How To Build A DIY Balloon Light | Cinematography Techniques

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[@wilcornejo]

Wow brilliant, what can I say about this project. You nailed it, my name is Frito I'm the technical advisor @ Airstar for 18 years in North Hollywood. Trough out the years I have seen lots of DIY balloons lights and I can tell you that yours is just amazing. Looks up tear aid type A it works like a charm for bringing your 2 materials together much better seal. Great job!

[@airstaramerica5614]

Great tip! 🙌

[@teenisteenis9642]

liar

[@alexanderramsay7992]

Please spend an extra $15 on a cheap soldering iron to prevent one good tug from turning your $300 DIY Balloon Light into a $300 DIY Balloon Dark.

[@TheGalacticWest]

I wish I had the drive to frame a comment.

[@UpperState]

It just turns into a scrim/negative fill! lol

[@kphillipsmusic]

“Balloon dark”😆

[@bthemedia]

Suggest adding silver or black foil to the inside top piece to prevent light pollution/waste going up and out.

[@alexanderramsay7992]

Using mylar (like a space blanket) as the top half would be a great way to maximise output where you need it!

[@jasonlangheine1295]

Literally what I came to the comments to say. Adhere some mylar to the top piece. It'd be easier to do on the outside probably, but better light efficiency on the inside.

[@Riverrockphotos]

great idea but much more weight and I don't think it would have floated. But could just fill with air then secure it somehow.

[@Riverrockphotos]

@@alexanderramsay7992 Yes this is a much better idea. Wonder if it would hold onto the bottom part?

[@YeagerFilm]

That light is epic. 💯

[@NateandNoahTryLife]

Loving the production value on these. Your animations are great!

[@thegospelgangster]

This is gold. Thanx guys. Definitely will try this!

[@davisfan]

This is one of the most original lighting tutorials out there! thank you and great work

[@RichJohannsen]

Thanks a million. You're killing the DIY game!

[@rickredmond3953]

Thanks for doing what you do. :) As always, well done.

[@jej3films]

What an awesome DIY light!

[@luishfims]

That was an awesome build and damn that was bright!

[@arantesFilms]

Brilliant idea. Loved it

[@benaycock1646]

I love the diy videos. Super inspirational to build my own stuff

[@justinburgan]

Super rad concept to execution!

[@aujax1]

awesome job. love it!

[@nturner2176]

Love that intro. Well shot!

[@VillaFilmProductions]

Keep up the good work brother. Helping me improve my cinematography skills.

[@NB_FILMMAKING]

Awesome guys you are the best !!!

[@HusseinDiasofficial]

Thank U chief Its amazing

[@BillStreeter]

I love this, good job!

[@BooneLovesVideo]

So good.

[@adepew]

Awesome work!

[@bryanemurphy]

Super COOL!!!

[@krisztianvalentinsutko]

That's so cool man thanks.

[@nyctiphaes]

brilliant idea

[@sdouglas9690]

AWESOME!!!

[@walterashley149]

Was looking for one I saw last year of a weather type balloon with an LED flashlight in it just hauled up a tree by a thin rope to recreate the moon for a party, but this is also amazing!!! Instant Subscription!

[@MsRobstar]

Great project 👍🏾

[@user-oq1df2pp5c]

"it's beautiful" yeah!

[@BrightsideBLVD]

Dude I was just watching creed 2 last night in the beginning scene rocky and Adonis were talking before the first fight. I’m more than sure they used a balloon light seeing how it was a 360 camera dialogue shot. Awesome to see this video the next day!

[@NeonDarkShadow]

Great video! Super useful DIY build. Though I think you should definitely rig a dimmer into this balloon.

[@DancehallIG]

That was awesome

[@ekphotography]

Nice as usual!!TX

[@Claymoretrax]

Amazing!!

[@Cdaprod]

I LOVE IT

[@KBGismyname]

Awesome!

[@Harshinstinct]

This is so dope

[@cypresssoundz1223]

great job🎥💪🏼👍🏼

[@Democratese]

Great build. Ill probably scale this down to a one shower curtain and single quad LED strip. Make a tube light.

