Unit 70 Studios Day *

* (Halloween countdown post #12)

 

‘Bo Bruns, Unit 70 Studios’ founder/owner, started making latex monsters in his parents’ basement at the age of 14. A few of these early first molds are still in use in our studio today. He is a graduate of the Columbus College of Art and Design and began his career as a professional monster maker at age 20. Today he is honored to lead an amazing core group of artists and dedicated seasonal employees.

 

 

‘We are a team of hardworking and passionate artists and technicians. Our goal is to continually improve our products by listening to our clients and experimenting with new components and styles. Over the years our staff has developed many unique and innovative processes, and have been early pioneers in the use of many materials and techniques that are now considered industry-standard for professional haunted attraction props. The core group of artists at Unit 70 have been working together for many years, and use that experience and talent everyday to create the most realistic and reliable props in the haunted attraction business.

 

Janna: Lead Painter/ Shop Supervisor

Michael: Lead Mechanical Designer

TJ: Lead Foam and Metal Fabricator

Hillie: Director of Operations

Troy: Lead Foam and Latex Fabricator

 

‘Working together with two different chemical labs, we were able to develop a new fire retardant foam that has proven to be superior to all foams we have used in the past. We are very excited and intend to use it exclusively starting March 2016. We feel that this change would not only advance the safety of our products and potentially save lives, but also alleviate some of our clients’ stress involving annual fire safety inspections. Our new FR foam meets flammability standard requirements cal bulletin 117 and fmvss 302.’ — Unity 70 Studios

 

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Further

Unit 70 Studios
Unit 70 Studios @ Facebook
Unit 70 Studios @ Instagram
UNIT 70 STUDIOS, MY WORK OVER THE SUMMER

 

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Extras

New Products from Unit 70 Studios for 2019

Unit 70 Studio’s Christmas Props and Animations Overview

Unit 70 Studios-New Giant Monsters 2025!

Unit 70 Studios Transworld 2020 booth tour

 

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Making monsters

‘Ever since he was a kid, Coldwater, Ohio native Bo Bruns loved making weird monsters and sculptures. It started when his parents took him to see “Star Wars” when he was four years old. The movie “blew my mind,” he said, and he became obsessed with how people made the monsters and aliens seen in films and in theater. Decades later, Bruns has been lucky enough to become a “monster maker” in his own right.

‘After graduating from the Columbus School of Art and Design in 1998, he worked for a few years for a company that designed horror and monster props. In 2003, Bruns founded Unit 70 Studios in Columbus, and since then his company has become one of the most highly regarded producers of animatronic monsters, Halloween horror props and haunted house creatures in the world. “It was a childhood dream, and I got really lucky to be able to do it,” Bruns said.

‘Growing up in Coldwater, Bruns admitted that at times his creepy doodles and creations would freak out his teachers. His then-art teacher, Nick Wenning, however, figured out early on that he was “mostly harmless” and allowed him the creative freedom to make the most of what Bruns could imagine. When he first started making props, it was to play pranks on the local mailman. Bruns would craft crude cut-off arms and hands and leave them on the ground, watching from his bedroom to see what reaction he got. “Thank God he never called the police,” Bruns laughed.

‘Though the mailman may not have entirely appreciated his props, Bruns, who graduated from Coldwater High School in 1994, now has people all over the world putting in orders.

‘Unit 70 Studios has clients in the “haunt” industry in several states, from Ohio to New England. If you’ve ever visited King’s Island during Halloween Haunt season or gone to Cedar Point’s HalloWeekends, chances are you’ve seen some of Bruns’ creations. The business also serves international haunted houses and amusement parks in places like Canada, Columbia, Mexico, Spain and China. “It’s kind of like Halloween year round here,” Bruns said.

‘October, the spookiest time of the year, is actually the quietest time for the studio. By then most clients have their props. As soon as November 1 rolls around, though, the calls start coming in from people planning for next year, he said. Some of their clients from overseas don’t necessarily celebrate Halloween, so they may place orders year round. Bruns explained that as the haunt industry has grown, so too have the budgets and planning that go into the haunted houses. Orders can come in for Halloweens years down the road.

‘Every year, Bruns and his employees get together to plan out 15 or 20 new designs, but it can be hard to predict what people will want. Pop culture can have a big influence on what will be a hit – zombies have been consistently popular, for example, but when the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise was popular, Bruns and his team found themselves making tons of zombie pirates to meet demand.

