The Marvelous Mysteries of Ashburn Manor – Ringling College of Art and Design

Created by Brendan Assaf- recent Entertainment Design Graduate from Ringling College

Special thanks to Ross Osterman, Colt Sammons, Joe Lanzisero, Kevin Primm, Jamie Deruyter, Seongwoo Nam, Greg Randle, Chelsea Bruner, Nadine + Jamie Assaf, Meg and Cait, and Hailey Bair

Made with Revit, Maya, Autocad, Unreal Engine, Sketchup, Substance Painter, Zbrush, Enscape, Adobe Photoshop, Procreate, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Premier Pro, and GarageBand

A 3 part “spirit lifting” adventure through a haunted adventurer’s mansion.

Archibald Ashburn was a world-renowned paranormal investigator, adventurer, historian, wildlife expert, inventor, and traveller. His research and inventions on the topic of the macabre and unexplained around the globe was unparalleled, and his home and style were equally as eclectic. He was the foremost expert of all things mysteries around the globe– until he became one. No one knows what happened to Archibald Ashburn. Long ago, he mysteriously vanished… but maybe you can find out on a tour of his home!

The newly reopened Ashburn Manor invites guests to take a preservation tour of the home and Archibald’s collection of mysteries. However, the first ever tour group- YOUR tour group- accidentally awakens Archibald Ashburn’s ghost, and he has no memory of his prior life or, more importantly, the cause of his mysterious disappearance. That’s why he’ll need your help! Board your utility cart and journey with Archibald through his mysterious and eclectic home as you search for clues to uncover the truth of Archibald’s death.

PART 1: DARK RIDE ATTRACTION

       After making your way through the grounds of the manor and entering the library, your tour group will accidentally awaken Archibald Ashburn’s ghost, who will be commandeering your tour and turning it into an “investigation-expedition”. He’ll request that you meet him in the manor’s garage, where he’s used his newfound ghostly powers to turn utility carts into ride vehicles that seat six riders at a time. (The ETF Xperience Mover trackless ride vehicle) From there, you’ll accompany Archibald as you scour the mansion for clues about the mystery of his dissappearance on a fun filled “spirit lifting” adventure full of mysterious and spooky surprises.

Prepare to discover the truth behind The Marvelous Mysteries of Ashburn Manor:

Special thanks to Sophie Ruiz for Voice acting assistance

PART 2: INTERACTIVE POST-SHOW

Following the ride, you’ll be able to have free rein over the mansion, exploring any room you see fit! But be prepared, Archibald’s friends from the attraction have been scattered in rooms around the mansion, and they’ll need your help in order to return to their respective afterlives.

       As you exit the attraction, you’ll enter the attraction, you’ll enter the Grand Foyer of the mansion, where all of the rooms are connected. Here, you’ll have the ability to interact with members of the Ashburn Manor preservation society, explore the various rooms of the mansion, shop at ghostly gifts, or even grab a bite to eat and a cocktail or two (more on that in Part 3!).

Should you decide to explore the rooms of the mansion, you can expect to find one of Archibald’s friends waiting for your help in one of six rooms including the library, the music hall, the conservatory, the cartography room, the observatory, and the art gallery. They’ve each chosen a room that reflects their personal heritage and occupation, and these traits will impact the task you help them with (the type of game played) in each room.

For example, in the Cartography Room you’ll find Angelica, a Mexican Adelita cartographer, who’s spirit guide dog has run off and is missing in the room. You’ll have to use the maps round the walls to play hide n’ seek with the spirit dog, helping Angelica to get her guide back. Similarly, in the music hall you might find Seamus, a sailor from the shores of Ireland whose lost his tune. You’ll need to mime conducting to get the instruments in the room to play his favorite sea shanty and help him get back on his feet (or sea legs, more accurately)

While these interactives both continue to engage guests in the story and let them explore a haunted house as they see fit, they also help to teach guests about the beauty of diversity and how each culture around the world offers a unique heritage. This theme of diversity and cultural celebration is one of the cornerstones of Ashburn Manor, and is integral to all parts of the story and each experience.

However, great care went into ensuring that these interactives are not only respectful and appropriate, but tell authentic stories based on personal experience. In order to ensure that these games and these characters had that same level of personal authenticity, a level I could never supply without experiencing that heritage myself, I called upon international students at Ringling College to share their experiences and stories with me. With their guidance, we researched and created a cast of characters that not only respectfully portray these cultures, but also represent these cultures in ways the students specifically asked to be represented.

Overall, the post show experience of Ashburn Manor givesyou the freedom to explore and interact with ghosts within a haunted house as you please, all while building upon the existing attraction story and, more importantly, sharing unique perspectives and backgrounds from people around the world to help celebrate the beauty of cultural diversity on our planet.

PART 3: SPIRITS OF THE WORLD

AR BAR AND LOUNGE

Did all that mystery solving, exploring, and playing make you thirsty? No worries, step right up to Spirits of the World, a speakeasy located within Ashburn Manor, where guests can sample food and cocktail flavors from around the world–and beyond the grave too. Spirits of the World is located in Ashburn Manor’s cataloging room, where Archibald sorts through any gifts he’s been given by his friends before he displays them in his mansion. Coincidentally, this is also where he stores any liquor he’s been given, and members of the preservation society have taken it upon themselves to convert the room into a speakeasy with internationally inspired cocktails and food.

Archibald’s ghost is in on the fun too! So he’s decided to share some cocktail recipes from his otherworldly menu –  a series of drinks created entirely by ghosts. When you order off of the otherworldly menu, your drink comes with a bonus: the spirit of a cryptid unleashed in the bar! Each cocktail corresponds to a particular country or culture, and when ordered, they’ll release a mythical beast from that country or culture. For example, if a guest orders a Puerto Rican Pina Colada, they may set loose the spirit of the Chupacabra in the car.

However, when these beasts are summoned they can’t be seen immediately. You’ll need to use a Phantomagnifying glass, an invention of Archibald’s, to see the spirits. Designed specifically to view invisible ghosts, the Phantomagnifying glass will glow whenever a new spirit enters the bar. Then, an indicator in the glass will show you where to look to see it. From there, you’ll have to look for movements around the bar where something might be causing chaos, then the Phantomagnifying glass will reveal the beast.

               Despite the 3-part nature of the experience, The Marvelous Mysteries of Ashburn Manor can be enjoyed in any order due to multiple entrances and exits for guests to choose from.

TECHNICAL ASPECTS:

The Marvelous Mysteries of Ashburn Manor utilizes a variety of different technologies and effects. From musion-tech pepper’s ghost effects to personalized AR devices, lots of thought went into the technical feasibility and build-ability of Ashburn Manor. Listed below are highlights of a technical design intent package explaining how these effects/interactives might be realized.