We worked with Beaudry Interactive to build this gravity well and large trackballs as a controller for interactive content in the Wondrous Space exhibit.
The Franklin Institute
Archive
Harry Potter A Forbidden Forest Experience
We built lighting effects, practical effects, and set dressing for locations worldwide. Some of the work included: interactive wand battles, 152 lanterns that connected to a show control system, 50 spiders that jiggle as they are lowered from a rig, 60 fog machines, 150 fireflies on individual motors, 2 mistletoe gazebos, 4 screwt crates, 62 animal eyes, 10 werewolf eyes, 25 owls, 200 pumpkins, 75 pygmy puffs, 5 thestrals, 6000 mushrooms with a show control system, and Harry Potter’s Patronus at the finale.
Warner Brothers Studio Tour Hollywood – Potions Experience
We created an interactive Harry Potter Potions experience for Warner Brother’s Studio Tour Hollywood – Action and Magic Made Here.
All ingredients were sculpted, molded, cast and painted with animation/lighting integrated. Bases made from solid red oak, ingredient name plates made from brass with electrochemical etching and integrated lighting and capacitive touch sensors. Self-stirring cauldron has internal motor and gearing, addressable lighting effects and hand-sculpted translucent potion top to diffuse leds and haze which is piped in through the bottom. All three interactive stations are controlled by a central control cabinet we produced that houses microcontrollers, dmx dimmers, relays, etc.
Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience
We created a variety of special effect props, dressing and interactives that included show control and programming for Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience. It is an international experience that has had locations in the US, UK, Brussels, Singapore, Germany, France, and Australia.
We developed and built hundreds of different effects for each location and climate including: two different sized spiders that were suspended with automated rigging so the legs would jiggle upon dropping from the trees.
Owls with reflective eyes. pygmy puffs, an invisible horse gag for a Thestral pulling a cart, fields of flying fireflies on individual motors, over 6000 LED mushrooms with a show control system to create an animated light show. Hundreds of pumpkins, Skrewt crates, Niffler dressing, fields of LED animal eyes and wolves, interactive LED wand battles, fog effects, lantern circles, and Harry Potter’s light up 12′ Patronus in the finale of the experience.
Warner Brother’s Studio Tour Hollywood – Lasso of Truth
We created an interactive Wonder Woman – Lasso of Truth element for Warner Brother’s Studio Tour Hollywood – Action and Magic Made Here.
With a core of steel that we rolled into the final shape, 700+ addressable leds are inside a silicone diffuser and an industrial mesh material. In idle/attract mode, the piece has a subtle pulsing effect across 36″ of length at hand-level. When a guest grabs the lasso anywhere in that 36″, a sensor knows where it was grabbed and causes the led’s to spell-on in both directions emanating from the guest’s hand, remaining on as long as it is grabbed, and then spells-off when let go. A microcontroller that manages the led animation is mounted in the base.
Warner Brother’s Studio Tour Hollywood – Mandrakes
We created an interactive Harry Potter Mandrake experience for Warner Brother’s Studio Tour Hollywood – Action and Magic Made Here.
Mandrakes were hand-sculpted, molded and cast in a semi-rigid urethane plastic with aluminum armature. Mandrakes can be lifted by guests up and out of their pots which triggers a screaming Mandrake effects local to each pot. Internal linear bearing system allows mandrakes to only travel up and down with soft stops on both ends of travel and a pneumatic assisted lift and decent. The dirt pile is cast urethane foam with shredded urethane foam adhered to the surface. The leaves are custom made in-house using rugged urethane rubber and an integral aircraft cable for durability and can be un-threaded and replaced if necessary.
Frankenstein’s Lab
Created a stylized version of Frankenstein’s lab for a production company on the Universal Studios Hollywood Backlot. We specifically made all of the lab equipment based off the 1930’s Frankenstein Film. In addition to making the wooden cabinets and tables, custom metal hardware, and sculpted and cast elements, we also implemented a show control system specifically for the lab equipment effects consisting of 140 channels of dmx. Every individual light and gauge sweep were independently controllable and animated. An ambient show runs full time and a 30 second “overload” show is triggered by a large themed knife switch (also fabricated by us) on the wall and is synced to an audio track and the room lighting.
Universal Studios Hollywood – HHN 2021 – Cross
We created a light up cross effect for Universal Studios Hollywood Halloween Horror Nights 2021.
Westcoaster images courtesy of www.westcoaster.net and taken by Albert Lam @Corkscrewed02
Universal Studios Hollywood – The Walking Dead
The Walking Dead permanent attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood. We were responsible for the set dressing and props for the entie attraction. Thousands of items, procured, aged/distressed and installed. We additionally created the prop weapons various performers use throughout the attraction, including a shotgun containing a mini smoke generator and led in the barrel wirelessly tied into the show control system to simulate a report from firing.
Westcoaster images courtesy of www.westcoaster.net and taken by Albert Lam @Corkscrewed02
Autry Museum – Write Your West Exhibit
We created some elements for The Autry Museum of the West. A pair of gameshow-style wheels for writing prompts, 3D signage for the exhibition and a custom live edge table made from California/Western Sycamore.
