# Magic Mirror Prop Help?



## Fiyero (Oct 25, 2005)

I cannot find the email address on the site for the Imagineer people responsible for the Mirror. I have audio files and I wish to record a performance for the mirror.. I dont understand the instructions. HELP?!


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## icemanfred (Aug 18, 2005)

I know yorkick the skull can record performances.
but I dont think the free 'facemask" character can record. I think its for live action.
but I could be wrong


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## quakrspecl (Aug 21, 2006)

Fiyero said:


> I cannot find the email address on the site for the Imagineer people responsible for the Mirror. I have audio files and I wish to record a performance for the mirror.. I dont understand the instructions. HELP?!


Try here, *Fiyero*:

http://homepage.mac.com/nephilim/imagineerieing/

q


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## Push Eject (Oct 11, 2005)

You CAN run a performance:

Run the program at least once (this creates 'MAG_MIR.TXT' in the same directory as the program)
Exit the program and open 'MAG_MIR.TXT' in any text editor
Find the line 'audiofile none' and change 'none' to the name of the sound file you are going to perform with
Find the line 'key_record_sequence none' and set 'none' to 'r'
Find the line 'key_play_sequence none' and set 'none' to 'p'
Save the file
Run the magic mirror and press 'r'. Your sound file starts playing. Using the standard keys to open the mirror's mouth, turn side-to-side, etc... do your performance
When the file stops your performance is saved. Press 'p' to watch it or 'r' to redo it
When you are happy with the playback, quit the mirror and return to the text file.
Set key_record_sequence to 'none' again so you don't mess up your performance
If you want to manually trigger your performance you are now done. Hit 'p' for playback OR
If you want to loop your performance change 'unattended -1' to '0' or greater. That will be the number of seconds between loops

Have fun!

Push E.


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## Nephilim (Oct 22, 2005)

Nice instructions, Push Eject. Thanks for posting them.

The only thing I would add is to make sure, when you edit the preference file, to use something that saves your file as TEXT, and not as some other format. In particular, do not use Microsoft Word to edit your file - that has been the downfall of more users of the Magic Mirror than anything else.

That said, I'd encourage you to think about doing live puppetry instead of a static performance. In our experience, people that use the mirror interactively with the guests really knock it out of the park. Kids love it when they realize the mirror is talking _specifically to them_, and they can pick up on a pre-recorded performance. Obviously, not everyone can do it, but if you can swing it, it really adds something memorable to your haunt.

As a side note, the Magic Mirror performance is more difficult to deal with because it's essentially our in-house hacked-together solution for our home haunt. That's why it's free; we're just making what we use available for everyone. If you have trouble with it, you might consider trying one of our other digital puppets at http://www.imagineerieing.com, which have more user-friendly interfaces for controlling things like performance playback.

And finally, please be sure to take photos or video of your facade and use of the Mirror and send 'em to us - we love seeing what people do with it! I've been fascinated by the creative things people have done with it.


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## Fiyero (Oct 25, 2005)

I sadly cannot do that with the Mirror (live puppet I mean. He is going to be our Ghost host) The main problem I have is, when I put a audio file there... and try hitting record, it doesnt do anything. Yet when I use the demo version of Yorick. (Which I am buying very soon. He is awesome.) It works perfectly fine!


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## Push Eject (Oct 11, 2005)

You are saying it doesn't play the sound file when you hit your record key? Would you post your MAG_MIR.TXT here and perhaps tell us about your computer and os.

Nephilim, I bought Yorick and think it's great! We still just use the Mirror as our haunt is still geared for really young kids, but someday we will graduate! Thanks for the great software.

Push E. - imagineering fanboy


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## Nephilim (Oct 22, 2005)

Glad you like the puppets, guys! That's why we made 'em available - spread the joy...er...spookiness, right?

Anyway, if the Magic Mirror is having a hard time finding and playing your sound file, try these:

* Put it in the same folder as the Magic Mirror application, and copy-and-paste the filename into the preferences file, rather than typing it to ensure there are no typos.

* You can also try entering the full path to the sound file.

* Make sure you are entering the FULL file name. Windows and Mac both have modes which hide the file extensions (like .wav or .mp3), and if you aren't including the file extension in the preferences file, it won't find it.

* Try changing the format of the file. In particular, don't use Windows Media files - it won't recognize them. Try WAV's or AIF's.

* Make sure that the type of file you have your sound file as matches your file extension. For instance, if it's a WMF file with a WAV extension, it won't work. The extension needs to communicate the file type.

* Finally, if you suspect something is screwy with the preferences file itself, you can always delete it and launch the Mirror again. It will create a fresh copy of the preferences file to work with.

Hope this helps.


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## moparhov (Nov 17, 2006)

I needed help as well in a different way. I can't extract any of the puppets in Vista without an error message that says I already have a file by that name, and to change it. Emailed someone at ImaginEERIEing, and he said to try XP, but all three of my computers run Vista. Anyone running this program in Vista?


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## Lynn (Aug 23, 2005)

I have XP at home and had this issue...
I loaded the mirror on my home computer and entered the pin# but the DEMO on the background didn't go away.... it worked fine on my computer at work which has XP.
Now I need to load it onto the computer that will be in our haunt and I'm afraid that I won't be able to get the DEMO sign off of the background.


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## Nephilim (Oct 22, 2005)

Lynn said:


> I have XP at home and had this issue...
> I loaded the mirror on my home computer and entered the pin# but the DEMO on the background didn't go away.... it worked fine on my computer at work which has XP.
> Now I need to load it onto the computer that will be in our haunt and I'm afraid that I won't be able to get the DEMO sign off of the background.


Are you still having this problem?

The only thing I can think of that might block something like this is if the computer cannot save the preferences for the app because of a permissions issue or something. In other words, if it can't make a note that you've unlocked the puppet because the OS is blocking it from doing so. I haven't heard of any cases of this, but one way to see if this is happening would be to see if you can make changes in the console and not have them "stick" - i.e., if you quit and re-launch the puppet after making settings changes in the console and the settings revert to their defaults, then this is likely the issue. (How to fix it, though, is another story. It depends on the OS you are running, and could be any number of things - if this is happening, your best bet is to corral a computer geek friend and ask for help, because there are likely larger problems at work on your computer.)

Otherwise, I'd say to double-check that you have entered your serial # correctly. The serial #'s for the different puppets are not interchangeable, so if you buy a key for Yorick, but try it on Gordo, it's not going to work. (Serial numbers between Mac and PC versions should work, however.)

You could also try re-downloading and re-installing the puppet, although it sounds like you've got it installed fine if it's getting all the way to showing the DEMO screen.


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## Lynn (Aug 23, 2005)

I got this going now ! I just re copied mirror onto a disc and reloaded onto the computer in our haunt. That took care of it. Maybe something was missing the first time ????

Anyway, works great. We had to play with lighting for a while...... even with the brightness turned down on the monitor, you could still see some light from around the puppet... When we put a small light above the mirror to shine down on the fabric, the little bit of light around the puppet disappears.. mostly.


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## Nephilim (Oct 22, 2005)

Lynn said:


> I got this going now ! I just re copied mirror onto a disc and reloaded onto the computer in our haunt. That took care of it. Maybe something was missing the first time ????


Glad you got it to work!



> Anyway, works great. We had to play with lighting for a while...... even with the brightness turned down on the monitor,  you could still see some light from around the puppet...


Remember that you (generally) have two places to control the brightness of your monitor: the monitor itself, and the operating system that sends the signal to it. If your monitor is still too bright, make sure you've turned down the brightness on the monitor itself AND set the gamma and brightness settings in your operating system's control panel.

If that doesn't help, check the fabric that you're using for scrim material. You might just have too thin a fabric - try doubling it up or using a fabric that transmits light through it less easily. A good trick is to bring your iPhone, iPod, PSP or other handheld device with a backlit color screen to the fabric store with you and test fabrics right in the store.


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## darkmaster (Apr 29, 2009)

I must say, this is an awesome program. I am ordering the other setups, but right now I am using the free one. I will post a video when it's made. I like to give ideas to others.

Thanks again for a GREAT product.


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## Screaming Demons (Sep 15, 2008)

Nephilim

This is a great program you have come up with. It is absolutely perfect for someone who wants to get into haunting but doesn't have much space or money.

An apartment dweller could put on a real show with this for almost nothing. Set the monitor up in the front doorway, build a cardboard facade around it, $10 worth of paint, and you've got something kids will remember until next Halloween.


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## Nephilim (Oct 22, 2005)

Screaming Demons said:


> This is a great program you have come up with. It is absolutely perfect for someone who wants to get into haunting but doesn't have much space or money.
> 
> An apartment dweller could put on a real show with this for almost nothing. Set the monitor up in the front doorway, build a cardboard facade around it, $10 worth of paint, and you've got something kids will remember until next Halloween.


Thanks. Glad you like it!

And yes, one of the real strengths of this is its versatility. I've seen people slap together decent-looking facades on Halloween day, and other people build giant versions that are projected onto shower curtains and pirate ship sails.

And no matter where you put it, it engages the kids so well if you have a live puppeteer - it really draws out the sense of Halloween magic we're all looking to inspire in our visitors to add a personal connection. (And it doesn't have to be one of these puppets, either - so long as you do something interactive, something that responds to kids individually, they pick up on it and respond.)

Hope your visitors have a good time, and be sure to share pics or video - I love seeing what people do with the puppets.


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## Screaming Demons (Sep 15, 2008)

I will be ordering all of them, including Frosty. He would be perfect for a Christmas program we put on here in our little town. The kids get restless waiting to see Santa.


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## xxnonamexx (Oct 14, 2005)

This sounds fantastic. What we did one year is use a big screen on our house with a projector and inside my friend had a tv set up with a camera pointing outside so he sees the kids coming to the house and he knows alot of them since he works in town. So when people visited the house they saw this "monster" on the front of the house talking to them while he was inside talking and calling there names etc. It appears this will be interesting as well. Great job.


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## andjarnic (Oct 27, 2008)

I am betting the Vista problem was due to not running it as Administrator. That happens often if you run an app that can't extract or create a file in a certain directory without permissions. You can usually do a right-click Run As Administrator.


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## DezzyLee99 (Sep 3, 2008)

These puppets are the best, this will be my third year and 2nd house running the Magic Mirror. I still hear the neighbour's kids asking if my house is the spooky mirror house, and that they can't wait to see it again. This year I've upgraded the facade and will be adding some ideas from around this forum to make my porch into a haunted manor. If done well, believe it or not, teenagers actually enjoyed it as well.

I run Hallowindow on the large 2nd floor window and this year will be adding haunted portraits, creepy column/sign and hopefully fog.


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## Nephilim (Oct 22, 2005)

andjarnic said:


> I am betting the Vista problem was due to not running it as Administrator. That happens often if you run an app that can't extract or create a file in a certain directory without permissions. You can usually do a right-click Run As Administrator.


Cool. Thanks for the tip. That's something I can pass along to Vista users when they ask for help. (I haven't even touched Vista, myself...)



DezzyLee99 said:


> These puppets are the best, this will be my third year and 2nd house running the Magic Mirror. I still hear the neighbour's kids asking if my house is the spooky mirror house, and that they can't wait to see it again. This year I've upgraded the facade and will be adding some ideas from around this forum to make my porch into a haunted manor. If done well, believe it or not, teenagers actually enjoyed it as well.


Wow, that looks fantastic! I can't tell you how jazzed it makes me to hear that your visitors - even teenagers! - enjoyed it, and that it sticks with the kids year-round. That means that you really made an impression on those kids last Halloween, that you really brought the magic. That's the whole reason we do this stuff, right? Well done!

Mind if I quote you on our web site?


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## DezzyLee99 (Sep 3, 2008)

Nephilim said:


> Wow, that looks fantastic! I can't tell you how jazzed it makes me to hear that your visitors - even teenagers! - enjoyed it, and that it sticks with the kids year-round. That means that you really made an impression on those kids last Halloween, that you really brought the magic. That's the whole reason we do this stuff, right? Well done!
> 
> Mind if I quote you on our web site?


Thanks, actually I was the Mirror of Mackenzie Towne on your site, but for sure you can quote me. If it wasn't for your prop and inspiration, the halloween around here would still be quiet. At least now since I've been doing this, the neighbourhood has been buzzing around Halloween. Kids get excited when they see it being set up.  

From this year on, this set will be called Prestwick Manor (the actual area where I live). Next year might be a larger set with Yorrik and pirate theme but that's just an idea for now.

Yeah and about the teenagers, if you keep your conversations relevant, they respond well. Joke around and have fun with them. I've also got a "kareoke" pre-recorded routine to make them laugh. Not sure what song I'll use this year I guess I'll just have to turn on the radio and listen to what is being played the most. 

Last note to Nephilim, you need to add the "no costume no candy" feature back into Mirror. It was my favourite feature of the original mirror program. 

I'll youtube some stuff this year. Thanks again, and you can't go wrong with these digital puppets, just make sure you practice.


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## NIL8r (Sep 22, 2009)

Nephilim,

I have a couple questions. But first, let me say how happy I am with your "puppets". Last year, I didn't have time to builda facade. I projected Yorick on my front picture window. Halloween + 4 foot talking skull = happy trick-or-treaters.  Thanks.

I am having problems with recorded performances (for when I'm away). Quick key strokes lead to the mouth just staying open. But this only happens on playback. When I'm recording, it looks fine. I've tried using actual keystrokes (see TIP below), but hat doesn't solve the problem either.

Also, is there a way to fade-in/out to black? Or, could this be added as an update. Again, for when the flow of kids is low and I want to step away. I'd like to fade in after I notice they're there. Unfortunately, brightness controls are now digital (not on the back of monitor).

TIP FOR EVERYONE:
I used keymapping and a gamepad for controlling the puppet. It works great for controlling he motions, expressions, and mouth movements.


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## DezzyLee99 (Sep 3, 2008)

NIL8r said:


> Nephilim,
> 
> I have a couple questions. But first, let me say how happy I am with your "puppets". Last year, I didn't have time to builda facade. I projected Yorick on my front picture window. Halloween + 4 foot talking skull = happy trick-or-treaters.  Thanks.
> 
> ...


A Gamepad? That's brilliant! Thanks for the tip!


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## andjarnic (Oct 27, 2008)

That is indeed brilliant. Great idea! Maybe Nephilim can put that up on the site with the product, if you can write up some instructions on how you did it. I bet a lot of people using his software would love to see that work! I can imagine using the joystick to control his movement, and buttons for the mouth and the left thumbstick/arrows for the expressions for example.


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## NIL8r (Sep 22, 2009)

andjarnic said:


> That is indeed brilliant. Great idea! Maybe Nephilim can put that up on the site with the product, if you can write up some instructions on how you did it. I bet a lot of people using his software would love to see that work! I can imagine using the joystick to control his movement, and buttons for the mouth and the left thumbstick/arrows for the expressions for example.


Glad you liked the tip. 

Yep, that's exaxtly what I did. I have a Nyko AirFlo EX gamepad (but I'm sure any of them would work). Most gamepads have keymapping software that comes with it. This software allows you to program the gamepad joysticks and buttons to act as normal keyboard strokes. 

I have mine setup as follows: (BTW, I'm right-handed) The left joystick controls the head movements, the "1" button controls the mouth. I find it easiest to control the mouth with my right thumb. It's usually the quickest to move. making mouth movements appear normal. The remaining keys to control the facial expressions ("D", "A", "F") are set to other buttons on the gamepad as well.

I found it much easier to control the "puppet" using the gamepad. Keyboard strokes can get a bit tiring on the hands after a while.


