Date: Sat, 5 Apr 1997 10:09:17 -0500 (EST) From: Larry Moss To: Balloon Twister List Subject: Review: Balloon-gineering - Vol I Balloon-gineering - The Art of Designing and Constructing Balloon Sculptures by Royal Sorrell, CBA and Patty Sorell, CBA Balloon Designs with a Twist! VHS, 70 minutes $30 for Vol I or $75 for Vols I-III Patty and Royal Sorell, after many years of showing off their balloon work and talking about writing a book, have decided to produce the "Balloon-gineering" series of videos. The first three are out or being released soon. An estimated six more are in the planning stages. I just received a review copy of Volume I - "The Basics". This is a fairly complete introduction to the art of balloon twisting. It is not, however, your standard introduction. As pointed out on the tape, many people have many different styles, and many other references exist to teach them. The focus is on material and accessories that Patty and Royal use - not on material that appears in every other beginner work on balloons. This volume is about the basics. You could start with no knowledge of balloons and walk away with a reasonable base to build on. It does not try to teach specific sculptures, although a few of the most basic ones are provided as examples. If the video doesn't cover what others teach, you're probably wondering what it does teach. For starters, it's aimed at the person that wants to twist balloons for profit. It gets right into what equipment, and even what clothing you'll want to consider before setting out for a long day of ballooning. It discusses the different types of balloons on the market that you may want to use for your creations. It explains how to make a few of the most common twists. Unlike most other books and videos on balloon twisting in my collection, this video is fairly high quality. I was happy to see how clear the sound was. It's priced the same as other videos on the market, and the fact that the Sorells have demonstrated an interest in producing videos of high quality has won me over. While the information provided on the tape is usually easy to follow, it is quite clear that Royal has never performed for a camera before. Those cases where he looks uncomfortable or rambles uncontrollably, are mildly distracting. Those that have seen Royal in person are familiar with his usual banter and are used to his rambling. That, in itself isn't a problem. The problem stems from not having a live audience responding to him. He isn't aware of when he's gone to far. Every so often he also starts talking about something that isn't on camera. I rather expect that Royal will get more comfortable in front of the camera with later tapes. The biggest shortcoming of the video is that it doesn't stand alone. At 70 minutes, this tape is longer than most balloon videos I've encountered, but it doesn't even begin to scratch the surface of what can be done with balloons. This isn't entirely bad. Given that this is the first tape in a series, I feel that the chosen content is quite appropriate. I expect, however, that a beginner will be left wanting some guidance on how to make a few figures. The base to build on is provided, but a newcomer to the art can benefit from some examples. Based on conversation with the Sorells, the future tapes will solve this problem. For now, a beginner purchasing volume I of the series might want an additional tape or book to work with. The experienced balloon hobbiest that doesn't have a great deal of performing experience will probably benefit from the quick start view of performing with balloons. The basic twisting information for beginners is only a small portion of the tape. Experienced performers are probably less likely to glean much useful material from the video. Overall, I like the quality and content of the video and recommend it to beginning balloon twisters, provided they're willing to purchase a companion video or book, or patient enough to wait for volume II to be released. To order, contact: Royal and Patty Sorell Balloon Designs with a Twist! Peabody, MA, USA psorell@star.net http://www.star.net/People/~psorell