Look out! The AtmosFAN of the Week coronations will be coming fast and furious in the upcoming weeks – we are excited to be able to share with the rest of you the sackloads of great ideas that come to us from around the world.
(And know that we will be offering bonus points for submissions that feature our newest digital decorations “Macabre Manor” or the soon-to-be-released “Trick ’r Treat.” Just sayin’!)
So, let’s quickly meet this week’s winner: longtime AtmosFAN Ryan Diez, of Valencia, California.
There are so many things we love about Ryan. We’ll start with the fact that he’s been decorating for Halloween with his father since he was a child. Now, at 31 years old, he’s in it whole hog. As a result, his home in Valencia has become a “must-see” house each Halloween, year after year.
Like so many Halloween decorators, Ryan first started with pneumatics and other props – but he sees the decoration landscape changing. “Projection effects are the ultimate and, in my opinion, they have taken over for pneumatics in making an impressive display,” he says.
“Disneyland, which is only 30 minutes from me, has had a wonderful affect on the home haunters world,” Ryan adds. “Every great Disney ride, including Haunted Mansion, uses projections many times throughout the ride. It is the main source of my inspiration.”
Ryan’s first AtmosFX Digital Decoration was “UnLiving Portraits” – and to this day, it remains his favorite. In fact, he was among the earliest AtmosFX fans to build a frame to properly display the digital decoration, which he still uses to this day.
And there’s one more reason we are eager to confer AtmosFAN of the Week status to Ryan. As you can see from his video, he doesn’t use just “UnLiving Portraits” – he uses nine projectors and seven AtmosFX Digital Decorations at his home. And in doing so, he hasn’t busted his budget – he’s been savvy in using eBay to purchase inexpensive, yet capable, used projectors, DVD players and audio speakers – often for $20 or less.
“I buy all my projectors on eBay,” he says. “I purchase old Dell models. I make sure they have plenty of bulb life left. Remember, we only need a few hours a year for the big night!”
It's a great reminder that you don't have to spend a ton of cash to create dazzling displays. And it’s why Ryan is our latest AtmosFAN of the Week!
