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A Hocus Pocus Halloween: Interactive Movie Magic · Backstage at The EPC's Podcast

• 0:09
  SPEAKER_01: Hello and welcome to Backstage at the EPC.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_01: Today, Sheila Braun joins me again, and we are gonna discuss all the details for our Hocus Pocus interactive movie.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_01: Hello.
• 0:24
  SPEAKER_01: So, what is an interactive movie?
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_00: An interactive movie is a very fun experience.
• 0:31
  SPEAKER_00: Um, I always like to describe it in that if you are someone who doesn't just want to come to the theater and sit in your chair and watch a movie quietly.
• 0:42
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, if you have little kids that aren't quite ready to do that yet, um, an interactive movie is the perfect experience for you.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_00: We go out of our way to learn the movie and research the movie, and we put together prop bags for every single patron that comes in the theater.
• 1:02
  SPEAKER_01: These those are my favorite part, and that's what makes it the interactive part.
• 1:07
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 1:08
  SPEAKER_00: So you might have something to wear, something to eat.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_00: Um, obviously, we're in a dark theater, so anything we like.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_00: Yes, we like light up, we like glow, we like all the fun, fun little noisemakers.
• 1:24
  SPEAKER_01: So um, you know, fair warning to the parents you will come home with some sort of noisemaker, but it's not a quiet theater experience at all.
• 1:32
  SPEAKER_00: So for Hocus Pocus, you know, we expect lots of Halloween-themed goodies.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_00: Um, and you know, the the whole experience really, I think that's a good way to describe it.
• 1:45
  SPEAKER_00: It's an experience, it's not just a movie, it's an overall experience.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we go all out in the lobby decorating for Halloween.
• 1:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um, there's always several backdrops decorated, so lots of opportunities for photos.
• 2:00
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 2:01
  SPEAKER_00: We hope that you know you'll get into the spirit and dress up.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_00: Put your at the very least, we expect a Halloween t-shirt, right?
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, yeah.
• 2:11
  SPEAKER_01: Some sort of, you know, costume or attire that'll get you into the Halloween spirit.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 2:17
  SPEAKER_00: So really anything goes.
• 2:19
  SPEAKER_00: You know, if you have a Halloween costume that's prepped that doesn't necessarily go with the theme, throw that on.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_00: If you want to dress up like a Sanderson sister, that's even more welcome.
• 2:32
  SPEAKER_00: That's that's uh even better.
• 2:34
  SPEAKER_00: But a witch, but really any Halloween costume is so fun to get in the spirit.
• 2:38
  SPEAKER_00: This is just a fun Halloween event.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_01: So you you come in, um, doors open an hour early.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so if you're wanting to check out the photo backdrops and stuff and get some cool photos with the family, so you you come in and um our lobby will have um last year we had witch hats hanging from the ceiling and skeletons and um Sheila is the master balloon artist before before it was even cool to you know do all of that on your own, she had mastered it.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um I help out when I can and she has to she has to correct me on on my balloon performance.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_01: A little fluffied.
• 3:22
  SPEAKER_01: She's um making adjustments and everything the whole week before this movie even plays.
• 3:30
  SPEAKER_01: We're decorating the lobby.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_00: We have a lot of fun putting this together.
• 3:33
  SPEAKER_00: Um it's it's one of those shows that is fun because we actually get to do a little bit of production.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_00: So most of our shows they just roll in, they they open up their crates, they have everything.
• 3:44
  SPEAKER_00: Uh, but it it is a good opportunity for us to get creative.
• 3:47
  SPEAKER_01: So and who doesn't love hocus pocus?
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, it's a cult classic.
• 3:51
  SPEAKER_00: Right, but it's great too because um it's for everybody, it is for everybody.
• 3:56
  SPEAKER_00: That's what I was gonna say.
• 3:57
  SPEAKER_00: It's a Halloween experience that is not scary.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 4:01
  SPEAKER_00: Um I mean it's a little scary, but I'm sure.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
• 4:04
  SPEAKER_00: Compared for Halloween, it's not, you know, it's not super scary.
• 4:07
  SPEAKER_00: So all the kids can come.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_00: But last year it was so fun to see the different people that were there.
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_00: There was kids there, but a lot of women showed up and made it a girls and girls' night out, too.
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_00: So um, you know, it whether you're bringing your kids, your grandkids, your nieces, and your nephews, um, you know, your best friend, and and be both of you bring your kids, or um, you are in a group of women.
