Home Projects
My biggest home project would be my Halloween display that I did back in 2021. I have been doing halloween displays since the 5th grade. Over the years it has grown and in 2021 we had a graveyard display with animatronics, lighting, projections, and more. I also created life-sized Charlie Brown yard decorations that I displayed for Christmas.
The Crypt
I built a cemetery crypt so an actor could hide inside, trigger sound effects and jump out to scare trick-or-treaters.
Charlie Brown Christmas
In 2020, I decided I wanted to make life-size Peanuts characters for our Christmas yard display. This was the first woodworking project I took on completely by myself. In 2021, I added 4 more characters to make the overall display bigger and more inclusive.
Lighting, Ambiance and Props
I love going to theme parks, interactive museums and arboretums and seeing how they use lighting, fog, water and props to create atmosphere. I use holidays to explore and experiment. While other kids my age were getting clothes or games as gifts, I was getting color controlled LED spotlights and fog machines. My 2021 Halloween setup started nearly 2 months early so I could plan all of the lighting, scare zones, graveyard and props.
The Scarecrow
This is about 15 feet tall and made from PVC and corn stalks. The addition of lighting effects help to make it extra spooky.
The Pumpkins
This prop is meant to look like a random pile of pumpkins but with the addition of a projector, it becomes a group of animated signing jack-o-lanterns. The younger kids love it!
The X-ray Skeleton
This may be my most complicated animatronic yet. It includes a re-purposed prop, pneumatics, an electronic relay timer, sound effects triggered by the motion of the prop itself, lighting and custom made step pad/trigger.
The Zombie
A store-bought zombie prop modified to include pneumatics, lighting and custom sound effects and hidden inside a full-size wooden coffin.
The Phantom
My first animatronic project in 2017 when I was in 8th grade. My dad helped me convert a hanging phantom into a floating, screaming animatronic.
Costumes
I’ve always enjoyed experimenting with Halloween make-up and costumes but in 2021 I took it to a new level by adding electronics, sound effects and stilts.