Thursday, 22 March 2012
Wednesday, 21 March 2012
Scarytales - Best Attraction Yet?
Well its all over but what a show Scarytales was. We had some great attendance figures, raised some great cash for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance but, more importantly for us, got some great reviews. So, enjoy this whistle stop tour of the show.
The attraction started outside an old wardrobe where the gatekeeper interacted with the group and delivered the essential do's and dont's before they headed in. Once through the wardrobe they had to navigate a Harris fence maze which took up the entire auditorium. On the first bend the group came up against a wall of teddy bears, nailed to it, ripped to shreds and splattered in blood of course! Here they encountered the first character, the Gingerbread Man. He was responsible for giving a good startle scare whilst setting off some special effects and following the group around the Harris maze to the first big themed section. The group then encountered a very evil tooth fairy who came at them with a pair of rusty pliers inside a child's bedroom scene. The makeup, done for us by Lianne Keeling, Jamie Corfield and Brooke Mimms was really spectacular in this location and was commented on by everyone who ventured inside. Next the group entered a corn field scene where they met a demonic scarecrow who forced them to join hands and follow him down a spooky yellow brick road. From here the group entered an enclosed double corridor section, lit with an intense strobe light whilst being attacked from all side by the 3 little pigs. The group then entered a large space inside the auditorium where they were forced to sit down to watch a strange version of a Punch & Judy puppet show. Whilst the performance was taking place a real life Mr Punch launched an attack on them from behind and forced them back out of their seats and moved them out of the area.
From here the group had to navigate the stage area of the theatre which was themed to look like a woodland scene complete with a gingerbread house. The group had to walk a path lined with shrubs, giant lillipops, giant candycanes and flickering lights. Upon entering he house they were greeted by a wicked witch who interacted with them before sending them deeper into the maze. The group were now in the wings part of the theatre where they had to move through 2 quick rooms which lead to the back of the theatre and into the changing rooms. The 2 scenes we used here were a child's toy room complete with a giant Jack-in-the-Box and a very evil Santa's grotto. This then led them to the backstage areas where they were greeted by the Boy who cried wolf. His sole job was to give a startle scare and direct the group inside the 4 back stage rooms.
The first of the 4 backstage rooms was inhabited by the Child Catcher from the Disney film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. His room was covered from floor to ceiling with missing posters of Victorian children (not to the budding scare attraction designer, avoid doing a room like this, putting up over 600 A3 posters on your own almost sends you insane!!). The child catcher initially seemed nice but soon turned VERY sinister and forced a member of the group into a chair. Here he humiliated them, swore at them and generally behaved very badly to them. After leaving the child catcher behind the group them entered a crazy (or should that be even more crazier version) of the Mad Hatters Tea Party. This room was worked by a crazy Hatter and a very messed up Alice who invited the group to sit down at their tea party. Humiliation and interaction continued for a good few minutes before Alice declared the group had made the food go off and once again they were sent on their way.
The next themed location was designed to look like Grandmas house from Little Red Riding Hood. Here the group encountered a VERY slutty version of the character who demanded that "the boys got on their knees" and moaned at her! After this the group then entered the competition winners room that was made up to resemble the fairy story "the girl with the red shoes".
From here the group then traversed a dark corridor section before entering the haunted wood. Here they met the final character, the woodcutter who, along with screaming at them, chased them into the bar area with a chainsaw ending they adventure in the land of Orenda.
The feedback we got has been amazing, the reviews we have had have really blown us away. So, I will update this again soon with all the details and plans for Project Fear which is pencilled to be down at the beginning of June.