[@airstaramerica5614]

Thanks for the mention, Shutterstock / Todd Blankenship! Great tutorial and nice work. Let us know if you ever want to try an Airstar balloon light for an upcoming project! 👏👏👏

[@shutterstocktutorials]

Of course! I've always looked at your products with great admiration :-). Also, that sounds great, I'll have my people call your people.

[@maartenfilms7631]

Nice one!! Heat shrink tubing might be a bit of a saver way than electrical tape. Other than that, absolutely sweet job mate!!

[@FrankNazario]

very cool project bro... very cool!

[@shengyuanhsuphotography7255]

Really Goodddd DIY video

[@limitlessvibes2207]

that is coooooool ...

[@KTMR3130]

Try a bleached muslin as the exterior along w/ the frost cloth. Also a reflective interior would bring some dope texture.

[@lexilovespau]

I like colors of this video.

[@Noealz]

thats pretty cool

[@rchobby8892]

300 is cheap comparing to what they charge for one so thank you this is amazing

[@raylavers4216]

nice man!

[@jinji122]

Good DIY

[@STGFilmmakers]

Pretty good brotha 😎

[@DominusFeles]

Next we want a tutorial on those graphics 😁

[@msf1967]

Faster option for joining the plastic seems: 'Heat n Bond' Iron-on Adhesive (Super Strength would be best). It's fairly cheap at $1.26 for ¾ in x 8 yds (WalMart). It's used for joining fabric typically, like hemming pants, but I've used for other things, too. You would use the iron like you did but would not have the long wait of the melting plastic. It's also extremely light weight which would be much lighter then using a glue product.

[@tonyramirez9965]

awesome

[@darrinlalla9008]

Great idea. Minus the helium, you may be able to string the lights and diffusion to get the same effect. More rigging but less helium!

[@shutterstocktutorials]

Yeah, as stated in the vid, definitely don’t bother with helium.

[@brentseizer1019]

An idea that I got from this, was to use multiple shower curtain liners. 32 actually. 16 for the bottom layer. 4 across and 4 down. 16 for the top layer. 4 across and 4 down. Use LED strips that allow the colors to change in some rotation. Glue the back side of the LED strips to the top layer. Seal the edges of the two layers. Attach ropes to the corners of this giant 24ft X 24ft square light pillow. Fill with helium. This will be the expensive part. Float it above the dance floor of the outside patio. Now you have a multi-colored light show above the dance floor. When done, you can roll it up, and put it in a large nylon laundry bag for storage, and use it for next year. Im getting more and more excited as I think about this.

[@lawrenceanthony8187]

so fun

[@BrotherCalebMusic]

Legit God Bless

[@zimtt1276]

You might want to try a hair straightener/curling iron for seam sealing. I use a flat one for sealing mylar projects from old coffee bags, etc. I just found it at a thrift store. Try to find one with temp adjusting. If it's too hot, try cutting 2 strips of teflon, from a grilling mat, used for bbq, to diffuse the temp. Clamp together for 1 second and you get a beautiful seam. It takes some experimentation, but once you get your temp right, its perfect. Thanks for sharing this project.

[@mirkozohren1139]

I'm pretty sure there is some sort of glue that has galvanising properties you can use instead of ironing. Similar to the glue used for bike tire fixing.

[@ALonesomeStreet]

Mirko Zohren epoxy 👌

[@Lucky-tf4yf]

I think you should use space balanket on led side it gonna give you more power

[@FrankNazario]

"space blanket" "emergency blanket" .... you can find them at the dollar store and they are AWESOME reflecting light!!!!

[@risbill1]

You could possibly get some pallet bags and just add some diffusion on the inside. They are pretty cheap and probably much easier to replace if it gets damaged.

[@reddanselmo8781]

Wow! It actually works! Great job!

[@jacobchristianglover3655]

Essential oils in the iron... Todd I'm there!!! Another great tutorial, very entertaining, and really glad the build worked out. Todd, Logan, Robbie, and Mike really fine job!!! Logan you sure do heal fast :-) Be well and stay encouraged Gentlemen!!!

[@YoungBlaze]

I may use the oil on my clothes, so that way i smell good for the hoes

[@talashtv3734]

liked n subscribed :)

[@neeraj.deshani]

Salute

[@emulatorretro]

or make a DIY crane boom from pvc and attach a 4x6 diffused rig, to save on helium.

