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[The Smiler] Marketing discussion

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From the Daily Mail article

Looks like a glorified version of the Corkscrew ride which has been at Alton Towers for more years than I can remember.

- mjcross70 , northwich, United Kingdom, 10/5/2013 15:31
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:eek:

I know there's no point in bemoaning the General Public, but this gave me a chuckle.
 
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andwhynot/8726116986/in/photostream/

That is one of the best images i've seen of The Smiler.

'' The Story:
After an £18m investment, revealing the brand new rollercoaster needed to be a dramatic, dynamic affair for Alton Towers Resort. The stills and video were to take place at night and I was recruited to capture some dynamic images. With a huge temporary lighting install needed, the dates were locked down well in advance but on the night of the shoot we faced several challenges in technical, logistical & timing areas which meant just one chance to nail a light trails shot. Pressure mounted.

A key feature of the ride is its inversion count: in the 165 seconds of ride time it rolls a world-record 14 times! To try and capture that from a static position meant installing LEDs all around the front of the car – both sides of course, but top and bottom also. I further had to think carefully about composition to avoid overlapping track elements whilst simultaneously representing some of the complexities designed to “marmalise riders’ minds and bodies”.

There was no way to simulate the illuminated car passing at speeds of up to 85km/h so a couple of ICM test shots helped me guesstimate the right aperture & ISO settings. The resort had arranged for all sources of ambient light to be switched off so exposure duration was never going to be an issue.

Taking up my position and waiting for the car’s release was probably my most tense photographic experience. Ever. The klaxon sounded to indicate the car’s release and I triple checked settings while the car climbed the first lift hill in the bottom right corner of the frame. The ascent was naturally slower than the rest of the ride so to avoid overexposing the light trails I didn’t start the exposure until the car was clear.

The moment the car dropped was like an instant, furious electrical storm. Lights flashing past in the blink of an eye; thunderous noises as the car passed within a few feet of my position, shaking the ground as it went. I had to simply wait and hope that the preparation was worth it.

With the car safely back in its station it was time to review what I’d caught. As the pictures were to be distributed to the press, PhotoShop retouching was not an option so the final image here is unmanipulated, aside from a little colour balancing- an amusing twist, given that one of the ride’s hashtags is #GetCorrected.''

Quoted from the website of the Photography, which also can be found here. :D
http://longexposures.wordpress.com/2013/05/10/lighting-the-smiler-at-alton-towers/
 
Some more stats (Some of which are pointless. :p)

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Also, here's the full set of promotional images:

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These images were accompanied by this:

Alton Towers Resort has unveiled the world's first 14 loop rollercoaster, The Smiler. The official Guinness World Record for the most loops in a coaster has officially been broken by the Staffordshire theme park, smashing the previous record of 10.

The Smiler, which is Alton Towers Resort's biggest ever investment at £18m, took over eight months to build and the second world first element has been kept under wraps since construction began back in September. Not for the faint hearted, the marmalising rollercoaster features a series of twisted psychological effects including optical illusions, blinding lights and jabbing needles designed to mess with your mind.

To mark the announcement, The Smiler's heart-stopping 14 loops were revealed today with a spectacular display of lights, which brought the coaster to 'life'. The sheer size of The Smiler, which is the equivalent of ten football pitches of ride-track, dominates the X-Sector area of the Resort.

Tom Ibison from Guinness World Records commented: "Alton Towers Resort has smashed the record with The Smiler's 14 epic inversions - four more than their nearest rival located halfway around the world. We've seen a number of extreme rollercoasters open, but it's so exciting to see such a world class attraction opening here in the UK."

Katherine Duckworth from Alton Towers Resort commented: "We have been saying that The Smiler will 'marmalise' your mind for a long time and today we can officially reveal that it is set to do the same to your body. The combination of 14 loops with a variety of elements such as optical illusions, designed to mess with your mind make The Smiler a truly unique rollercoaster.

