Can someone shoot 4K Front Row Tower of Terror Ride in Portrait mode?

Tower of Terror Theater

Active Member
Original Poster
So I have been working on a version of the Tower of Terror Basement Elevator recreation in my home. I have posted over 50 videos of the progress of this project on the Tower of Terror Youtube channel here.
I have not been able to find any 4K videos of the Tower of Terror ride sequence shot in portrait mode for use in video segments of my project. I believe portrait mode video would provide a better effect since as you can see in this clip starting at 2:12, I have a portrait mode TV used for special effects, and since I have no portrait mode video, the 16:9 video only uses a band of the available screen, and we simply added some video effects above and below the actual video to fill the screen which I find visually confusing.

I would greatly appreciate anyone willing to provide me with portrait mode video of the elevator ride portion of the TOT. All I would offer in return is my sincere appreciation, credit for you video in any Youtube videos that I post, and an invitation as an honored guest to the Tower of Terror Theater if you are ever in the Las Vegas area (just give me a months notice of visit).
 

thomas998

Well-Known Member
Are you walking about the actual drop sequence of the ride? If so I don't think you're going to have much luck as you aren't supposed to have cameras or anything out during that part it would be dangerous to yourself and anyone else on the ride since you might let go of said camera and then who knows who it would end up hitting.

If that is your goal then I think your best option would be if you could find a CM that works the ride and would be willing to strap a gopro to the side and get you one when the ride was closing at the end of the day... but even then they would risk getting fired for doing it.
 

Rodj

Well-Known Member
Are you walking about the actual drop sequence of the ride? If so I don't think you're going to have much luck as you aren't supposed to have cameras or anything out during that part it would be dangerous to yourself and anyone else on the ride since you might let go of said camera and then who knows who it would end up hitting.

If that is your goal then I think your best option would be if you could find a CM that works the ride and would be willing to strap a gopro to the side and get you one when the ride was closing at the end of the day... but even then they would risk getting fired for doing it.
Your statement is both wrong and right, depending on what version of the Tower @Tower of Terror Theater wants, the DHS version, you are completely allowed to film, its been that way for more than 10 years now. In the DCA version, it was sort of a mixed bag depending on what CMs were there. Paris, definitely not.
 

Tower of Terror Theater

Active Member
Original Poster
I have found conflicting information posted about whether it is allowed by Disney to film on the TOT ride. Of course it would make sense that Disney might publicly state the policy is no filming for liability reasons, but not enforce the policy. The fact is that there are many videos on youtube of the TOT ride including the drops in the elevator. I have found a professional videographer who will be going today to attempt to film with a camera the ride sequence, so I will post what happens.
 

Rodj

Well-Known Member
I have found conflicting information posted about whether it is allowed by Disney to film on the TOT ride. Of course it would make sense that Disney might publicly state the policy is no filming for liability reasons, but not enforce the policy. The fact is that there are many videos on youtube of the TOT ride including the drops in the elevator. I have found a professional videographer who will be going today to attempt to film with a camera the ride sequence, so I will post what happens.
I have never found a video of a CM at Florida's tower saying you can not film after 2006, when I was there last year, I filmed all 8 times I rode and no one said anything. They only really care about external lighting(I had my brightness turned down all of the way and my backlight turned down)
Just know that the drop sequence motion is delayed/off-sync with the audio that goes with it, it is about 3 seconds off on Foxtrot, and maybe 0.5 seconds off on Echo.
 

thomas998

Well-Known Member
Your statement is both wrong and right, depending on what version of the Tower @Tower of Terror Theater wants, the DHS version, you are completely allowed to film, its been that way for more than 10 years now. In the DCA version, it was sort of a mixed bag depending on what CMs were there. Paris, definitely not.
Only version I've ridden was the DCA version, I assumed they were all the same.
 

Tower of Terror Theater

Active Member
Original Poster
Uh Oh, paid a professional videographer 50% up front to film ride sequence and he had promised me to get it to me 3 days ago, and have no replies to emails and no communication. Last communication was that he was on the way to Disney.
 

Rodj

Well-Known Member
If you still need one, I am heading there at the start of May and might be able to try to get an alone ride at the end of the night.
 

Rodj

Well-Known Member
Rodj: Did you ever make it back to WDW and get portrait mode video of the ride? I am always updating, refining the video that I use in my project. Thanks!
Unfortunately not, due to opinions in my family about restrictions WDW has in place right now(especially with only being able to go to one park) the trip was pushed back to Spring of 2021 once my college semester ends.
 

Tower of Terror Theater

Active Member
Original Poster
Oh ic. I hope that I can get a really good low light camera and eventually go to WDW and go crazy taking high resolution images and video that I can use to replicate some of the props at TOT.
 

Kobe!!

Well-Known Member
Uh Oh, paid a professional videographer 50% up front to film ride sequence and he had promised me to get it to me 3 days ago, and have no replies to emails and no communication. Last communication was that he was on the way to Disney.
I'm not sure if you're serious or not.. I think you are?

Was it Patrick Spikes? smh.
 

Tower of Terror Theater

Active Member
Original Poster
No it was not the person you mentioned. I eventually did get a professional videographer to video the ride using a camera known for its low-light autofocus ability in portrait mode. I used a portion of this new video in the portion of project video displayed through the elevator door when the doors open to the hotel hall. The autofocus still struggles for a few seconds but eventually sharpens. You can see this at 5:04 in this video.

 

Tower of Terror Theater

Active Member
Original Poster
Can you believe that I did eventually make it back to WDW and got portrait mode 4K video taken from an ideal seating position only to discover that I had videoed it in slow motion mode. ........OMG
 

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