Lighting Balloons Bad Boys 2 / Photo Credit: Bruce Bisbey
FILM BALLOON LIGHTS OR LIGHTING
BALLOONS (In the Entertainment industry.)
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Film balloon lights or lighting balloons.
Balloon lights (also called lighting balloons) are a
specialized type of luminaire used primarily for lighting in the motion picture
industry, night highway construction, incident management, and public security
applications such as police checkpoints. These luminaires typically consist of
one or more high-intensity lamps surrounded by a translucent fabric balloon.
The balloon acts as a diffuser to soften and disperse the light. The upper
portion of the balloon sometimes has a reflective inner coating to direct more
of the light downward. Some commercial products use a blower to expand the
balloon, while others have an umbrella-like internal wire frame. The device is
essentially an industrial version of a Japanese paper lantern.
The lighting balloon was first patented in Germany on
October 26, 1924 (patent #427894). Until the 1990s, several patents were
issued, although the application was utilized very little in Western countries.
The lighting balloon industry has been greatly modernized by the company
Airstar.
Airstar
In 1994, Pierre Chabert and Benoit Beylier, founder
of Airstar, a French company based in Grenoble (Isère), created a balloon
light, a self-supporting spacelight suspended in a helium-inflated balloon. It
is ideal for interiors or exteriors where rigging is a problem. One of the
first movies ever lit with this kind of system, which was supplied by Airlight
Industries, was Titanic, directed by James Cameron. Later they were used in the
Opening Ceremony of the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, the lighting set for
Pirates of the Caribbean, Rang De Basanti, Sivaji, Avatar, Singapore Grand Prix
and the Vancouver Olympics.
Airlight Industries
In 1995, entrepreneur Julian Del Valle of Newport
Beach, California discovered AIRSTAR lighting balloons at a private event
demonstration in Los Angeles. He created Airlight Industries to become the
first distributor of Airstar lighting balloons in the United States with the
intent of using them in the film industry. Del Valle represented Airlight
Industries with Airstar products at Show Biz Expo 1995. At the show, he met
director of photography and gaffer Tony Nakonechnyj, and supplied him with
AIRSTAR balloons for Disturbing the Peace. That was the first use of a lighting
balloon on a motion picture set in the United States. It was immediately
followed by supplying all lighting balloons on the set of Titanic, aiding
Russell Carpenter in winning the Academy Award for Cinematography.
Available Light
In 1996, Available Light becomes the first company to
introduce lighting balloons to the film and television market on the East Coast
of the US. Available Light also decided to require operators for their
balloons, becoming the first company in the United States to do this. In making
this decision, Available Light created the category of Lighting Balloon
Technician. They choose Airstar balloons, and introduce them to the East Coast
market in film, television and commercials. The business is a perfect complement
to the company that is an industry leader in specialized lighting for these
markets.
Sourcemaker
Peter Girolami purchased Airlight Industries in 2001
and reopened as Sourcemaker with the goal of creating custom lighting balloons
for the film industry. Girolami rented the purchased lighting balloons but
experienced difficulties purchasing replacement parts from Airstar because of
bad payments. Girolami then began to manufacture his own replacement parts. He
researched new materials and laminates to create a softer quality of light that
is UV protected to prevent yellowing of the balloon envelopes. He also
developed the cube and rectangle-shaped lighting balloons with new durable
materials and the first helium-tight internal reflector to help control
ambiance on film sets. The new shape allowed the cinematographer and gaffer to
black out any side by attaching lightweight materials. Gaffer Russ Engels used
the first cube-shaped lighting balloon.
Ballonlamp
Ballonlamp was founded in 2009 in Budapest Hungary.
The company focused the work area space-lighting with any working condition. (Indoor/outdoor
useable, heavy duty structure, all voltage range 12/24VDC 110/240VAC 400VAC)
Novo Lighting
Novo Lighting was founded in 2012 by Dylan Paul and
Joern Novotny in Vancouver BC Canada. Novo Lighting provides balloon lights in
tube, spherical and cloud shape to the local film industry in Vancouver and
British Columbia. The balloons are manufactured by Texxocom owned and operated
by Fabian Friedrich.
Balloon shapes
- Spherical and near-spherical is the most common variety. The shape of the units demonstrate wind resistance…
- Cubic - cuboid balloons with rigging points at the corners, "Diamond series by Airstar", "Ceilair by Airstar", useful for cutting the light with reflector panels…
- Tube - cylindrical shape, with a more "directed" light. Airstar…
- Cloud - Grip balloon, low profile tuboid. Intended to semi-block the sun. Used by grips…
- Blimp - Elongated shape provides a steadier platform for lighting. Arizona Balloons…
References & Credits: Google, Wikipedia, Wikihow, WikiBooks,
Pinterest, IMDB, Linked In, Indie Wire, Film Making Stuff, Hiive, History
Channel, Film Daily, New York Film Academy, The Balance, Careers Hub, The
Numbers, Film Maker, TV Guide Magazine, Blurb, Media Match, Quora, Creative
Skill Set, Chron, Investopedia, Variety, No Film School, WGA, BBC, Daily
Variety, The Film Agency, Best Sample Resume, How Stuff Works, Studio Binder, Career
Trend, Producer's Code of Credits, Truity, Production Hub, Producers Guild of
America, Film Connection, Variety, Wolf Crow, Get In Media, Production Beast, Sony
Pictures, Warner Bros, UCAS, Frankenbite, Realty 101, Careers Hub, Screen Play Scripts,
Elements of Cinema, Script Doctor, ASCAP, Film Independent, Any Possibility, CTLsites,
NYFA, Future Learn, VOM Productions, Mad Studios, Rewire, DP School, Film
Reference, DGA, IATSE, ASC, MPAA, HFPA, MPSE, CDG, AFI, Box Office Mojo, Rotten
Tomatoes, Indie Film Hustle, The Numbers, Netflix, Vimeo, Instagram, Pinterest,
Metacritic, Hulu, Reddit, NATO, Mental Floss, Slate, Locations Hub, Film
Industry Statistics, Guinness World Records,
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Lighting Balloons Bad Boys 2 / Photo Credit: Bruce Bisbey
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