I found a supplier of collapsible nylon Chinese lanterns -- more durable and less flammable than paper -- that are still pretty inexpensive. The wire bracket that holds the light socket and expands the lantern is pretty flimsy, though -- I had to reinforce it with gaffer's tape. I'll try to find the link and post it here.

Also, consider using daylight-balanced compact fluorescent bulbs rather than tungsten, to reduce the fire hazard.

I have one of these latern lock lights and it works very nicely. Fits c-stand.

http://www.lanternlock.com/

Check out Chimera Lanterns. More expensive than paper, but much safer. I have the 20" version and it's quite good. It comes with a Velcro-on cover for 1 or 2 sides. Light weight enough to be attached to an extend-able painters pole for "walk-and-talk" shots.

http://www.chimeralighting.com/

shooting music video...

The AirStars are indeed helium balloons with professional lights installed. They come in Tungsten and HMI models.

These use a significant amount of helium, so a large tank is necessary for a shoot.

Their flying height is limited by the weight of the electrical cord. In most cases they will fly high enough to do the job, but do not expect to fly them to heights of 200'.

Helium is not cheap. Once they are filled (expanded) they become more than 6' in diameter, so storing them overnight in a small trailer is not really feasible, unless you partially deflate the balloon.

Last November a very large hot dog bun shaped one was used on a movie set in our area. It gave a very nice light to a large outdoor area. They used two large Mambo Combo c-stands to hold the balloon. It got pretty dicey when we had some unexpected strong gusts of wind.

One thing I've found that works around a moving China ball, and the skirt always rotating:
Attach a piece of fishline to the top of the ball, and the other end to the boompole. Now it's not going to rotate on you. Maybe use a #1 clip on the ball, and gaff tape on the pole.

I often wonder why people put the lamp inside the 'china ball' - read 'ikea $5 regolit' - chinese lantern?


I have had loads of success externally firing two snooted 1k OF - or 800 reds into them - diametrically opposed or to taste

best soft lighting around :)

regarding earlier post - tethered helium filled party baloons hold 'em up nicely too

they also work nice for off camera flash for stills work

That'd work. It depends on what kind of lighting you are doing, and how many directions you need to be able to see on a given shot and/or over the course of the shoot. A china ball hung from the ceiling with a well-dressed cable will deliver 360 degrees of light and shooting flexibility, while the bouncing method might require moving the heads if they show up in a given shot. For a dinner scene for example, you would have the flexibility to shoot anywhere around the table without having to relight with an internally-lit china ball.

Hey Charles, how you doin', I haven't been on the board much lately.



Another tip (thank God for Ikea), concerns the tall cylindrical white lampshades they have - great for snoot bouncing.

Doing good John, what's kept you away from us...?! Busy shooting, hopefully?

Ah yes work work work :)

Joyfully anticipating the arrival of my new Tosh 1080p 24p LCD TV, the Sanyo Z3 projector had to go too expensive on the lamps.