Sequence & Lyrics Bonus Check

[Sequence]
Bonus Check

FREE SEQUENCE from Listen To Our Lights Talking Trees recreate the scene where Clark gets his "bonus check" in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation performed by Chevy Chase, Beverly D'Angelo, Randy Quaid, John Randolph, E.G. Marshall and Diane Ladd
Link to Sequence: Bonus Check - Christmas Vacation (Sequence and Lyrics).zip
Video Preview (2023):
Xlights Version: 2022.15 64-bit
Timing: 25 ms (40 fps)
Duration: 104.501

"Bonus Check - Christmas Vacation.xsq" - This file contains the xLights programming information for the sequence
xlights_rgbeffects.xml - This file contains the layout information for ListenToOurLights display
xlights_networks.xml - This file contains the network information for the ListenToOurLights display
Images/layout_guide.PNG - image describing xLights layout groups used to sequence this song

[Contact Info]
Sequence Author: John Storms
Email: listentoourlights@gmail.com
Youtube: http://youtube.com/listentoourlights <-- please subscribe
Website: Listen To Our Lights
Facebook: Listen to our Lights | Cedar Park TX

[Audio]
I don't share music. Below is information for how to purchase and edit the song to get the same mp3 file I used. I do NOT recommend people Google "youtube to mp3" and then downloading the mp3. Respect the work and efforts made by artists and purchase the media they have labored to produce.

Talking Trees recreate the scene where Clark gets his "bonus check" in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation performed by Chevy Chase, Beveryly D'Angelo, Randy Quaid, John Randolph, E.G. Marshall and Diane Ladd

How I created the audio file:
Ripped Christmas Vacation DVD to VOB files (Google it)
For each VOB file, Loaded into Audacity v2.3.3 with ffmpeg installed and exported as MP3.
Save as constant bit rate, 128kbps, joint stereo
VIDEO_TS/VTS_01_1.VOB -> VIDEO_TS/VTS_01_1.mp3
VIDEO_TS/VTS_01_2.VOB -> VIDEO_TS/VTS_01_2.mp3
VIDEO_TS/VTS_01_3.VOB -> VIDEO_TS/VTS_01_3.mp3
VIDEO_TS/VTS_01_4.VOB -> VIDEO_TS/VTS_01_4.mp3

Load VIDEO_TS/VTS_01_3.mp3 into Audacity v2.3.3
From 00h23m53.960s to 00h26m19.96
Trim audio outside of the selection (CTRL-T)
Move selection to 0 timing mark
Select All
Effect->Normalize: Normalize Peak amplitude to -1.0 db
Effect->Fade In: 00m00s (start) to 00m00.613s
Delete from 00m07.184s to 00m08.335s
Delete from 00m22.500s to 00m28.204s
Delete from 00m25.258s to 00m27.927s
Delete from 01m01.341s to 01m15.020s
Delete from 01m14.751s to 01m16.395s
Delete from 01m22.196s to 01m27.010s
Delete from 01m34.216s to 01m36.937s
Delete from 01m35.262s to 01m36.757s
Delete from 01m44.502s to 01m45.757s
Delete from 01m47.533s to 01m50.004s (end)
Effect->Fade Out: 01m46.625s to 01m47.522s (end)
Delete from 00m05.651s to 0m08.671s
Put mp3 file in the Audio subdirectory

Using Moises.ai | Mastering & Audio Extraction App powered by AI to break out tracks (Drums, Bass, Other)
Used moises.ai to help breakdown song.

<stub> beats per minute

Used Auto Lyrix Align to import the MP3 and Lyrics to generate a Audacity File .txt that was then directly imported into xlights as a timing track

[Layout Notes]
Display contains 2 megatrees with matrixes encircling the trunks, 13 white wire twig trees in a treeline, 9 reindeer and sleigh, pixel icicle lights, a mess of coro snowflakes, and a pixelized cactus.

See Images/layout_guide.PNG for layout information.
G1 - refers to the one car garage
G2 - refers to the two car garage
T1 - refers to the left side of the house (left peak and below)
T2 - refers to the middle part of the house (there's a bathroom here)
T3 - refers to the right side of the house (right peak and below)
_ - Group names start with underscore
Goto "Display Elements" and select "ListenToOurLights" view and set to be master view.

[Dependencies]
You may need to update the path information in certain effects (shader, picture, etc.). The following were used in this sequence:

None.

[Lyrics]

Clark: I can't believe it
Art: What is it? A letter confirming your reservation at the nut house?
Clark: My bonus.
(happy sounds)
Oh great!
Clark's Mom: Open it clarky open it!
Eddie: Yeah, I hope its a forture clark
Clark: I bet you do Eddie
Art: Are you going to bawl over it or are you going open it?
Clark: I was going to wait till tomorrow to tell you all this, but what the heck?
Clark: With this bonus check I'm putting in a swimming pool
(cheering)
Ellen: Oh Spark.
Clark: Thats it thats the big one
(happiness)
Ellen: Open it!
Clark: I'm sorry if I've been a little short with every one latley, its
Clark: I've been waiting for this bonus
Clark: To make sure the pool goes in as soon as the ground thaws
Clark: I had to lay out the money in advance and until this little miracle arrived I didn't have enough in my account to cover the check I wrote
Clark: If there is enough left over I'm going to fly you all down here to help us dedicate it.
(cheering)
Griswold Sr: Now he's talking.
Eddie: I can't swim clark.
Clark: sigh
Clark: I know that eddie
Clark: huh, ahhh, hey, oh
Ellen: Clark whats wrong? Honey?
(he he)
Ellen: Its bigger than you expected?
(Ellen laughing)
(Clark laughs)
Ellen: Smaller, what is it?
Clark:Its up to one year membership in the jelly of the month club.
Ellen: Oh god.
Eddie: Clark thats the gift that keeps on giving the whole year.
Clark: That it is Edward.


[Singing Tree]
Purchased "EFL Singing Tree" with star topper from EFL-Designs.com in December 2021.
Tree has 300 WS2811 bullet pixels and the star topper has 50 pixels for a total of 350 pixels.
Tree model was downloaded from EFL-Designs.com and Star model used xlights native star model.
Star model is configured as 1 string of 50 Nodes/String with 2 layers with an Outer to Inner Ratio of 2.62

[3D Model]
ArrowWood 4199578.obj/.mtl was created with SketchUp Pro 2021 version 21.0.339 64-bit (Free Evaluation) using a .skp file generated by Hover app as input.
squarebush*.obj/mtl was created using Blender v2.79b
bigtree.obj/mtl was created using Blender v2.79b
Defined ruler with G2 Garage width = 190.75"