# Haunting in the Round - Lighting, Need Help



## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

I'm not sure how many are familiar with the the stage term Theater in the Round - think arena type setup. There's not a lot of haunts I'm familiar with that set up in this manner because lighting is apparently a pain to set up. Examples of haunts that do use this style just aren't around as far as I know.

Hollowed Haunting Grounds





Grimmstone Cemetery





The idea is that a vast majority of your display is dead center and your victi... eh I mean ToTs can view all or parts of your display from all angles.










Unless you have a lot of underbrush, bushes, trees, or large scale props like mausoleums to segregate the visible display area lighting becomes an incredible problem. Your display might look nice and creepy viewing from the front. But on the opposite side viewing often amounts to being blinded by flood lighting head on. Other than space constraints this is probably why most of us set up our displays in a manner where they can't be viewed from the rear.

As some of you may know our landlord removed a large chunk of trees along the side of my house where I situated the graveyard last year, including the large creepy oak I so loved. This has forced me to rethink the haunt design and I've been experimenting with several layouts. There's still a large scragly and creeptastic crab apple tree in the center of the front yard. Facing the house to the left is the driveway which you have to walk up to get to the path to the front door which is directly opposite the tree. I am considering making a path go around the right side of the tree leading back out to the street effectively forming a crude circle arena around the tree area.

Here's one of my newer layout concepts:










In an alternate version (I haven't scanned yet because its incomplete) I've eliminated the graveyard on the left and integrated it around the tree area. I mean even if I didn't do a circular display ToTs still end up approaching from the rear in order to get to the front door.

I'm wondering if anyone else here haunts in the round and if so how did you tackle the lighting challenges? One method I can think of is pocket lighting small areas with lower wattage bulbs. Any suggestions or help would as always be GREATLY appreciated.


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## Dixie (Feb 18, 2009)

This concept is SO interesting to me, I hope you get a lot of feedback and good ideas.. Following this thread intently!


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

One thought that comes to mind is having lighting that is above the "audience" (aka ToTs) angled down toward the areas you want to illuminate. Where you can do this, and get your lights high enough, blinding of the ToTs shouldn't be a problem unless they look up.


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## Jaybo (Mar 2, 2009)

Sorry, nothing to add to your post. We are having the same problem with our haunt, so I am very interested in hearing any advice.

I'm thinking that small dimmable LED spots might help control the lighting. It would make the haunt very dark, but allow you to more easily control what you want to show. Since it will be dark, you might be able to actually build sort of a blind to obstruct the view from one prop to the next. Or even go so far as to build a central structure with your typical 4x8 haunt walls, that has openings that face outward. Your TOTs would not be able to see the scene until they rounded a corner. If the structure had a hidden central room, you could hide an actor in the room that could monitor the entire walk through and even slip out to scare people repeatedly.


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## Sawtooth Jack (Apr 9, 2011)

RoxyBlue said:


> One thought that comes to mind is having lighting that is above the "audience" (aka ToTs) angled down toward the areas you want to illuminate. Where you can do this, and get your lights high enough, blinding of the ToTs shouldn't be a problem unless they look up.


Roxy has the idea. Many "Theater in the Rounds" use large metal trusses to rig their lighting, but you could use the trees and maybe small guide wires to do the same. Another idea to think about would be to construct tall wooden towers/tri-pods that could be placed strategically throughout your haunt, so you could run wires and lights atop those and light many different areas from a few key locations. One caveat though with elevated lighting; when lighting from above, you will get cast shadows as people walk in front of or under the lights. Look at Live Event production websites, they'll have pics and ideas to borrow from.


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## stagehand1975 (Feb 22, 2010)

Being that I have work on stage and have lit a stage in the round. The stage was lit in 9 blocks. Each block had 3 lights. Lighting each block in 3rds. In an indoor haunt this is easy as you have a ceiling to hang from. 

Outside, where to place your lights is a challenge. One method I have used is to string aircraft cable from corner to corner and hang lights from it. You could use light trees. To hang lights from. The only problem is that you need up to 3 times the lights, cords and power. I feeling is that the amount of like on the 3 sides of whatever you are lighting doesn't have to be perfect. As a difference in light intensity can help cast shadows. Shadows are good in a haunt. The big key is to get the lights as overhead as you can with some angle to the direction of what you want to light. You can purchase softened or filtered color gel to put in front of the lights to soften the lights you can't avoid having in the line of.sight.