• 4:32
  SPEAKER_00: I mean, it's it's just a really fun way to get in the Halloween spirit.
• 4:36
  SPEAKER_00: It's far enough away from Halloween that you know it doesn't really interfere with trigger treating or parades or anything like that, but it still gets you in a way to the Halloween spirit.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_00: Get into the Halloween spirit, exactly.
• 4:49
  SPEAKER_01: So you'll go through the lobby, get your photos, and then um, before you enter the auditorium, our ushers are handing out the goodie bags that Sheila talked about with all of the interactive parts.
• 5:01
  SPEAKER_01: So you'll grab that, you'll find your seat, um, and then we have the most amazing big, gigantic screen.
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_00: Right.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_00: We've been doing we've been doing these interactive movies for a long time, but what uh what really brought it to the next level um was when we got our video wall.
• 5:20
  SPEAKER_00: Um it it just makes it look so much better.
• 5:24
  SPEAKER_00: And um, so along with the video wall in the middle on stage, we have our two side video walls, which are smaller.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 5:32
  SPEAKER_00: And those will have slides on them throughout the movie.
• 5:36
  SPEAKER_00: So that'll kind of be rotating as we move through the movie.
• 5:39
  SPEAKER_00: And sometimes those screens will just be dark, there won't be anything on them, but it does kind of give you cues.
• 5:46
  SPEAKER_00: Hey, it's time to open up your bag and grab this prop.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_00: Maybe it's a headband, yeah, right?
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_00: And it kind of um, we kind of script that so that it goes along with what's going on in the movie, like um put the cat ears on when um the cat shows up in the movie, right?
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_00: Things like that.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_00: And again, you know, maybe during a song, we invite everybody to get up and dance with their glow sticks or, you know, just anything that goes along with the movie, and and again, it's Halloween themed.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_00: Um we actually did have the opportunity this year.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_00: We've we did not um have this before, but someone reached out to us and they said, Hey, I know the Sanderson sisters.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_00: I'm gonna invite them.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_00: Um, they might show up.
• 6:31
  SPEAKER_00: So we do hope we may have some surprise guests.
• 6:35
  SPEAKER_00: Yeah, we hope that we'll have some guests here.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_00: Um, we think that, you know, they'll they'll be, of course, in their full witch, which outfits, probably taking photos in the lobby, um, maybe even making a quick little guest appearance on on stage, doing some fun, interactive things on stage during the movie.
• 6:53
  SPEAKER_00: So that's kind of a thing that we've added this year that we're really looking forward to.
• 6:58
  SPEAKER_00: So um Hocus Pocus is our Halloween interactive movie.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_00: So we're we're up to three now.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_00: We we have had such popular, um, you know, it's been such a popular experience that we're up to three, which it's fine.
• 7:14
  SPEAKER_00: It's it's fine.
• 7:15
  SPEAKER_01: It's fine.
• 7:16
  SPEAKER_01: I feel like we're fine we've gotten into a groove and um we kind of know how to work things out and lay them out and and it's getting it.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_00: It's getting easier.
• 7:30
  SPEAKER_00: Well, we'll just put it that way.
• 7:31
  SPEAKER_00: It's still a lot of of work, but like we said, it's a different work.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_00: So we'll have um hocus pocus, and then we will also do similar type activities, one for Christmas.
• 7:43
  SPEAKER_00: We usually do one for Christmas.
• 7:44
  SPEAKER_00: So this year we are doing the Grinch, which is the one I'm super excited about because who doesn't love the Grinch?
• 7:52
  SPEAKER_00: And we're doing the animated version.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so again, something all of the Grinches are amazing, right?
• 7:59
  SPEAKER_00: For sure.
• 8:00
  SPEAKER_00: Um this one's gonna be super fun.
• 8:03
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so you know that that will it will be fun, and that's again something for everybody at all ages are welcome, uh, just to get into that Christmas spirit.
• 8:16
  SPEAKER_00: And then in January, there's not much going on for a lot of people in January.
• 8:24
  SPEAKER_00: Um, so we usually do a princess-themed show in January, and so this year we'll have the beauty and the beast.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_00: Yes.
• 8:32
  SPEAKER_00: So we're looking forward to that again for both of those events.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_00: We always invite uh the star of our show to come do pictures in the lobby.
• 8:42
  SPEAKER_00: So we've invited the Grinch, and I'm sure we'll probably send an invitation to Santa Claus too for the Grinch movie.
