Joining the Team That Designs HHN

[TheJauntlet]

I know Universal Creative often offers several internships to people in junior and senior year of college that are majoring in a design/engineer field. This was my plan to get started in my attempt to work for HHN. Is this not a good way to get started?

 

[Legacy]

I know Universal Creative often offers several internships to people in junior and senior year of college that are majoring in a design/engineer field. This was my plan to get started in my attempt to work for HHN. Is this not a good way to get started?

It’s a good way to get into Universal, but only because of the broader networking potential. It’s important to remember, however, that Universal Creative has nothing to do with HHN / Entertainment’s Creative Design (Art and Design) cell. You’ll rarely even get the opportunity to engage the HHN people because Creative doesn’t work on property. With Creative proper, you’ll work on rides, permanent stores/shows theaters, and overall park scenic. Creative proper is widely considered the more prestigious of the two departments as a result.

EDIT - Engineering and design is great (especially industrial design) if you’re looking to get into any of these sort of positions. However, most of the HHN “designers” came predominantly out of theater and writing. Most of the visual design work is freelanced out. If you want to get noticed THAT way, Slice Network is where to start.

 

[Ringwraith]

It’s a good way to get into Universal, but only because of the broader networking potential. It’s important to remember, however, that Universal Creative has nothing to do with HHN / Entertainment’s Creative Design (Art and Design) cell. You’ll rarely even get the opportunity to engage the HHN people because Creative doesn’t work on property. With Creative proper, you’ll work on rides, permanent stores/shows theaters, and overall park scenic. Creative proper is widely considered the more prestigious of the two departments as a result.

EDIT - Engineering and design is great (especially industrial design) if you’re looking to get into any of these sort of positions. However, most of the HHN “designers” came predominantly out of theater and writing. Most of the visual design work is freelanced out. If you want to get noticed THAT way, Slice Network is where to start.

Could not be stated better.

 

[TheJauntlet]

It’s a good way to get into Universal, but only because of the broader networking potential. It’s important to remember, however, that Universal Creative has nothing to do with HHN / Entertainment’s Creative Design (Art and Design) cell. You’ll rarely even get the opportunity to engage the HHN people because Creative doesn’t work on property. With Creative proper, you’ll work on rides, permanent stores/shows theaters, and overall park scenic. Creative proper is widely considered the more prestigious of the two departments as a result.

EDIT - Engineering and design is great (especially industrial design) if you’re looking to get into any of these sort of positions. However, most of the HHN “designers” came predominantly out of theater and writing. Most of the visual design work is freelanced out. If you want to get noticed THAT way, Slice Network is where to start.

Thank you for the detailed response! I plan on going to college, but I’m deciding between two majors and I want the one I pick to help move me along in the industry. The two I’m deciding on are Themed Entertainment Design at Ringling College or Film Production at one of the various film colleges around the US. If I wanted to specifically work on making house treatments and stories, which major do you think would give me the biggest boost? You mentioned most come from theatre and writing, both of which play a heavy influence in film, especially since I specialize in scriptwriting. But Entertainment Design does play more directly into theme park work. Which would you recommend for the best boost?

 

[Legacy]

Thank you for the detailed response! I plan on going to college, but I’m deciding between two majors and I want the one I pick to help move me along in the industry. The two I’m deciding on are Themed Entertainment Design at Ringling College or Film Production at one of the various film colleges around the US. If I wanted to specifically work on making house treatments and stories, which major do you think would give me the biggest boost? You mentioned most come from theatre and writing, both of which play a heavy influence in film, especially since I specialize in scriptwriting. But Entertainment Design does play more directly into theme park work. Which would you recommend for the best boost?

If you specifically want to do treatments and stories then, honestly, English - Creative Writing or a similar writing focused degree would be your best bet. You would then just have to tailor a resume to theme park writing (I’ll admit, I’m a touch biased towards the degree personally). A Film Production (or any other type of “Production”) degree is typically going to provide a more catch-all, “know-the-concepts-so-you-can-manage-production” sort of education. There are benefits to that if you want to get into house “direction,” ie - HHN’s inner circle. The nice thing about either degree is whichever one you pick, you can continue honing the skills and knowledge of the other by either writing in your free time or volunteering with local haunts and community theaters.

(Remember—Entertainment’s bread and butter is LIVE entertainment. Not film. Live productions require a fairly different knowledge base than film. They’re not completely like-for-like comparable.)

If your focus is the art of HHN—elevation artwork, concept art, etc.—then the Themed Entertainment degree may be a better fit. It will hone a more “immediately sellable” skill and allow you to build a portfolio of the type of stuff Universal (or any one, really) will be looking for. However, if this is the road you’re going down, writing and storytelling is unlikely to be a focus for your career for a long while. Clients will bring their stories to you—not the other way around. It won’t be until you’re “in” and move up a few positions that you’ll really have any direct input on that sort of stuff.