[@shutterstocktutorials]

As stated in the vid I don’t recommend using helium at all. Just fill it with air and pulley it up using the ropes.

[@emulatorretro]

@@shutterstocktutorials i was thinking of maybe getting 3 punching ballons and then inert them into a vinyl sack like thing, sorry was just trying to give tips. I didnt to come off sounding dickish. :D

[@fidasyarief9361]

Hi, what’s the apps that you use to check the lux? Thanks!!

[@BLUSTONINC]

Awesome tutorial bro! What app are you using to meter the 6k lux in your phone? Thanks!

[@Taffafilms]

yeah just wondering the same here...

[@SnahLhug]

This needs to be answered.

[@akiraryuu2499]

that is Illuminati meter

[@BLUSTONINC]

@@akiraryuu2499 Thanks ;)

[@cbu5574]

it might not be a leak, helium permeates through different materials at different rates. it might just be faster through the pvc curtain.

[@terryrhuebottom]

Now I don't know if this would work but would a bag resealer work to fuse the pieces together?

[@aleksanderwicherski8145]

Hi! Great stuff! Could you share the setup on the lighting setup in the studio and which lens you used? Many thanks!

[@shutterstocktutorials]

Sure! It was shot on a BMPCC4k With a Tokina 11-16. I had a quasar tube on either side of me, and I shot an arri 1k into an ultra bounce set up as a book-light with some diffusion. I think there's a litepanel 1x1 LED fixture behind me for backlight as well.

[@aleksanderwicherski8145]

@@shutterstocktutorials Thank you! I love your studio setups!

[@shutterstocktutorials]

@@aleksanderwicherski8145 Thanks so much! Been trying to dial it in.

[@sobatnganggur5672]

8:47 What apps do you use? i need to check my led strip to

[@shutterstocktutorials]

I have a light meter called an Illuminati Light Meter - it has an app that connects via bluetooh. Highly recommended. Love mine.

[@evang0127]

new to your channel! Really impressive. I liked your animations, what program did you use to create them?

[@shutterstocktutorials]

Thanks so much! That’s all made in after effects.

[@ashhoque5393]

mate, i love your acting when you say "its beautiful" have you ever considered acting?!!!!!

[@austinecrow]

You're too good for us Todd. We don't deserve you.

[@murillontra]

why filmmaking graduation when you can simply binge watch this channel

[@JWS1968]

You could have just bought an 'airbed' like those that you use for camping a big double one. Yea you'd need to cut it open turn it inside-out to install the LEDs then turn it outside-in and re-seal the opening but it would definitely save time with the iron. Never heard of these before, does the balloon amplify the light output somehow?

[@JWS1968]

Scratch that, getting a translucent one ain't happening. HAHA.

[@rokpodlogar6062]

damn, that intro. you could be an actor. :)

[@DIYCameraGuy]

Maybe use mylar on top to keep from losing light out of the upper part of the balloon. Awesome build.

[@shutterstocktutorials]

Interesting, mylar is not a bad idea. Then the question would be how to attach the shower curtain to the mylar in an airtight way.

[@adepew]

@@shutterstocktutorials Maybe a thicker black shower curtain for the top?

[@saschathiede]

Looks nice but I don't think the wiring is save. Especially for LED strips with 190 watts you should solder on the cables instead of jut twisting the wires. Also are the cables from the main voltage open. That could be deadly. Also you could cnsider to make it dimmable usig a motor speed controller.

[@Von_McKnelly]

Thanks Todd.....I was explaining to my girlfriend last night while watching a movie together that the scene in the forest was lighted by a balloon light. She asked, "what's a balloon light?" So now I'll be cutting up her shower curtains in an effort to show her. If I get into trouble for cutting up her shower curtains I'll tell her it's Todd's fault. Hope you're okay with that.

[@shutterstocktutorials]

I accept my responsibility.

[@ksmithrn2402]

Could you use a floaty bed filled with helium as the primary floating ballist and then under that on the ground facing side mount your led lights and then place you shower curtain (diffusion film) over that?

[@shutterstocktutorials]

Very interesting idea. That would be a solid way to make a slightly smaller version. I would also just use air, and bypass the helium altogether.