‘Making monsters involves different procedures. For something more human, like a zombie, the artists at Unit 70 might start out making a body cast of a real person to create a mold, Bruns said. For something like a dinosaur, the design starts off as a clay sculpture, built up piece by piece. From there, the artists can change the facial expressions or carve out areas for gore. The final props are created from latex rubber or foam. Body details such as hair are usually some of the last add-ons.

‘Bruns majored in computer animation, which he says helps him when making some of the animatronic props. The animation software he learned to use is somewhat similar to what is now used for engineering the robotic parts in his monsters. When setting up a character in computer animation, he thinks about how the character is going to move and how it will look, which translates well into programming his creations, Bruns said.

‘Of course, the haunt industry has a dark side. Unit 70 Studios is rather well-known and widely respected in the industry, said Bruns, in part because they’ve survived for so long. As fun as it can be, Bruns said he’s found the competition can also be cutthroat. When Unit 70 was just starting out, a larger prop supply company was trying to make life difficult for the start-up, which became public knowledge in the haunt industry, according to Bruns. Aside from the quality of their products, Bruns thinks a lot of the respect has come from making it through that early rough patch. Persistence is key, he noted.

‘”Don’t let anyone say you can’t,” Bruns said. “I always wanted to do this stuff for a living, be a monster maker, and it seemed like a really weird or exotic thing to do, like wanting to be a rock star or astronaut, but somebody’s got to do it. Somebody’s got to have that job.” And for any kid out there who might have an unlikely passion or an obscure interest they want to turn into a career, Bruns offered this advise: “Just do it, and don’t be afraid to dream big.”‘ — Sydney Albert

 

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Showroom

Ivan with Walker $899.00

 

Crucified Nun $1,200.00

 

Lobotomized Nurse $599.00

 

Melted Scientist $849.00

 

3 Maniacs Animated $2,699.00

 

Drill Table Animated $2,199.00

 

Giant Maniac Animated $7,599.00

 

Giant Skeletal Serpent Animated $7,499.00

 

Untitled Custom Figure NFS

 

Untitled Custom Figure NFS

 

Untitled Custom Figure NFS

 

Baby Flytrap $599.00

 

Bessie Sue $849.00

 

Biker Chic 2 $849.00

 

Bitin’ Brady $1,099.00

 

Burnt Naked Female or Male $899.00

 

Burnt Walker $849.00

 

Charred $749.00

 

Chopped $699.00

 

Silicone Face Mr Dad $899.00

 

Chained Mutant Boy $649.00

 

Cold Feet $1,499.00

 

Dangling Torture 4 $829.00

 

Dead Bathtub Girl $719.00

 

Dirty Warden 1 $849.00

 

Evil Doctor and Baby or Nurses $899.00

 

Feasting Werewolf $1,649.00

 

Feasting Zombie Scene Animated $3,780.00

 

Gorton $849.00

 

Human Couple 2 $1,499.00

 

Human Roast $1,249.00

 

I Dismember Meg Pie $649.00

 

Killer Twins $1,079.00

 

Silicone Face Little Janna or Michael or TJ $799.00

 

Meat Cleaver Carry $699.00

 

Mental Patient 1, 2, 3, 4 $719.00

 

Pig Lunch Cart Animated $2,805.00

 

Prison Guard 1, 2 $849.00

 

Psycho Killer Dude Animated $3,455.00

 

Sasquatch with Victim Animated $7,935.00

 

Stitched Couples 1, 2, 3, 4 $899.00

 

Suicide Doctor $849.00

 

Vamp Attack $1,279.00

 

Contortionist $989.00

 

Frozen Child 1, 2, 3 $729.00

 

Evil Santa Animated $2,105.00

 

Giant Krampus and Child Animated $8,425.00

 

Child Chain Gang $2,899.00

 

Female Sacrifice $1,649.00

 

Prancer or Dasher NFS

 

 

