Master Sculpters

PumpkinRot had posted a link this morning to a YouTube video featuring the making of the Pumpkinhead creature from the movie, Pumpkinhead.  I LOVE seeing this type of behind the scenes work so I watched video after video that was on this stream.  I had no idea that the creative team behind the Pumpkinhead creature, also created the amazing creatures in the Alien movies as well as the massive dinosaurs in Jurassic Park!

I just subscribed to this stream.  Lots of inspiration here and it looks like some how-to's.

Hope you enjoy!

Stan Winston School YouTube Stream

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Plague Dentist

Happy Monday to you all!  I know, I know, I'm trying to be positive about Monday, but I'm just as tired as you guys are and on top of that, I have to go to the dentist this afternoon =P

But, it could always be worse...I could be the dentist, digging around in people's mouths all day long.

I often wondered if dentist's masks are scented to mask any bad breath that they might come in contact with.  I know that if I were a dentist, I'd want to stuff my mask with potpourri or something... much like the plague doctors did.

Could you imagine, a dentist with a plague doctor mask performing your dental work???

Now that's a scary thought!

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Home Haunter's Awards 2012 Winners

Friday, the winners of the 2012 Home Haunters Awards were announced and I'm very excited and honored to say, that 2nd Street Cemetery earned another golden skull this year! 

Much to our surprise, we were awarded with the Best How-To Video. Neither of us had considered that our video fell into that category, until we went back and watched it again.  That's when we realized how much of a How-To Video it really is =) 

I'd say that 90% of my Halloween pictures each year, are of all of all of the various building stages of props.
I love showing how much work goes into each individual project and I like showing the finished product in the yard. I also like looking back at the pictures myself to see how each project progressed and how I've grown and what I've learned as a prop builder.

 Chronicling the stages of prop building is like chronicling the life of a child.  It begins with taking snapshots through various stages of development, the first being the ultra-sound, which is fuzzy and it's difficult to see what the subject in it is actually going to be and then following them through the awkward tween and teen years and then finally the college graduation picture. 

Halloween projects are much the same way in that, they start out as a jumble of supplies and sketches that resemble nothing of the finished project, then things start taking shape but are still awkward silhouettes of what it will be come and then the final and most gratifying part is when it's complete placed in the yard for everyone to see =)

So, thank you to the judges, who realized what our video was all about, even when we initially didn't :)

I think this is going to finally give me the kick in the butt that I needed to do a couple of tutorials this year.  I have PLENTY of pictures to get that project started ;)  I'm very excited about that!

I want to send out a big  CONGRATS to all of the other winners! As well as a big thank you to  Chris and Jeff Davis, for putting this whole thing together, to all of the judges for taking on the task of judging every one's haunts and to Hellmouth Haunted House for putting together the Awards show :)

If you'd like to see the awards video, you can view it here.

Here is the entire list of winners:

2012 Haunters Video Award Winners
Best Yard Haunt Canyon Trail Cemetery
Jim Slanker
Carol Stream, IL

Best Yard Haunt (Vanguard) Spider Rider of Dun Ringill
Steve Parmley
... Sacramento, CA

Best Indoor/walkthrough Haunt The Butcher of Provincetown Haunted House
Brad Goodspeed
Scarborough, Ontario, Canada

Best Indoor/walkthrough Haunt (Vanguard)Hellizondo Carnival of Risk
Craig Schriber
Simi Valley, CA

Best Static Prop IHauntU
Grant MacDonald (Cemetery gate)
Edmonton Canada

Best Static Prop (Vanguard)Deadwood Cemetery
Michael Braun
Gurnee, IL

Best Animated PropHellizondo Carnival of Risk
Craig Schriber (meat grinder)
Simi Valley, CA

Best Animated Prop (Vanguard)Bates Haunt
Dave Bates (house projection)
Utah

Best Party Haunt Valridge Manor Place
Stacy Saman
Ancaster, Ontario Canada

Best Video Production The Butcher of Provincetown Haunted House
Brad Goodspeed
Scarborough, Ontario, Canada

Best How-to2nd Street Cemetery
Heidi & Donnie Rauber Jr.
Covington, LA

Propmaster Award Hauntcast/Village Mire Yard Haunt
Chris Baker
South Yarmouth,MA

 

Happy Haunting everyone!!!