Directing from afar

Playing the role of art director for a large project is very exciting. While the overall vision for the park is clear, countless small details still need to be worked out as we go. With the master plan only recently locked down there was no possible way to know what the small details would be or where. The existing plans only cover the infrastructure and buildings. Because the decorative elements will all built to a visual standard it is best done on the fly. It is a lot like baking a fancy cake. Initially the concern is about the recipe, mixing the ingredients and getting it into the oven. That has to be done to an exact and measured standard to get it right. Icing the cake is done by eye and intuition. It is not science but rather an art.

Even though the key players for this project are scattered across many thousands of miles, this era of instant communication makes things much easier than ever before. Digital pictures of mockups and structures in progress are transmitted in seconds. Each time I recieve the latest version of a plan by email I can check it in minutes, mark it with notations and sketches and fire it off electronically to others for their comments and suggestions. Decisions are quickly reached and work continues. It's a cool process.

One of the items on this week's adjenda was the style of rockwork through the park. We want it over the top, believeable and yet impossible - all in the service of the fun story we are telling. Much was resolved with discussion on the phone, video conferencing and emails but I also relied on old fashioned scribbles in my sketchbook to show graphically what we needed. The big question in the last few days revolved around the look of the hidden skulls and tunnels in the rockwork and how it would go together.

As soon as the rockwork team recieved my scribbles they knew exactly what we were looking for. They will now translate those ideas into a style suitable for the park. I love working in this fashion. I talk with the engineers and other craftsmen involved, find out what is possible, and how we can push these supposed boundaries safely. Once everyone is on the same page we jump to lightspeed - all in the same direction.

It's full speed ahead!

-grampa dan

Cultus Lake Adventure Park honored

We were delighted to learn that the brand new Cultus Lake Adventure Park has already been voted "One of Canada's top ten amusement and waterway parks" by 2014 Traveller's Choice. That's quite the honor, especially since the park had been open less than two months at the time. The article featured Imagination Corporation in a large way.

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Another of our projects "Galaxyland" at West Edmonton Mall also made it into the top ten picks as well.

-grampa dan

Hiding in plain sight

In each large project we tackle there is one element that goes through everything to tie it all together. It most often is a subtle one, an emblem or such that is used extensively. It can be almost abstract in places, other times hidden in such a way that it is invisible until you notice and then you see it plain as day. In our new house this theme is hearts. There are thousands of them through the rockwork and trim and even the knots in the trees and wood trim are shaped that way. It makes the project fun for us as we build and also fun for the guests to look at and enjoy.

For the Skallywag Bay project this element was to be a skull and crossbones, typical pirate fare. I designed a prototype, as friendly as possible (for this is a family park). We all liked it but it wasn't quite right. It was a little too dark and a little too ordinary.

Then Peter brought in some sketches he had been working on. These sketches provided just the answer we were searching for. I kept the skull in the design that I had used previously but substituted the crossed bones with wrenches as in Peter's sketch. It was perfect. The wrenches spoke of the Gruffles and their mechanical ablities and inventivness. They explained the train, the submarine KRAKEN and the steampunk elements that will appear throughout the park.  We will weave this element into our story and through every aspect of the features. The Gruffles were ahead of their time mechanically and able to build everything they could think of. Their version of the Jolly Roger tells this plain as day. 

At first glance the new logo looks very piratey and normal. But if you take that second look and know the story it speaks of much more. Instead of death and destruction this new logo speaks of using your noggin to build wonderful inventions. Now the challenge is to see how many times we can use it through the park. It's my bet that guests who really look will find them absolutely everywhere. I'd also bet that only a very few (if any) will find them all.

-grampa dan