*

p.s. Hey. ** Laura, Hi. My pleasure, obviously. Right, the ants, I forgot about them. Sorry you made yourself sick but you made me highly amused if that helps at all. Today? Doing two interviews about our film and going to the supermarket and … gosh, we’ll see. You? ** jay, Hi, jay-ster. Yep, but there was that period not so, so long ago when non-academic female UK writers practically owned adventurous lit: Quin, Compton-Burnett, Brooke-Rose, Rhys, Spark, Brophy, Taylor, et. al. Wonder what happened. Sort of bad, okay, that makes more sense. It’s probably on soap2day by now, so I will be able to do precisely as you instruct. Halloween ends today around here due to the slaves always owning the month’s last day. So sad. Do max out what’s left your Halloween please. ** Alice, Hi. I’ve been perfectly or at least imperfectly fine. Understood and maybe not so surprising about the cold shoulders in your seminars given what’s held high by the institutions and their adherents. See if you can find a fellow adventurer or several in there. There are usually some ambitious rebels amongst the sheep. The ‘don’t get the point’ stuff should only bother you if you’re concerned that your point isn’t being made. Lethal Company … I don’t think I know it. I almost never play multiplayer games. I seem to prefer gaming in solitude for whatever reason. I’ve only played a couple of Silent Hill games because they’re not very Nintendo-friendly, but, they seemed really ace. There are loads of things in NYC to see and do. I’ll need to sort out my recs, but there’s still some time until you go, so … ** Carsten, She studied at UCSD for a bit with Rothenberg and Antin and that lot. You can try sharing the Google file folder, sure. If they’re just imbedded in the text, I can screen grab them but the visual quality of the images might lessen a little. Still, that’s doable. ** iwishiwasanon, Hi. Well, you are sort of anon, although, as the boss of this place, I can go look at your email address, but I promise I won’t. Oh, you’re here, across town. Synchronicities galore. Thanks for coming in. Do so anytime that the inclination strikes. ** Jack Skelley, Oh, I wish I was spooky. Mm, I don’t know why appropriation isn’t a viral term anymore. Good question. It’s like ‘groovy’. Me too: so wish I was there. Although I do get to be spared of all the Dodgers-related nail-biting at least, haha. ** _Black_Acrylic, It’s a goodie and a shorty to boot! I too have my eye on that Nicolas Ballet book. Huh. Race you to it. ** CAUTIVOS, Hi! I think Laura Vázquez is French? Or she lives in Paris, at least. Good question. There was a Spanish publisher that wanted to publish my newer things, but my so-called agent fucked it up. Long story. Fingers crossed. Thanks, pal. How are you? ** Arno, Hi, Arno! How great to see you here! We are like-minded re: Acker. You’ve been to After8! That place makes living in Paris infinitely better. Yeah, so sad and grim that Kathy died so early. She was a very complicated friend, no surprise there. Zac and I are really excited to come to Ghent in just a mere couple of days! Thank you so, so much for everything! Even more warmly, me. ** Dominik, Hi!!! Indeed. So far the traveling is just cool, although the jetlag bouts to and fro the US trips are no fun whatsoever. I’m going to a spooky makeover of a Paris park probably on the actual night. And, yes, the Parc Asterix makeover, but that goes on until the 11th, so that’ll be post-Halloween. Are you going to do anything scary on the day/night? I hope love’s health has survived the doctors’ proddings. Love wishing he owned a warmer coat, G. ** Hugo, You’re here! I hope it doesn’t rain. Doesn’t look too rainy out the window at the moment. Thanks for the lodging offer. We are looking to show the film there if possible, but we’ll see. Peace back and out. ** Steeqhen, I do usually suggest starting with ‘Blood and Guts’ when people ask about starting to read her. Yes, we’re gearing up for the French theater release. Pretty exciting. Free trip to France for the best Halloween costume is pretty cool. Help him win and hide in his backpack. ** HaRpEr //, Kathy’s trajectory is pretty interesting. There was the rock star status when she was alive. Then when she died she was kind of overlooked/forgotten for a while. And then the big boom happened and she became kind of oversaturated. What next? I lost interest in Nick Cave after the second or maybe third Bad Seeds album. Try not to let those bean counters’ degradation fetish get to you, and as long as you’re writing and etc. your life isn’t stagnant. Sorry if that’s overly romantic of me. ** Nicholas., Oh, yeah, ‘The Blob’. I think the camp aspect of that killed the scariness for me even as a wee little tyke. I wonder if Freddie would be all over the twink slaves or whether he’d think they were too easy. Dinner: vegan shit and mashed potatoes wrapped in two flour tortillas. ** Uday, ah, I know who Frank is and I only saw the movie once about thirty years ago. Hooray for me. And for you! Friendship is more important than a good lay. Golden rule. Most of the time. ** A, You bet. Chris has a house out near where we shot the film. He leant us a generator which we sorely needed. He popped by the set a few times to check things out and offer encouragement. And he let us have the wrap party at his rather amazing, swanky nearby house and didn’t mind that there was cocaine flying around all over the place. Sure, if you want to scout out possible Vancouver venues, that would be amazing. Thank you, sir! Halloween can only be so fun over here in Paris, but I intend to do my best. Thanks. ** Right. So the blog says farewell to Halloween today by restoring a post concerning the Rembrandts of horror prop makers aka the mighty Unit 70 Studios in Ohio, USA. Please glory in their expertise. See you tomorrow.