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Subject: Disney's "Up"
Date: Fri, 29 May 2009 00:32:31 -0400
From: "Steven Jones" <aeradeco(at)balloonhq.com>
Hey there, everyone. I posted a couple of photos from the Cincinnati
sneak preview screening of "Up" yesterday here on BHQ; for those of
you unfamiliar with it, we inflated 200 3' balloons on top of a local
theater to simulate the signature scene from the film.
After posting the photos, I honestly figured that was the highlight
of the event. All that was left now was the tear down and clean up,
right? I had no idea how wrong I was.
The local marketing firm who hired us to do the job gave us free
passes for the same sneak preview we were helping to promote, so my
family and I decided to go. After all, the movie was about balloons
to some extent, so I almost felt it would have been blasphemous to
pass it up! As other movie goers arrived that evening, many of them
noted the balloons (well really, how could you miss them?) But in
most cases, the kids looked up and pointed while the Moms and Dads
hurredly tried to scoop them up and get them inside to get seated.
Sure, people saw the balloons, but at that point they merely served
as a marker more than anything else.
Before the movie began, I honestly kind of separated myself so to
speak from the world of latex. I knew the balloons were going to be
used to float the main character Carl's house, but I figured that was
going to be the extent of the balloons' involvement in the story
(much like the Koons sculpture in "Night at the Museum II" ; it was
just kind of there in the film without any other purpose than comedic
effect).
I've never been more wrong.
The balloons in "Up" weren't just a punchline or a spectacle. The
artists at Pixar (and I mean "artists" in the truest sense of the
word) showed people that they could be so much more.
Balloons were used to represent Carl's dreams. Whether it was the
solitary floater Carl pretended was a zepplin when he was a child or
the hopes he and his wife Ellie shared for their future together,
balloons were always there.
They symbolized freedom too. When the world around him seemed to be
crushing his spirit, balloons gave Carl the ability to escape it. But
it was more than that; balloons allowed Carl to maintain a level of
control in his life as well, something that few elderly people are
able to maintain as they age.
And finally and possibly most importantly, balloons were commitment.
Touching moments in the film between Carl and Ellie were accented by
single helium balloons passed between them. Carl helped build their
lives together by selling balloons in the park. And finally, the
10,000 or so rounds attached to the roof of Carl's home were the
means to an end of fulfilling a lifelong promise to his beloved
bride, and one not only of reaching a destination, but never
forgetting that adventures never truly end but simply start anew.
It's easy sometimes for us as balloon professionals to lose sight of
things. For the past 30 days, balloons have honestly only meant one
thing to me....work! I have found myself so busy working longer and
longer days and getting less and less sleep that they had become a
chore. The only meaning to me as of late was that balloons were my
job, and while yes there were moments when I could be creative and
design new things, it was still at someone else's beck and call. I
was still under the gun, I was still not getting much sleep, and I
was still missing out on important moments in my family's lives. Yes,
all of this amounts to a nice payday when it's all over, but still.
They had become less and less fun for me.
But Disney did something in one night that we in this industry have
not been able to do as a whole for...well, possibly ever. They showed
300 or so people in the course of 100 minutes that balloons are far
more than just rubber bubbles tied to ribbon. They CAN be so very
much more, and if you keep reading, you'll understand why in a moment.
Aside from the balloon element to the film, it was just a fantastic
movie. Visually, the effects were astounding. I was floored at just
how lifelike they were able to make these animated balloons look. But
aside from that, from the littlest details to the broadest imagery,
the look of the film absolutely left me in awe. The funny parts
weren't just funny; they were hysterical. And at the same time there
were such touching moments in the film that there wasn't a dry eye in
the house. And the final moments of the film...well, if you don't at
least get choked up, I'd have to wonder if you even have a heart.
But here's what I was getting at before. As people left the theater,
the balloons were still on the roof. The marketing firm had hired
another company to highlight the cluster with a spotlight, and even
though it wasn't really dark yet, it drew people's attention back to
the roof and the balloons.
But this time, their reaction was VERY different. These balloons
weren't just a marker any more. People stood there in the parking lot
just gazing up at them, the same people who were rushing in to get
inside before were now just standing there watching a bunch of
balloons float around. Many of them were snapping pictures with their
phones, and even a few folks started tearing up at the sight of them.
Suddenly these grown ups were staring in amazement like little kids!
And at what? Just a big bunch of balloons.
It was at that very moment that I realized what had truly happened.
These people bonded so much with the film and the plight of Carl that
now balloons meant something totally different to them as well. Even
if it was for only a moment, each one of those people now saw
balloons in a completely different light. Sure, maybe some of them
were just admiring the spectacle of the mass, but the end result was
the same. Balloons MEANT something to them now.
Like I said before, 300 or so people were changed in one theater at
one showing. Imagine how many people are going to bond in their own
special way with balloons after this weekend...
And THAT is what we must do if we ever expect to truly change our
image as a whole in the event world. Sure, we always hear how
balloons represent emotion and fun and festivity, but over time it
can dull us as it's told to us over and over and over again. We all
need to look deep inside ourselves, rediscover that passion if it's
not bubbling on the surface and find a way to convey that kind of
energy and symbolism to the world. And if you need help doing that,
you MUST go see this film.
I really think that when this movie opens this weekend, there will be
a huge surge in interest in all aspects of balloons. And we owe it
all to an old man who spent his life vending balloons on a cart.
Thank you, Pixar. When the balloon industry needed a "stimulus
package", it got more than it ever could have asked for in "Up". And
while it will certainly serve as a financial boost for us, I for one
feel the emotional one I found from this film was worth so much more.
And with that being said, I am honored to have played even a small
part in the giant wheel of this movie. I truly am.
Steven Jones
AerationDecorations.com
AeraDecoVideo.com
FLOATtheconvention.com
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