Gaz
The attraction started outside an old wardrobe where the gatekeeper interacted with the group and delivered the essential do's and dont's before they headed in. Once through the wardrobe they had to navigate a Harris fence maze which took up the entire auditorium. On the first bend the group came up against a wall of teddy bears, nailed to it, ripped to shreds and splattered in blood of course! Here they encountered the first character, the Gingerbread Man. He was responsible for giving a good startle scare whilst setting off some special effects and following the group around the Harris maze to the first big themed section. The group then encountered a very evil tooth fairy who came at them with a pair of rusty pliers inside a child's bedroom scene. The makeup, done for us by Lianne Keeling, Jamie Corfield and Brooke Mimms was really spectacular in this location and was commented on by everyone who ventured inside. Next the group entered a corn field scene where they met a demonic scarecrow who forced them to join hands and follow him down a spooky yellow brick road. From here the group entered an enclosed double corridor section, lit with an intense strobe light whilst being attacked from all side by the 3 little pigs. The group then entered a large space inside the auditorium where they were forced to sit down to watch a strange version of a Punch & Judy puppet show. Whilst the performance was taking place a real life Mr Punch launched an attack on them from behind and forced them back out of their seats and moved them out of the area.
From here the group had to navigate the stage area of the theatre which was themed to look like a woodland scene complete with a gingerbread house. The group had to walk a path lined with shrubs, giant lillipops, giant candycanes and flickering lights. Upon entering he house they were greeted by a wicked witch who interacted with them before sending them deeper into the maze. The group were now in the wings part of the theatre where they had to move through 2 quick rooms which lead to the back of the theatre and into the changing rooms. The 2 scenes we used here were a child's toy room complete with a giant Jack-in-the-Box and a very evil Santa's grotto. This then led them to the backstage areas where they were greeted by the Boy who cried wolf. His sole job was to give a startle scare and direct the group inside the 4 back stage rooms.
The first of the 4 backstage rooms was inhabited by the Child Catcher from the Disney film Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. His room was covered from floor to ceiling with missing posters of Victorian children (not to the budding scare attraction designer, avoid doing a room like this, putting up over 600 A3 posters on your own almost sends you insane!!). The child catcher initially seemed nice but soon turned VERY sinister and forced a member of the group into a chair. Here he humiliated them, swore at them and generally behaved very badly to them. After leaving the child catcher behind the group them entered a crazy (or should that be even more crazier version) of the Mad Hatters Tea Party. This room was worked by a crazy Hatter and a very messed up Alice who invited the group to sit down at their tea party. Humiliation and interaction continued for a good few minutes before Alice declared the group had made the food go off and once again they were sent on their way.
The next themed location was designed to look like Grandmas house from Little Red Riding Hood. Here the group encountered a VERY slutty version of the character who demanded that "the boys got on their knees" and moaned at her! After this the group then entered the competition winners room that was made up to resemble the fairy story "the girl with the red shoes".
From here the group then traversed a dark corridor section before entering the haunted wood. Here they met the final character, the woodcutter who, along with screaming at them, chased them into the bar area with a chainsaw ending they adventure in the land of Orenda.
The feedback we got has been amazing, the reviews we have had have really blown us away. So, I will update this again soon with all the details and plans for Project Fear which is pencilled to be down at the beginning of June.
Gaz
Wednesday, 7 March 2012
Scarytales Live Almost Here
We are now just one week away from the launch of our latest scare entertainment experience, Scarytales Live, so I thought I would put together a quick update on where we are. Well, everything has come together nicely, probably more smoothly than any other show we have done. The maze is all ready to go and we are literally waiting now to get access to the building so we can put it all together. The good thing with using the theatre is that we dont have to build anything. Its all about using the space we have to our best advantage and making sure every inch of the building is used to its best advantage. The obvious thing to work on is the main theatre space and stage area. This large, open expanse of ground cant be built on, particioned off or changed in any way so, what do you do? Build a harris fence maze in it, thats what! We didnt want a boring, simple zig zag maze so we have designed quite an elaborate path for you to take that will take in 4 seperate themed zones before you even get to the stage area. We felt this was the best way to go with it as wondering around a fence maze with nothing really happening can get quite dull and it shows a distinct lack of imagination!
