees for example). It is virtually useless in a grave yard setting that has just tombstones and no haze or fog. Add a few skeletons and other props and it becomes more useful. 

Also use the lights to create dimension. In stead of lighting all of your trees in a line light them from different angles. Have a tree in the back yard? Up lighting that tree will add great dimension to the display and make it feel deeper than it is. 

Hopefully some of these ideas help some of you with your lighting projects.


----------



## MagicalHalloween (Oct 3, 2012)

This reminds me of a themed area they have at King's Island's Haunt. It's my favorite display of the whole park and one of my favorite Halloween displays in general. (I hope you take that as a compliment, I mean only good in saying that.) In short, it looks simply awesome!! How amazing to have a display like that in your very own yard to enjoy every day.


----------



## moshrider1000 (Sep 20, 2009)

The long awaited, and over due video is finally up! I hope you enjoy.


----------



## UnOrthodOx (Apr 24, 2007)

Can't get the sound working here at work, so will have to listen at home later. Looks like you had a bit of wind hampering your fog though?


----------



## zero (Aug 27, 2004)

good start but to drawn out imo,, many dead sequences,, still,,, good work


----------



## hallorenescene (Dec 28, 2007)

i liked it. i'd drive by real s l o w!


----------



## Forever Haunting (Jan 1, 2009)

Smoly hokes! Your lighting is awesome....creepily, realistic, and spooky. You and the other members of this forum inspire me.


----------



## Animatedattraction (Jan 18, 2013)

Those pictures are AWESOME!!! Great job


----------



## Sublime Nightmare (Aug 2, 2009)

Thanks for the breakdown. Wonderful pictures.


----------