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## Diaval (Oct 19, 2009)

DezzyLee99 said:


> These puppets are the best, this will be my third year and 2nd house running the Magic Mirror. I still hear the neighbour's kids asking if my house is the spooky mirror house, and that they can't wait to see it again. This year I've upgraded the facade and will be adding some ideas from around this forum to make my porch into a haunted manor. If done well, believe it or not, teenagers actually enjoyed it as well.
> 
> I run Hallowindow on the large 2nd floor window and this year will be adding haunted portraits, creepy column/sign and hopefully fog.



Hello DezzyLee,

First I have to tell you that you did a great job in setting up your Magic Mirror and you are into your 3rd year running?

I am planning to do a magic mirror myself and I do admit I am getting off to a late start this year because I couldn't make up my mind if I wanted to do an elaborate outdoor setup (thusfar October has been very rainy in my area). Then it dawned on me that I could set up on the side entrance of the house. The entire side entrance and stoop is in a glass vestibule and we never use this entrance on the house. Being on a corner property, the vestibule entrance is exposed to the main road. Thus, setting up in the vestibule kills many birds with one stone with the main one having everything sheltered from bad weather. 

I thought of hanging black cloth to cover the side windows and this would also provide a good shelter for the equipment. I would open the vestibule screen door and prop it open for the event. 

Now in terms of equipment I already have, I already have an extra computer, a Dell 17" monitor, an amplifier, a Mackie mixer, a studio grade microphone, voice changing program, and a really cool looking picture frame.

My intentions were to use those omni surround outdoor speakers that you bury partially in the ground. I can hide these in the bushes that are next to the vestibule.

There is still much that I need and the biggest hold up right now is the facade and this is where my questions start. But with all my questions I would like to know what materials you used and where did you obtained them.

First off is the facade, I am mostly interested in the brick look and the candy ejection slot area. I bought a tombstone that has a skull on it that could mount on the facade and then 'dig out' a slot. In fact the tombstone came with small skulls and two plaques that I could mount on the facade too. I don't have to create a 'frame' for the mirror because I have the wooden frame above. How long did it take to make your facade BTW?

Next thing, the scrim for the front, what did you use? My picture frame has mounting provisions for a canvas and as such I can stretch scrim material around an open canvas frame and install it into the picture frame. The Dell monitor I have is black already so I don't have to mask that.

My intention is to play some spooky Halloween background music. I already have the CD player built into the computer, are you using background music? If so, what are your recommendations?

Are you using any kind of feedback system? Meaning, with the setup in a door how are you going to monitor the front of the mirror for approaching TOTs? Are you going to use a camera/monitor system?

Ok, those are my main questions and pretty much that is it for now.

Thanx in advance!

Geo


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## Diaval (Oct 19, 2009)

DezzyLee99 said:


> These puppets are the best, this will be my third year and 2nd house running the Magic Mirror. I still hear the neighbour's kids asking if my house is the spooky mirror house, and that they can't wait to see it again. This year I've upgraded the facade and will be adding some ideas from around this forum to make my porch into a haunted manor. If done well, believe it or not, teenagers actually enjoyed it as well.


Hello DezzyLee,

I have to congratulate you on a job well done with the Magic Mirror. I have had intentions of doing a magic mirror effect for a while now, but with a lack of TOT's where I lived, I didn't pursue it. However, where I am now there are PLENTY kids and the idea of putting the mirror project together was once again rekindled. 

Where I live though we have had a bad October thusfar and I was concerned about my original location for the prop/effect. But then I had one of those "V-8" moments when I thought of the side entrance vestibule. It is completely enclosed (glass), no one uses that entrance to the house and it faces the side street which gets quite a bit of traffic. So now that I have my location I am kind of scrambling to get the final items together.

The biggest thing I still need is the facade and I am at a loss of what I should do here. Naturally seeing the demos of the magic mirror something like what you have or what is given as an example on the magic mirror website would be in order. However, I never constructed anything like that before and I am concerned I will mess it up and further put behind. 

I have most of items already for the mirror effect which includes the computer, sound system, Dell 17" flat screen monitor, and even a really nice wooden picture frame with a circular detail. 

My first plan of action is to use an opaque curtain that will cover the glass of the sides of the vestibule. I still have to buy this material.

I also have to buy a sort of see through material that I can use to cover the front of the monitor. The nice thing about my picture frame is that it is meant for a canvas and has the recess for it. So I could probably buy an empty canvas frame from an art store and stretch the fabric across that and mount it in the frame. 

So I have a few questions if you don't mind me asking

My first question is, where do you get that kind of see through material. Would a standard fabric store have it?

Next question: Did you make your facade out of builder's foam? If so, how long did it take you to make? Would you have any pointers or hints on working with foam?

Your location situation is very similar to mine...more then likely you are 'working' the mirror effect right behind it, correct? I would be in the same boat and I feel it would be necessary to have some kind of 'front' feedback such as a video camera to let you know that someone is approaching the mirror. Do you have something like this in place? If so, could you let me know what you are using and if it is inexpensive?

That is pretty much it for now. I am sure I will have more questions as I go along.

Thanx in advance!
Geo


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## Nephilim (Oct 22, 2005)

Wow, lots of activity here! Not sure why my email subscription to this thread didn't notify me...

NIL8r, I'm not sure what the playback issue might be on your prerecorded performance. That sounds odd. If you give me info on which app you were using, and under what operating system, I'll look at the code and see if I see something.

The use of a gamepad is a really good one. It's been suggested before, but I hadn't heard of anyone who actually has done it until now. Good job. I've found some software on the Mac called "ControllerMate" which would let you program nearly anything you'd want a controller to do, so that would work on the Mac side. Not sure if there is a generic solution I could recommend on the PC side.

Regarding fade-in-fade-out, it's funny you said that, because just tonight, I uploaded a new version of Mirror Mirror that supports fading in and out. Yorick and Gordo do not support this yet, but Mirror Mirror does. This feature is a free upgrade, so if you have Mirror Mirror already, you can just download the new version and use your registration key to unlock it. This should allow people to have the Mirror "appear" in places it is not expected.

I also uploaded a new version of Gordo that allows you to turn the exterior of the pumpkin black, essentially revealing only the eye and mouth holes. You can then use this to project onto a real pumpkin for that "singing pumpkin" effect.

jukingeo: With regard to buying material, your best bet is to experiment. Take a PDA, PSP, iPhone, or other handheld device with you to the fabric store and try out a bunch of different fabrics. That will give you a far better idea of how the fabric will act than getting advice here.

The way we did the mirror, you can see through the scrim to the area in front of the mirror. It's all about the light - you want there to be a significant amount of light illuminating the visitor's side of your facade, and you want your side of the facade in near darkness. That way, only the computer monitor image appears through the scrim, and you can see your visitors well. That said, you'll probably want someone to serve as an "usher" on the other side of your facade. This prevents vandalism and helps control large groups of kids all coming up at once.

Happy haunting!


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## Diaval (Oct 19, 2009)

Hello All,

First off, I would like to apologize for the double post. I made the first post and put it through, but it didn't show up. Then I made the second post and was paying more attention this time and it say that the moderators have to "review" my reply before posting it.

What is up with that? I never heard of that with any forum. I hope that is a one time deal and not that I have to "wait" each time I post something here.

Anyway moving on.



Nephilim said:


> jukingeo: With regard to buying material, your best bet is to experiment. Take a PDA, PSP, iPhone, or other handheld device with you to the fabric store and try out a bunch of different fabrics. That will give you a far better idea of how the fabric will act than getting advice here.


I am one of the last holdouts of those individuals that DO NOT carry a cell phone (simply because if I receive 3 or 4 phone calls a MONTH that is a lot. Naturally I don't feel the need to pay a monthly bill for something I rarely use), nor do I have a PDA. I have an iPod, but it is misplaced. I have to look for it. Perhaps I can borrow my wife's cell phone...her's has a nice display on it. 



> The way we did the mirror, you can see through the scrim to the area in front of the mirror. It's all about the light - you want there to be a significant amount of light illuminating the visitor's side of your facade, and you want your side of the facade in near darkness.


I kind of gathered that and have already planned to work in low light conditions. For the most part I am going to completely block the side windows of the vestibule with a black curtain/cloth.

Given the short time I have to prep for this, I seriously doubt I will be able to construct a faux "brick" or "stone" facade.

One thing I thought of was to wrap the curtain around towards the front and have a hidden support holding the "mirror" in place via the roof of the vestibule. The curtain would mount on the same bracket and thus conceal the support and wiring.

While it is possible that someone COULD lift the curtain up, it will be set back from the stoop. A simple "halloween chain" barrier would prevent TOTs from getting too close to the display. 

While this idea is good and I can set it up quickly...the problem I am now facing is how to "dispense" the candy, and that is an issue I am still working out. 



> That said, you'll probably want someone to serve as an "usher" on the other side of your facade. This prevents vandalism and helps control large groups of kids all coming up at once.
> 
> Happy haunting!


I really don't have anyone lined up for that duty with the exception of my wife, and she has twin toddler boys to tend to. She MIGHT help out if it isn't too cold outside. At any rate, I probably have to get some kind of camera anyway so I can see what I am doing from the other side.

Thanx,

Geo


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## Diaval (Oct 19, 2009)

Nephilim said:


> The use of a gamepad is a really good one. It's been suggested before, but I hadn't heard of anyone who actually has done it until now. Good job. I've found some software on the Mac called "ControllerMate" which would let you program nearly anything you'd want a controller to do, so that would work on the Mac side. Not sure if there is a generic solution I could recommend on the PC side.


Once again, sorry for the double post, but because I have to 'wait' until a moderator posts my post, I can't edit it and more then likely I have to 'wait' again for it to be reposted. I wish the forum administrators would do away with this and allow posts to come up to the forum right away. We are talking Halloween here...a time sensitive event.

Ok, in regards to using a gamepad, there is a program called JoytoKey and it allows you to map your gamepad buttons and joysticks to actual keypresses. This is what intend to use for my magic mirror:

For Windows:

JoyToKey English Version

For Linux:

joy2key | Get joy2key at SourceForge.net


Also in the case of Windows there are some older joysticks and joypads that have a utility to map the buttons. The Microsoft Sidewinder series, for instance. 

Of course there are others out there, but if you are using a game controller for an X-box or Playstation then you probably will need JoyToKey.

Hope that helps!

Geo


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## fordman (Sep 30, 2009)

*MAG_MIR.TXT file help*

Hello All,

I love the Magic Mirror from ImaginEERIEing! Not just because its FREE, but because it is cool and will keep my TOT's entertained!

After I installed it and played around with the default buttons, I looked in the install folder and found an MAG_MIR.TXT file. Well, that is the file that you change to configure the Magic Mirror. I know the Magic Mirror was made with MAC but when you open the MAG_MIR.TXT file with windows, it looks like a bunch of rubbish.

So I took the liberty to clean it up a bit.

MAG_MIR.TXT <----- Right Click > Save Target As

Download it and replace the file you have. This one is cleaned up and easy to read. The original file that is created doesnt allow for the microphone input to work because the microphone_input and microphone_sensitivity are both missing the _ between the words on the auto-generated version. It took me 3 hours to figure that out. I also adjusted some other text in the instructions to make some things a little more clearer. I also changed the microphone pop up adjustment box keys to ' i ' to show it, ' o ' to reduce sensitivity and ' p ' to gain sensitivity on the fly. I changed those keys because they are unused and are all next to each other and wont confuse some if others are puppeteering!

I hope the ImaginEERIEing people dont mind me making these changes as I didnt see any contact info on their web page.

Just thought I would share!










Fordman


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## DezzyLee99 (Sep 3, 2008)

jukingeo said:


> My first question is, where do you get that kind of see through material. Would a standard fabric store have it?


Hi Geo, I just went to my local fabric store and bought some black fabric that I thoguht would work. Like Nephilim suggested, I used my cell phone to gauge the transparency of the fabric. it was pretty cheap too.



jukingeo said:


> Next question: Did you make your facade out of builder's foam? If so, how long did it take you to make? Would you have any pointers or hints on working with foam?


Yes I used EPS foam bought at the Home Depot. I also live in a relatively new development so there are foam pieces for free after a bit of dumpster diving.  As far as working with foam, I always have a good sharp utility knife for long cuts. I use a soldering iron if I need to make holes and for sculpting I use 120 grit sandpaper. It's really not that time consuming to shape foam, just remember safety first. If you are going to melt any EPS, make sure you are in a well ventilated area, also when sanding EPS foam, make sure you wear a mask, the particles of foam are bad for your lungs. For paining, make sure you only use latex acrylic so that it doesn't dissolve the foam. I got all my paint in the "oopsie" section of the Home depot paint department. They usually have buckets of cheap off coloured paint for cheap, I got lucky and found an off black, dark greyish and light grey paint. 3 large cans of paint for 5 bucks each.

I think it took my 2 or three days to make it, I can't quite remember all I know is I did it a few days before Halloween last year. The whole set cost maybe $60 or so in materials and is super lightweight. I used 2x1's to reinforce the EPS foam boards and used piano hinges so that the wings can fold easily. The 2x1's also give me a surface to attach my scrim material to, I just use thumbtacks right into the wood. I designed this facade to be broken down into 2 sections and easily stored away. I also got some clearance fabric as well to drape over the back of the facade so that it is completely dark behind the set.



jukingeo said:


> Your location situation is very similar to mine...more then likely you are 'working' the mirror effect right behind it, correct? I would be in the same boat and I feel it would be necessary to have some kind of 'front' feedback such as a video camera to let you know that someone is approaching the mirror. Do you have something like this in place? If so, could you let me know what you are using and if it is inexpensive?


Yes I am directly behind the scrim. I don't use anything fancy like a video system, just make the mirror frame large enough so that you can see around your monitor. I have a LCD suspended on a monitor arm attached to an Ikea bookshelf. I can see anyone who walks up to my mirror through the scrim fabric and since it's pitch black behind my setup, as long as I remain slightly behind my monitor, I can almost go right up to the scrim and still be invisible to the tot's. It's all a question of lighting. As you can see in my post, I have taken the center pot light out but left the left and right pots on.

As for control, I broke out my old Sidewinder joystick and with some button mapping software, I can control mirror with one hand. Again a brilliant Idea from NIL8r, thanks again for the tip.

I'll take a few more pics of my setup in a few days after I upgrade it some more. I'm making a self opening "magic box" that will sit on the table in front of the mirror. It'll open and close magically and also have candy appear magically before the Tot's eyes.

Nephilim, it's totally awesome that you upgraded Mirror! Going to download it right now! Please add the no costume no candy to the next upgrade! I miss that feature.


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## DezzyLee99 (Sep 3, 2008)

Nephilim said:


> Regarding fade-in-fade-out, it's funny you said that, because just tonight, I uploaded a new version of Mirror Mirror that supports fading in and out. Yorick and Gordo do not support this yet, but Mirror Mirror does. This feature is a free upgrade, so if you have Mirror Mirror already, you can just download the new version and use your registration key to unlock it. This should allow people to have the Mirror "appear" in places it is not expected.


Hey Nephilim, I've just tested your new mirror 1.1 and I get blocks behind the mirror when using the 3d backdrops. I'm under WinXp (yeah I know yuck...)

Anything you can do?


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## NIL8r (Sep 22, 2009)

Post deleted


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## NIL8r (Sep 22, 2009)

Nephilim said:


> NIL8r, I'm not sure what the playback issue might be on your prerecorded performance. That sounds odd. If you give me info on which app you were using, and under what operating system, I'll look at the code and see if I see something.


I'm using Windows XP (Home Ed.) on a P4-3Ghz. I have the same problem with all Demo versions. When I try to move the mouth quickly, it just stays open. I never really cared too much because, I agree, a live performance is best.



