Here’s a quick short video on how to assemble the “Happy Haunts” Diorama. This diorama features a multilayered scene of Disneyland’s classic attraction, the Haunted Mansion. All other Multiplanes assemble this way as well. Enjoy and pick one up today!
Visit the Haunted Mansion...in miniature
This is the Disneyland Haunted Mansion inspired product that I developed this past November. It originally started as a large format multilayered framed piece a few years back and was a hit at the various conventions I took it to but as crowds would pass through the booth, most expressed how much they loved the framed piece but was out of their price range. Each Haunted Mansion had over 100 small intricately cut parts and even had a wireless LED system. These factors made it very costly and took a lot of time to build and thus out of the affordable range.
Fast forward to this past November, I reworked all of the art and scaled it down to about 1/6 the size of the original and designed it in a way that it still retained its 3D art style. I also added guests and brought in the horseless carriage; both supporting elements to the experience as you enter the queue. After several prototypes, I was also able to simplify the art to roughly 12 layers versus 100+. After implementing these changes, I was able to deliver a product that is affordable and still made without consuming so much time. I eventually debuted the product at DesignerCon this year at the Anaheim Convention Center. I was so hyped to be able to sell these across the street from Disneyland! I might not be able to go into the park and visit the Haunted Mansion as often as I’d like but for now, I now have a miniature one on my desk and so can you!
Each MULTIPLANES measure roughly 5” x 7” x 2.75” and is packed with super intricate laser cut graphics. I love the immersive nature of this art form that I’m pursuing. It truly is the next best thing to actually being there in person. One day I imagine that I’ll get these outsourced but for the time being, I design, produce and assemble all of these by hand; even down to the hand painted rails. Happy Haunts are now available!
Haunted Mansion Diorama
The Story of How MULTIPLANES Were Developed
For the last couple of years, I’ve been developing a new product line called MULTIPLANES that I sell through VINYLSMACK; my side excursion. Originally most product I sold through VINYLSMACK were vinyl decals. I eventually started moving to paper made die-cut products like the set of Back to The Future Deloreans (pictured left). After exploring the possibility of mixing different materials on one product, I reached back to an old product idea I had created about 10 years ago that featured multilayer art that was spread across multiple frames just like they did with the early animation with the Multiplane cameras. My early attempts failed because I was using clear transparency sheets to layer the art. After a few layers, the art would get murky/cloudy and wasn’t clean so I eventually ditched the idea.
Fast forward to 2016, I brought the idea back to life after I invested in a laser cutting machine. After the first proof of concept (shown above) and several prototypes, I was able to bring my original vision to life by creating three dimensional scenes out of paper, wood, acrylic, and full color printed elements (shown below).
I also created a system where multiple frames quickly get inserted into a slotted base which makes setting up the product easy. It also let’s the user take part in “building” the product. Part of the fun is seeing a three dimensional scene come to life.
Series 1. For the first release of the product, I wanted to have 5 products to choose from that were all related in some way. I ended up choosing the Paranormal/Cryptozoology genre for Series 1. I love the genre and tales that come from them. I often listen to podcasts like Mysteryous Universe, Expanded Perspectives, and The Gralien Report which not only feature these type of stories but present them in an engaging way. I love the creepy tales about the Men in Black, Yeti, and Kraken so I started off with those. I also brought in my brother to work on the UFO scene called “TAKEN.” I also created a fictional character called the Oddity which features a “freak show” type of character that sits in a traveling carriage that gets hauled by a flying bird. For that one, I just let my imagination run wild.
The goal for every MULTIPLANE early in the development and going forward is for there to be this feeling like your looking into a scene that is unfolding. I wanted them to feel very alive and packed with motion, emotion, drama, intensity, and life. Every MULTIPLANE also has a central character or object that pulls viewer in visually. You really have to see one of them in person to appreciate the depth and level of detail that each one has. I also designed them to be perfect for keeping on your desk or a shelf so they don’t take up too much space.
MULTIPLANES Series 1, World of Mystery,” has been out for over a year now and I’m now starting to design a 2nd series that explores the lofty heights that transportation reached before the modern era. From electric trains that sprawled early Los Angeles, to taking command of the skies, Series 2 showcases mankind’s vision for the future of transportation.
Buy one today at: vinylsmack.com
Peeling back the years. Designing the Past
Digital explorations for the next MULTIPLANES means erasing about 90% of Los Angeles back to 1914. What a time to be alive! Transportation, architecture, and fashion was still gripped by late Victorian elements. Arts and crafts, and deco was also shaping modern design. What I like best about those time though were scenes like this; especially in the area I lived which use to have sprawling acres of citrus groves. If you look hard enough, you can still find traces of the past. Multiplanes Series 2 will explore this past with it’s focus on transportation. First up will be the Pacific Electric Railway.
UPDATE: Now available!
MULTIPLANES Series 2 - Sneak Peak - The Pacific Electric
Here’s a sneak peak of MULTIPLANES Series 2....currently unnamed! We’re going back 100 years to view the grand heights of transportation and the various paths it took. Series 2 showcases mankind’s vision for the future of transportation. The Pacific Electric trains dominated public transportation in Los Angeles for the first half of the 20th century and the air was still clean! This will be first off in Series 2 with more exciting products slated for release at Designercon this coming November 16-18, 2018 at the Anaheim Convention Center! Also, don’t forget to check out Series 1 which is now available for purchase.