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trixy Veteran user sweden 320 Posts |
What are the best dvd to learn how to do balloon animal?
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Leland Inner circle St Louis 1180 Posts |
Anything by "Buster Balloon" AKA "Don Caldwell". They are a bit advanced but well worth the time and effort put into it.
To start twisting, visit you tube, lots of free stuff there.
Life of Magic!
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Bosco J. Elite user New York 462 Posts |
Trixy,
Of all the DVDs I own on balloon twisting (I have over 20+), Twist with Sam Vol.1+2 and 3 are the two that has some of the most useful models (relatively easy) and clearest teaching for a beginner to moderate level twister. http://www4.mailordercentral.com/tmyersm......dept=227 Volume 1+2 are on one DVD which start from the basics on balloon animals to a bit more elaborate ones. All clearly taught. Sam has a bit of an accent but over the shoulder camera shots and good teaching makes it pretty easy to follow. At around $25, it includes instructions for over 40+ models. Volume 3 has some very nice, more difficult multi-ballloon models. All very useful to have in your repertoire. They're worth checking out. Bosco |
preston eakins Regular user battle creek, michigan 184 Posts |
There are a few threads asking this same question
but I have to agree twisting with sam is good you also have balloon magic made easy 1,2 and 3 I forget right off hand but one is called balloon magic then it got changed to balloon sculpting made easy the balloon-geneering is a great series too but one thing I hate and maybe I should start a new thread about. is getting a dvd and the person teaches while in character I find it annoying due to the fact I feel they are making the video for adults who twist not the 5 year olds they are twisting for. so please talk to the camera like you talk to an adult does anyone else feel this way ??? |
BigSmile Veteran user 367 Posts |
I also have started with Sam. And I like his sytle.
Here a link to his online course: http://www.balloontwistingwithsam.com/ I think that's the content of his DVDs. |
Jay Ward Veteran user Flowery Branch, GA 328 Posts |
I started with Balloon Sculpture Made Easy by Joe Lefler and was twisting balloons at a party 3 days later. Also, Captain Visual's Big Book of Balloons is great and now they are DVDs which I haven't seen. I always recommend Royal Sorrell's Balloongineering.
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Bad to the Balloon Inner circle Clearwater Florida 2116 Posts |
I heard Bad to the Balloon #1 & #2 is pretty good for beginners.
No Language barrier, very visual, no annoying banter Available directly from the maker. Overseas Shipping $15 flat fee whether you order one or both. http://www.BalloonGuy.Net
Mark Byrne
AKA Mark the Balloon Guy As seen on the TODAY SHOW www.balloonguy.net Creator of Bad to the Balloon DVD series Go to my store: http://tinyurl.com/Bad2theBalloon |
danfreed Inner circle West Chester PA 1354 Posts |
Bad To The Balloon has good designs that are kind of fancy, but not too complex or time consuming. However, I thought it has a lot of problems: First, he goes too fast like he's in some kind of hurry - even with slow mo and pausing on my player it's an issue - slow down! I'm no beginner, and I still found it hard to follow. Second, he does the balloon first in a wide shot - why do that - just go straight to the closeups so we can see what you are doing - we don't care about the backgrounds. Third, why waist all that time and make us fast forward through all the silly clowning around nonsense - we are adults who want to learn new balloons - the little skits and silliness are pointless and not entertaining.
That's just my opinion, I'm sure some disagree.
Dan Freed
AKA The Amazing Spaghetti https://www.magiciandanfreed.com/birthday-party-magician-for-kids http://thecaricatureartist.com http://danieljayfreed.com |
Bad to the Balloon Inner circle Clearwater Florida 2116 Posts |
Wow first bad review in 5 years!!!