> Regarding fade-in-fade-out, it's funny you said that, because just tonight, I uploaded a new version of Mirror Mirror that supports fading in and out. Yorick and Gordo do not support this yet, but Mirror Mirror does.


That's GREAT. THANKS! I generally make a point of not asking programmers to make changes, but I thought this would be a useful one. I'll be sure to get the updated version. 



> I also uploaded a new version of Gordo that allows you to turn the exterior of the pumpkin black, essentially revealing only the eye and mouth holes. You can then use this to project onto a real pumpkin for that "singing pumpkin" effect.


Great idea! Although I'm curious as why people use this method instead of using the projector to light the pumpkin and have the mouths black instead. I've never tried this, but it would seem to make sense. Maybe that could be a toggle option in the program?

Thanks for all of your help and GREAT programs.


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## Diaval (Oct 19, 2009)

DezzyLee99 said:


> Hi Geo, I just went to my local fabric store and bought some black fabric that I thoguht would work. Like Nephilim suggested, I used my cell phone to gauge the transparency of the fabric. it was pretty cheap too.


But now that is the trick, I don't have a cell phone...but hopefully I can nab my wife's. 



> Yes I used EPS foam bought at the Home Depot. I also live in a relatively new development so there are foam pieces for free after a bit of dumpster diving.  As far as working with foam, I always have a good sharp utility knife for long cuts. I use a soldering iron if I need to make holes and for sculpting I use 120 grit sandpaper. It's really not that time consuming to shape foam, just remember safety first. If you are going to melt any EPS, make sure you are in a well ventilated area, also when sanding EPS foam, make sure you wear a mask, the particles of foam are bad for your lungs. For paining, make sure you only use latex acrylic so that it doesn't dissolve the foam. I got all my paint in the "oopsie" section of the Home depot paint department. They usually have buckets of cheap off coloured paint for cheap, I got lucky and found an off black, dark greyish and light grey paint. 3 large cans of paint for 5 bucks each.
> I think it took my 2 or three days to make it, I can't quite remember all I know is I did it a few days before Halloween last year.



Thanx for the useful foam construction tips. However, as you pointed out it takes about 2 or 3 days. I never worked with foam before and a screw up could be very costly. 

Today I been bouncing around a few ideas up to and including buying a 36" hollow core door slab and make a temporary fit into the outer screen door frame of the vestibule. The only bad thing about this idea is that now the Magic Mirror will be flush with the outside edge of the vestibules awning. It might look nice (if could get the door themed right), but I am thinking about bad weather. But an even bigger problem is getting the door slab home and HOPEFULLY I CAN wedge it into the frame. I already know that there will be a 4" opening on top because the vestibule door is exactly 7' and most doors are 6' 8". If I had more time to my disposal (and more money), then this would be the way to go.

However, I think I may have to do something simpler. 




> The whole set cost maybe $60 or so in materials and is super lightweight. I used 2x1's to reinforce the EPS foam boards and used piano hinges so that the wings can fold easily. The 2x1's also give me a surface to attach my scrim material to, I just use thumbtacks right into the wood. I designed this facade to be broken down into 2 sections and easily stored away. I also got some clearance fabric as well to drape over the back of the facade so that it is completely dark behind the set.


The good thing is that there is a curtain/fabric store VERY close to where I live. I have been aiming to get out there for the past 3 days now to see what they have. I need about two large 60" by 80" sections to completely cover the side window panels on the vestibule. This would effectively create 'my work space'. Having twin toddler boys doesn't help my situation much but if I can work in the vestibule then I can close the main door that opens in to the house, thus sealing me off from inside noise. This is another reason why I picked the vestibule.




> Yes I am directly behind the scrim. I don't use anything fancy like a video system, just make the mirror frame large enough so that you can see around your monitor. I have a LCD suspended on a monitor arm attached to an Ikea bookshelf. I can see anyone who walks up to my mirror through the scrim fabric and since it's pitch black behind my setup, as long as I remain slightly behind my monitor, I can almost go right up to the scrim and still be invisible to the tot's. It's all a question of lighting. As you can see in my post, I have taken the center pot light out but left the left and right pots on.


Ahhhh, so you did it that way. I DO already have a frame, but it is an exact frame. A Dell 15" LCD monitor will fight right into it. A subframe does have to be built in which the scrim would go into. The finished frame will look really cool. It is a very ornate rectangular frame but with a wooden bezel mask in the shape of an oval. I saw the frame on Ebay by accident and knew exactly what I wanted it for. 

Now with you right behind the scrim, do you have any feedback problems with your mic? Can the Tot's hear you? I figured if I went with a curtain only type facade, I imagine myself using Halloween Background music (Midnight Syndicate stuff), but played at a good volume. This would mask any of my shuffling from inside. But the danger now will be feedback. Initially I did plan to use speakers close to the mirror to save some bucks, but I did find a deal on some mushroom speakers which I can partially bury in the ground right next to each side of the vestibule. So if feedback does become an issue then this is the route I have to take.



> As for control, I broke out my old Sidewinder joystick and with some button mapping software, I can control mirror with one hand. Again a brilliant Idea from NIL8r, thanks again for the tip.


You can use a program called JoyToKeys and with an appropriate driver, you can use a Playstation (or Xbox) type controller). That is one of my plans. I do have a Sidewinder Dual strike that I wanted to use, but the X-Y pivot plane is analog. I THINK though I could be set to digital. I do hope so because it is a cool two handed controller in which you can twist it for the X-Y movement.

Here is the critter here:

http://www.idsa.org/idea/idea2000/images/S9959.jpg

Now you can see what I mean by 'twisting' the controller. Pretty cool, huh? BUT the thing is I have to FIND it! If I can then I don't need JoyToKeys because the Dual Strike IS a Sidewinder and can be programmed using the regular driver.



> I'll take a few more pics of my setup in a few days after I upgrade it some more. I'm making a self opening "magic box" that will sit on the table in front of the mirror. It'll open and close magically and also have candy appear magically before the Tot's eyes.


That is a GREAT idea! This is where I am stumped right now. I know that I can use all curtains and 'suspend' the magic mirror from the roof supports inside the vestibule. This would leave the lower portion under the mirror totally open. The bad thing is that there would be nothing stopping someone from lifting the curtain. But a bigger problem is how to 'deliver' the candy. So far the best think that I cold come up with is have a large diameter PVC pipe behind the curtain (in my area) and have an elbow move forward directly behind the mirror, thus the candy would 'drop' into a bowl or some other container that is somewhat under the mirror.

I have not fully ironed out the kinks to this method though. It isn't as easy as having a pass through in a physical wall such as yours has.



> Nephilim, it's totally awesome that you upgraded Mirror! Going to download it right now! Please add the no costume no candy to the next upgrade! I miss that feature.


I wanted to ask about that feature too. I think it is cool but some improvements would be to add the ability to change the message? IE, if you want to take a break? Of course a latching feature would need to be put in place. But it isn't a biggie though. As it is I was just going to resort to using a standard cardboard sign!

One thing I did notice on a couple of the 'pay' puppets is that you can fade the face in/out. THAT is cool...beats the "sleeping" mode for sure.

So overall time is running out and outside of the computer system, I don't have much in place. The facade is what is killing me right now. My brain has been in overdrive today going over many things that I could do to make this look good, but yet not take too much time to do.


Anyway, thanx for the input!

Geo


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## DezzyLee99 (Sep 3, 2008)

jukingeo said:


> Thanx for the useful foam construction tips. However, as you pointed out it takes about 2 or 3 days. I never worked with foam before and a screw up could be very costly.


It shouldn't be costly, just don't buy the thick stuff. I think each of my sheets was $7 for a 2x8 sheet. If you have a pic of where you're going to place this prop, maybe we can come up with a solution online?



jukingeo said:


> Now with you right behind the scrim, do you have any feedback problems with your mic? Can the Tot's hear you? I figured if I went with a curtain only type facade, I imagine myself using Halloween Background music (Midnight Syndicate stuff), but played at a good volume.


I just hooked up a karaoke mic to a bookshelf system, and then ran the speakers under the table behind the red table cloth. They can hear me fine. The first y ear I did the mirror I had no amplification whatsoever, I just spoke loudly through the scrim with my normal voice.

As far as the joystick goes, I've mapped the facial expressions to the POV control, I swipe up for smile, swipe down for frown, and left or right activates angry. I use the top trigger for sleep and another top trigger for docile. I use the squeeze trigger to talk and use one of the buttons on the base to active my pre-recorded performance, which I use when I need to had out candy through the chute.

Delivering the candy was my first issue in my first mirror build as well. What I did was drop the candy from the top of the scrim. It was a cool effect, albeit very low tech, but what it did was the candy seemed to suddenly materialize from the mirror. All I did was pull back the scrim a little at the top and dropped the candy down. It would surprise the trick or treaters.


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## Diaval (Oct 19, 2009)

DezzyLee99 said:


> It shouldn't be costly, just don't buy the thick stuff. I think each of my sheets was $7 for a 2x8 sheet. If you have a pic of where you're going to place this prop, maybe we can come up with a solution online?
> 
> Not sure if I mentioned I only have a car...that was another issue with the door scenario. I DO have a friend with a van, but his availability is another issue.
> 
> ...


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## DezzyLee99 (Sep 3, 2008)

LOL Geo, I drive a Beetle. =P I wouldn't use those software voice modifying softwares, they have too much of a delay to them. The Karaoke Machine has echo so my voice sounded pretty cool. I'll wait for a few pics, and maybe we can get some ideas going.


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## Diaval (Oct 19, 2009)

Ok guys here are the pictures of my vestibule.

Edit:

Ok, a bit of an explanation of picture #114 is warranted. That is the underside of the roof showing the support brackets. These are U channels. There are three of them that run across the top. In addition there is one over the doorway too. So those four points are where I can anchor something.

Picture #113 is of the inside and you can see that the vestibule is really sitting on top of a concrete stoop. There are three steps. The first step is what you see as the threshold for the door, then there is a middle step and then the top landing.

There is just enough space for me to set myself up with a table in there. The three largest pieces of equipment are my computer, a receiver (amplifier) and my mixing console. 

In the first picture you can clearly see the walkway and that goes all the way out to the street. My house is on a corner, so I have pretty good exposure from that side.

I initially had in mind of putting speakers inside just inside the doorway, but I managed to get deal on a pair of "mushroom" speakers and I can put those on the sides of the vestibule. One can go next to the air conditioning unit on the left, and the other speaker can go under that bush on the right.

I can grab power either from inside or from the backyard via an extension cord.

So that is it, my 'planned' work area.

Any ideas I would greatly appreciate.

Thanx,

Geo


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## DezzyLee99 (Sep 3, 2008)

Cool, the pictures cleared a lot of stuff up. here's what I'd do:

1. Use a sheet of EPS foam or cardboard to cover the lower part of the door way. Make this into a faux wall and mount your skull/tombstone thingee to it. Make a hole in it for a candy chute.

2. Build a table/support for the back of the foam or cardboard faux wall. This will be where you put your monitor and your controls. Also the inlet for the candy chute.

3. Get enough scrim fabric to cover the upper part of the doorway. Then suspend your picture frame in line with your monitor to your vestibule and table/support that your built.

4. use drapes to hide the side windows of the vestibule to ensure the it's pitch black inside. Also use drapes to cover the front of vestibule to create a castle kind of look. Also maybe make a sign for the propped open door and use drapes to decorate it as well.

In this way, having a large area of scrim, it will not be a problem to see the tots as they approach, lighting will be critical here. I know from personal experience that even when a person comes right up to the scrim on the viewer's side, as long as it's pitch black on the controller side of the scrim, they can't see a thing. It's awesome and kind of creepy that I could be right up against the scrim and no one can see me at all.

Anyways, this is how I would do it given what you have available. The vestibule is pretty awesome actually. 

You can also set up speaks behind the scrim area and the sound would project through the mirror from the front as opposed from the sides, makes it easier too as you won't have to run any wires.


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## Diaval (Oct 19, 2009)

Wow! DezzyLee, I am ecstatic! I can't believe how fast you came up with this and it is by far topping everything I came up with. It's pure genius! I guess your experience with Halloween surely shows!

Ok, just follow along... 




DezzyLee99 said:


> Cool, the pictures cleared a lot of stuff up. here's what I'd do:
> 
> 1. Use a sheet of EPS foam or cardboard to cover the lower part of the door way. Make this into a faux wall and mount your skull/tombstone thingee to it. Make a hole in it for a candy chute.


I have attached two pictures of the foam tombstone I have, to give you a better idea of what I have. As you can see the skull on the tombstone is to die for and that is what initially attracted me to it. When I picked it up, I noticed it was a "kit" and came with several other items.



> 2. Build a table/support for the back of the foam or cardboard faux wall. This will be where you put your monitor and your controls. Also the inlet for the candy chute.


This was a great idea with the candy chute to actually create a slope using the angle of the stoop. It was definitely a "V-8" moment and I don't know how that one escaped me. 

Building the table will not be a problem. I already figured out that I am going to use 2 by 2's and 3/8" plywood which I will get cut to size for the top and front. The front I will get the thin foam. I have a hot glue gun so I can attach the foam pieces that way. BUT the kicker here is painting the foam. I would like to put faux cracks in the foam and generally age it to look similar to the tombstone. So what would your recommendation be in terms of painting and detailing the foam? Also, the R.I.P on the tombstone bothers me. I don't want people to think it is a crypt. If there is a way to get rid of the "I" then I would just have R & P and I can make that stand for anything I want!



> 3. Get enough scrim fabric to cover the upper part of the doorway. Then suspend your picture frame in line with your monitor to your vestibule and table/support that your built.


I have to commend you here again as you found a way for me to just set the monitor on a sturdy table. I did have my worries about hanging the monitor from the U channel. While the space under the mirror would enhance the illusion and I did have a good plan for mounting, the fact is that it has to be held in place WHILE mounting, and that is where a simple slip could result in a fall and a damaged monitor. Here I just have to put the thing on a table and run the monitor cable to my computer table. And yeah, I can see hanging the frame from two chains in front of the scrim and then have a nice ornate curtain in front of that.



> 4. use drapes to hide the side windows of the vestibule to ensure the it's pitch black inside. Also use drapes to cover the front of vestibule to create a castle kind of look. Also maybe make a sign for the propped open door and use drapes to decorate it as well.


I did think about putting the decorative curtain in line with the picture frame, but putting it outside like in your picture has it's merits. Then it will make the vestibule look more like a Fortune Teller's tent. Now THAT is awesome! The only drawback is that I have to see if there is a way to hang a curtain rod under the lip of the vestibule's awning. If there is an attachment point, then I am good to go. (The house is my parent's...I live in the basement apartment, so I cant be just drilling holes wherever I please).



> In this way, having a large area of scrim, it will not be a problem to see the tots as they approach, lighting will be critical here. I know from personal experience that even when a person comes right up to the scrim on the viewer's side, as long as it's pitch black on the controller side of the scrim, they can't see a thing. It's awesome and kind of creepy that I could be right up against the scrim and no one can see me at all.


As I said above, it's pure genius. This method even saves me from the added expense of purchasing a camera. The only thing I might want to do is add a small mirror so this way I can see the puppet. I don't know why, but I just have to see the performance end, but a mirror is by far cheaper than a camera.

Now you said that the 'room' I am in has to be pitch black. The mixer, amplifier and computer I am using will all have some kind of LEDs on it. Would that be visible? If so, then I probably have to put the electronics in some kind of box so the lights don't show.

But the best thing is that I can sit with a chair facing forward and look right over the picture frame and completely interact with who is there.