 

[TheJauntlet]

If you specifically want to do treatments and stories then, honestly, English - Creative Writing or a similar writing focused degree would be your best bet. You would then just have to tailor a resume to theme park writing (I’ll admit, I’m a touch biased towards the degree personally). A Film Production (or any other type of “Production”) degree is typically going to provide a more catch-all, “know-the-concepts-so-you-can-manage-production” sort of education. There are benefits to that if you want to get into house “direction,” ie - HHN’s inner circle. The nice thing about either degree is whichever one you pick, you can continue honing the skills and knowledge of the other by either writing in your free time or volunteering with local haunts and community theaters.

(Remember—Entertainment’s bread and butter is LIVE entertainment. Not film. Live productions require a fairly different knowledge base than film. They’re not completely like-for-like comparable.)

If your focus is the art of HHN—elevation artwork, concept art, etc.—then the Themed Entertainment degree may be a better fit. It will hone a more “immediately sellable” skill and allow you to build a portfolio of the type of stuff Universal (or any one, really) will be looking for. However, if this is the road you’re going down, writing and storytelling is unlikely to be a focus for your career for a long while. Clients will bring their stories to you—not the other way around. It won’t be until you’re “in” and move up a few positions that you’ll really have any direct input on that sort of stuff.

Gotcha. So Entertainment Design would get me more into the actual design and concept art process of the houses whereas a storytelling or creative writing degree may get me into treatment writing. I feel like maybe I could continue in film production while minoring in creative writing, that would probably be my best bet, along with volunteering on the side. Correct me if I’m wrong tho, please. Thank you very much, I needed to know this! College decisions are coming back soon and I figured I’d ask around before I made my choice. You’ve been super helpful Legacy, thanks so much!

 

[Legacy]

Gotcha. So Entertainment Design would get me more into the actual design and concept art process of the houses whereas a storytelling or creative writing degree may get me into treatment writing. I feel like maybe I could continue in film production while minoring in creative writing, that would probably be my best bet, along with volunteering on the side. Correct me if I’m wrong tho, please. Thank you very much, I needed to know this! College decisions are coming back soon and I figured I’d ask around before I made my choice. You’ve been super helpful Legacy, thanks so much!

I’d say film production and minoring in creative writing isn’t a terrible plan. But college in general is a weird, risky monster with a lot of best-guessing and second-guessing. It really boils down to picking something that will SATISFY you. A lot of people plan their college experience around a dream job and then, once they start seeing what the reality of that dream job looks like, they realize they want to do something completely different. I initially wanted to go into graphic design, ended up with a BA in Creative Writing and I’m now finishing up a Masters in Instructional Design (none of which actually matters as my career is military).

I would definitely recommend, if you can, avoiding a trade school (like a “film” school, Ringling, or Full Sail) unless you are 100% positive that’s the field you want to spend your life in (especially Full Sail if you’re going into film—they’re nowhere near as respected in film as they are in music). They’re expensive and there’s little flexibility to find something else once you’re in. A lot of public universities are widely accepted as having better film programs than many of the trades (UCF especially).

 

[TheJauntlet]

I’d say film production and minoring in creative writing isn’t a terrible plan. But college in general is a weird, risky monster with a lot of best-guessing and second-guessing. It really boils down to picking something that will SATISFY you. A lot of people plan their college experience around a dream job and then, once they start seeing what the reality of that dream job looks like, they realize they want to do something completely different. I initially wanted to go into graphic design, ended up with a BA in Creative Writing and I’m now finishing up a Masters in Instructional Design (none of which actually matters as my career is military).

I would definitely recommend, if you can, avoiding a trade school (like a “film” school, Ringling, or Full Sail) unless you are 100% positive that’s the field you want to spend your life in (especially Full Sail if you’re going into film—they’re nowhere near as respected in film as they are in music). They’re expensive and there’s little flexibility to find something else once you’re in. A lot of public universities are widely accepted as having better film programs than many of the trades (UCF especially).

I was considering going out of state. I'm currently looking at Emerson, USC (awaiting decision), and NYU (awaiting decision). They're all private universities with film programs but they aren't necessarily "film schools," so I think they'd be fine. Especially USC since it's near USH and I can volunteer HHN over there.

It's been stated over and over already but I know I also need to rely on luck to get "in," but I'm trying to set myself up so that I have the best luck possible.

 

[Legacy]

Yeah, schools like that are good options.

Regardless of what you decide, the two most important things you can do is keep an open mind and hone your passions.

 

[kingcooger]

It’s basically a short story told in the second person. There will typically be some sort of chart for details about performers, effects, etc., but it starts with, “You approach a dilapidated building.”