[@HOboXWARRIOR]

Not sure if these LED/drivers have something to correct for it, but usually LEDs are polarity sensitive, they wont work if you have pos and neg wires reversed, just something to try if yours wont work

[@benjaminmartin7588]

It really is an awesome build !!! Do you think adding a vaguely reflective or white surface on the LED side (like aluminium foil or even simply a white surface like fabric) could further improve the light output ? Or would it start being too heavy/complex/expensive ? (Thought about white paper and then pictured a potential paper cut on the shower curtain and thought "meh...")

[@shutterstocktutorials]

Thanks!! I thought about a bunch of that sort of stuff, the main thing is the material has to be super light, and super airtight (and at-least somewhat strong). The airtight part is what I found most difficult when trying to think of a material.

[@benjaminmartin7588]

@@shutterstocktutorials And I imagine that adding the reflective material to the airtight shower curtain would have weighted too much to lift off.

[@shutterstocktutorials]

@@benjaminmartin7588 That would be my thinking - but I'm sure there is something that exists that would be reflective and light - I just don't know what that is

[@GeoffreyInsch]

@@shutterstocktutorials The only thing I could think of would be the foil that they make balloons out of? But your light seemed to put out plenty of power without it. Really impressed.

[@TobiasEnevoldsen]

First aid foil blankets perhaps. Its strong, large and light.

[@muhammadaljabi1670]

Nice work man, thanks alot Please how did you do the hand drowning animation effects!!? 🤔

[@DiceDragondnd]

that app for measuring the light value? What's the name of the app?

[@Westwardeast]

Rad! Have you thought about putting a space/ emergency blanket on the top to give you some light direction and cut down on the overspill?

[@Shmojoe14]

Ryan Hamilton that’s a good idea like an internal reflector?

[@emyyap921]

How do you plug/seal the valves..sorry I missed that

[@tihzho]

Banggood.com is a great resource for these things. They're good I use them all the time!

[@MatthewGore]

So, often these shower curtain liners are made of PVC, which is the same thing that a lot of home plumbing pipes are made of... and there's PVC glue you can get to cold-weld them together (like melting them together). Using a few lines of that stuff would save you a lot of time and not add much weight (and save you weight around your valves), and would probably be more reliable than melting plastic with an iron.

[@shutterstocktutorials]

Ah, very interesting - thanks for the input, will certainly look into this. Trust me if there’s any way around the lengthy ironing process I’m all for it!

[@MatthewGore]

@@shutterstocktutorials Actually, it looks like I haven't purchased a shower curtain liner in a long time :-) They're not usually made of PVC anymore (poison out-gassing problems, I guess). They're made from PEVA instead, so there's probably a different solvent cement for it (or maybe the same stuff will work, I don't know). A quick google search reveals that 3M™ Scotch-Weld™ 8010 will do the job.

[@abisai_photography]

A flat iron and maybe some flex seal would help

[@jordandouglas8838]

2:52 How did you do that cord animation?

[@codymarian_]

I think rubberhose ae plugin

[@vernardfields7044]

How do you make it bug proof? Is it even possible? Maybe treat it with a bug repellant?

[@joehorner2488]

What if you used white ball pit balls and slid them down a strip of leds? while it wont float, they would hang well.

[@GadgetAddict]

It's cool but the adhesive on those LED strips won't hold for long :(

[@divisionoflabor3070]

flexible glue

[@KnowControlProductions]

But can it be used multiple time? I feel like life span of the shower curtains would give out or the the LEDs would lose its stickiness after you fold it up and unfold it a few times? Im curious?

[@shutterstocktutorials]

The adhesive is actually really strong. I'm not too sure about the lifespan though. My thinking is that it would probably be usable multiple times, if you're careful - especially not to puncture it. At the very least though you'll always have a really bright flexible LED panel.

[@TroyHallBear]

what was the meter you used to measure the light output?

[@shutterstocktutorials]

I have a light meter called an Illuminati light meter and it has an app that works with it via Bluetooth- highly recommended!

[@LarsKiel]

👍

[@BadKarma714]

You could of used a bike tube Repair kit and patch it with the glue it would work I think to keep the air plugs in.

[@shutterstocktutorials]

good idea!

[@YoungBlaze]

@@shutterstocktutorials ay whut up pimp!