> Anyways, this is how I would do it given what you have available. The vestibule is pretty awesome actually.


Yes, it is isn't it? I just kept kicking myself in the butt as to why I didn't think of it sooner. I kept thinking about doing something on the side of the house by the garage (even IN the garage)...or even use the main door on the house. But that would have been impractical and here I have this vestibule on a door of the house that isn't even used! Best part is that the vestibule is actually facing the busier road! But now I am hustling and unfortunately my brain isn't operating at full capacity.



> You can also set up speaks behind the scrim area and the sound would project through the mirror from the front as opposed from the sides, makes it easier too as you won't have to run any wires.


Another excellent idea! I happen to have a pair of pitch black speakers too. Thus in a way you would have saved me from buying the mushroom speakers...but I wanted those anyway . I need them for another project. But yeah, it will certainly reduce the wiring needed.

Well, I can't thank you enough for the great idea. I am going to mull on it tonight and take some more measurements of the steps in the vestibule. Thusfar the only other question I had for you is in regards to painting that foam piece. Everything else I am slowly picturing in my head and what I have to do.

I will take more pictures as I go along.

THANK YOU!!


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## DezzyLee99 (Sep 3, 2008)

jukingeo said:


> BUT the kicker here is painting the foam. I would like to put faux cracks in the foam and generally age it to look similar to the tombstone. So what would your recommendation be in terms of painting and detailing the foam? Also, the R.I.P on the tombstone bothers me. I don't want people to think it is a crypt. If there is a way to get rid of the "I" then I would just have R & P and I can make that stand for anything I want!


For details on ESP foam, use sandpaper to make the details. I take a 8x11 sheet of sandpaper and cut it into a square about 3 x3 inches. Fold it in half and you have a great "cutter". Just run the folded edge, corner first, along the foam to carve it, use moderate pressure and if you need to go over the detail several times to get the desired depth. After your major details are done, I use the same sheet of sandpaper and lightly sand the whole surface to give it a rough look. Again use light pressure and go over several times until you achieve the desired look. Not sure if you can get rid of the "I" and retain the look of the tombstone. Only thing I would possible do is cut a small section of EPS to cover the RIP and carve my own message into it. You can melt or use plaster to fill in the I, but the issue is painting it to make it look OEM would be difficult.

For paint, I use a dark gray as a base. Make sure you use Acrylic Latex paint, the stuff for interior walls. Paint the whole piece in the dark gray, making sure you get paint in all the nooks and crannys. Then I use a lighter shade a gray and dry brush over the whole piece until I get the look I want. You may want to practice on the back of your piece until your comfortable with your technique. 



jukingeo said:


> And yeah, I can see hanging the frame from two chains in front of the scrim and then have a nice ornate curtain in front of that.


Just make sure that you use chain or wire to anchor the bottom of the frame to your table as well, this will ensure that the frame doesn't sway in the breeze.



jukingeo said:


> If there is an attachment point, then I am good to go. (The house is my parent's...I live in the basement apartment, so I cant be just drilling holes wherever I please).


For this I would just get one of those extending shower curtain rods. That way you don't need to drill anything. Also if using drapes, make sure the bottoms of the drapes are taped or weighed down so that it minimizes sway in the wind.



jukingeo said:


> The only thing I might want to do is add a small mirror so this way I can see the puppet. I don't know why, but I just have to see the performance end, but a mirror is by far cheaper than a camera.


If you have a laptop run the cloned screen mode. I run Mirror on a netbook.



jukingeo said:


> The mixer, amplifier and computer I am using will all have some kind of LEDs on it. Would that be visible? If so, then I probably have to put the electronics in some kind of box so the lights don't show.


Yep you'll need to mask these. Easy solution is to tape up the LED's or if you can fit everything in a large cardboard box that can close up, it's even easier, just have to make a few air holes and also a few holes for cables. I put all my electronics on a low lying bookshelf facing away from the scrim. There's a small amount of ambient light but if I wear all black and turn all the screen settings down, no one can see anything. Alternately, if the space under the table is high enough, you can hide most of your electronics there.

Good luck on the build, look forward to seeing the finished product.


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## Diaval (Oct 19, 2009)

DezzyLee99 said:


> For details on ESP foam, use sandpaper to make the details. I take a 8x11 sheet of sandpaper and cut it into a square about 3 x3 inches. Fold it in half and you have a great "cutter". Just run the folded edge, corner first, along the foam to carve it, use moderate pressure and if you need to go over the detail several times to get the desired depth. After your major details are done, I use the same sheet of sandpaper and lightly sand the whole surface to give it a rough look. Again use light pressure and go over several times until you achieve the desired look. Not sure if you can get rid of the "I" and retain the look of the tombstone. Only thing I would possible do is cut a small section of EPS to cover the RIP and carve my own message into it. You can melt or use plaster to fill in the I, but the issue is painting it to make it look OEM would be difficult.
> 
> For paint, I use a dark gray as a base. Make sure you use Acrylic Latex paint, the stuff for interior walls. Paint the whole piece in the dark gray, making sure you get paint in all the nooks and crannys. Then I use a lighter shade a gray and dry brush over the whole piece until I get the look I want. You may want to practice on the back of your piece until your comfortable with your technique.


Hello DezzyLee,

Thanx for the quicky tips on working with foam. I am not 100% sure if I am going to go with that for the bottom section mainly because of the time. For this year I might do something simple such as just cover the bottom area with cloth...but set it back so I can put my chute back there. I could mount a skull in front of the chute (with a space of course). The skull would just need to serve as a view block so the chute remains hidden. The Halloween place near me has the demonic looking skulls on sale already and I can cut the bottom jaw off so it looks similar to the skull on the tombstone. 

Going this route would save me the cost of an extra piece of plywood, the foam and the paint. As it is, I think this project is going to cost quite a bit with all the fabric I have to still purchase. Last night I was scrummaging through my parent's storage boxes and really couldn't find anything I could use. Right now I just can't wait to get to the fabric store, I am ITCHING to see what they have.




> Just make sure that you use chain or wire to anchor the bottom of the frame to your table as well, this will ensure that the frame doesn't sway in the breeze.


I was thinking of a try chain anchor (two coming from the top and one to the table. It should be pretty medieval looking. However, this would mean I have to set the mirror back further and expose the unfinished table. BUT I have a solution for that. I am tracking down an old beat up table (for the front on Craigslist...it would look more authentic and would save on construction time.



> For this I would just get one of those extending shower curtain rods. That way you don't need to drill anything. Also if using drapes, make sure the bottoms of the drapes are taped or weighed down so that it minimizes sway in the wind.


The front curtain is the easiest to hang because as you said, a shower curtain rod (or even cheaper, a wooden closet coat rod) would sit within the roof awing on top of the side window frames. It's perfect because I can move the front curtain forward and back to find the best position. It is the side curtains that will be a pain because there isn't anything to anchor, a pressure rod wouldn't work here either. But I could attach a rod with strings and use the roof supports...so that isn't that big of a deal. I knew I was going to have to do that even with my old plan.




> If you have a laptop run the cloned screen mode. I run Mirror on a netbook.


I been aiming to buy a used laptop for purposes like this but it is going to have to wait for this year. 

But in this case it really wouldn't work because the monitor would create light and that is a no no, correct? Even if facing away from the scrim, I think the monitor would generate enough light to cause problems.



> Yep you'll need to mask these. Easy solution is to tape up the LED's or if you can fit everything in a large cardboard box that can close up, it's even easier, just have to make a few air holes and also a few holes for cables. I put all my electronics on a low lying bookshelf facing away from the scrim. There's a small amount of ambient light but if I wear all black and turn all the screen settings down, no one can see anything. Alternately, if the space under the table is high enough, you can hide most of your electronics there.


That is one place where I am ahead of you  Last night I was in the vestibule and realized that the table had to come up about 32" to 36" to put the monitor at a decent level for both children AND adults to view from the walkway. At this height there is certainly quite a bit of room for everything behind/under the table. So the lights shouldn't cause a problem. 



> Good luck on the build, look forward to seeing the finished product.


Well, I am hoping and praying that the fabric/curtains will be cheap because if they are not, then I will be in trouble. But cost aside, going with fabric should yield a pretty fast setup.

Thanx again for the info!

Geo


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## DezzyLee99 (Sep 3, 2008)

jukingeo said:


> It is the side curtains that will be a pain because there isn't anything to anchor, a pressure rod wouldn't work here either. But I could attach a rod with strings and use the roof supports...so that isn't that big of a deal. I knew I was going to have to do that even with my old plan.


Never underestimate the power of a lot of Duct Tape. That's what I use.


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## Diaval (Oct 19, 2009)

DezzyLee99 said:


> Never underestimate the power of a lot of Duct Tape. That's what I use.


You would have loved the duct tape episode they had on Mythbusters a week or so ago (I think they aired it last night too).

They picked up a car with just duct tape. They also made a boat and a cannon with just duct tape. Yeah, you read right...I did say CANNON. 

However, I am a bit leary about using duct tape regardless of witnessing the results of that show. Knowing me and my luck, the tape would become undone at an inopportune moment and there I will be sitting for all the world to see (ok that is a bit dramatic). As you can see my vestibule is all glass on both sides and if a curtain fell that WOULD be a major problem. So naw, I am going to tie it up.

Yesterday I did manage to get to the fabric store...but I couldn't do much but stare into the store from closed doors. Yup, they closed at 6:00pm and I got there about an hour later . So I am going to try again tonight. From the look of it, the store seems pretty big and quite a bit of the fabric was hanging on rods. That is good because now I know they deal with curtains. 

In terms of supports for the curtains, I decided to go with those large closet dowels all around. Because they are made of wood I can screw in eyelets on the ends and then hook them into hooks on strings that are suspended from the roof. As I said before for the front curtains I can suspend from the top edge of the side window panels. But here I MIGHT go with a pressure rod because it is possible that someone could pull on the curtain and the dowels would move...a pressure rod wouldn't. 

Much to do yet and I am running out of time.

Geo


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## NIL8r (Sep 22, 2009)

Working with foam....
Using sand paper will do the trick, but it creates a big mess. I prefer to use a hot wire cutter. I use a Tippi, but there are others as well. It cuts smooth with no mess and is MUCH faster. For texturing, I also use a small butane torch held slightly away from the foam. The heat slightly melts the foam and creates indents in it. You just move this around to create a random look. 
Hope this helps.
YouTube - Tippi Hot-Wire Foam Cutter (Retaining Brick Walls)


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## Diaval (Oct 19, 2009)

NIL8r said:


> Working with foam....
> Using sand paper will do the trick, but it creates a big mess. I prefer to use a hot wire cutter. I use a Tippi, but there are others as well. It cuts smooth with no mess and is MUCH faster. For texturing, I also use a small butane torch held slightly away from the foam. The heat slightly melts the foam and creates indents in it. You just move this around to create a random look.
> Hope this helps.


That is great! I have heard of heat wire foam cutters before in...the model railroading hobby. Yes, that is another interest of mine as well and I did laugh when I first saw the beginning of the video.

Anyway, I do prefer the idea of using a heat wire rather than files and sandpaper because of the mess that you mentioned. I saw some foam prop tutorials the past week in which saws, files and sandpaper was used and the mess has to be seen to be believed. For sure it looks like an outside job.

Sadly though if I am going to go the foam route I might end up using sandpaper unless I could find a foam cutter locally. There is an arts and crafts store near where I work and I can check that out.

But as of now I still have to get to that fabric store. The darn shame is that the store closes at 6:00pm during the week and I got back home around 5:30. Clearly not enough time.

The good thing is that I am on a 4 day work week and I am off tomorrow, so I am hoping to get all my supplies tomorrow. 

Well, I have to run...

Thanx for the info!

Geo


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## Diaval (Oct 19, 2009)

*Update--Scrim material*

Hello All,

Well, I started to get more materials for the project and I may be a bit stumped on the scrim material.

Ok, rewinding a bit.

I finally got to the fabric store today and they sure did have quite a bit of material there. Basically there was enough there to create everything from clothing to curtains. Curtains was obviously their biggest business and I figured I was in luck.

They did have many types of sheer fabrics and I did the cell phone test (courtesy of my wife...she let me borrow her phone). What I found was that the fabric was either very opaque or very sheer. My wife's cellphone is silver and I could easily see the frame, even when the phone was held back a bit. Thus anything the slightest bit reflective would probably show. 

I did find this one fairly expensive polyester material that looked a bit like it would pass. I liked the idea that it was polyester rather than a cotton based material because with polyester, no wrinkles would show. What I did was double up on this material and then when I held the cell phone back a bit, I couldn't see the silver frame, but I could see the display.

So I took the chance and bought into enough material to double up on the it. So I have a piece that when folded twice over will give me 60" by 36". THAT set me back about $20. I brought it home to check on my monitor with the magic mirror puppet and for the most part it worked like a charm...but I noticed something that happens when the material is "doubled up", I get a moire pattern. I can shift it to where the pattern is not that noticeable, so I should be OK. 

At any rate, the question I am asking now I should have asked before. What SPECIFIC material is everyone using for a scrim?

The next thing is that I found a felt material for the sides of the vestibule. That was only $5 per linear yard, but at 72". Thus $20 worth would cover both side panels. So that wasn't too bad of a deal.

They did have a nice curtain which I could use for the front. It was called "Royal Ruby", and it was mostly a burgundy color. With the pattern and valance the curtain had a very medieval feel to it, JUST what the DR ordered. The problem was the cost $50 for two panels and the valance. That was a bit too rich for my blood and I am going to look into a cheaper alternative. 

The good news was that I had more light today and I closely examined the front overhang on the vestibule and there ARE anchor points there. So I could suspend a curtain rod there. The downside is that the largest size in curtain material is 84" Looking at my photos, that is basically going to cover only the door. So now I am thinking I probably am best off hanging the curtains from the inside. 

So what I thought about doing was buying some of that cardboard brick material that comes on a roll and put it around the doorway. That is if money and time permits. 

So that is the scoop for now.

Edit:

Update! I ran into a major snag today. As someone pointed out earlier, I have discovered a delay in my voice processing program. That is a major issue because I have to time the mouth of the mirror puppet with that of my voice. I can;'t do that if there is a delay in the voice output. On top of that, I will be behind a scrim. Patrons will hear my real voice speaking into the mic first before the processed audio starts. So I did the next best thing and changed programs. However I tried three other programs to no avail. So it looks like computer voice changing programs are not up to the task of a live show. That would leave me with some kind of hardware processor. The trouble is that hardware processors are pretty expensive brand new. Sure I can look around for a used one, but the fact is that Halloween is only 1 week away and it is unlikely I will find something. 

I seriously doubt I could pull this off without changing my voice. So more then likely no voice changer = no magic mirror this Halloween.

I have looked into some of the cheap costume shop voice changers they sell in the Halloween stores, but I have read bad things about them and that they don't do the intended job and they just distort the sound rather that process it.

I am open to any suggestions. But this new setback could kill the project for me.

Thanx,

Geo


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## NIL8r (Sep 22, 2009)

jukingeo said:


> ...As someone pointed out earlier, I have discovered a delay in my voice processing program...
> 
> Thanx,
> 
> Geo


I have to assume that your PC has on-board sound. Try a add-on sound card. I've seen this problem before when trying to use these programs with on-board sound.

Also, what voice changing program were you trying to use?


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## Diaval (Oct 19, 2009)

NIL8r said:


> I have to assume that your PC has on-board sound. Try a add-on sound card. I've seen this problem before when trying to use these programs with on-board sound.
> 
> Also, what voice changing program were you trying to use?



