From Imagineering To Immersive: Scout Expedition Co. Answers Our Questions

All of us at HorrorBuzz are always excited when a new immersive experience is announced, so of course we jumped all over Scout Expedition Co.’s ‘The Nest’ when it went on sale. But to add to our excitement even more was the fact that the masterminds behind it, Jarrett Lantz and Jeff Leinenveber, have had a lot of experience in the realm of storytelling…not just with immersive experiences, but also with some of the most recognizable brands in the world.

Both Lantz and Leinenveber were kind enough to answer some questions for us about their previous work, and what to expect from Scout Expedition Co.

HORRORBUZZ: Tell us a bit about your backgrounds. Where did you both cut your teeth and learn the art of storytelling?

SCOUT EXPEDITION CO.: We began our careers at Walt Disney Imagineering, through the annual ImagiNations student design competition. Through the past seven years, we’ve worked together on events at WDI, incorporating our passion for immersive theatre whenever possible. We recently returned from living abroad in Shanghai, where we helped design and build Shanghai Disneyland. At Disney, Jarrett’s an architect and Jeff’s a graphic designer. It’s a bit of an odd combination of skill sets from which to form an immersive theater company, but our backgrounds have helped us greatly… how do you form space? How do you want to feel in that space? And how does that space want to be presented?

HB: So how do you go from working at Imagineering to creating an immersive theater company such as Scout Expedition Co.?

SCOUT EXPEDITION CO.: We’ve both been huge fans of immersive theatre ever since seeing Sleep No More in NYC. It combined everything we loved about themed entertainment design, video games, theatre, and film in a way that was really inspiring to us. After that, we sought out every immersive style show we could find: Then She Fell, The Drowned Man, The Grand Paradise, The Day Shall Declare it… you name it. Each show had its own unique interpretation of the format. After taking classes with Punchdrunk and working with the talented teams of Delusion and Third Rail Projects as scenic designers, we felt like it was time to begin producing our own shows from ideas we’ve been collecting over the years.

HB: What sort of stories will you be focusing on? Will the genre be specific to one thing, or all over the map?

SCOUT EXPEDITION CO.: As one of our core values when we branded ourselves as Scout Expedition Co., we wanted to explore all sorts of formats, genres and stories. So all over the map makes the most sense! We aspire to be a source of accessible entertainment and engaging storytelling first and foremost. Could our next show be lighthearted and comedic for all ages? Sure! We don’t want to restrict ourselves at this point.

In terms of “The Nest”, we wouldn’t define it as scary, but you’ll be exploring an unfamiliar space, in the dark, with only a flashlight. Plus, listening to old, scratchy audio cassettes – which is the main way we drive the story forward – can definitely make the hair on the back of your neck stand up. So, there’s an inherent creepiness to the experience of the show, but the content itself isn’t scary. Nobody is going to be chasing you with a chainsaw.

HB: Speaking of ‘The Nest’, how did the story for the evolve? Where did the idea come from?

SCOUT EXPEDITION CO.: The idea for the ‘The Nest’ came about by one of the challenges a lot of immersive theatre shows deal with: a lack of space. It’s difficult, especially when you’re first starting out, to find a location that can accommodate large-scale shows. But, although this started as a challenge, it turned into a great design opportunity to help build our show. The space we had available was relatively small, with limited electrical connections. Okay, so, working with that… how about we tell a story where the audience members go through a storage room, and they light their way with a flashlight? Ok great. That actually sounds really fun. And the rest of the details just flowed from there.

‘The Nest’ takes place entirely in a small storage room that belongs to a mysterious woman named Josie. We think there’s something very interesting in learning about a person solely through the contents they’ve amassed throughout their life without them being present. Collected memories, audio cassette diaries, notes, furniture… they provide the pieces to Josie’s story that you must connect together. And each audience member will come across different parts and pieces of the story. It’s that individual interpretation that really excites us and makes many immersive shows so special.

Jarrett & Jeff recording Mackenzie Firgens for THE NEST

HB: What are some of the skills that you learned from Imagineering that are coming in handy for this?

SCOUT EXPEDITION CO.: Immersive theatre is a very broad term that can be applied to so many forms of entertainment. In a way, Walt created one of the first immersive theatre playgrounds when he created Disneyland. The same feelings of inspiration and wonder we felt as kids when stepping into Adventureland for the first time were sparked again when seeing Sleep No More.

The main skill that we’ve learned at Imagineering is how to build a real space that audience members are going to walk through. It’s very different from film or TV production, where you can control the viewpoint of the observer. In theme parks – as in immersive theatre – every detail has to be perfect from every angle, since your audience is 2’ away from the sets, and they can look in any direction.

The other big takeaway is layered storytelling. Although you need to have a simple overall story, it’s vital to have layer after layer that audience members can really dig into. A great example is the Indiana Jones ride here at Disneyland. The overall story is that, in each scene, you’re going to be murdered by the temple god. That’s it. You can be of any age and speak any language and still understand this story just by going on the ride once. But, there’s so much additional depth that you won’t know unless you really start to dig in. Each scene represents a different visceral fear. Fear of the dark. Fear of bugs. Fear of heights. Each door in the queue – even just an emergency exit – has a story behind it. In the world of this ancient temple, where does this pathway lead? Who went down it? Did they make it through alive? We think that level of storytelling is so fun, both as a designer and as an audience member.

HB: And of course, since we all love it, we need to ask about your work on Delusion! What was that like?!

SCOUT EXPEDITION CO.: We’ve been big fans of Delusion since first seeing the show back in 2012. Although we love jump-scare walkthroughs like Knott’s Scary Farm, the way Jon Braver and team incorporated story and interactivity was refreshing. Delusion’s ability to build tension wasn’t seen before in a haunted attraction, whether it’s having to quietly steal a key from the necklace around a butcher’s neck, or hand cranking lights in the basement so that you’re not swallowed up by the darkness.

We first worked on Delusion “Lies Within” in 2014, as prop shoppers. Essentially, we were responsible for finding and purchasing many of the furniture pieces and countless small props that create the environments inside the mansion. For 2016’s show “His Crimson Queen,” we prop shopped and also formed half of the four-person scenic design team, led by a production designer and with lots of volunteer help of course! As scenic designers, we helped to conceptualize and design the various spaces you discover throughout the show. In short, it’s really about making sure every design decision ties back to Jon’s overall story. Which character lives in this space? Is it in ruin, or nicely kept? What does he or she hold dear? Do they have hidden secrets? Nothing wants to feel odd or out of place… unless of course, it’s supposed to stick out. Overall, Delusion was a great experience and we can’t wait to see their upcoming VR movie!

A big thank you to Jarrett Lantz and Jeff Leinenveber for taking the time to answer our questions. For more information on the Scout Expedition Co., visit them online at: http://www.scoutexpedition.co/