• 8:50
  SPEAKER_00: So hopefully uh the Grinch in Santa Claus will be able to attend and take photos with everyone in the lobby for those.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_00: And then Beauty and the Beast, of course, will send an invitation to Belle and to the Beast and see if we can get them to come do some photos with people.
• 9:04
  SPEAKER_00: So both of those um are really good opportunities for presents for Christmas gifts, right?
• 9:10
  SPEAKER_01: We always recommend giving an experience instead of you know things, uh, grandparents and parents, it's a great opportunity to give an experience.
• 9:21
  SPEAKER_00: And so the Grinch is perfect for a Christmas gift, and then right in January for all the you bring the grandsons to the Grinch and bring the granddaughters to uh Beauty and the Beast and split them up.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_00: But I mean, boys like Beauty and the Beast too.
• 9:36
  SPEAKER_00: I don't mean to be like that.
• 9:38
  SPEAKER_00: We do see some boys have lots there, and they can dress up.
• 9:42
  SPEAKER_00: We we encourage dress up for all of those.
• 9:44
  SPEAKER_00: Like I, you know, we were talking about dressing up for hocus pocus, but um, for the Grinch, you know, if you want to wear your Christmas jammies, that it's it's the perfect time to wear Christmas jammies at the theater.
• 9:55
  SPEAKER_00: Everybody loves wearing jammies to the theater, so that gives you a good excuse to do it.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_00: And then um for Beauty and the Beast, you know, any any kind of dress up make-believe costume, we we love to see all of those.
• 10:08
  SPEAKER_00: And the best is when do you remember um when we had grandma dressed up like um who did she dress?
• 10:15
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, Snow White.
• 10:16
  SPEAKER_00: Did you see that one?
• 10:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, oh my gosh, it was so cool.
• 10:19
  SPEAKER_01: It was really cute.
• 10:20
  SPEAKER_01: I love seeing them get into all of that.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_01: We had grandma and grandpa one year dress up like first off, frozen.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_00: I think so.
• 10:31
  SPEAKER_00: Oh, the good one.
• 10:32
  SPEAKER_00: Um, do you remember when we had grandma and grandpa dress up like Jafar from Aladdin Aladdin?
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_00: That was really good.
• 10:39
  SPEAKER_01: That's a really cool one.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_00: So anything goes and it gives, you know, grandma and grandpa an opportunity to be fun and silly.
• 10:45
  SPEAKER_01: And um, so yeah, those are great, great ideas for Christmas gifts.
• 10:49
  SPEAKER_01: And again, it's a nice reminder.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_01: Um, when you when you go to a um a movie theater to to see movies, you're usually sitting and you're quiet.
• 10:59
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but we all know that children are not um that's not their favorite thing to do, sit quietly.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_01: Right.
• 11:05
  SPEAKER_01: So these interactive movies are perfect.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_00: Yep, they get we get everybody out up off their seats sometimes, and it's always fun to see um, you know, there's a lot of breaks required sometimes for the littler ones.
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_00: Um so they're always crawling around in in the lobby.
• 11:22
  SPEAKER_00: So um it's a it's a good time to get them out and just kind of we try to make somewhat, you know, we take some pieces and parts from you know the bigger, the mouse guy, the Disney guy, if I can say that.
• 11:35
  SPEAKER_00: Um, but just trying to make it a magical experience for everyone and bring some of that right here to Effingham so you don't have to go all the way to Florida to have a little piece of magic, you know.
• 11:47
  SPEAKER_00: It's just right here in Effingham, and we make it easy for you to get to.
• 11:50
  SPEAKER_00: It's a quick afternoon.
• 11:52
  SPEAKER_00: Um and they're just they're so fun.
• 11:56
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_01: Well, um, so just dust off your brooms and join us for Hocus Pocus.
• 12:07
  SPEAKER_01: You can get your tickets um through our box office.
• 12:10
  SPEAKER_00: And that is an evening show.
• 12:11
  SPEAKER_00: It is an evening show.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_00: Seven o'clock for that one.
• 12:14
  SPEAKER_00: And we've mentioned the other shows, those are more matinee shows, so those will be easier to get the the little kiddos to.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_01: Yep.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_00: So yeah.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_01: Great.
• 12:23
  SPEAKER_01: Well, thanks for joining us, Sheila.
• 12:25
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, thank you.