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I posted a couple of photos from the Cincinnati sneak preview screening of "Up" recently 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 hurriedly 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.
Until next time....
Steven Jones
Aeration Decorations
AeraDecoVideo.com
FLOATtheconvention.com