ragerunner1 Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 (edited) My career is focused on redevelopment and placemaking for cities around the United States. I find it exciting to help a community integrate economics, public spaces, private spaces and their surrounding environments into a more cohesive space for people to live, work, create and play in. This effort includes how buildings, nature, lights, smells, sounds, landscapes, signage and other urban elements can interrelate. I have also loved visiting theme parks, since I was a small kid, and have found that many of these parks are some of the best places to see placemaking in action, in a more controlled environment. The opportunity to take pedestrian spaces and integrate landscapes, smells, sounds, lighting, architecture and play can provide great examples for how to bring many of these elements into our built communities. So I thought I would start a thread on this subject. One of my favorite times inside a park is right at dusk when the day time elements and night time elements are both visible and are merged together. So I thought I would kick off this thread with a look at lighting (during dusk) at one of the best theme parks in the world, WDW’s Magic Kingdom. Lighting can accentuate architectural elements, Landscaping, signage, entry points, pedestrian space and create a sense of safety. Lighting is also used to strengthen the theme of a structure or environment. When used right it can also soften, enliven or help activate a location. Magic Kingdom - Lighting Adventureland Inside the Tiki Tower Frontierland Up next Liberty Square and Fantasyland Edited October 1, 2018 by ragerunner1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoinItForTheFame Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 Pretty interesting topic. There were some AMAZING photos in there! Thanks for sharing. Looking forward to more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnlloyd Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 This is a great topic, so thanks for creating it! I am all about landscaping at amusement parks too. Last year, during my final year of college in the Business Marketing Diploma Program at Humber College of Toronto, Ontario, I had to create a website and advertise it through various social media platforms. You may be interested in checking out my website, Art of Amusement Parks which focuses on landscaping at amusement parks, ragerunner1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ragerunner1 Posted March 13, 2018 Author Share Posted March 13, 2018 This is a great topic, so thanks for creating it! I am all about landscaping at amusement parks too. Last year, during my final year of college in the Business Marketing Diploma Program at Humber College of Toronto, Ontario, I had to create a website and advertise it through various social media platforms. You may be interested in checking out my website, Art of Amusement Parks which focuses on landscaping at amusement parks, ragerunner1. Thanks for the link. I will read through it. I hope to focus on at least - lighting, landscaping, signage and details/theming. Looking forward to learning what you have learned from your studies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnlloyd Posted March 13, 2018 Share Posted March 13, 2018 This is a great topic, so thanks for creating it! I am all about landscaping at amusement parks too. Last year, during my final year of college in the Business Marketing Diploma Program at Humber College of Toronto, Ontario, I had to create a website and advertise it through various social media platforms. You may be interested in checking out my website, Art of Amusement Parks which focuses on landscaping at amusement parks, ragerunner1. Thanks for the link. I will read through it. I hope to focus on at least - lighting, landscaping, signage and details/theming. Looking forward to learning what you have learned from your studies. Yes, all those aspects you listed are very important when it comes to a park's aesthetics and the overall experience of a visit to an amusement park. Art of Amusement Parks is a website based on my interest of amusement parks since at the time of the website was created, there wasn't much discussion on the topic of landscaping at amusement parks. So, it definitely made for an interesting Internet Marketing project, that I have continued on for almost a year after being in college. I am glad that I have come across someone who is like-minded when it comes to landscaping at amusement parks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trackmaster Posted March 18, 2018 Share Posted March 18, 2018 With your interest in Urban development/planning and commercial amusement parks, I would be interested in what you think about Malcom Gladwell's ideas in his podcast "A Good Walk Spoiled" as a part of his Revisionist History series. Basically, he's talking about golf courses, and not amusement parks, but I think that some of the commercial real estate tenants could apply here. Most amusement parks take up a lot of space around urban areas that could conceivably be used for other public access purposes, but profit off of the land. And, in many cases, the land could be more profitable for other purposes, but may be locked into a historic lower value of ad valorem tax purposes. Personally, I'm a bigger fan of parks setting themselves up in more remote areas where a tourism scene can be built up around them, instead of trying to market to local markets. Lower property values, fewer restrictions, and a more enthusiastic, and refined customer base. