FILM BALLOON LIGHTS OR LIGHTING BALLOONS (In the Entertainment industry.)

Lighting Balloons Bad Boys 2 / Photo Credit: Bruce Bisbey

FILM BALLOON LIGHTS OR LIGHTING BALLOONS (In the Entertainment industry.)  

Bruce Bisbey…please follow me at: https://dumbdogproductions.com/

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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