FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How do I get the Indiana Ghostbusters to show up at my charity or event?
Inquiries about appearances can be sent to info at indianaghostbusters dot com or you can leave a comment on our website. We should get back to you within 24, but sometimes we get busy and it might take longer.
2. How much do you charge for an appearance?
The Indiana Ghostbusters is strictly a non-profit fan organization. As such we will never charge you for showing up at an event. We’re simply fans using a movie that we love to help out local charities and add a little flavor to Indianapolis. If you would like to compensate us for an appearance then we can discuss a donation to one of the many charities we support.
3. Why the Ghostbusters?
We were all huge Ghostbusters fans growing up, and we have yet to meet someone who doesn’t like the Ghostbusters. Basically we’re all living our childhood dream of being Ghostbusters when we grow up and helping out local charities and organizations while we’re at it.
4. How do I join you guys?
Any fan who has made their own costume is free to join our organization. We just ask that you at least have your uniform, easily the cheapest part of the costume, put together before joining us on an outing. This includes the flight suit, boots, custom name patch, arm patch, and utility belt. If a new recruit joins us on enough outings and becomes a regular member then we will look into assisting them with getting other props put together.
5. Can you guys make me a costume?
Unfortunately the cost of a screen-accurate Ghostbusters costume is prohibitive, and we don’t have the free time to make props for Halloween costumes etc. We will never sell parts or props either, as we are a non-profit organization that won’t ever attempt to make money off of Sony’s intellectual property.
If you are interested in making your own Ghostbusters costume then we encourage you to check out GBFans, easily the best resource on the web for Ghostbusters propping.
6. How much does all of that cost?
The short answer: too much.
The long answer depends on what materials you use and how much elbow grease and ingenuity you’re willing to put into a project. Buying a pack alone off of eBay will run you anywhere from $500-$1500 depending on how accurate the pack is, what lights and sounds it incorporates, and how close to Halloween you’re buying.
If you want to build a pack on your own then the cost can range from $100-$2000 depending on how much you want to spend and how much old-fashioned ingenuity you put into your pack. People have done excellent cheap packs with styrofoam, LED lighting from toys or auto supply stores, and a little Bondo. A pack made out of wood will probably run around $200 depending on how much scrap you have lying around your workshop. Vacuum forming a pack is cheap once you have molds set up, but the initial setup and building the table can be costly. Fiberglass is probably the most expensive building material, but also the sturdiest. Again, you have to have experience working with the materials.
The best way to build a costume is to start cheap and work your way up from there. Most of our costumes have been built up with little tweaks here and there over the course of years. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and there is no cheap and easy way to put together a costume unless you have a few thousand dollars you’re willing to blow on eBay.