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ℹ️ Heads up...
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Technically not true. It's just that modern cameras have very good auto-gain. (And gain really should be a last resort when you've run out of F stop).
I suspect if you gave most people these days control over the exposure themselves their heads would explode.
I'm still finding it very hard to believe that this will reopen this season.
Technically not true. It's just that modern cameras have very good auto-gain. (And gain really should be a last resort when you've run out of F stop).
I suspect if you gave most people these days control over the exposure themselves their heads would explode.
I'm still finding it very hard to believe that this will reopen this season.
The park are still stating it’ll be open on Tuesday 15th October. I’m also skeptical, but I trust their opinion more than mine which is just based on social media at this point!
Technically not true. It's just that modern cameras have very good auto-gain. (And gain really should be a last resort when you've run out of F stop).
I suspect if you gave most people these days control over the exposure themselves their heads would explode.
Good point, which I almost made myself. It largely also depends what size and quality sensor the camera has. Amazingly, a couple of the absolute pocket cameras have a 1 inch sensor nowadays which lets in an amazing amount of light, then the camera can do the rest to make it even lighter if you allow those settings. These sensors a few years ago would only be on full size cameras. You can now slide them in your pocket. I should know, I upgraded to one a few months ago (DJI Pocket 3). I noticed Shaun (TPWW) was using one a couple of weeks back too. I had previously used the Pocket 2 but the sensor was not as good in low light. Amazing tech by the way, with gimbal built in. This is not an advert!
It’s an odd experience isn’t it. Part of my opening checklist when I worked at AT was to ride two cycles on Hex each morning (one sat each side of the vault) to check for dead lamps or broken fx. It was probably one of the best parts of my job given my love for the ride, but it was certainly unnerving…..and not exactly the most fun first thing on a Sunday morning after a Sat night sherbet or two..
I live my life by the theory that, "A pessimist is never dissapointed: If all goes well, you are pleasantly surprised. If not, at least you get to say 'I told you so'."
Was in the batch of people waiting in the Octogan to ride this before it broke. Was with someone who’d never ridden before and loved all the pre-show stuff so was disappointing to be so close to getting on it!
Then went through Burial Grounds and it shutdown as we got halfway through with everyone being told to exit, actors breaking character.
Then hopped on Curse at Alton Manor and got stopped in the graveyard scene. All quite hilarious really.
Was in the batch of people waiting in the Octogan to ride this before it broke. Was with someone who’d never ridden before and loved all the pre-show stuff so was disappointing to be so close to getting on it!
Then went through Burial Grounds and it shutdown as we got halfway through with everyone being told to exit, actors breaking character.
Then hopped on Curse at Alton Manor and got stopped in the graveyard scene. All quite hilarious really.
Ah yes that’s sad to hear, but yes always appreciate things close or get stuck for a reason, just an unlucky run getting 3 incidents in a row with someone who’s never visited before!
Or a fire alarm trigger, or a medical issue, or a guests hair getting intimate with a chainsaw, or Medialon has thrown a wobbler - I wouldn’t always just assume that an assault has taken place (even if they are far too common)
Or a fire alarm trigger, or a medical issue, or a guests hair getting intimate with a chainsaw, or Medialon has thrown a wobbler - I wouldn’t always just assume that an assault has taken place (even if they are far too common)
So here's my review of what I got to see in Hex and the breakdown experience.
As we all know you now queue outside and are batched into the original queue line. Walking through the original zig-zag queue line it is noticeable that they have added more lighting and as I mentioned on a previous post, these are sort of ambient spotlights - bit like the ones bluey ones in the Wicker Man batching room. From memory, the are shining on props - things at eye and ground level plus most of the figures draped in cloth on the walls. The light is such a colour, brightness and pattern that it almost creates the effect of dim sunlight shining through stained glass windows - perhaps this is what they are trying to achieve given that there are stained glass windows in the armoury.
You walk through the queue line up to a new door which is in place of the turnstiles.