My treatments are written in the “HHN” style. During the rehearsals for Screamhouse, they read us the treatment so we understood our role in the context of the story. Because that’s what haunted houses are—stories that guests participate in.

And all the treatments I’ve seen from various haunts are based in that sort of style.

Circling back to this, do they start with the a Treatment in general or is it usually some sort of “pitch”?

For instance, are the extra short stories they have been releasing for the houses something they are writing after the fact for fun, or are they used at some point in the creative process?

 

[Legacy]

Circling back to this, do they start with the a Treatment in general or is it usually some sort of “pitch”?

For instance, are the extra short stories they have been releasing for the houses something they are writing after the fact for fun, or are they used at some point in the creative process?

I honestly couldn’t tell you.

I’m fairly confident that the stuff that gets officially released is “written” after the fact, but its based on stuff that is created during the development of the house. The treatments are a very iterative process. I’ve seen extremely early treatments where scenes are described with only two or three lines but there are three or for pictures (almost like a mood board). The design “bibles,” which are used during house production, include “Overall Synopsis” for the houses that are more detailed than the house write-ups online, too detailed to serve as official pitches, but nowhere close to full treatments. The tone of those things is a little more “insider” and fun, and can include poems and character names that are otherwise never known (the most recent Scary Tales had such a poem).

There’s a lot of brainstorming. Think about Tooth Fairy. They wrote a whole poem that told the story, but the treatment is unlikely to have included that early on. The original pitch may not have included the storybook/poem motif. It could have been developed as a way to better convey the story. In a similar fashion, stuff can get cut.

 

[kingcooger]

I honestly couldn’t tell you.

I’m fairly confident that the stuff that gets officially released is “written” after the fact, but its based on stuff that is created during the development of the house. The treatments are a very iterative process. I’ve seen extremely early treatments where scenes are described with only two or three lines but there are three or for pictures (almost like a mood board). The design “bibles,” which are used during house production, include “Overall Synopsis” for the houses that are more detailed than the house write-ups online, too detailed to serve as official pitches, but nowhere close to full treatments. The tone of those things is a little more “insider” and fun, and can include poems and character names that are otherwise never known (the most recent Scary Tales had such a poem).

There’s a lot of brainstorming. Think about Tooth Fairy. They wrote a whole poem that told the story, but the treatment is unlikely to have included that early on. The original pitch may not have included the storybook/poem motif. It could have been developed as a way to better convey the story. In a similar fashion, stuff can get cut.

Interesting

How much practical use of things like AutoCAD do A&D actually perform?

Do they split up the work in that respect?

 

[Legacy]

Interesting

How much practical use of things like AutoCAD do A&D actually perform?

Do they split up the work in that respect?

That, I don’t know. I know from some old, official behind-the-scenes stuff they use SketchUp rather than AutoCAD. Or at least they use to. Whether that is in-house or freelance—maybe both? It may depend entirely of the capabilities of who is on the team.

 

[krazyhorrorkid]

Well, I am very proud to say that designing and creating the event is my dream. It's what I really want to do with my time and my life.
If I am to be completely honest, if I can just get into creating the entertainment, themed environments, and attractions at any park I would be more than overjoyed.
But I am going to shoot high and say that HHN is what I truly want to commit to.

At the time I am writing this I just got accepted into Ringling College of art and design a mere hour ago as a Freshman for Entertainment design. I am also going to minor in Creative writing as writing is a serious part of developing the event and something I love to do anyway. For the past two years, I have gone to school locally and have participated in a college-level film class where I gained a ton of knowledge about equipment, sets, theatrical production, scriptwriting, and am officially certified in Adobe Premiere pro.

I loved to see that some people are considering Ringling to be their school of choice, and it's crazy to think I may cross paths with some of you someday. The huge factor of Ringling though is that man IT AIN'T CHEAP, but if you have the dough or getting some nice scholarships, go for it!

If anyone has some more advice to help guide me on my journey much is appreciated.

 

[TheJauntlet]

Well, I am very proud to say that designing and creating the event is my dream. It's what I really want to do with my time and my life.
If I am to be completely honest, if I can just get into creating the entertainment, themed environments, and attractions at any park I would be more than overjoyed.
But I am going to shoot high and say that HHN is what I truly want to commit to.

At the time I am writing this I just got accepted into Ringling College of art and design a mere hour ago as a Freshman for Entertainment design. I am also going to minor in Creative writing as writing is a serious part of developing the event and something I love to do anyway. For the past two years, I have gone to school locally and have participated in a college-level film class where I gained a ton of knowledge about equipment, sets, theatrical production, scriptwriting, and am officially certified in Adobe Premiere pro.

I loved to see that some people are considering Ringling to be their school of choice, and it's crazy to think I may cross paths with some of you someday. The huge factor of Ringling though is that man IT AIN'T CHEAP, but if you have the dough or getting some nice scholarships, go for it!