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ragerunner1 Posted March 19, 2018 Author Share Posted March 19, 2018 With your interest in Urban development/planning and commercial amusement parks, I would be interested in what you think about Malcom Gladwell's ideas in his podcast "A Good Walk Spoiled" as a part of his Revisionist History series. Basically, he's talking about golf courses, and not amusement parks, but I think that some of the commercial real estate tenants could apply here. Most amusement parks take up a lot of space around urban areas that could conceivably be used for other public access purposes, but profit off of the land. And, in many cases, the land could be more profitable for other purposes, but may be locked into a historic lower value of ad valorem tax purposes. Personally, I'm a bigger fan of parks setting themselves up in more remote areas where a tourism scene can be built up around them, instead of trying to market to local markets. Lower property values, fewer restrictions, and a more enthusiastic, and refined customer base. Instead of responding directly about "A Good Walk Spoiled" I will try and focus more on the concept of public and private space and how most modern US parks began. I really don't believe that a golf course and an amusement park are the same two apples for the conversation. "Most amusement parks take up a lot of space around urban areas that could conceivably be used for other public access purposes, but profit off of the land." I think the first issue here is defining location: In the US most amusement parks were/are constructed on the edge of cities or metros. What has happened over the last 40 or 50 years is the metros have sprawled to surround those parks that were once built of private farmland. This is not always true, but probably covers 90 percent of the US park development. So most parks started their development in rural type spaces. Most of the exceptions are very historic parks like, Coney Island, Cedar Point, Kennywood, etc. These parks general developed during a time when mass transit was needed to connect customers with the park. I would also say that many of these "urban parks" did have a public space concept behind them. They were just not a place to ride a ride, but to swim, picnic and escape their compact urban living spaces. Many of them were free to enter. The concept of profitting off of land is much stronger in the US than in most parts of the world. In the US the idea of private property rights trump the concept of public property rights (space). Not saying this is right or wrong, only say it is. So parks profit off their land. "And, in many cases, the land could be more profitable for other purposes, but may be locked into a historic lower value of ad valorem tax purposes." Once you realize many of the parks were built on agricultural land at the beginning this makes them significantly larger tax generators than the previous use of the land. I also think you need to not only look at their land tax value but the spin-off value of tourism taxable income and other supporting developments (hotels, restaurants, etc.) "Personally, I'm a bigger fan of parks setting themselves up in more remote areas where a tourism scene can be built up around them, instead of trying to market to local markets. Lower property values, fewer restrictions, and a more enthusiastic, and refined customer base." Most parks in the US started out this way, sprawl has just caught up to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ragerunner1 Posted March 19, 2018 Author Share Posted March 19, 2018 Sticking with Magic Kingdom and lighting. Here is the rest of the park. The Magic Kingdom does a great job of using lighting to truly embrace its surroundings and strengthen its overall themes. Matter of fact, I think places like Tommorowland and parts of Fantasyland are at their best when the sun goes down. Liberty Square - Lighting Fantasyland - Lighting Tomorrowland - Lighting To close out the Magic Kingdom lighting thread here is one of the Castle at Christmas. Up next Universal's Islands of Adventure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canobie Coaster Posted March 19, 2018 Share Posted March 19, 2018 I love that last shot of the castle with it reflected in the water! Very cool topic and I'm loving the photos so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted March 20, 2018 Share Posted March 20, 2018 Really beautiful photos, in what you've posted here. I really can't decide which ones are "the best" for myself. But then, that's an awesome thing, to have to figure out. Or not. Thanks for sharing them all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ragerunner1 Posted March 21, 2018 Author Share Posted March 21, 2018 Next up are photos on lighting around Universal's Island of Adventure. The more you look at the park the more impressive it becomes. The lighting in this park is probably better than any other park I have visited in the US. The themed areas give it such variety and the lighting designs reflect this variety as well. Seuss Landing - Lighting The lighting here does a great job bring out the curvature of the unique architecture through back/spot lighting and decorative (holiday like) lighting. This strengthens the area's theme by bring out the Seuss Landing style, color and story even more after dark. Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Hogsmeade - Lighting The lighting in Hogsmeade does an outstanding job of creating a mysterious/old world look and feel to the village. But where it really shines is how well they have created a 'wintery glow' by illuminating the transparency (windows) of the buildings. This provides a connection between the interior and exterior of the buildings and gives a soft light glow that mimics a winter time scene. Up next Lost Continent and Jurassic Park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 They really did an amazing job with Hogsmeade. The attention to detail is perfect, like something Disney would be doing with one of their attraction "Lands." Some beautiful photos here as well! Hard to pick faves, but lit architecture and passageways always look more interesting to me, especially those passageways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRice92 Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 These are amazing photos! Thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ragerunner1 Posted March 29, 2018 Author Share Posted March 29, 2018 First, sorry the photos are not in order of the lands. Port of Entry - Lighting The lighting here does a great job of highlighting the architecture of the very well done "main street" buildings. It also does a great job of making the street seem alive and vibrant, even on the upper floors of the buildings. Lost Continent - Lighting Lost Continent's design and architecture is large and bold. From Poseidon Fury's grand plaza and entry structure to Mythos the lighting in this area is designed to highlight large areas. Even some of the more ornate lights are larger than what you would find in Hogsmeade and other areas of the park. The more detailed lighting is also designed to create a colored light palette that adds different textures at night to the builds that would not be seen during the daytime. Jurassic Park - Lighting This area really has some of the best "themed" lighting at Islands. Many of the light fixtures in this area of the park bring the dinosaur theme out through there designs. But, in my opinion the real light winner in this area is Camp Jurassic. It is a visual treat of up lighting on all of the rock work. Up next, Toon Lagoon and Marvel Super Hero Island. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ragerunner1 Posted March 30, 2018 Author Share Posted March 30, 2018 Toon Lagoon - Lighting This area's lighting is very diverse. From Popeye which focuses more on the river setting, Dudley which has its lighting more scaled for the grand view to the shops that have some of the most transparent store fronts, that help the indoors and outdoors feel more like one space. This area also uses a lot of 'old school' framed light box and neon signs to bring out the historic comic strip feel. Marvel's Super Hero Island - Lighting The lighting in this area uses neon in large quantities to bring a vibrant, high energy feel to the land. This area also uses a lot of the framed light box signage but also back lights it with neon. This brings out an overall look that is old school mixed with a futuristic vibe that feels in motion. Up next more Disney. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schrecken Posted March 31, 2018 Share Posted March 31, 2018 You have some very interesting and beautifully composed photos there! There are so many shots of neat looking scenery and elements that would seldom ever be seen in the photos of most tourists. Some parks do put quite a bit of effort into all of this background stuff that most everyone notices but few pay close attention to. I worked as a scenic artist for a company that did some jobs for Universal IOA back in the late 90's and that park does give much attention to detail, even for stuff that might end up blending into the background. I will be looking forward to seeing your next set of pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ragerunner1 Posted April 2, 2018 Author Share Posted April 2, 2018 You have some very interesting and beautifully composed photos there! There are so many shots of neat looking scenery and elements that would seldom ever be seen in the photos of most tourists. Some parks do put quite a bit of effort into all of this background stuff that most everyone notices but few pay close attention to. I worked as a scenic artist for a company that did some jobs for Universal IOA back in the late 90's and that park does give much attention to detail, even for stuff that might end up blending into the background. I will be looking forward to seeing your next set of pics. Did you work as a scenic artist for IOA? