Unpleasant Projects

This evening I took some time to start setting some things up!  I began the set dressing for the torture scene by placing some wooden crates and barrels around the area the scene will occupy.

I also set up a prop… a Budget Bart shackled to the back of my house.  He’s been there the past 2 years in a pirate theme, but this year since the back deck is being changed to a torture scene, he will not be donning his pirate garb.

Here is what I’ve accomplished so far from “the list” detailed earlier:

Spider Scene:

• Finish Spider Egg Sacs
• Build one new webbed up victim

Torture Scene:

• Build a Rack
• Build a Wheel
• Build a Chair
• Build Stocks

Misc Stuff:

• Repair the Skeletal Organist’s mechanism
• Assess older props and repair as needed

Tomorrow I’ll probably start tackling the chair prop for the torture scene.  I think I’m right on schedule which is a wonderful thing.

I finally finished the animation for the Skeletal Organist this afternoon.  I couldn’t have done it without help from my friend Derek who came up with the idea of using a crank shaft beneath the arms.  Big props go out to my friend Bob Baker for making the shaft and coupler to mount the shaft.

My idea was to create a mechanism that would work from within the bucky chest cavity, but with time running out, I didn’t think I could pull that off by Halloween.

All I have left to do now is spray the mechanism black, put the skeleton’s costume and head on and this scene is basically done.  What a long crazy road it’s been.

Here is a quick video preview showing the set I’ve built inside the shed.  Next up, I’m building a bench for the organ and seating a full-sized “Bucky” Skeleton at it.

I’ve begun the general setup outside over the past few weeks.  I have just neglected to post photos until now. 

Today I finally finished painting the stone walls in the skeletal organist scene.

I also made a little progress with the organ itself.  I pulled the back off and found where the organ’s amplifier was.  I disconnected the organ from the amp and hooked a CD player up to the amp so I can now play any music I want through the organ!

I also just realized it’s been a while since my last update.  In addition to the above mentioned progress, I have also built our Pallet shack and set up the cemetery in the front yard.  It’s 19 days until Halloween and for once, I feel like I’m on track for a change.

And I want to paint it black.  :p

I didn’t quite finish applying the base coat of black to the stone walls today.  I managed to get through 3 of the 4 walls and then it was too dark to be working outside so I had to put it aside to finish tomorrow (weather permitting).

It seems every step of the way with this project, I think each step is going to take “X” amount of time to complete, and then it takes “Y” amount of time instead.

Black Walls

I’m taking a quick break from sanding and distressing foam panels to look like stone wall.  I’m finally on the last few pieces of foam and will probably have the base coat of black paint done today.

It was August 17th when I started in on this major Halloween Project for the year.  It’s now September 26th and I’m still working through it!  At least the end is in sight and I may actually finish this by the end of the weekend.  That depends in large part how well I do with painting the wall panels.  Knowing how I tend to over-examine my own work, I’ll probably hate the first paint job and take a second stab at it.

The big project for this year was to stop talking about doing the interior of our shed to look like a stone-walled room with cathedral windows and actually just do it.  It’s a very robust look that can be adapted to just about any theme I can think of from a room for our Skeletal Organist to perform in to a mad scientist’s lab and anything in between.

About a week into this venture I said to myself “What have I gotten myself in to?!?”  Thankfully, I’m almost done and can move on to other things.

Ok, enough lollydogging.  I’m going back to work on it some more now.