If anyone has some more advice to help guide me on my journey much is appreciated.

I’m still debating between Ringling or one of my film colleges. Got waitlisted by NYU and LMU and accepted by Emerson. However, Ringling Themed Entertainment is also a choice and Creative Writing Minor may be good. Who knows, I may see you there lol. My only concern with the Themed Entertainment program is that it seems drawing is a big part and I cannot draw to save my life.

 

[Tristan]

Well, I am very proud to say that designing and creating the event is my dream. It's what I really want to do with my time and my life.
If I am to be completely honest, if I can just get into creating the entertainment, themed environments, and attractions at any park I would be more than overjoyed.
But I am going to shoot high and say that HHN is what I truly want to commit to.

At the time I am writing this I just got accepted into Ringling College of art and design a mere hour ago as a Freshman for Entertainment design. I am also going to minor in Creative writing as writing is a serious part of developing the event and something I love to do anyway. For the past two years, I have gone to school locally and have participated in a college-level film class where I gained a ton of knowledge about equipment, sets, theatrical production, scriptwriting, and am officially certified in Adobe Premiere pro.

I loved to see that some people are considering Ringling to be their school of choice, and it's crazy to think I may cross paths with some of you someday. The huge factor of Ringling though is that man IT AIN'T CHEAP, but if you have the dough or getting some nice scholarships, go for it!

If anyone has some more advice to help guide me on my journey much is appreciated.

Congrats!

 

[Spookies n' Stuff]

That, I don’t know. I know from some old, official behind-the-scenes stuff they use SketchUp rather than AutoCAD. Or at least they use to. Whether that is in-house or freelance—maybe both? It may depend entirely of the capabilities of who is on the team.

Kinda funny honestly, when my professor was teaching us SketchUp he said it probably wouldn't be useful in the professional sphere, but now I know at least a few people do

 

[krazyhorrorkid]

I’m still debating between Ringling or one of my film colleges. Got waitlisted by NYU and LMU and accepted by Emerson. However, Ringling Themed Entertainment is also a choice and Creative Writing Minor may be good. Who knows, I may see you there lol. My only concern with the Themed Entertainment program is that it seems drawing is a big part and I cannot draw to save my life.

Ringling is drawing orientated not gonna lie, but if you really show your will to learn while your there it may help extremely.
The problem is though is that when you apply they want a portfolio. You will need to display some sort of artistic talent in that.

But to give you a good idea, I submitted some artwork that were some original ride concepts with some vehicle concepts as well that I had drawn specifically for the portfolio. I drew up some nice scenic backgrounds using pencils and had a piece of digital art even. But what I think really paid off is the two pieces of Film work I submitted that may have sold me.

If you decide to go for Film instead, your Portfolio is much much smaller then anyone that is going into a field that requires some drawing. They wanted me to submit at least 10 pieces of work, while the film students only submit two of their best pieces.

I also had to write an essay to go along with it that connected to my Major.

 

[TheJauntlet]

Ringling is drawing orientated not gonna lie, but if you really show your will to learn while your there it may help extremely.
The problem is though is that when you apply they want a portfolio. You will need to display some sort of artistic talent in that.

But to give you a good idea, I submitted some artwork that were some original ride concepts with some vehicle concepts as well that I had drawn specifically for the portfolio. I drew up some nice scenic backgrounds using pencils and had a piece of digital art even. But what I think really paid off is the two pieces of Film work I submitted that may have sold me.

If you decide to go for Film instead, your Portfolio is much much smaller then anyone that is going into a field that requires some drawing. They wanted me to submit at least 10 pieces of work, while the film students only submit two of their best pieces.

I also had to write an essay to go along with it that connected to my Major.

Oh, I’ve already been accepted to Ringling’s Themed Entertainment program for next year. I submitted several haunted house treatments, some of my films, some digital music, and a script. My guess if that drawing in the program will be a big part, but if they were willing to accept me based on what I presented, then it can’t be the focus

 

[krazyhorrorkid]

Oh, I’ve already been accepted to Ringling’s Themed Entertainment program for next year. I submitted several haunted house treatments, some of my films, some digital music, and a script. My guess if that drawing in the program will be a big part, but if they were willing to accept me based on what I presented, then it can’t be the focus

That's awesome to hear you've been accepted.
It's a big element but not the focus. When I said Ringling was drawing orientated I meant as a whole, almost every major uses it!

The best part of the Entertainment design program is that you meet a ton of the people over at Creative and Imagineering as they are guest speakers and some even lead lessons. I've thought about it and since the major is so new, you knew know what's going to happen within your time there.

The reason why I have thought Ringling was the best way for me to pursue my goal was because a ton of the Grads are approached from people already in the industry. Ringling isn't just an amazing school, but a chance to get your foot in the door and make the impression you wanna make on the people who matter.