"This is by far the most exciting rollercoaster for Alton Towers Resort to date. It is twice as big as Nemesis and our biggest ever investment. There has been a lot of anticipation for this launch, and we can't wait to see what the public think on 23rd May.

John Wardley, a ride consultant on The Smiler, commented: "The amount of time, money and energy that has been poured into creating this world first attraction is huge. I've been working in the industry for over 35 years and this rollercoaster really does push the boundaries. Who knows what we will have to do to top this one!"

Visitors can experience The Smiler's 14 record-breaking loops and all its twisted psychological effects from Thursday 23rd May. For more information visit www.the-smiler.com.
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I don't think that there's anything new in that, however.

http://press.altontowers.com/news-alton-towers-resort-unveils-worlds-first-14-looping-rollercoaster-11766
 
Vicky said:
Andrew said:
Some more stats (Some of which are pointless. :p)


The Smiler, which is Alton Towers Resort's biggest ever investment at £18m, took over eight months to build and the second world first element has been kept under wraps since construction began back in September.
Click to expand...


http://press.altontowers.com/news-alton-towers-resort-unveils-worlds-first-14-looping-rollercoaster-11766
Click to expand...

I don't believe we've seen confirmation of two world's firsts before.
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Apart from that then, although that's not important. ;)

No idea what that could be though! 14 inversions is obviously one, but I don't know what the other could be...

The marketing team have done well to keep it under wraps if it is something big!
 
Vicky said:
Andrew said:
Some more stats (Some of which are pointless. :p)


The Smiler, which is Alton Towers Resort's biggest ever investment at £18m, took over eight months to build and the second world first element has been kept under wraps since construction began back in September.
Click to expand...


http://press.altontowers.com/news-alton-towers-resort-unveils-worlds-first-14-looping-rollercoaster-11766
Click to expand...

I don't believe we've seen confirmation of two world's firsts before.
Click to expand...

That's a pretty major development to be honest! Everyone's been saying that the world's first is the inversion count, but it's pretty clear here that there is another one.
 
Oh, crap... I think it might be "The Disorientator" again... (Please no, I don't want the washing machine)
 
You know how you see the images and video, and start to shake and laugh because of excitement?
Yeah..my parents think I have problems.
BUT TWO WORLDS FIRSTS? wow.
 
If there was some other big reveal we'd know by know.

It would have been a) spotted during construction b) used in marketing c) revealed as part of the TV push.

There wont be anything else big coming now. Dont build up something for a fall.

Lets not forgot that 13 was the world first psychological coaster as well as the worlds first vertical drop.
 
Yes but they've not explained what the disorientatior is yet. It's not counted as one of the marmilisation elements.
 
The final indoor barrel roll which hasnt been featured anywhere as yet.
 
Ben said:
The final indoor barrel roll which hasnt been featured anywhere as yet.
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Apart from in the game, a major part of the marketing.

The press release clearly states that there is another secret worlds first. The seven locked items in the game would also suggest this. I'd imagine it is something to do with effects though rather than ride hardware.

:)
 
Yeah, The Disorientatior is just the indoor barrel roll with strobe lights. The effect will be quite interesting with that! I'm guessing they are trying to keep that quiet from the public, as it will be a great surprise for first time riders!

Edit: Better note that I know the game shows it. However there's a small percentage of the public that engage with these apps and games. I'm surprised Alton Towers even keep bothering creating new apps to be honest!
 
The indoor barrel roll cannot be considered to be a "secret element" as it features as part of the 14 inversions. Whatever this "world first" feature would need to be something more than strobe lights and "self-duelling", neither of which are particularly impressive to draw people in
 
Self duelling isn't a world first either, though I can't remember where I saw it but I'm pretty sure it was some large traveling water coaster.

Edit: My opinion on the worlds first is that it will be something to do with the projection mapping interacting with the indoor barrel roll to creat an illusion. Perhaps giving the impression the room is spinning in the opposite direction to the roll to appear as through you are spinning far more than you are? Whatever it is, I don't think it will be a prominent marketing feature, it's quite clear the ride is being sold on the inversions now.
 
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