Length of time for a show

[kentd]

I have a curious question as to how many songs should a show have as that would determine the length of time a show runs before it repeats. In this same vein how would you determine the shut down time in FPP so you do not cut off in the middle of a song sequence.

I ask this as last year I only did a sequence without music and just kept repeating it.

Thanks
Kent

[jnealand]

There will be as many answers as there are people replying to this.  Some will say keep it short, some do long.  I think it depends on what you like and if you are having traffic issues.  Short show move traffic faster.  Long shows keep them around longer.  Personally I think 3 or 4 songs is about how long most folks stick around, by then they have been wowed and are starting to see the same effects over, but maybe in a different color.  LOL  Then there are the hard core viewers who stay until they see a song repeat.  Answer this question for yourself - How long do you really want to watch some else's show?  If watching videos online how many videos do you watch before you are ready to move on?  O have known folks with a lot of songs sequenced and they schedule different ones every night.  There is a show near me that has over 20 songs in the rotation. 

[bravado67]

I like variety. Last year I changed the song arrangement nightly. I don't care if people stay for the whole show. Many show up at different times anyway. I try to think about what the children will like as well as the adults. Most will be blown away with a 10th of what will be shown.

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[Gilrock]

I cut my show back to 5 sequences last year.  A lot of people will show up because they heard about 1 song and they will stay till they see it.  My culdesac got to the point of being clogged a few times so a longer show would be too annoying.

[JonB256]

There are quite a few people who create a single "Medley" of songs, 7 to 12 minutes, and sequence to that. That is their only output. 12 minutes and move along!

I've always leaned toward 6 to even 10 short sequences. I will remove some if traffic gets heavy. People will almost always leave when they hear a repeated song.

[danj]

...agree with Jim Nealand here...   As many answers as people who answer, probably.    I am going for a "longer" display this year; probably around 30-35 minutes from the first song to the last.   People don't have to stay for the whole thing; they can go whenever they want to...   My two cents...   A lot of people shoot for something more on the order of 12-15 minutes max then loop that.

[Gilrock]

People with no traffic problems always think shows can be any length...lol.

[bravado67]

I think it's entirely up to you. With the amount of time we all put into the show I would say there are no more rules for the length of your show display than there are for the number of pixels you should or should not use. It's all relative. Traffic or no traffic you are expressing your holiday spirit and artistry to others. Let me know when people approach you and say, "Kent, it's really nice but just too darn long of a show. I think I slipped a disc in my neck watching. Could you tone it back a bit like other xLight users who understand 15 minutes is the golden rule when displaying a light show for Christmas." LOL

What I love about the rules of artistry is there are none. However, if you live in an HOA neighborhood with guidelines on holiday decorations then your artistry may be restricted so 15 minutes 3 times per night is about right. 

Ron

[Gilrock]

No you're not going to hear a guest telling you  your show is too long.  You are going to hear your neighbor saying "Ron your stupid lightshow is clogging up the whole street and someone is blocking my f@#$%ing driveway.  I'm calling the cops."  Plus when people talk about their show length we need more info like....do you have football field sized viewing location directly across the street.....do you have so few cars that you're that guy that stares out the window and says hey honey a car just pulled up....etc.

[bravado67]

No you're not going to hear a guest telling you  your show is too long.  You are going to hear your neighbor saying "Ron your stupid lightshow is clogging up the whole street and someone is blocking my f@#$%ing driveway.  I'm calling the cops."  Plus when people talk about their show length we need more info like....do you have football field sized viewing location directly across the street.....do you have so few cars that you're that guy that stares out the window and says hey honey a car just pulled up....etc.

All good points Gil. Experience will always trump desire. Since I haven't had enough experience I am going with desire.

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[Gilrock]

I have no idea what you are talking about...but don't tell me cause I kinda don't care.

[nutz4lights]

I just shot soda out of my nose, thanks!  I guess that's why we have a water cooler forum.

Louie

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[logandc99]

I just shot soda out of my nose, thanks! 

Louie

 Cool effect! Is that going to be part of this years show? 
Perhaps just do that on climactic beats of the chorus.

[dkulp]

...agree with Jim Nealand here...   As many answers as people who answer, probably.    I am going for a "longer" display this year; probably around 30-35 minutes from the first song to the last.   People don't have to stay for the whole thing; they can go whenever they want to...   My two cents...   A lot of people shoot for something more on the order of 12-15 minutes max then loop that.

I have a longer show (45mins or so) as I don't really get much traffic (I don't do any advertising at all, just word of mouth).   However, I learned something this year that will invoke a change for next year:  many people will stop by to "catch a few tunes".   They may come back another day to catch a few more.   For many, it's roughly the same time each time they come(coming home from work, picking up kids from school, after some sport practice, etc...)  so if you run the SAME schedule every night, they see the same songs.    For next year, I'm going to have the playlist start at a different point each night so people that always come at 7pm will see different songs. 

[algerdes]

People with no traffic problems always think shows can be any length...lol.

Jim has it correct.  Many replies, many answers.

Gil is also correct.  I have a 40 car parking lot that we face the show towards.  Over the years we have had 6 songs (last year), 14 songs (the year before) and 12 for a couple years before that.  That is approximately 18 minutes, 42 minutes, and 36 minutes respectively.

With no traffic problems (we are on a park road, with entrance on one end and exit on the other of the parking lot), people usually stay until they see a song that they have already seen.  A few leave before it has gone through the complete cycle, and even more stay through several cycles (not counting the cars with fogged up windows).

Note that last year's show was the shortest. (We rebuilt the whole show, didn't get as many sequenced as I wanted to.)

"Exit Polling" found that they were all satisfied and told their friends.  (The car count last year was unbelievable for a small town show.)