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ragerunner1 Posted April 16, 2018 Author Share Posted April 16, 2018 I thought I would drop a few photos of the new Fast and Furious Supercharged ride before I upload the next set of parks for lighting. Quick thoughts, the theming is very well done, the preshows need some fine tuning and the ride is mid range for the park. Better than Fallon, Shrek and Minons but not as good as MIB, ET and Mummy. They could probably help the ride a little by adding something more to the street scene (which is the best part of the ride). Maybe some shadow FBI agents in a few of the windows talking about how they are in place for the raid on the party (which is the next scene). This would help them add additional focus and time to a very well done set. It would also be nice to keep the party bus lights flashing during the party scene (which might just be a soft opening issue). Up next Animal Kingdom lighting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiselphane Posted April 16, 2018 Share Posted April 16, 2018 Thanks for making me fall in love with Universal Orlando all over again. Stunning pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ragerunner1 Posted April 17, 2018 Author Share Posted April 17, 2018 (edited) Disney's Animal Kingdom - Lighting Animal Kingdom has a very relaxed park feel with all the vegetation and architecture that blends well into its background. The lighting throughout Animal Kingdom is designed to to strengthen that 'relaxed' feel, be understated at times and keep the natural feel active after dark. Discovery Island - Lighting This is the main hub of the park and its center piece is the AMAZING Tree of Life. This area uses a lot of 'covered decorative lighting' to soften the light exposure and bring out the artistic elements of the light fixtures. The tree is vibrant with it lighting design and host the Awakening night time shows. Dinoland USA - Lighting This area of the park brings two types of lighting concepts to the park. One is lighting that focuses more on a prehistoric jungle camp and the other with lighting that creates a carnival/county fair, in your face atmosphere. Honestly the lighting and theming in this area is just 'all over the place'. Asia - Lighting This area focuses on the himalayan 'old style' strings of lights that work very well at strengthening the areas expedition theme. Rivers of Light Africa - Lighting Africa uses a nice mix of soft up lighting and strings of lights that help it blend nicely with its neighbor, Asia. Pandora - Lighting This land easily has the best lighting of any theme park area in the world (that I know of). This land becomes another world after dark and should not be missed. Edited April 18, 2018 by ragerunner1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gerstlaueringvar Posted April 17, 2018 Share Posted April 17, 2018 Disney’s Animal Kingdom has some of the best sign designs I’ve ever seen. Thanks for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ragerunner1 Posted May 3, 2018 Author Share Posted May 3, 2018 Epcot's Future World - Lighting (Part 1) Future World is an interesting space that is designed to create a 'grand feel' with its large geometric buildings and open plazas. While this area does bring a feel of a 'Worlds Fair' the size and scope of the structures, blank walls, lack of architectural details and open plazas give Future World a cold, harsh feel at times and does a poor job of engaging the pedestrian in the space. Compared to World Showcase's intimate, detailed spaces Future World struggles to create environments that make people want to 'linger' in their surroundings. With that said Future World's best side comes out when the lights come on. The lights create new color palettes on the structures and enliven's the blank wall feel of the large buildings. Up next part 2 of Future World. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ragerunner1 Posted May 22, 2018 Author Share Posted May 22, 2018 Continuing on with Epcot's Future World and probably its best architectural building, Mission Space followed by The Seas and a very human scale entrance for The Land. Disney has done a great job of highlighting the architectural details of these buildings to strengthen the theme when the sun goes down. Up next I will jump to Disney's Hollywood Studios. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nrthwnd Posted May 23, 2018 Share Posted May 23, 2018 You really pick out some interesting angles, and shots of some things most people wouldn't give a second look at. And make them really cool to look at! Wonderful shots they are. Looking forward to more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ragerunner1 Posted May 24, 2018 Author Share Posted May 24, 2018 You really pick out some interesting angles, and shots of some things most people wouldn't give a second look at. And make them really cool to look at! Wonderful shots they are. Looking forward to more. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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