I am using Screaming Bee's MorphVox. Yes, the computer does have on-board sound. The computer is a desktop (not a tower). Adding a card will be VERY difficult to say the least. Not that I even have an extra card to spare.

But it is true that I did have better results on my computer at work, but also true that machine is twice as fast as the computer I will be using for the event.

Thusfar I don't know what I will do. I don't really want to use my own voice, but at the same token I don't want to spend $200-$300 for a external processor either.

We will see.

Geo


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## Diaval (Oct 19, 2009)

Update:

Ok, as of yesterday I decided to take the plunge and get the rest of the materials for the project. So yeah, I am going to do it despite my sound issue.

I was scrummaging through some old equipment at my job and I DID find a Digitech reverb unit. I figured that while having a reverb unit isn't better than a voice changer, it is still better than nothing. However I found out the unit fried! Bummer! I also checked craigslist and no one has a reverb unit for sale that is cheap. So I don't know what I am going to do here.

I do have a nice Mackie mixing console with a high quality microphone, but I was wondering about using a hands free headset mic. I was at Staples yesterday and saw they had some running the range of $20 to $100. Naturally I don't want to overspend, but I don't want to buy a cheaper mic and then get a really thin tinny sound. Too bad I don't have a mic stand. 

Anyway, as for the project, I have my wooden frame built that will suspend all the curtains and the pieces are cut for the table. 

Tonight I am going to start to cut the fabric (I went with black felt instead of curtain material because it was cheaper) for the side windows. 

As for my scrim issue I bought enough material to double up on the material, but what I am going to do is just double up on the material that runs from the top down, but when the material gets to the monitor, I will put the monitor inside the two folds of the material so it will be only one layer think directly in front of the monitor. That will avoid the moire pattern I was talking about.

So I should be getting quite a bit done tonight.

But I am still open to suggestions as to an inexpensive way to alter my voice in REAL time.

Thanx,

Geo


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## andjarnic (Oct 27, 2008)

juk, there are a number of options you can try, although it all depends on your gear. If you have a computer with a soundblaster live or later (xifi would be really good), it has real-time voice changing capabilities. You may need the latest software, the full software tho, as they provide an application that allows you to do this. I recall several years ago with my SB Live being able to change my voice on the fly. My kids had a great time with it.

Any mic should work fine. A $20 mic for this particular prop especially if you're changing your voice, should be fine. Since you are running the software on a computer near the prop, you should have some sort of sound card (which one is it) in that computer? You can try some software like AV Voice Changer (Voice Changer and free Audio/Video software - Parody Voice Maker, DVD/MP3 Player, Music Editor & Free Screensaver).. there is shareware version that you can try for free, or buy it for $30 or so.

You could easily make a simple mic stand to hold your mic that you do have as well. Grab a piece of PVC, if you have any old 50pk or 100pk dvd-r spindle, put the PVC over the spindle to give you some height (cut to height), and then put a tray or something on the top, hot glue it or whatever and you can lay the mic on it. Give the top tray a little groove or indent of some sort so the mic can lay in it. Nobody is going to see it, so that would save you money on buying a mic. I picked up a 10 foot length of PVC for $3 from Lowes, you can buy smaller for $1 or so.


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## Diaval (Oct 19, 2009)

andjarnic said:


> juk, there are a number of options you can try, although it all depends on your gear. If you have a computer with a soundblaster live or later (xifi would be really good), it has real-time voice changing capabilities. You may need the latest software, the full software tho, as they provide an application that allows you to do this. I recall several years ago with my SB Live being able to change my voice on the fly. My kids had a great time with it.


I had a SB X-Fi floating around somewhere (don't ask me where though). I remember I had to remove it from my computer because Linux didn't like it very much. So my main computer has a more "pro" card made by M-Audio. Still it doesn't have a DSP processor in it like the X-Fi has. 



> Any mic should work fine. A $20 mic for this particular prop especially if you're changing your voice, should be fine. Since you are running the software on a computer near the prop, you should have some sort of sound card (which one is it) in that computer?


It has a built in sound card...Realtek SoundMax I believe. It is a bit slower than my machine at work, so I guess that is why I notice the latency more on that machine. I know that I do have a couple of good microphones and a Mackie mixer. As it stands now I am going to go direct with the mic into the mixer and the computer will go into the mixer as well. I set up a background music track using VLC player. Thus that will add some interest for approaching TOTs. I set it up to loop about 6 tracks from a Midnight Syndicate CD. The mixer will go the amp and speakers. 



> You can try some software like AV Voice Changer (Voice Changer and free Audio/Video software - Parody Voice Maker, DVD/MP3 Player, Music Editor & Free Screensaver).. there is shareware version that you can try for free, or buy it for $30 or so.


That was one of the ones I tried and the latency was worse than with MorphVox.



> You could easily make a simple mic stand to hold your mic that you do have as well. Grab a piece of PVC, if you have any old 50pk or 100pk dvd-r spindle, put the PVC over the spindle to give you some height (cut to height), and then put a tray or something on the top, hot glue it or whatever and you can lay the mic on it. Give the top tray a little groove or indent of some sort so the mic can lay in it. Nobody is going to see it, so that would save you money on buying a mic. I picked up a 10 foot length of PVC for $3 from Lowes, you can buy smaller for $1 or so.


I was actually thinking about how I could suspend the mic from higher up because a mic stand would be an accident waiting to happen. Remember my set up is on a stoop. I don't have too much room up there. As it is the interior door still has it's old screen door in place (before the vestibule was built). So I have to share my space with that door too. However, the central support for the curtains does seem like a good place to hang a mic down on a cord. 

It is funny that you mentioned PVC pipe. I was thinking about what it would sound like to put the microphone into a section of PVC pipe and talk into the pipe. I am going to try that out with different pipe lengths and diameters when I get home tonight. It could very well be that I could change my voice acoustically and if I like it, my problem would be solved. 

Thanx,

Geo


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## bunk (Oct 28, 2008)

Just came across this post. I downloaded the magic mirror and am able to run it. I have a small karaoke machine that is my daughter's that I can hook up to a receiver. Just wondering how to get the program to run portrait insead of landscape. Can someone tell me how to do this? I come from the old school full size video game world. We use a program called MAME to play 2000+ original games on a computer. We use a keyboard encoder called I-Pac which allows you to plug into a keyboard port with the I-pac board and hardwire buttons. This would allow you to have as much cable as possible to run the magic mirror from a distance. Thanks in advance for your help.

Kyle


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## bunk (Oct 28, 2008)

Well I figured out the portrait. Opening the .txt file in notepad it was hard to see where I needed to change the orientation to Portrait. So I just copied the information and pasted it into Word so I could see where I need to change the code. Went back to the original file and changed "landscape" to "portrait" and now have it working. I think a set up of a wireless microphone and maybe a keyboard encoder with small long cable and I could work it from a distance for how I would like to set this up.

Kyle


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## Diaval (Oct 19, 2009)

bunk said:


> Well I figured out the portrait. Opening the .txt file in notepad it was hard to see where I needed to change the orientation to Portrait. So I just copied the information and pasted it into Word so I could see where I need to change the code. Went back to the original file and changed "landscape" to "portrait" and now have it working. I think a set up of a wireless microphone and maybe a keyboard encoder with small long cable and I could work it from a distance for how I would like to set this up.
> 
> Kyle



Hello Kyle,

I guess you figured out what you had to do. Yes, that text file is a mess. Someone here created a nicer cleaned up version that is easier to read. However, I tried to use that file and for some reason I couldn't get the mouth to move. It was defaulted to the "Alt" key just as the original text file, so I changed it and it STILL didn't work. I don't know if it has something to do with the author wanting the mouth to work directly off a microphone. At any rate I am going to use the mirror puppet manually via a Playstation2 game pad.

If you been following this whole post, I have posted a solution that would allow you to use a gamepad or joystick to operate the puppet. The program is called JoyToKeys and it works wonders. A simple input procedure allows you to assign every gamepad button and x/y movement to a keypress. Thus you would assign your arrow keys to the pad and the various buttons across the controller.

Here is the download (scroll all the way down for the link)

JoyToKey English Version

I have always found the PS2 controller to be the best all around all purpose controller and it sure does come in handy for the magic mirror. For example, the way the keys are laid out on the keyboard, it is very easy to hit the sleep, or angry keys accidentally. I mapped these expressions to buttons that I actually have to make an effort to hit...so there are no accidents. 

This is my gamepad set up with a PS2 controller:

Joypad: UP DOWN LEFT RIGHT
X button is the Mouth
Triangle button is the "No Costume, No Candy" button
The two left shoulder buttons are assigned to the happy and solemn gestures
The select button is the sleep button
The pause button is the angry button

Anyway, hope that helps.


Oh! While I am here, I have made some more progress this evening and I will get some pictures soon. The side "curtains" are up. What I did was buy some felt and purposely took from the oversized batch. This allowed me to create 'pleats' in the fabric. I was debating if I should put lights behind it so it would shine through the window, but then I was worried about light leakage from the sides and decided against it. I figured that I always could hang lights from the outside edge of the vestibule in front of the lip so that very little light would leak into the vestibule itself. 

Today I also made a nice find in Lowes. They HAVE black 4" pipe material! All the way in the back of the store past the regular white PVC was where I saw materials for underground drainage material. This piping is very thing compared to PVC but it is way cheaper AND IT IS BLACK!! So I bought a couple of fittings and I will try them out once I get the table in place. 

Well, that is it for now. MUCH work to be done.

Geo


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## Nephilim (Oct 22, 2005)

Sorry you're having trouble with the text file that controls the Mirror. The original Magic Mirror has, to put it charitably, a lot of the "construction dust" visible in the whole "edit a text file to configure" thing, which is a result of its production use in our own haunt - we literally hacked it together the days before Halloween, and didn't bother with pretty UI's. I don't have a problem letting other people use it for free, since there is obviously a segment of home haunters for whom even $15 for a prop is still a hardship, but people who use the original version will need to deal with the (admittedly finicky) format of the configuration file if they want to use it.

With regard to voice changers, you may find that your own voice acting will work better than using a voice changer. A lot of times, the voice changers may sound cool, but also make it difficult to understand what you are saying, especially if you are competing with other noise. I've seen people use voice changers and spend a lot of time repeating themselves because kids don't understand what they are saying.

Don't underestimate your ability to add drama to a character! How your voice sounds is far, far less important than how you express yourself, particularly in an interactive attraction such as this.

By all means, use a Karaoke machine or similar gadget to _amplify_ your voice. And a _very little_ amount of reverb or pitch bend can help achieve a tonal change that works. But resist the temptation to apply overt reverb and other effects, because they tend to do more to detract from what you are saying than they assist.

(In particular, don't use a voice changer and the mic input in conjunction - that's just asking for trouble!)

I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with for this year. Be sure to post pics!


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## Diaval (Oct 19, 2009)

Nephilim said:


> Sorry you're having trouble with the text file that controls the Mirror. The original Magic Mirror has, to put it charitably, a lot of the "construction dust" visible in the whole "edit a text file to configure" thing, which is a result of its production use in our own haunt - we literally hacked it together the days before Halloween, and didn't bother with pretty UI's. I don't have a problem letting other people use it for free, since there is obviously a segment of home haunters for whom even $15 for a prop is still a hardship, but people who use the original version will need to deal with the (admittedly finicky) format of the configuration file if they want to use it.


Hello Nephilim,

Oh, the original 'jumbled' text file that is created with the Magic Mirror works fine. I just tried to use the nicely cleaned up version and I can't get the mouth to move with that one. 

I had the original Magic Mirror on my machine for a while. In fact I even purchased the frame I intend to use over a year ago. I was going to buy some of the newer puppets on your site, but alas, I am WAY over budget on this project as it is. The fabric store for one, is the big killer. While they have good quality stuff and a wide variety of fabrics, they are not cheap. So for this year I am going to stick with the original Magic Mirror. I have done many tests on it, I know it is stable, so I am good to go with it.



> With regard to voice changers, you may find that your own voice acting will work better than using a voice changer. A lot of times, the voice changers may sound cool, but also make it difficult to understand what you are saying, especially if you are competing with other noise. I've seen people use voice changers and spend a lot of time repeating themselves because kids don't understand what they are saying.


If you are talking about those $9.99 voice changers they sell at Party City (and the like), then yeah, I know what you mean and I wouldn't go that route. I tested quite a few programs while on my lunch break at work and one of the clearer ones is Screaming Bee's Morph Vox. However, there is a delay when you speak into it. The program is meant for internet chats and gameplay, so the delay is irrelevant, but when you are talking live and are triggering the mouth on the magic mirror puppet, it WILL be out of sync. 

I don't particularly have a full voice and I know because I was a DJ and I always preferred some kind of voice altering unit on my voice. The best units are called "Harmonizers", but they are extremely expensive. Outside of that a pitch shifter with a little echo can do the job as well.



> Don't underestimate your ability to add drama to a character! How your voice sounds is far, far less important than how you express yourself, particularly in an interactive attraction such as this.


Well, we will see. Up to now I have not found a solution. Using the computer is out now because I am introducing a background music track into the audio and since I don't have time or space to play around with a multi-disc changer, I have uploaded a few tracks from a Midnight Syndicate CD into the computer. It will play about a dozen tracks in a loop continuously. 



> By all means, use a Karaoke machine or similar gadget to _amplify_ your voice. And a _very little_ amount of reverb or pitch bend can help achieve a tonal change that works. But resist the temptation to apply overt reverb and other effects, because they tend to do more to detract from what you are saying than they assist.


Well, I do still have quite a bit of equipment from my studio days...however most of it is in (inaccessible) storage right now. Unfortunately I wasn't smart enough to keep my Alesis multi-effects processor. But I do have my Mackie mixer, a couple of good microphones, a power amplifier, and a set of speakers.


[/UOTE]

(In particular, don't use a voice changer and the mic input in conjunction - that's just asking for trouble!)[/QUOTE]

Oh, no no no. Going the hardware route I would stick with a multi-effect processor that ties into the effects loop on my mixing console. Then I would have total control over the effect/dry mix.

I am asking around with some people I know and I am hoping to borrow an effects processor. But time is running short.



> I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with for this year. Be sure to post pics!


As I go along will snap a few shots. But as of now there isn't much up. I just have the side windows blocked off with the black felt and the framework is in place. 

BTW, I was going to make up some signs on 8.5" by 11.00" any suggestions of the quickest way to do this?

Thanx,

Geo


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## Nephilim (Oct 22, 2005)

jukingeo said:


> I had the original Magic Mirror on my machine for a while. In fact I even purchased the frame I intend to use over a year ago. I was going to buy some of the newer puppets on your site, but alas, I am WAY over budget on this project as it is.


No problem. I'd rather people use the free version and do something fun for the kids than insist that I get paid for the puppets. Hope it's a success for you!



> As I go along will snap a few shots. But as of now there isn't much up. I just have the side windows blocked off with the black felt and the framework is in place.


Nice. Looking forward to seeing those, since you seem to have a unique setup.



> BTW, I was going to make up some signs on 8.5" by 11.00" any suggestions of the quickest way to do this?


Well, you could design something on your computer, print it out, and glue it to a piece of foam. We're doing that for some pirate-themed signs we're making. We're attaching them to foam which we've painted to look like stone, after weathering the paper by singing the edges, crumpling it, and dunking it in coffee.


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## fordman (Sep 30, 2009)

jukingeo said:


> Oh, the original 'jumbled' text file that is created with the Magic Mirror works fine. I just tried to use the nicely cleaned up version and I can't get the mouth to move with that one.


If you read the nicely Cleaned up version, you will see that I have the microphone_input set to 1. If you want it to work with the 'Alt' key, then change the 1 to a 0 (zero), then save the file. Dont forget to save it! The 'Alt' key will then be what you use to make the mouth open. Sorry for the confusion.

