Carson Williams
Encyclopedia
Carson Williams from Mason, Ohio
, is noted for his light shows using Christmas lights affixed to and around his house. The lights are programmed and synchronized to turn on and off with music using a computer application and set of controllers from the Light-O-Rama company. For each minute of animation synchronized to music, he spent approximately one hour to sequence 88 Light-O-Rama channels to control his 16,000 Christmas lights. His notability suddenly increased when a popular clip was widely circulated on the Internet in late 2005 showing a recording of one of his shows from 2004, accompanied by the track "Wizards in Winter" by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra
. An urban legend even developed that it was not a video of an actual light display, but faked on a computer.
With permission from both of his neighbors, he put on various displays each year at his home. Typical light shows ran between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. each night. Viewers heard the music on an FM broadcast
in their cars. This kept the speaker noise level down for his neighbors.
However, on December 6, 2005, Carson closed the light display indefinitely due to immense traffic congestion in his subdivision; there was a car accident in that area and police were unable to reach the site due to the heavy traffic that had built up.
Williams's Christmas display proved so popular that it was featured in a Miller Lite
beer
commercial in December 2005. In fact, the TSO song was so popular that many other individuals have used the same song in their own Christmas display.
A light show similar to Williams' "Wizards in Winter" was used in a commercial for the UK's National Lottery, although according to a press release the advertising campaign "was created by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO". No mention of Carson Williams' light show was made.
The advert can be seen on the tellyads.com website.
He has taken his Internet fame and started a custom animation lighting business. ConsarLights.com is a business to provide custom designed holiday lighting.
In November 2006, Williams decided to revive the display and move the show to Heritage Oak Park in Mason, Ohio. The show was converted into a "drive-through" style show and admission was charged on a per-car basis.
According to a promotional video, officials at the Northfield Stapleton Shopping Center found William's house lights video on the Internet and asked him to design a new show in Denver, Colorado, on a commercial scale. Created with Parker 3D, the show featured over 250,000 LED
lights drawing 150 ampere
s of electric current. It used several Trans-Siberian Orchestra songs, including "Wizards in Winter," "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24
" and "Christmas Canon". "Symphony In Lights" was a free show open to the general public that ran through the month of December 2006.
For 2007, Consar Lights programmed new light shows designed by Parker 3D for The Promenade Bolingbrook
in the Chicago Metropolitan Area, and the Yorkdale Shopping Centre
in Toronto.
Mason, Ohio
Mason is an affluent city in southwestern Warren County, Ohio, United States, 22 miles away from Cincinnati . As of the 2010 census, Mason's population was 30,712. Mason has experienced fast growth, with its historic Main Street remaining at the center of the community...
, is noted for his light shows using Christmas lights affixed to and around his house. The lights are programmed and synchronized to turn on and off with music using a computer application and set of controllers from the Light-O-Rama company. For each minute of animation synchronized to music, he spent approximately one hour to sequence 88 Light-O-Rama channels to control his 16,000 Christmas lights. His notability suddenly increased when a popular clip was widely circulated on the Internet in late 2005 showing a recording of one of his shows from 2004, accompanied by the track "Wizards in Winter" by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Trans-Siberian Orchestra
Trans-Siberian Orchestra is an American progressive metal band founded in 1993 by producer, composer, and lyricist Paul O'Neill, who brought together Jon Oliva and Al Pitrelli and keyboardist and co-producer Robert Kinkel to form the core of the creative team. Since then, TSO sold nearly 8...
. An urban legend even developed that it was not a video of an actual light display, but faked on a computer.
With permission from both of his neighbors, he put on various displays each year at his home. Typical light shows ran between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. each night. Viewers heard the music on an FM broadcast
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
in their cars. This kept the speaker noise level down for his neighbors.
However, on December 6, 2005, Carson closed the light display indefinitely due to immense traffic congestion in his subdivision; there was a car accident in that area and police were unable to reach the site due to the heavy traffic that had built up.
Williams's Christmas display proved so popular that it was featured in a Miller Lite
Miller Lite
Miller Lite is a 4.2% abv pale lager brand sold by MillerCoors of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Sibling beers include Miller Genuine Draft and Miller High Life.-History:...
beer
Beer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
commercial in December 2005. In fact, the TSO song was so popular that many other individuals have used the same song in their own Christmas display.
A light show similar to Williams' "Wizards in Winter" was used in a commercial for the UK's National Lottery, although according to a press release the advertising campaign "was created by Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO". No mention of Carson Williams' light show was made.
The advert can be seen on the tellyads.com website.
He has taken his Internet fame and started a custom animation lighting business. ConsarLights.com is a business to provide custom designed holiday lighting.
In November 2006, Williams decided to revive the display and move the show to Heritage Oak Park in Mason, Ohio. The show was converted into a "drive-through" style show and admission was charged on a per-car basis.
According to a promotional video, officials at the Northfield Stapleton Shopping Center found William's house lights video on the Internet and asked him to design a new show in Denver, Colorado, on a commercial scale. Created with Parker 3D, the show featured over 250,000 LED
Light-emitting diode
A light-emitting diode is a semiconductor light source. LEDs are used as indicator lamps in many devices and are increasingly used for other lighting...
lights drawing 150 ampere
Ampere
The ampere , often shortened to amp, is the SI unit of electric current and is one of the seven SI base units. It is named after André-Marie Ampère , French mathematician and physicist, considered the father of electrodynamics...
s of electric current. It used several Trans-Siberian Orchestra songs, including "Wizards in Winter," "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24
Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24
Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24 is an instrumental medley of "Carol of the Bells" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" first released on the Savatage album Dead Winter Dead in 1995 as "Christmas Eve ." It was re-released by the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, a side project of several Savatage members, on...
" and "Christmas Canon". "Symphony In Lights" was a free show open to the general public that ran through the month of December 2006.
For 2007, Consar Lights programmed new light shows designed by Parker 3D for The Promenade Bolingbrook
The Promenade Bolingbrook
The Promenade Bolingbrook is a open-air shopping center in Bolingbrook, Illinois, a southwest suburb of Chicago. It opened on April 26, 2007, at the intersection of Boughton Road and Interstate 355. Anchor tenants include Bass Pro Shops and Macy's. It is owned and operated by Forest City...
in the Chicago Metropolitan Area, and the Yorkdale Shopping Centre
Yorkdale Shopping Centre
Yorkdale Shopping Centre is a large shopping mall in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It contains over 250 stores and is located in the community of Downsview, in North York. It is the fifth largest shopping mall in Canada and also enjoys the highest sales per square foot of any mall in Canada, with...
in Toronto.
External links
- Christmas in Lights From Snopes
- Carson Williams' custom animation web site
- The official Light-O-Rama site
- Videos of the 2005 performance, the 2006 performance, and interviews
- Lotto advertisement very similar to the Wizards in Winter light show, November 2006
- Carson Williams and Parker 3D Symphony In Lights 2006 at Northfield Stapleton Shopping Center in Denver Colorado with interviews and behind-the-scenes
- Cincinnati Enquirer 2006 article
- TV interview with Williams
- Radio interview with Carson Williams