This is a rough layout plan of the attraction
This is a rough layout plan of the attraction
We received the sounds from Tollbooth Music last week for the themed locations and we are VERY impressed with them all. Once again Paul Davis has out done himself with the level of sound scapes he has put into the finished product.
So, everything is ready to go, the props are finished (building giant sweets is a lot more hassle than you can imagine!), the lighting rigs are ready, the music is done and the actors are fully rehearsed. The costumes are all finsihed and the makeup team have put together some amazing concepts for the characters. We have a press launch next Thursday night and then its show time! Roll on the 16th!
Thursday, 15 December 2011
ScaryTales Is Coming
As some of you know, our next scare attraction experience will be called Scarytales Live and will be held at the Dearne Playhouse Theatre in March 2012. Its great to be back at the Playhouse as its where it all started for us. Its where we did out first ever show, Deranged Live so its fantastic to be going back there. On top of that, its where our sound and lighting engineers work so it makes things much easier in terms of getting all the stuff on site and worked out.
So, Scarytales, its a scare attraction based on childhood fairy tales, nursery rhymes and kids films but we have flipped everything on its head and made it twisted and nasty. We have a massive range of characters from all the best loved kids films and stories plus a few that you might not be aware of. We have had some artwork produced by the amazing guys at Pixel One, see what ya think
So, Scarytales, its a scare attraction based on childhood fairy tales, nursery rhymes and kids films but we have flipped everything on its head and made it twisted and nasty. We have a massive range of characters from all the best loved kids films and stories plus a few that you might not be aware of. We have had some artwork produced by the amazing guys at Pixel One, see what ya think
We are working with the same crew as always to being this show to life, Better Than Joe Media are doing the video work (start shooting on Tuesday the 20th), Pixel One are doing the website, Karl Ridsdale is doing the lighting along with all the DMX programming and the legend that is Paul Davies is once again creating all the sounds for the show from scratch, no off the shelf copies for us!
This is the rough story concept for the attraction, not as in depth as some of our other stories but its quite a simple premise that doesn't really need masses of info to explain it!
Once upon a time, in a place far beyond the reaches of normality, a land existed. A land gone mad with the evil within, a land where nothing you have ever heard or learnt actually was true and where everything you thought you knew was flipped into chaos, rage and fear. This land was called Orenda, home of Scarytales!
Accessed through a secret wardrobe and down the yellow brick road, turning left at the rabbits hole and through the dark forest Orenda will be waiting for you. In this world everything you enjoyed and loved as children has literally been turned on its head leaving no happy ever after, no happy endings and no sweetness and light. Instead you will find a place filled with the most tormented and twisted characters all waiting for you to take a bite of the poisoned apple and enter the gingerbread house where you will stay forever!
Look into the magic mirror, get ready for the tea party and make sure you are home by midnight; Get ready for your adventure in the land of fear!
Don't forget, this show is for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance charity so make sure you all come along to be scared to death and raise so much needed cash for them.
Gaz
Tuesday, 8 November 2011
The ULTIMATE Scare Attraction Competition
Today GNG Entertainment is launching the ultimate scare attraction competition for fans and enthusiasts. One lucky winner will get to design their very own room which will form part of our next scare entertainment experience, Scarytales Live, in March next year. The winner will be 100% fully responsible for their own location within the maze and everything that goes with it. You will be designing the room, choosing the lighting, choosing the sound, picking what props go in, what the actor will do, what they will say and, most importantly, what the scares will be!
To be in with a chance of winning this prize you will need a bit more information....
Scarytales Live is a sinister, twisted take on our favourite childhood stories and nursery rhymes and will throw them all together to form a nightmarish scare attraction maze preying on the familiar stories and characters we all loved as children. The room we want you to design will be the final large location before the finale scene so ramping up the jumps, startles and fear factor is a must. The room will be 5 meters in length and 3 meters in width and will flow as the diagram below shows.