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## niblique71 (Dec 2, 2009)

I breezed through the post and got the Jist. As a former professional musician, and having seen "YES" Many times "in the round" Your choices are "Uplighting" and "Downlighting". The only exception (and it's important) is to have lighting effects that are blocked stratigically by other objects like tombstones or trees, OR purposly shine lights out (and above?) the audience with some fog to accent the 
Beams" of light and give that sppoky feeling to items beyond. This backlighting effect can be spectacular if done properly. 

My haunt is essentially "In the round" with HUGE Elevation changes so light focusing (aiming, width, and narrowness)) is Hugely important. 

Proper lighting should never directly enter your totters eyes unless that's intended as a special effect.


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## stagehand1975 (Feb 22, 2010)

Also, its a haunt. You want everyone to see everything. But you also don't want it to be that bright. Say you are using 100watt flood bulbs, you really shouldn't run them full power. It's creepier with less light. Full power lights should be saved for shock and effect. I have seen a lot of haunts where they were running Orange floods at full power as general lighting and it just doesnt have the creepy factor. Even fog looks better in low lighting. In bright light it just looks like smoke. A haunt should have dark areas, corners or holes. Its a good place to hide.the fogger and gives the creepy illusion that something may be hiding there. Add some creepy glowing eyes to those dark areas. Or hide a prop in there that only gets seen when a light or sound is triggered.


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## debbie5 (Mar 2, 2007)

Will people actually look at the "back" of the display? Seems like most people are so used to approaching up a path from a front viewing angle, they may never take a second look at the "back" or round. Cemeteries/tombstones face one way.


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## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

Great tips everyone, keep em coming. 

@RoxyBlue / Sawtooth Jack: I've been trying to avoid lighting downwards as much as possible because it distorts the shadows. And besides we all know lighting upwards is far more eerie. But maybe with a frosted gel or softboxing it might help create a nice washed moon light look and then add low wattage lights to individual props to make them pop where needed.

@debbie: it depends on your setup really. If we're talking walk up the path then back down the same path you came in you're probably right. But with theater-in-the-round you're creating a sort of walk-through effect without walls by forcing the ToTs to go one direction around the display (in this case clockwise coming in the lower left, getting treats top center, then exiting lower right). This is extremely helpful if you get a lot of ToTs and keeps the flow moving. I learned this lesson at my old house where ToTs had to walk a 4' wide path to the base of the steps. I had a game going where they could earn extra treats. However they had to walk back down the path afterwards. Between the fog and the congestion I lost a few tombstones and a couple floods to near trip accidents. I'm lucky no one was hurt. Safety is extremely important. Last year here the problem was solved by giving out candy at the garage door. Since we have a large two car driveway now (see temple area) it avoided a lot of the mess. However a good handful of the ToTs would walk past me, down the path and right for the front door anyways.


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## SoCal Scare (Aug 3, 2007)

The small LED spots you either make or buy would probably be the easiest way to light your haunt, I went from overhead flood lighting that was hung from a light pole in front of my house to using homemade LED spots using blue and red LED's that I bought in bulk from evil bay and the effect was dramatic. The small LEd spots are very easy to hide, you can sink the LED into the tube so it isn't visible unless you are right above it, and you can put a ton of lights on one low voltage controller. You can find super bright LED's online for very little. I purchased 100 of each red and blue for like $8 a pack and they came with the necessary resistors needed for what I was using them.


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## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

Ok, got a good bit done on the compressed design and actually I'm kinda liking this more. In the design I still have the path to the front door where they get treats but I've blocked off further passage around the right. So here's what I'm working with in that design:


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## thrilltainment (Apr 8, 2010)

Terrormaster said:


> Ok, got a good bit done on the compressed design and actually I'm kinda liking this more. In the design I still have the path to the front door where they get treats but I've blocked off further passage around the right. So here's what I'm working with in that design:


hi Terrormaster,

I believe our precision lighting system may help with your lighting strategy. We carry the world's smallest spotlights that can be easily hidden in your set. Combined with careful placement of narrow beamed spotlights, you can have your audience view your set at all angles without being blinded.

feel free to ask other forum members or fellow haunters who have used our products.

Quan


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## Terrormaster (Sep 27, 2007)

@Thrilltainment: Thanks but at this point I'm looking more at technique and methods and not products.


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