I am back from vacation, so on with the show! :) Here is the next part in my holo-girl series. Some of these are quite blurry and out of focus, but I still think they are worthy of posting.
Here is that broken mirror again (that I pointed out in part 2). For some reason I really like this shot, seeing the little farmer girl doll reflection there, on a broken mirror, in the dark, kinda sad yet cool at the same time. Yeah, so I am wierd. :)Ohh, and I am glad to see Sunnycide finally making an apperance here on Mesa Verde Times, great job Hoot.
You know, seeing it from the other side, the whole attraction looks like it was tossed together from a junk heap. Crazy, cause when you se it as it was meant to be seen it was so awesome.
ReplyDeleteAnd we're back!!!!! Thanks guys! Awesome!
ReplyDeletewhat was the mirror for? reflect light?
ReplyDeleteI bet they were growing weed somewhere in that building.
ReplyDeleteThat's the point, Destino. It's the same thing movie studios do with sets--they're "flats" that are detailed only where the viewer will see. Why spend money making areas outside of the guests' view look polished? That money is better spent on the show. One of the things that makes (made?) Disney so special though, is that they put a high level of detail not only into where the guest would LIKELY see, but even into where they MIGHT see. Riding the ride, that is, not spelunking through the building. :)
ReplyDeleteIn my experience (sadly, not with Horizons), areas outside of guest view may lack polish, there may be unpainted plywood and whatnot, but the engineering is usually very good and has its own aesthetic (but then I'm also an engineering geek). :)
One of my favorite things, was seeing in the equipment rooms (lighting, audio, and show control equipment), each rack-mounted piece of equipment with a tiny silhoutte of Mary Poppins screen-printed on. That wasn't necessary, no guest would ever see it, but it was a nice touch.
(Much of the show equipment is--or was--built by MAPO; MAPO is a acronym for MAry POppins. The proceeds from the film were used to found MAPO).
The mirror is part of the 'Peppers Ghost' effect used to create the Hologirl.
ReplyDeleteSame effect is used various attraction, one of th e most famous being the ballroom of the haunted mansion. It dates back to 1900 or further.
I'm feeling a little dense here, but I'm still not clear on the placement of everything. I gather that Hologirl is ABOVE the ride track, angled at the same angle as the glass of the Nova Cite apartment, right? Where does the mirror fit in? I wish we had a shot that showed all the elements more in context.
ReplyDeleteI don't think a mirror was used in the Pepper's Ghost effect at the Mansion; why is used here?
Take a look at the Peppers Ghost Wikipedia entry for some helpful diagrams.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a pro at this but my guess about the mirror is that it allowed the theatrical lighting to be directed from a tight location. It might have been too difficult to get a large light fixture pointed up at the figure from that angle.
ReplyDeleteOh, I'm totally aware of the reasons that the sets are only dressed for what you see. What I mean is that the manner in which it is put together just looks tossed together out of whatever was lying around, instead of elements being specifically designed for the attraction. Like stuff kept being added as it went along and some guy from down the block came in tossed stuff in with whatever he found lying around. If you've ever taken any backstage tours, you'll see how neat and orderly most newer attractions are backstage.
ReplyDeleteI haven't taken any backstage tours, but I saw plenty backstage while a CM in the 80's. It was a mixed bag. The eletronic equipment rooms with the Mary Poppins-adorned equipment were usually spotless. Areas with mechanical equipment, often much less so. I think most things start off neat and orderly and, like anything else, wear over time. Even having seen the gamut, I was still shocked to see Pirates backstage. The boat storage area looked like a dungeon, and the "tower" console, which I expected to be impressive, looked like it was cobbled together from junk. I'm sure the backstage tours are designed to steer you to the better-preserved stuff. :)
ReplyDeleteOn the chalk drawing on the first pic, are those hidden boobies on the lower left?
ReplyDeleteLower left of the chalk rectangle, that is.
ReplyDelete