The jumbled version of the .txt file does work if you dont plan on using it with a microphone. But if you do plan on using the microphone then the default .txt file doesnt put the _ between microphone_input not allowing for use of the microphone.

Fordman


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## Diaval (Oct 19, 2009)

fordman said:


> If you read the nicely Cleaned up version, you will see that I have the microphone_input set to 1. If you want it to work with the 'Alt' key, then change the 1 to a 0 (zero), then save the file. Dont forget to save it! The 'Alt' key will then be what you use to make the mouth open. Sorry for the confusion.


Yeah, I know you mentioned something about the microphone and figured it was set that way, that is why it wasn't working for m. I just didn't know how to set it to operate off the ALT key. 




> The jumbled version of the .txt file does work if you dont plan on using it with a microphone. But if you do plan on using the microphone then the default .txt file doesnt put the _ between microphone_input not allowing for use of the microphone.


I was initially going to pipe the microphone through the computer using a voice altering program, but the computer is delaying the processed signal quite a bit. So I shifted the microphone to hardware support via a Mackie Mixer. Since I freed up the computer on the sound end, I have now added background music. 

I have put some tracks together from two CD's I bought from Midnight Syndicate. I have about 20 tracks that I set up in a playlist program (VLC) and I set it to play continuously. The output of the computer also goes into the Mackie Mixer. 

I tried out the system last night and it is WAY cool with the music. I know for sure that this is the way I want the permanent set up. I just have to get an effects processor for my voice (which I don't think I will have by this year).




Nephilim said:


> No problem. I'd rather people use the free version and do something fun for the kids than insist that I get paid for the puppets. Hope it's a success for you!


Oh, I am going to buy a couple from you...particularly if this does go over well (and I don't see why not).

As it is, I am already over budget on this project. Last night as I was constructing the table I was weighing out of I should paint it or cover it in fabric. I came down to a cost thing and I opted to paint it. 



> Nice. Looking forward to seeing those, since you seem to have a unique setup.


I am pretty much following the plan DezzyLee laid out for me, but with some alterations for time/cost considerations.

I do still have a couple of hangups I am working on. 

About a week ago I saw some of those cool lighted mister units already on sale for half price and I bought two of them. I have read that these misters work well in cauldron type effects. Party City had some really cool looking 8" cauldrons on sale that have chains. So naturally I got the idea to use these cauldrons with the misters to flank the mirror frame. But last night I did a dry (or should I say wet) run with a mock set up with one of the cauldrons. 

I had a bit of trouble to get the mist to flow over the side and unless I blew on the mist, it really didn't flow over well. I did came up with a solution for that (for those interested). 

The trouble with a cauldron is that it is too deep for a mister. What I did was take a large margarine pot that was the same diameter as the cauldron and set this inside the lip. Now it was at the required 3" depth needed for the mister to work. This improved the effect considerably. I noticed that the mist was favoring the holes for the chains and was nicely leaking out of those.

Despite this good news, I have to come up with another way to use the misters. What I found out when testing my mock set up is that the mister does make quite a bit of a mess. Not initially, of course, but over time, the mister sprays a thin mist of water over the general area and within two hours anything surrounding the cauldron gets wet. These cauldrons would be right up against curtains and I have a wood table with electronic equipment right below. That is a no no. Now because that water has to come from someplace, a nasty side effect to this is that the water level drops in the cauldron and after about 2 hours or so, the mister goes into a shut down mode. Having the cauldrons in front of my display will make it awfully difficult to keep them topped off with water through the night.

So as of now I am going to keep the cauldrons, but I am probably going to put some kind of color changing light in there and nixing the misters. I am a bit disheartened about this choice because the smoke-in-cauldron effect was WAY cool! But it does have to be viewed from above (not below) and would have to be put in an area that is OK to get a little wet. 

Now, I don't want to abandon using the mister altogether. Remember I said that the mist gathered in the cauldron and didn't move much unless I blew on it? Well, blowing on it really created quite a puff of mist and this gave me an idea. 

I recalled seeing the demos of the magic mirror using a fog machine on the candy delivery. I don't have a fog machine, BUT I am wondering now if I could incorporate the mister into my candy delivery system. Doing so would allow me to keep the mister on my side so I can fill it with water when it runs low. Plus the candy delivery chute will be on the middle step of a concrete stoop, so it doesn't matter if that area gets a little wet. The only trouble this causes is that now I have to rethink the candy delivery.

I am hoping to get some pictures tonight as I will be doing the bulk of the construction this evening. 




> Well, you could design something on your computer, print it out, and glue it to a piece of foam. We're doing that for some pirate-themed signs we're making. We're attaching them to foam which we've painted to look like stone, after weathering the paper by singing the edges, crumpling it, and dunking it in coffee.



Yeah, I did discover that my computer has Corel Draw on it. It is a massive art creation program and I am sure that I could figure out something. Corel Draw relies heavily on clip art. Do you know of some websites where I could download some Halloween themed clip art?

Thanx,

Geo


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## DezzyLee99 (Sep 3, 2008)

jukingeo said:


> I recalled seeing the demos of the magic mirror using a fog machine on the candy delivery. I don't have a fog machine, BUT I am wondering now if I could incorporate the mister into my candy delivery system. Doing so would allow me to keep the mister on my side so I can fill it with water when it runs low. Plus the candy delivery chute will be on the middle step of a concrete stoop, so it doesn't matter if that area gets a little wet. The only trouble this causes is that now I have to rethink the candy delivery.


The water misters probably aren't going to work for the candy chute. These misters are ultrasonic and vaporize water to create the effect. Not only does it not flow very well, the mist it creates is inherently wet, so your candy chute and it's surroundings will get soggy. Also, the mist dissipates very easily, so unless it's right up against the candy opening, the mist will be gone by the time it hits the entry point of the chute. I bought one to go with my "magic box" prop but it turned out to be more trouble than it's worth. A cheap 400w fogger at your local Wally World should do the trick.


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## Diaval (Oct 19, 2009)

DezzyLee99 said:


> The water misters probably aren't going to work for the candy chute. These misters are ultrasonic and vaporize water to create the effect. Not only does it not flow very well, the mist it creates is inherently wet, so your candy chute and it's surroundings will get soggy. Also, the mist dissipates very easily, so unless it's right up against the candy opening, the mist will be gone by the time it hits the entry point of the chute. I bought one to go with my "magic box" prop but it turned out to be more trouble than it's worth. A cheap 400w fogger at your local Wally World should do the trick.


I was re-planning to take into consideration the moisture and I did come up with a way that would not fowl up the chute with excess moisture. Generally it would entail a special enclosure and a fan (or tube I could blow into) to blow the mist up and into the chute via a "wye" pipe. Moisture build up would just recycle in the enclosure and drain back into itself, thus water loss would be less and it would run longer. The thing is that it would warrant more tests and time involved in the construction of the contraption. I realized that after mulling on it for a while that it probably would be better to use a regular fog machine. Outside another cost expense I am worried about the power consumption of the fogger. As it is I have quite a bit of equipment, but luckily I can make use of two circuits. The sound I am running in from an outlet in the backyard and the lighting will be handled by the light fixture in the vestibule.

As for the misters, it is a shame as I really wanted to put them to use. Well, if this turns out to be well received, then I am sure by next year I will think of a use for the misters. 

I did find a cool dryer duct / hood assembly at my job today and I think it will greatly simplify the chute construction:

PlumbSource.net Dryer Vent Hood - Plastic With 4" Aluminum Duct Pipe & Wall Flange

Now turn this upside down with the pipe angled upward...now you have a perfect candy dispensing tray. Finding this will allow me to go back to the original tombstone idea, except instead of the candy dropping from where the skull is, it is going to drop directly into the receiving 'cup'. All I have to do is nicely cut the shape into the tombstone and then run the duct up. The hood will be mounted to a support bracket via a hinge so I can adjust for the best angle. Then I just have to strap it in place on the other end. Good to go!

It is just getting down to crunch time and I want to have everything set up early Friday so I can do a dry run (dress rehearsal) Friday evening.

Geo


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## fordman (Sep 30, 2009)

jukingeo said:


> Yeah, I know you mentioned something about the microphone and figured it was set that way, that is why it wasn't working for m. I just didn't know how to set it to operate off the ALT key.


Open up the MAG_MIR.txt file and find the line that says: 

--Holds open the magic mirror's mouth when this key is held down--
key_open_mouth alt <----- right there is where you control the mouth. You can change it to any key that isnt already assigned. Alt is the default key and I left it at that. Make sure you leave a space between key_open_mouth<space>alt. 

key_open_mouth alt

Then save the file and give it a whirl and see what happens.

Fordman


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## Diaval (Oct 19, 2009)

*Project Update*

Hello All, 

Ok here are some pictures of what I been progressing thusfar:

I only can upload 5 pics at a time so I will break this into two emails. In this first batch of pictures we have:

161- Overall vestibule shot

164 - Main viewing area shot. You can see here where the picture frame is going to be hung. I opted for the medieval look with the chains supporting the frame. There will be two large L brackets behind the frame that will be attached to the table. So if there is a breeze the frame WILL NOT move.

In back of the frame you can see the scrim in place. I have this supported from above in the 'fly area' (Those of you in theater know that is the area above the stage). With the bright flash of the camera I am a bit concerned that I can see through the scrim (where it is single layered) right to the screen door. Above the picture frame the scrim is double layered so I am good there. I probably will have to get another piece of scrim to cover the sides better. I am hoping to get away with the single layer of fabric over the back of the picture frame. I just didn't like the moire pattern when there were two layers over the screen. Again, I could be over reacting because the flash is pretty bright. But I am concerned that if a kid does shine a flashlight into my area with the scrim currently the way it is, the kid will probably see me inside.

What is missing here right now are the front curtains which I will pick up tomorrow. Since the picture frame is sitting roughly mid way in the doorway, the curtains will cover the area just above the picture frame. Being opaque those curtains will block light. The curtains will be set up in a traditional manner that comes down from the center and then parts way where the picture frame is and held back with tie backs.

The table took me much longer to build than I expected. Going with DezzyLee's drawing plan, I opted to go with a cardboard bottom section and glued the extra fabric I had from the sides down there. You can also see the candy chute. A tombstone will go over this. 

165 & 166 - This pictures show the lower lighting in place. The primary function of those lights is just just illuminate the tombstone and other items I am going to 'hang' here. It should also brighten up the front curtains when they are put in place. 

167 - Basically the same picture as 166 but with the flash on so you can see the light fixtures holding the orange bulbs.

More pictures in the next post.




fordman said:


> Open up the MAG_MIR.txt file and find the line that says:
> 
> --Holds open the magic mirror's mouth when this key is held down--
> key_open_mouth alt <----- right there is where you control the mouth. You can change it to any key that isnt already assigned. Alt is the default key and I left it at that. Make sure you leave a space between key_open_mouth<space>alt.
> ...


I left it set for "alt" initially and it didn't work. What do I have to change in terms of the microphone settings? (I don't want to have the mic operate the puppet, I am going to do it manually.

Geo


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## Diaval (Oct 19, 2009)

*Project Update (cont)*

Here are the other pictures I took. These pictures are from the inside of the vestibule taken from the doorway looking out. It is night now and you can't see out to the street. Also I pulled up the scrim because I did some painting too in there tonight. 


170 - Ok, this shot is under the table. The big aluminum thing on the left is the screen door which opens into the vestibule (a thing I really hate). From there you can see the chute I made. The chute is really nothing more than an upside down clothes dryer duct with a hood assembly that I mounted upside down. The front panel mounting point is done via a hinge and then I just screwed the top of the duct into the edge of the table. I did some tests earlier and for small candy it works great, BUT I also have the small potato chip bags. Luckily the duct is a standard 4" diameter...so if I pinch the corners of the bags in I CAN get them to go down the tube. I do have a dowel which I could push the bag down in case one gets stuck. But I am hoping I will not need to use the small bags and stick with the candy.

172 - This picture came out bad because I didn't have the flash on and I compensated with the computer. Anyway, you can see the reverse side of the picture frame which is not yet mounted to the table top...but you can see the brackets I am going to use. 

173 - This shot also requires an explanation. I was trying to take a shot of the 'fly area'. The white strips from above is the vestibule roof. The brace below that is where everything will hang from. The electrical cords will power lights that I will have running down from this area and along the front curtains. Because I raised the scrim to do some more touch up painting work you can't see much else here.

I will say that overall I did manage to get the vestibule pretty dark. I am going to get an earlier start tomorrow and hopefully by mid afternoon everything will be completed. Then I just have to move the computer, amplifier and speakers in and I should be good to go. That will just leave me enough time to do a 'dress rehearsal'.

Enjoy the pics!

Geo


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## fordman (Sep 30, 2009)

jukingeo said:


> I left it set for "alt" initially and it didn't work. What do I have to change in terms of the microphone settings? (I don't want to have the mic operate the puppet, I am going to do it manually.
> 
> Geo


Open up the MAG_MIR.txt file You will then see this line at the very begining of the file:

-- Default preferences for Magic MirrorMicrophone inputThere are two settings for microphone input. 
The first is whether or not the mouth is bound to the microphone input (0 for no, 1 for yes). 
The second is the sensitivity, ranging from 0 to 100. Lower sensitivity values open the mouth more often, and higher sensitivity values open the mouth less often. 
The sensitivity may be adjusted using the microphone console (see below).--
microphone_input 1 
microphone_sensitivity 25 --

Make sure the line that says "microphone_input 1" is changed to "microphone_input 0" microphone_input<space>zero The space has to be between input and 0.

Then save the file and all should work!

If not, I have re-uploaded the MAG_MIR.txt file to the default setings.
MAG_MIR.txt <--- Right click, save as

If that doesnt work, then delete the MAG_MIR.txt file. Re-open the MIRROR.exe file then it will create a new 'default' MAG_MIR.txt file with the microphone automatically turned off.

One other thought, are you "waking" the puppet up? His mouth wont move in the 'Asleep" mode. You have to wake him up by pressing either of the three "awake" keys 'S' 'D' or 'F'. I have found that alot have had this problem not waking him up.

Fordman


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## Diaval (Oct 19, 2009)

*Update--More Construction pix*

Hello All,

Ok, coming down the wire I am almost done. The system is set up and I have done a basic test run. Everything in terms of audio and video is working. Background music is great and the magic mirror puppet works great with the controller.

There is a bit of a setup once the computer starts in terms of starting the playlist program for the background music and then activating the magic mirror, from there it will run on end (I set the playlist to loop some tracks from a couple of the Midnight Syndicate albums I have).

Ok...so you want to see the facade? I am sure you do! I have ten pictures to upload in two sets. 

Here we go! (This is about 98% complete).

167 - The facade in it's full glory. I have decided to go really simple on the bottom and forgo cutting into the foam tombstone I have. The two little tombstones looked good and I decided to mount them as shown. The lamps interfered with the curtains in their original location, so I had to move them there. For being only 40 watts, those orange bulbs got very hot. For a day shot (with overcast) I was amazed that I couldn't see into the vestibule at all. At this point I didn't have the computer set up as I JUST finished the facade.

163, 165 & 166 - Basically these are close up sections of what I did. The top picture (166) shows part of that 2% of the facade that isn't finished. I wanted to have some kind of mini chandelier here (Now I regret not getting one, more on that later), but the nicer ones were around $60+ without the bulbs! One worry about an upward facing light was I was afraid to have too much light leakage into the vestibule...remember it has a white roof. So I opted against that. Next you see that I outfitted one of the cauldrons I bought and I was going to put a strobe light in there. Remembering what happened to me with the flash from the camera yesterday and again had me thinking it was a bad idea. So the cauldron hangs there empty. 