So, are you up to the challenge? Remember, all that you have to be certain of is that the room will be scary AND it fits in with the theme of the attraction.
The Prize
Design your own ultimate scare attraction room inside our next show, Scarytales Live
Come to the venue during the build so oversee your room and get involved with theming it as you imagined
Watch the test subjects go through your location and make last minute alterations if things dont go as you thought they would
Invite for you and 3 friends to the VIP press launch night the day before we open to the public
Get 4 free tickets for your friends and family for the show
Professional photo of you inside YOUR room with the actors
The Rules
You MUST "like" the Curious Village Facebook page (www.facebook.com/gngentertainment)
The room MUST fit in with the theme of the show - nursery rhymes, fairy stories etc
You MUST include a full brief of the room, describing how it will look, what will happen, scripting for the actor, drawings and artwork/mood boards, what scares will be included, what props you would want inside etc
Entries MUST be in no later than Tuesday the 13th of December
The winner will be invited up in the new year for a meeting with the production team to discuss the attraction and to get the fine details down for your room. You will get to meet the lighting and sound engineers to discuss what you would like and work with them to ensure the sounds are what you wanted. Once the build process starts in March you will then be asked back up to join us inside the Playhouse Theatre to oversee the construction of your location and get involved with the theming process.
All entries must be submitted to info@gng-entertainment.co.uk before the closing date and the GNG Entertainments team decision is final. This email address can also be used for any questions or queries you have regarding the competition.
The attraction runs from Thursday the 15th to Sunday the 18th of March 2012 and is located inside the Playhouse Theatre in Goldthorpe, near Rotherham, South Yorkshire. The show is a 100% non-profit event to help raise money for Sheffield Children's Hospital.
Good luck
Gaz, Gav and the GNG Entertainment team.
To be in with a chance of winning this prize you will need a bit more information....
Scarytales Live is a sinister, twisted take on our favourite childhood stories and nursery rhymes and will throw them all together to form a nightmarish scare attraction maze preying on the familiar stories and characters we all loved as children. The room we want you to design will be the final large location before the finale scene so ramping up the jumps, startles and fear factor is a must. The room will be 5 meters in length and 3 meters in width and will flow as the diagram below shows.
The Prize
Design your own ultimate scare attraction room inside our next show, Scarytales Live
Come to the venue during the build so oversee your room and get involved with theming it as you imagined
Watch the test subjects go through your location and make last minute alterations if things dont go as you thought they would
Invite for you and 3 friends to the VIP press launch night the day before we open to the public
Get 4 free tickets for your friends and family for the show
Professional photo of you inside YOUR room with the actors
The Rules
You MUST "like" the Curious Village Facebook page (www.facebook.com/gngentertainment)
The room MUST fit in with the theme of the show - nursery rhymes, fairy stories etc
You MUST include a full brief of the room, describing how it will look, what will happen, scripting for the actor, drawings and artwork/mood boards, what scares will be included, what props you would want inside etc
Entries MUST be in no later than Tuesday the 13th of December
The winner will be invited up in the new year for a meeting with the production team to discuss the attraction and to get the fine details down for your room. You will get to meet the lighting and sound engineers to discuss what you would like and work with them to ensure the sounds are what you wanted. Once the build process starts in March you will then be asked back up to join us inside the Playhouse Theatre to oversee the construction of your location and get involved with the theming process.
All entries must be submitted to info@gng-entertainment.co.uk before the closing date and the GNG Entertainments team decision is final. This email address can also be used for any questions or queries you have regarding the competition.
The attraction runs from Thursday the 15th to Sunday the 18th of March 2012 and is located inside the Playhouse Theatre in Goldthorpe, near Rotherham, South Yorkshire. The show is a 100% non-profit event to help raise money for Sheffield Children's Hospital.
Good luck
Gaz, Gav and the GNG Entertainment team.
