2011 Halloween Projection Setup

How we got our projector set up to do animation on our house for Halloween! Kind of boring, but important stuff to consider if you want to try to do it yourself.

Weatherproofing was important because I wanted to be able to project no matter what the weather. I caulked all of the seams of the box with the same stuff you use on windows and also used outdoor paint that repelled water. We projected through several rain storms with no problem. The show must go on!

Also, don't forget to include a fan inside the box because it will get so hot that your projector will overheat. I used a small, but powerful household fan like you would use to cool a room in summer. We had some warm nights in early October that caused us problems, but when I positioned the fan to blow directly across the projector, it solved the issue.

Security was a huge consideration. We went through the whole month of October with no problem. First of all I sunk an 80 lbs concrete weight into the ground (just dug a hole and poured in fence post concrete) and secured the projector box to it with a bike chain. I also used a combination lock on the box itself. Plus, I think the fact that it attracted a lot of attention made it virtually impossible for someone to steal it without being seen. Keep in mind, we only had the box outside while projecting. We brought it in every night after we were done.

Improvements I plan to make next year? Some kind of dolly so I can wheel the box in and out of my garage. It is heavy! Also bigger handles on the sides so it can be lifted without hurting our hands.

I will also add an FM broadcaster next year so people can listen to the audio on their car radios. We had to keep the volume down so we didn't disturb the neighbors and some people in their cars didn't even realize there was music until they rolled down their windows!

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• halloween
• haunted
• house
• spanish
• fork
• utah

[HauntedNeurons]

Spectacular Job!, Your 2500 lu projector and streetlight. How much of the streetlight shines on your house? I have a 2600 lu projector and a mercury vapor light120' away. I projected my projectors startup screen to see how bright it is (just a blue image) and its a bit washed out. Either my street light is way to bright or my lamp is getting dim. Another question, how far away from your house is the projector? Your proj specs say 21' throw dist. Do you loose focus ability past that distance. Thx

[digitalpressworks]

@HauntedNeurons Focus is not a problem. After you move the projector out a certain distance everything stays in focus which is good because all the surfaces of the house are at varying distances from the projector. If you look at my finished video live on the house you will see an orange glow and that comes from the street light. I think an advantage of the short throw projector is that since it is closer the the house, the image is brighter.

[0Gravity1966]

Can you explain in more detail the process of Tracing the house for the template...that is the only thing I am not grasping...we do a Christmas in July party at my marina every year and I would love to try to do a projection on the side of my boat for the lighting contest

[digitalpressworks]

Check out the other videos on my channel. I have explained it multiple times in the comments.

[amygcampbell]

are they in colorado ive been there and i rakanize that area

[digitalpressworks]

Utah

[sigrestbrandon]

so, ur projector works on the corner, does it get paid?

[joesmith64]

I'm just going to hang a sheet over my garage, and project from inside the garage on to the sheet, the image will be backwards but oh well should do the trick

[NachoLoKo]

ninja



[GStager3]

Where can I get a list of tools you used for this??????