Today I went to party city and saw a 10 light set of those flicker bulbs. They are smaller than normal size but considering the normal size bulbs are about $4 each (at Lowes Home Improvement no less), these are bargain for $15. I figured I would stuff these just inside the cauldrons rim for a nice flicker flame effect.

168 - These next pictures I took at night after I got the equipment set up and luckily I DID do a test run because I had a glaring problem with the lighting. I figured the orange bulbs would look cool, but even at 40watts each they are VERY dim. The light string is LED lights and apparently they don't kick off that much light either.

Next Post....


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## moparhov (Nov 17, 2006)

Very nicely done jukingeo. Good height for the tots, should be a huge amount of fun tomorrow. Great,great, job.


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## Diaval (Oct 19, 2009)

Next batch of pictures:

170 - further illustrates my illumination problem as even with a flash it looks too dark and blah.

174 - I changed the bulbs to candle shaped 40 watt bulbs and the difference is dramatic. This picture is taken with the flash on.

176 - ...And this picture is with the flash off. As you can see the lower section of my facade looks much much better, but I still have a problem with the upper section. I know I needed a light from above.

Not shown in the pictures I DID try a clip on light on top and it was an even more dramatic improvement. I did notice though that because I had to put the lamp high up and aim it down that I was getting some light leakage into the vestibule and looking really hard in, I could make out the shape of the door to the house. NOT good. The bulb sits too high in the clip on lamp and thus light leaks in. 

This is where I was now kicking myself for not getting a chandelier type light, or one of those ornate pendent lights. A pendent light usually has the top capped off and hung as low as the cauldron is hanging could very well eliminate much of the leakage up and into the vestibule. 

So this is why I am 98% done as I don't really know what to do for a cheap alternative to improve my lighting. My plan with the cauldron simply will just look cool, but not generate enough light.

One option I thought of was to move the two can lights from below and mount them above. The can lights have a very high rim and pretty much aim the light downward. But the lights would still be above the curtain rod for the main curtain. So the best thing would be some kind of pendent lamp.

177 & 179 These last pictures show the interior table set up with the computer, monitor and Mackie mixer in place. I was amazed that I was still able to get a full size folding chair into the vestibule with everything I set up. Granted I do have to do a bit of juggling to get in and out. (ie fold the chair up and put it on the opposite side (pic 177 you can see the chair on the left folded up). Then there is room to open the screen door and go in. I was going to wedge the door in the open position but decided against it. There is a chain that prevents it from going too far and it does take up some room on that side when open. I have much more room when it is closed. Sitting in the full size chair does give me the height vantage point and I CAN see to whomever is in front of the mirror.

But I know that I have to do something different with my lighting.

With that said, I am off. It is a already 1:30am!

G'night all!

Geo


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## Nephilim (Oct 22, 2005)

Nice work. I think your visitors are going to really like that. Happy Halloween!


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## Diaval (Oct 19, 2009)

*Halloween day--update*

Hello All

Early this morning I put the finishing touches on my magic mirror prop. I changed out the cauldron that was hanging above the picture to a pendent lamp...it looks MUCH better. Can't wait to test it at night now!

The wind was on a move by me and I couldn't set up one of my cool props that I was going to hang on the open door. My signs were too small to fill that huge door. But my prop does work with a breeze, but I didn't have a breeze, I had a gale force wind and the prop was blowing all over the place. I also noticed that the wind was affecting the scrim too, but it wasn't that bad. If the wind didn't get worse, I could still host the event.

I also bought a mic stand. Yeah, I know I could have had a headset mic for the price of the stand, BUT I like the way my Shure SM58 sounds. Besides, being a 'pro' mic, it naturally matched up to my Mackie Mixer.

When I put everything in place, I started to put up some signs and noticed that some TOTs were already out. 

I decided to try out the set up earlier in the day to see if it would work. Sadly it didn't. It was too bright out. I even tried to 'shroud' the mirror frame, which did help, but it took away from the nice display and I removed it. I knew I have to wait until it gets dark. So I went back inside to shut everything down. While doing so, some TOT's did approach the mirror. 

I told them (via the speakers) that it wasn't working right in the daytime and that the mirror would open towards the evening. They did notice the chute and begged me for candy...so I said, "Why Not?" to myself. At least it would allow me to try out the chute with a 'live' crowd. Right off the bat, they rushed me I quickly realized that problem has to be nipped in the but right away. Thus I decided that a particularly large space in the pavement would act as a good 'starting line' so this way TOTs can line up behind that space and I can address each TOT one at a time.

As people were walking by, I did urge them to come back later to see the Magic Mirror. So I am not sure if they will come back. I think that some of the older kids might.

Then the wind really was on the move and I didn't want it tearing up my display...so I unfortunately closed the door. I did leave my signs out though. So I am hoping the wind will die down by this evening. The sun has been coming and going as well, so I hope we don't get any rain...that is something that would completely spoil everything. Being in a vestibule, there is NO gutter on the front...so any accumulated rain would just roll right off the front.

Anyway, I am going to take a break now and lie down for some much needed rest. So I can't wait until it gets dark now!




moparhov said:


> Very nicely done jukingeo. Good height for the tots, should be a huge amount of fun tomorrow. Great,great, job.


Thanx! From the 'little' experience I had this afternoon with the sound system and mic, I think I WILL have a blast. Again we will see, I am hoping there will be no rain and the winds will die down for tonight.



Nephilim said:


> Nice work. I think your visitors are going to really like that. Happy Halloween!


Thanx...It did take longer (and more money) than expected and there were many nights this week where I didn't go to bed before 2:00am. Luckily the end result was pretty close to what I had planned.

The big scare was the lighting. I figured that I would get enough light spill from the street light across the street, but no. I am hoping that the pendent lamp is what the Dr. ordered. 

Well, I will post some pictures tomorrow and tell you how everything went. Right now I want to snooze a bit.

You guys have a Happy Halloween too!

Geo


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## Diaval (Oct 19, 2009)

*Update: Halloween Night*

Hello all, 

I'm back! And with (mostly) good news. Last night the effect went without a hitch (electronic wise) and my labor of love payed off. The neighbors were very impressed with the effect and even some that knew me for years didn't catch on that it was actually me in the vestibule running everything. I did take some pictures which I well get to below. Unfortunately my wife couldn't handle two cameras at once and the pictures of the mirror in action with the TOT's was deligated to the video camera...so I don't have stills of the event.

Overall reaction to the event was great. I named the Mirror and called him Urich. I used the name in my signs. The first TOTs that came really couldn't figure it out. One older guy did figure it out that it was a computer, but was astounded at how Urich knew things 'as if it was a person standing right there'. Little did he know how close to that truth he was. LOL!

Then later in the night there were a group of girls that were overly intrigued by the mirror that they were there for close to 15mins. When they left, they came back with one of the girl's little sister and she got a kick out of it too.

Some of the TOT's were even 'creeped out' by the magic mirror face. But I did urge them I wasn't going to scare them. (However, I do admit that it did get my gears turning for a scarier use for the magic mirror in a future Halloween project).

I had the attraction open from about 5:30 to 8:30 and I was sitting most of the time in a nice comfy folding chair. I had the chair set up as in the pictures from the night before. When it got really dark out, I was able to lift on of the sections of scrim where (my right) speaker was and I could clearly see out to the outer edge of the walkway.

Speaking of seeing, THANK GOODNESS I decided to go out to Lowes one more time yesterday morning and pick up that pendent lamp I was talking about. It worked out great! I put the largest bulb in the lamp that it could take (a clear 60watt bulb) and it illuminated the curtain area nicely and a good area out in front. The bulb did have a bit of a glare on it when one would come down the entry way, but not when they were in front of the mirror. The good thing about the glare of the bulb was that it let passerby's know that something was going on here.

Ok, those were some of the highlights of the event, but I DID say 'mostly' good news. One issue I had yesterday was with the high winds we had. I had a boogy man dressing a tux that was to hang on the open door as my 'greeter', but he would only work right in a gentle breeze. Yesterday he was flipping around all over the place and his 'tails' kept flying in the Magic Mirror 'performance space'. Worse, I was worried the boogy man was going to get ruined and I KNOW I want to use him for other future Halloween events. So unfortunately the boogy man had to go. So sadly, I only put one of my small signs in the door. Too bad I ran out of construction time to build larger signs, but at least I DID have signs and they came out pretty good on my printer.

Despite the high winds we had yesterday, everything else stayed in place. Boy was I glad I put the curtains INSIDE the vestibule. If they were hanging outside (as in the original plan), they would by flying all over...just like the boogy man did. It made for a quicker start up and shut down too.

The next slight setback was that I thought having Halloween on a Saturday would work to my advantage. Well, it had the opposite effect. TOTs were starting to walk around the neighborhood already at 12:00 noon. I did try to open my attraction around 1:00pm, but it was too bright out to see the magic mirror face . I couldn't open until about 5:00pm and by then most of the younger TOT's have already been through the neighborhood and 'missed out' on the Magic Mirror. However, as I noticed those that were reading the sign was mostly older kids and they seemed to come out later. Because everything seemed to be pushed earlier, I had most of my action in the first hour. The second hour dropped off considerably and in the 7:30 to 8:30 hour, only one group showed up. 

So overall the turn out wasn't as I had expected. Had I advertised the event, had it been a weekday (or better yet a Friday), I think I would have had a better turnout.

Also if I had more time and money, I think I would have erected a small canopy in front of the mirror this way it would help to block out more light. Had I done that, I would have had much much more traffic.


Ok, now on with the pictures (again, these will be in two groups):

10-31 (15) - This is "command central". There is a lot going on here. In operation the screen door would be closed and I would have that folding chair on the left opened up to the right side right next to the mixer. The mic falls right in front of my mouth when I turn my head to the right. Turning my head to the right allows me to look straight out to the path to the entrance gate (which you can see in the photo). The equipment from left to right is as follows: Desktop Compaq computer on it's side. My candy stash is next. In back of that is the right channel speaker. Next to that is the monitor. Next to that is the left channel speaker. In front of the left channel speaker is a Mackie 1402 mixer. In front of the mixer is a Shure SM-58 microphone on a stand. The bright spot you see near the lower right of the screen door is the candy chute. The screen door is blocking the PS-2 controller I am using to control the Magic Mirror face.

10-31 (33) - This walkway shot is from my setup after I 'tried' to open it earlier in the day and realized the magic mirror face didn't show up very well. You can see my signs here. (Nephilim...I hope you don't mind me using the picture from your site . I know the open door looks blah here, but prior to taking this shot, I realized the boogyman greeter that was going to hang there wasn't going to work out with the high winds. I ended up moving the sign that you see on the vestibule pillar to the lower glass door panel.

10-31 (41) - This is a closeup of the sign I had on the pillar, but moved to the glass door

10-31 (35) - This is an overall shot of the attraction. You can see that I have subbed out the cauldron I had hanging here for the pendent lamp. Overall a marked improvement. Oh! In case you are wondering, the picture below the mirror is that of Charon, the ferryman that takes souls to 'the other side' across the river Styx. I have always taken a huge interest in Charon and his role as the ethereal ferryman. Finding that picture, well I had to have it!

10-31 (39) - Ladies and Gentleman, it is SHOWTIME! This is a shot of the attraction just after opening. It is still light out, but dark enough to see the magic mirror. I think this is the best photo of the lot!

Next post!


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## Diaval (Oct 19, 2009)

*More pictures: Magic Mirror Halloween Night*

Ok, here are some more pics:

10-31 (42) - Closeup of the lower section of the attraction with Charon and the two tomestones. The upward lighting did make this area look pretty eerie...but with the large pendent light, I could have dropped the wattage on these bulbs. Made note of that for the next time.

10-31 (43) - Closeup of the Magic Mirror face. Looks pretty good here!

10-31 (44) - This picture was taken when it was very dark. Unfortunately the camera couldn't capture the frame details, nor that of Charon and they seem lost here. However they were still dimly visible.

10-31 (48) - Same as above, but a bit clearer. I have a picture with the flash on, but then it washes out Urich's face. There were some people that did try to take pictures with Urich, but I had to urge them to not use the flash. For two reasons...one, I know that the face wouldn't come out and two, more importantly it is very possible that the flash would be bright enough to allow someone to see me behind the scrim fabric.


I do have video of last night's events, but I have to edit it and put it up on You Tube. So keep an eye out for when I post the link. 

Overall the effect was received well. Some comments asked how it was done. (My Dad and wife alternately took turns 'policing' the front of the attraction). One neighbor who normally puts on a pretty large spread of Halloween decorations in front of his house said, "This tops everything I have". WOW! That was a complement and a half!!!

I would say that despite the short duration of TOT flow I had, I did have a blast and it made all the work worthwhile. Would I do this again? Yes, without a doubt. I did make quite a few mistakes though in setting this up and I did learn from that for the future. One of those huge mistakes was painting the table. When setting up my equipment, I didn't want to accidentally scratch the black paint. So as protection I covered the table with a plastic bag. However, the bag was black....Yeah, stupid move on my part. I could have covered the table in a plastic bag and saved myself one night of painting!

Another mistake was with lighting. I bought quite a few lights that I didn't even use and it was just a lucky test the night before that revealed a fatal flaw in that lighting. Luckily there was time to correct it. Again, the pendent lamp saved my a--.

Naturally I am now wanting to take this to the next level for next year. Next to the vestibule is a gate to a small back yard and patio. The patio is covered by a large awning. Thus I would be looking to expand on the mirror into a small haunted attraction. So yeah, I been bitten by the bug, and you guys will be seeing me here more often .

I have to extend a special thanx to Nephilim and Imagineerieing for creating the Magic Mirror that made the event possible.

Next to thank is Midnight Syndicate for the background music...which was loved by all and really added a nice atmosphere for my small attraction.

DezzyLee, you are next I have to say thanx too because it was your plan for my vestibule that really got my butt in gear.

Thanx to everyone else here who helped me get this going and in time for Halloween.

And thanx to the suppliers of my project of whom I made at least three trips to each! Lowes Home Improvement, Party City, and Fabric Warehouse of Deer Park. 

Nephilim:

I am sold on your Magic Mirror prop and I have intentions of using one of your purchased products for the future event. In fact the future could be sooner than you might think. I noticed that you have a "Frosty The Snowman" magic mirror type face and I would be interested in building a Christmas attraction around the vestibule. As it is, I worked very hard on making the table for the vestibule for the Halloween event which was on a few hours for one day. I could easily reuse that table for a Christmas attraction. 

However, I am at a loss of what type of attraction I would do here. So I am open to some ideas. One thing though, I would perhaps have something that is a bit longer running (perhaps on the weekends of the month of December) and more than likely something automated.

That goes out to the rest of you guys here. If you have a cool idea for the use of Nephilim's Frosty Face...I am all ears!

Thanx again everyone, it has been a fun evening and I will be looking forward to doing it again!

Geo


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## DezzyLee99 (Sep 3, 2008)

Hey man, glad to see the design worked out. Hi winds affected my haunt as well, but I still got a lot of tots, I had a lineup on the sidewalk by my house. Things did drop off early this year, it was pretty dead by 7:30 so I closed up shop at 8pm. Good job on the build, you can only get better from here!


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## Diaval (Oct 19, 2009)

DezzyLee99 said:


> Hey man, glad to see the design worked out. Hi winds affected my haunt as well, but I still got a lot of tots, I had a lineup on the sidewalk by my house. Things did drop off early this year, it was pretty dead by 7:30 so I closed up shop at 8pm.