Friday, 4 November 2011
Building the Bunker
I get asked a lot of time how we design and build the scare attraction experiences from scratch so, he is a whirlwind tour of what you need to do. From conception to birth, Bunker 13 took around 10 months to complete. After Hybrid X had finished last year I knew then it would be called Bunker 13 but that was it, I had no idea how the story would go or what would actually happen inside the show.
For me, the first step IS the name, once that's sorted, everything else seems to fall into place. I wont go into any detail here about all the creative side of tings, you just use your imagination and design the attraction of your dreams. Things you need to consider though are concept/plot, story, theme, scripting, design elements such as website, promo video, soundscapes for each location, lighting, costumes, makeup, creature concepts, attraction layout, duration, pre-show video, capacity and all of this needs sorting before you buy 1 plank of wood of plaster board!!
So, building, not my role in the company, I leave all that to Gav but I do get involved (I have to, Gav has a tendency to alter things if I am not on site!!) so this is a simple breakdown of how we build the shows.
First step, the layout
This photo was taken from a walkway above the attraction so you can get a real feel for the size of it. The huge pile of timber in the centre is actually 3.5 metres long so you can get a nice perception of scale. The area containing the wood will eventually become the duelling laser maze! Once all the frame is in place its time to start attaching the legs. What we are doing here is no different from internal stud walling you find in any house.
For me, the first step IS the name, once that's sorted, everything else seems to fall into place. I wont go into any detail here about all the creative side of tings, you just use your imagination and design the attraction of your dreams. Things you need to consider though are concept/plot, story, theme, scripting, design elements such as website, promo video, soundscapes for each location, lighting, costumes, makeup, creature concepts, attraction layout, duration, pre-show video, capacity and all of this needs sorting before you buy 1 plank of wood of plaster board!!
So, building, not my role in the company, I leave all that to Gav but I do get involved (I have to, Gav has a tendency to alter things if I am not on site!!) so this is a simple breakdown of how we build the shows.
First step, the layout
I design the layout of the attraction and hand it over to Gav who takes what I have done and builds an accurate, structural blueprint in Auto CAD. This tool is so valuable as it gives us a 3D rendering of the attraction before the first nail goes in and also a flat schematic of the layout with every measurement on. This is useful for a number of reasons, not only for the quantity surveyor but also when the build is taking place, what you don't want is to spend upwards of £15000 and realise the attraction wont fit in the area your working in!!! Once the layout is complete, the wood is ordered and the time comes to build the beast and then the fun really beings (not!)
Once the construction starts the first step is to get the base frame down and secured to the foundations of the building. At Magna, this is relatively simple as the Face of Steel has a solid concrete base to work off. The frame lengths are cut to size and screwed into the concrete base ensuring a VERY solid structure which wont fall over on opening day. Once all the frame is in place you can also, literally, walk your attraction
The legs will form the walls which the plaster board will be attached to so we use a system of spacing every 60cm to ensure each plaster board covers 3 legs allowing us to be able to attach the sections together securely. Once the legs are on the same setup we used for the base frame is repeated but this time on top to form a roof line. This is also the time the structure will need bracing to ensure it is strong, rigid and, most importantly, wont fall over and crush your guests! Plaster boarding is the next step (or any other material you wish to use like chipboard, MDF etc) and then the roof is placed and screwed in giving you (hopefully) a totally sealed attraction.
The video above shows the structure about 50% complete, tilt your head to the left to see it better, it was filmed on an Iphone!
So, once the building is done the fun begins (well, apart from all the painting you need to do). This is where you get to install all the show controls, lights, sounds, effects etc and, when this task is done you get to fill the place with props. Get this right and your almost ready for show time, bring the actors in, get them into the right places and allow them to rehearse for as much time as is possible. Get groups of staff, workers, anyone you can find to go through the show so they can practice on real people then when opening day comes you will be ready to give the paying public the fright of their lives.
Hope you found this helpful but if you need any help, advice or have any questions that need a more in depth answer just drop me an email anytime - gary@gng-entertainment.co.uk
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