The Pre-Cinema room
This is where the first ride host stands with the control panel. Nothing more happens in here than before - the introduction plays with the Earl's portrait lighting up as before. I think it works better this way because by getting everyone into a room, guests are expecting something to happen so when the show starts, they are interested; rather than walking through a turnstile then getting their phones out and ignoring the introduction like previously.
The Cinema Room
So in here, everything is pretty much the same except when there are lightening strikes on the video, lights flash from behind you, quite a good effect. Not strobes, but more of those blue spotlights mentioned before. The same thing happens when point in the video is reached showing the Earl conducting his experiments
The Octagon
Everything that happens in here is the same, but enhanced. The generator is much more "front and centre" to the sequence. I'm not sure if its the same prop but it is certainly better lit and its sound is much louder as you walk into the Octagon. The sparks from it were not as in your face as the video was, whether that was just this time or they have toned it down, I don't know. There is the usual wind blowing when the storm starts and lots more flashing lights; I made a point of looking up during the flashing and there are a lot more lights in the lighting truss around the Octagon's central column. The witch's figure is lit up more drawing your attention to it. Someone mentioned somewhere that it should be an animatronic - I disagree, unless they can ask Disney to design and make one for them! If they were to have movement, then projection mapping or some other form of 3D projection would work. But to be honest, just the silhouette of a witch figure looking down on you while chanting a curse is spooky enough!
After the sequence ended, the bookcase lit up (although I was near the back so couldn't see it properly). But still people didn't make a move up the stairs for a good 10 seconds or so, so there was that awkward silence! There still needs to be a visual prompt at that point I think like the staircase lights up a bit showing a clear path forward.
The Corridor
Walking to the vault entrance pretty much the same other than a bit more lighting.
The Vault
So this is where my review becomes completely unique! Obviously because it broke down when I was in there, I can't really comment on the vault experience, other than there is significant lighting improvements all round (excuse the pun) and from what I saw of it all when the ride started, it was much improved.
The point we noticed anything was about when the face shows for the first time as the room rotates. Within 30 seconds of it starting we could hear what sounded like wood cracking (turned out it actually was) but we thought it was some new sound effects! As I was sat nearest the right entrance door (as you enter the vault) I was closest to the damage but because the facia board that got mangled was on the right of the door (as you look at it from inside the vault) the room had rotated so this board was behind the central bit where all the cameras and speakers are. The wood cracking was coming from the right side of the central column as this board disappeared behind it and presumably had caught on things behind the column as it poked out the other side during rotation. A guy opposite me on the left bench heard the noise as it was right next to him and he started waving at the cameras as did a few others when they saw what was happening. From memory, I think the room rotated back the other way (the doors coming back to me) then back again and on that swing is when I'd say the most damage was done before it ground to a halt as the ride op e-stopped it.
What was most unnerving was that while the room continued to rotate before the e-stop you could see the [speaker?] boxes on top of the central column deforming as whatever was catching caught it, then there was the pops, creaks and bangs as the room rotated and they popped back into shape - a bit like hearing the noise of a low speed car crash where you can hear the bumpers crack and break!
Once it stopped, after 30 seconds or so the ride op came on the tannoy and stated the obvious that Hex had developed a fault (I know it's protocol and she had to say it!), she also asked us all to wave at the camera so we could show we were all ok. She did this a couple of times during the 15 mins or so that we were in there. The atmosphere was calm in the vault after the initial shock of what happened, no-one cried or had a panic attack, thankfully there weren't many kids in there that got restless. I guess it was a good job there was a fairly good mobile signal in there!!
I have 2 theories as to what happened:
1. The facia board became detached from the wall and caught on the back of the central column or
2. A wire came lose behind the column and fell into the path of the facia board, catching on it and ripping it from its fixings
I think the cable in my pic below was severed from the facial board getting mangled and folded as it was crushed behind the central column.
Anyway, below are a few pics (all with the house lights on) and the video of when they moved the room back into position.
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