Hello DezzyLee,

Yeah, for the most part it DID work out. The minor issues I had were those that were beyond my control. Mother nature and her 'wind storm' and of course Halloween falling on a Saturday didn't help. As I said, if Halloween fell on a Friday...I probably would have fared better in the evening because most kids would come out from school and TOT's probably wouldn't be going around until 3:00pm or even later. On a Friday, there is no worry of being in bed for the next day of school, so I would have had a larger older crowd too.

Oh...you had a LINE! Now I am getting envious. But you also have cover overhead in the form of a porch, so you had less daytime light intruding on your behalf. You probably were able to run your attraction early right?

It is funny too, because I pretty much had about 5min or so spacing between TOTs from around opening to about 7:30 too. Then the last hour I really only had a couple more hits. Amazingly 2 kids showed up just a couple mins before I shut down. However, I knew they were 'repeat' hitters and came by earlier. They obviously knew I was closing up at 8:30 and came in right on the button, hoping to get a second helping of candy, knowing that I probably would give it to them. Well, they were right! Well, it does seem like the timing is consistent in your area and mine for a Saturday Halloween. Are you Northeast?



> Good job on the build, you can only get better from here!



Thanx! Yes, it WILL get better! As I said, I did get bitten by the bug. As I said, this time around I did make some time consuming mistakes. I didn't want to take a 'duct tape' route. I wanted to do it right and I do realize that some things I did were very unnecessary and/or added to the time (and cost) of the project. But this really was my first Halloween event. 

I was planning a Halloween event for over 3 years now, but I didn't like the neighborhood I was living in at the time. Moving back to my home town I KNEW I had to do something this year because my parent's neighborhood is FAR better for TOTing.

NOW, comes planning for next year (rubs hands together). Muhhahahahahah!

For sure I want to do a scary event. I would incorporate the Magic Mirror into that event for sure. Most certainly I would want something that runs the weekends of October rather than just one day. One thing I thought of doing was 'fixing' my daytime problem with the Magic Mirror and have that run during the day / early evening on Halloween and give out candy during the day. When night falls then the mirror could be run as an automaton providing as a greeter for a larger Halloween attraction inside the back yard.

However, I think I might do something earlier though. We do have Christmas two months away and Nephilim has created the "Frosty" Magic Mirror face. If I could keep most of my rig together, I could alter it for a Christmas themed attraction. But what? Unlike Halloween night, there really isn't heavy foot traffic in my area. Most Christmas displays are walk by attractions. I could host an advertised event for the neighbors, but again what should I do?

I did see a Christmas section here on the forum. I am going to post there with my intentions.

Thank you again for the help!

Geo


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## Diaval (Oct 19, 2009)

Hello All!!

Well, it is that time of year again to start to think about Halloween and what I am going to do for this year. If you been following this thread, you know that I have put on a moderately. successful Magic Mirror event last year. I say 'moderately' because of the nature of how Halloween fell last year. With a Saturday, I noticed that more TOTs came out in the day time in which the daylight ruined my Magic Mirror effect and I had to wait until dark to use it. While I did have a good amount of action in the evening, I know I missed half the action from the the daytime TOT's.

For this year I did want to reuse the Magic Mirror effect, but automate it as an intro to a backyard haunt which has the entrance right next to the vestibule I used last year. The backyard has a large patio with an awning over it and I was going to hang some inexpensive cheese cloth to block off areas and make "walls". Then I could plan my event around that. 

For this year I didn't want a repeat of last year and wanted to get the most of my attraction. So first order of business was to see how Halloween fell this year. I hung my head low when I saw that it is falling on a Sunday. Following last year's pattern, this situation is worse. Not only are kids free in the daytime, but the next day is a school day, so I don't predict too much activity at all for the evening.

So for my planned area, this would mean using darker/heavier materials on the backyard awning to block out the light so I could use the attraction in the daytime. However, that is costly. Sure I could go with plastic bags, but I remember what problems I had with wind last year.

I have thought of constructing some kind of attraction in the garage, but that is a very small single car space to work with. I also would have to reconstruct the Magic Mirror effect for that area as much of last year's effect was held up by the vestibule's frame.

The upside of using the garage is that there is much less I need to mask off and everything would be nicely protected from the elements in the event of bad weather, but it would mean that my dad's car would be outside for a couple nights and I am not too sure if he would go for that.

I DO have a video project that I could press into use, but I had not thought of anything 'special' as of yet.

Thus overall, I am open to suggestions and ideas of what I could do for this year. I WOULD like to utilize the backyard, but I can't think of too many things that would be effective in the daytime.

Any input would be much appreciated.

Thank You,

Geo


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## Nephilim (Oct 22, 2005)

Glad to hear you'll be using the Magic Mirror again. Hope your visitors like it!

To answer your question, a lot of it will depend on your budget, time, and available helpers.

If you're looking at daytime visitors and low budget, your garage may be the best bet, because otherwise, you're looking at erecting walls to block out the light.

However, we've had some success with building walls. Last year and the year before, we bought "strong ties" from the local hardware store, which are steel brackets that make connecting 2x4's into a cube shape dead simple. Frame that out with black plastic, and you have some relatively dark cave areas (although unless you really control the ground, you'll get light spillage from below). But it's a lot more work and a lot more cost than something you already have framed out, like a garage or patio. If I were you, the first thing I'd do is find out if your dad is amenable to parking out of the garage. Sweeten the deal with a car wash or other enticements if you have to - it will save you a lot of effort in the long run.

Another option would be to make a really cool sign that says "Attraction opens at dusk!" If you have cool stuff out front, a reputation of doing cool stuff from the Magic Mirror last year, and someone to act as a barker while the kids are out with parents during the daytime, you should be able to attract a lot of kids back at dusk, even if they're out trick or treating while it's still light out. If you make it sound exciting, few parents are going to tell their kids no if they've bothered to come out at all, especially if they live in the neighborhood.

If you really feel you'll meet resistance, do something to connect with the local kids and parents, such as hosting a "pumpkin glow" at dusk - an event where kids from the neighborhood bring their pumpkins to show off together and you give a prize. We do our pumpkin glow on the night before Halloween, and it builds up a lot of community goodwill. Get the local residents without kids to be the judges to get them into the mood, too - helps reduce complaints.

The number one thing to do is to make sure you do something fun and memorable for the kids who do come. If you do that consistently each year, word will get around, and you'll "train" your neighborhood to come out at dusk. It certainly happened in our neighborhood.

Good luck with your haunt!


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## dpeterson (Aug 31, 2008)

We tend to treat the weeks leading up to Halloween as fair game, and try to run our display ahead of Halloween (especially the week/Friday/weekend before). Perhaps you should milk it more too, since you've gone to a lot of effort.


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## Diaval (Oct 19, 2009)

Nephilim said:


> Glad to hear you'll be using the Magic Mirror again. Hope your visitors like it!


The Magic Mirror was great and it did turn out better than expected. This year I WANTED to use the Magic Mirror, but automated as a intro to a backyard haunt. I had several ideas kicking around in my head, but when it came down too sit down and start the actual planning the first order of business was to see when Halloween actually falls. As it turns out it is falling on the worst possible day (for an evening haunt)...Sunday.

My plans were to have a very projection heavy event and this would be no good in daylight. So I have to rethink things through.



> To answer your question, a lot of it will depend on your budget, time, and available helpers.


Well, unlike last year, I am starting to plan what I want to do NOW, so I will have plenty of time. Budget will be better this year than last because I just started a new job and I am making twice what I did last year. Unfortunately, help will still be scarce. Perhaps my wife will help me out a bit, but like last year, I am going to rely mostly on myself and automated props.



> If you're looking at daytime visitors and low budget, your garage may be the best bet, because otherwise, you're looking at erecting walls to block out the light.


I know walls will be too much because of the reasons being that:

a) expense (yeah, I have a better job, but this is still a costly way to go)
b) storage- Under my current living conditions, storage is nill. I have no place to store framed walls. The home is also belongs to my parents, so I am not at liberty to 'soar my oats'...if you know what I mean. Thus this situation does present a problem with using the garage, since it would mean my dad's car would have to be outside. Something he wouldn't particularly go for.



> However, we've had some success with building walls. Last year and the year before, we bought "strong ties" from the local hardware store, which are steel brackets that make connecting 2x4's into a cube shape dead simple. Frame that out with black plastic, and you have some relatively dark cave areas (although unless you really control the ground, you'll get light spillage from below). But it's a lot more work and a lot more cost than something you already have framed out, like a garage or patio.



I had thought of hanging cut black plastic bags to 'wall off' the patio to block out light, but then I recalled the nasty problem we had last year with the wind. I figured I would have such a tough time battling wind problems that it would be better to think of something else. If the event would be held in the evening, the backyard is pretty dark, and simply hanging cheese cloth would be 'enough'. A few whips of wind wouldn't be that detrimental. The best part is that the cheese cloth would easily roll up and store. Can't do that with framed walls. 



> If I were you, the first thing I'd do is find out if your dad is amenable to parking out of the garage. Sweeten the deal with a car wash or other enticements if you have to - it will save you a lot of effort in the long run.


Heh Heh. Yeah, that was something I was already thinking about and you read my mind there!

One good thing about the garage is that it faces the front walk of the house, unlike the vestibule I used last year which faced the side entrance walk. What would make things better is if I can use the garage for the event, but make it so that it 'collapses' easy so I can still get my Dad's car in at night.

As you probably can foresee, my main worry is 'egging'. My Dad will not be happy if his car get's egged. Get the picture?

BUT since the event would be in day, as the TOT level drops, I could then wrap things up earlier and get his car back in the garage.



> Another option would be to make a really cool sign that says "Attraction opens at dusk!" If you have cool stuff out front, a reputation of doing cool stuff from the Magic Mirror last year, and someone to act as a barker while the kids are out with parents during the daytime, you should be able to attract a lot of kids back at dusk, even if they're out trick or treating while it's still light out.


We did something like that last year for the Magic Mirror when I realized it wasn't going to work in the day time. However, only a few DID return. All of the younger kids that were out TOTing with their parents (naturally) didn't come back. Keep in mind now, last year was a Saturday. This year I have to deal with work and school looming the next day I am pretty sure that they will NOT be coming back.



> If you make it sound exciting, few parents are going to tell their kids no if they've bothered to come out at all, especially if they live in the neighborhood.


Hmmmm, I am still very leery a about it. I think planning something that would get ALL the TOT's that come out regardless of time of day would be more effective. 



> If you really feel you'll meet resistance, do something to connect with the local kids and parents, such as hosting a "pumpkin glow" at dusk - an event where kids from the neighborhood bring their pumpkins to show off together and you give a prize. We do our pumpkin glow on the night before Halloween, and it builds up a lot of community goodwill. Get the local residents without kids to be the judges to get them into the mood, too - helps reduce complaints.


While that sounds like a good idea in general, I am not sure how well that would go off since we normally don't interact that much with our neighbors. Many of the kids that did show up to my Magic Mirror event last Halloween, I didn't know. However, the idea of doing something the night before Halloween does have my gears turning. But again, the advertising comes into play. But it is still early, and word of mouth could get around. I do know that one neighbor is also into Halloween, and he might help out.



> The number one thing to do is to make sure you do something fun and memorable for the kids who do come. If you do that consistently each year, word will get around, and you'll "train" your neighborhood to come out at dusk. It certainly happened in our neighborhood.
> 
> Good luck with your haunt!


The funniest thing was that recently one kid did come by the house and he exclaimed "Magic Mirror". So the kid DID remember which house had the cool Magic Mirror. He even asked me if I am going to do it again. I did say "Yes". Since I already have the materials, naturally it was a given to do it again. But as I said, I wanted to change the function of the mirror to instead of being a total 'show' but to an intro to something larger.

Overall I have not decided if I am going to do something that runs for more than one night, but I am open to that idea. But for Halloween Day itself, I want to ebb on the side of safety and have a overall daytime, kid friendly attraction. Unlike last year, I want to get as many TOTs as possible.

Last year I put a tremendous amount of time into the Magic Mirror, and it was a bit disappointing that most of the kids came in the daytime when the daylight made it near impossible to use the effect. It was something I just didn't foresee considering that I did all my planning for an evening event for that Halloween. But now I know better that I DO have to take the day of the week into consideration.

Too bad Halloween doesn't fall on a Friday this year...to me that would be the BEST day. Kids in school for the day and the next day no school, yep, that would be a nice recipe for a LONG evening of haunts and horrors.

Anyway, I will still search around on this site (and other sites) to see what I can find. Right now I am thinking things through early enough so time is on my side this time.

Thank you for the input!!

Geo


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## Diaval (Oct 19, 2009)

dpeterson said:


> We tend to treat the weeks leading up to Halloween as fair game, and try to run our display ahead of Halloween (especially the week/Friday/weekend before). Perhaps you should milk it more too, since you've gone to a lot of effort.


I am still kicking the idea around for a multiple day event and naturally having a scary event the evening (or two) before Halloween. BUT, now I am looking at a need to do some kind of advertising and cost is what I am worried about here. Unlike Halloween, TOTs come out anyway. They go around the neighborhood and if a house is doing something cool, they check it out.

So unless I can find a cheap method to advertise then the point would be moot. Keep in mind, last year was the FIRST time I did anything for Halloween. So I don't have a large prop spread at my disposal. If I did, then there would be no question at all about spending money to advertise.

What I originally was planning would be something very short and would be centered only around one or two 'rooms'. However, what I initially planned was very heavy in terms of projections and this wouldn't fly in the daytime.

So I have to do something different. I just have to get my gears turning some more and hopefully some ideas will present themselves here as well.

Thanx,

Geo


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## Diaval (Oct 19, 2009)

Hello All,

OK, an update on my plans for this year's Halloween:

Taking into consideration of being 'family friendly' and the expectation of more TOT's in the daytime than night this year, I decided to come up with a pumpkin themed event for this year.

Yes, I am going to still use the Magic Mirror as the main attraction, but it will be with a twist. I bought Gordo from Imagineerieing and this year the Magic Mirror will be a floating pumpkin. The idea this time is to have the pumpkin "floating" rather than use the mirror frame. This will require some changes to the facade, but I am hoping the planned effect yeilds a better image than trying to view the monitor through two layers of black scrim. This was my downfall last year and the reason I couldn't do the effect in the daytime. I am hoping with some changes, I could still utilize the vestibule again this year. However, if my tests fail then I will move "Gordo" to the backyard where I have a large awning.

The second part of the attraction will be "Singing Pumpkins". As you may know in some of my other holiday related posts here, I am an avid user of Vixen and last year I put on a Christmas display to music. Naturally, I did get the idea early on to use my Vixen/light controller set up for other holidays and apparently the Singing Pumpkins does seem like a good idea.

Using foam/plastic pumpkins, most of the light would show up in the pumpkin's faces, and decuced that I probably do not have to wait until it gets dark for the pumpkins to work right...thus it might be a very fitting 2nd attraction for my event. Something for those waiting in line to enjoy.

Yup, this year I do want to "cash in" early so that I DO have a line, unlike last year. 

If my initial tests on Gordo fail, then I probably will set up the Singing Pumpkins in the vestibule and will run them a few nights before Halloween.

I also intend to buy those lighted pumpkins that you stick in the ground for the walkway up to the vestibule / backyard. So these will look good in both the day and night and will just make the walkway that much more "inviting".

So that is going to be the master plan for this year.

I reviewed some of the past 'notations' made here from last year and this year I am probably going to attempt to make a foam "stone face" facade since the change from Magic Mirror to Gordo dictates that. However, any tips for making foam walls would be appreciated. 

So that is the master plan for now. 

Geo


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