Nov 12
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2013 Show Display Info

Posted in Christmas 2013 by Kevin Wells

This year is unique for us in that this year we actually have 6 days LESS between Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. That means a shorter retail shopping season. I work in retail so THANK GOD for that. The DOWNSIDE, however, is that because I like to launch the Light Show Display on Thanksgiving Day, that’s 6 less days the show would run.

The solution: I’ve worked ahead of schedule; my lights are already up and the programming that syncs the lights to music is 90% complete.

So when will the show launch this year?

NOVEMBER 20th! That’s 8 days before Thanksgiving this year–plenty of time for people to come see the show, donate to the Beyond Our Walls year-round fundraiser sponsored by Cedar Creek Church here in Toledo, and then come back to see the show donate again, come see the show yet again, and then donate agaaain, over and over. 🙂

Show dates and times for 2013 are:

November 20th through January 4th
5:30 pm to 12:30 am, 7 days a week.

2 Comments to “2013 Show Display Info”

  • John Adams
    September 26, 2014 at 5:27 am

    Hi Kevin,

    When will the information regarding the 2014 display be up? Also, how long does it usually take in total for you to put up your lights as well as all of the music syncing required for the display once completed?

    Thanks!

    John

    Reply
  • Kevin
    January 9, 2015 at 2:39 am

    Hi, John!

    Thanks for visiting my website and my apologies for not responding right away. I have been very busy lately. So much so, that unfortunately there was no display for 2014 primarily because we are in the process of moving. Regarding your other questions, each display is different and varies quite a bit. But read on:

    That said, my particular display takes approximately 3 weeks from start to finish. That factors in going to work, making time for family, and also foregoing all other leisurely activities between Halloween and Thanksgiving. So make of that what you will. If I break it down, I would estimate 18-24 man-hours to set up the display outside, a 2-3 hours to set up and test each channel and create a draw a visual model of the display that shows me what the finished light show will look like as it runs, and finally, the most time consuming, and arguably, most fun part–sequencing (syncing) the lights to music (this step varies drastically and I’ll explain below).

    A show my size (about 50 channels planned for 2015) takes about 1-2 hours of sequencing per 1 minute of song time. So for example, a song like Christmas Eve Sarajevo (Carol of the Bells) by Trans-Siberian Orchestra, about 4 1/2 minutes, should take me about 6-10 hours. The time it takes to sequence also depends on how familiar you are with the sequencing software, and even the intricacy of the sequence in relation to the music. What I mean by that is that because there are so so many elements to music, I have to decide which elements of the song are going to be in sync with the lights and which elements of the song will be, for whatever reason, ignored.

    Here is an example of what I mean:

    Song A is a basic Christmas rock song with drums, bass, electric, keys. (no vocals or synthesized music). Depending on how many lights, or more accurately, how many elements, are in my display, I may choose to sync one group of lights with what the drums are doing, one group of lights with what the electric guitar is doing, and so on. That’s the basic form. From there you can get creative, and this is the fun part. Just like at a rock concert, everybody loves a good face-melting guitar solo. Same applies to sequencing lights. My process is to start with the basic form, then go back to the beginning of the song and add in some more detailed sequencing of my lights to highlight special parts of the song, like the pre-chorus, bridge, intro, and outro, etc. To be even more intricate, and thus increasing the time to sequence, theoretically, you could try to sequence everything you hear musically, but this usually results in a cluttered light show; there is so much going on that it just looks busy.

    But, I digress. The key is to figure out what the artist of the song is trying to say with the music and sync your lights accordingly. Of course every element to a song is important in the makeup of that song, but I assure you, it would only be a distraction to make a tree flash on and off with the rhythm of a triangle or a hi-hat in the middle of a guitar solo.

    So whether you wanted it or not, that was the long answer. Of course, I could write more. I have a lot to talk about after 10 years doing this. If you are interested in doing this yourself, my recommendation is to visit http://www.lightorama.com. You can also read my "".

    Merry Christmas and have a happy 2015!

    Reply

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