This is what Genii Magazine thought of both DVDs: "Florida magician and balloon artist Mark Byrne’s two discs on balloon twisting caught me by surprise. Sure, we’ve all seen plenty of intriguing balloon art over the years, but unless balloon twisting is your thing, a how-to video might not seem like a particularly entertaining proposition. Guess again. These discs don’t just demonstrate the construction of two dozen excellent balloon figures; they also entertain while they teach. By the time the first disc was half finished, my whole family had migrated into the room to see what he was going to make next. Both discs open with a music video made to a parody recording of “Bad to the Bone” entitled “Bad to the Balloon.” It sets up Mr. Byrne as this leather-wearing biker who isn’t going to take any of your nonsense while he’s making your balloon hat, and you better not give him any lip about it. That’s okay, because he doesn’t give any lip either in these non-speaking vignettes. The segments are shot on location in some outdoor setting that relates to the figure. Mr. Byrne, in sunglasses and a black t-shirt, twists the featured figure in each segment with speed and skill in realtime, giving the viewer a sense of how long it really will take to create the sculpture once mastered. A supply list for each figure serves as an opening caption at the beginning of the process. The construction is repeated in a closer shot, allowing better visibility of some of the more detailed techniques. On disc one, the simple lines of the shark, dolphin, and swan figures are easy, effective likenesses. The mermaid and surfer were a degree of difficulty higher, and the dragon figure was surprisingly complex for something that could be done so efficiently. The tiki figure seemed like a waste of time, but I gave bonus points for including a sculpture of an electrical tower, an unusual choice but one with plenty of conversation potential. The family favorite on disc one was the duck, a rubber-ducky style duck with googly eyes that add action to a normally static art form. Disc two has significantly more striking figures. Favorites included a monkey in a palm tree, a great dinosaur, and an unexpectedly good representation of a flamingo. The cow, penguin, and housefly all generated good responses from my judges; the cat was underwhelming. Some of these figures look strikingly like familiar cartoon characters – not exactly, but I wouldn’t be surprised if some in your audience made the connections. On disc two you’ll also enjoy “Dog Gone,” a short tragicomedy about a boy and his balloon dog. Notably, all of Mr. Byrne’s figures are constructed as hats. This has practical value for the audience, as they can carry the figures around handsfree; less handling means a longer life for the sculptures. For performers who work primarily for kids, the value of costuming a child volunteer during a routine is well documented. If I did a lot of kid shows, I’d definitely consider learning these and creating interactive magic routines with them. The discs have a professional feel while still giving the sense that they’re not taking themselves too seriously. The non-verbal teaching approach makes them accessible to non-English speakers, and the music and gags in each segment give the presentation a surprising amount of energy for a disc that features absolutely no audience or spectator involvement. The teaching moves quickly and presumes at least some experience on the part of the twister, but both discs contain extra segments on twisting basics and a closer look at the specific techniques used in the figures, so even a newbie should be able to pick these up and learn to twist the figures. Camera, sound, light, direction, and concept all came together resulting in two excellent discs. Performers who use balloon art in their work can certainly benefit from having these ideas and techniques in their repertoire, and the price is more than reasonable for the value delivered."
Mark Byrne
AKA Mark the Balloon Guy As seen on the TODAY SHOW www.balloonguy.net Creator of Bad to the Balloon DVD series Go to my store: http://tinyurl.com/Bad2theBalloon |
danfreed Inner circle West Chester PA 1354 Posts |
Sorry Mark, I've read several positive reviews on your DVD, which is why I bought it, but I'm sure some people would feel the same as me. I did start off by saying that the designs are good (actually some very, very nice ones)and that they look fancy but don't take too long to make - so they are "workers", so that's a compliment. Many books/dvd's have designs that are either too fancy(too much time to make when you need to keep things moving)or too simple or are not very good, so I think your designs really fit the bill for what I wanted. I just think you could have done a better job teaching people how to make them and the silly stuff was just stuff I wanted to fast forward through which was annoying. I guess you wanted to make a video that was different than the usual stand in front of a blank wall thing. I don't understand why you rushed through the demos and didn't talk. But if other people like your methods, then great - I just wanted to offer another point of view. I still will get a lot of benefit from the video because I'm learning a bunch of cool new designs. Sorry if I was too harsh in my first post.
Dan Freed
AKA The Amazing Spaghetti https://www.magiciandanfreed.com/birthday-party-magician-for-kids http://thecaricatureartist.com http://danieljayfreed.com |
Cholly, by golly! Loyal user 251 Posts |
I think hijacking threads to plug your videos might be against Café policy.
I don't know... it seems to happen a lot. |
JC Johns Regular user Annapolis, MD, USA 133 Posts |
Dan, I guess different strokes for different folks. I would disagree with you Golly.
When I started a few years ago Marks DVDs were the first instructional sources I got for ballooning. Being a complete novice, there were easy for me to learn from and I still use a ton of his sculptures in my regular line work. I myself like a little personality in my teachers (let it be in person, reading, or video). It seems to liven up the learning process. I think this why I particularly like the DVDs that are put out by Mark and other “entertaining” guys (such as Buster Balloon). Dan, I do think you hit on a great point about Mark’s balloons which are hard to find in others. They are fairly fast and relatively easy to make, but they look great (not too simple. Thanks for the great product Mark! |
Bad to the Balloon Inner circle Clearwater Florida 2116 Posts |
People that post complaints without a name or even a website happens a lot too....
Title of the post is "Best DVD to Learn" Sounds like someone is looking for feedback. To Dan Freed: The first part of BTTB is to show people how fast the sculpture can be made. Similar to teaching magic it is the "performance" part . The slowed down closer up version is the teach in. I don't speak because it isn't necessary to teach the material, it also opens up international markets. Entertainment parts are there to keep people awake during the DVD.... too many times I have seen DVDs that make me sleep.
Mark Byrne
AKA Mark the Balloon Guy As seen on the TODAY SHOW www.balloonguy.net Creator of Bad to the Balloon DVD series Go to my store: http://tinyurl.com/Bad2theBalloon |
danfreed Inner circle West Chester PA 1354 Posts |
Hi Mark,
I know you had your reasons, but I didn't like your approach - just my opinion. Like I said, the video is still very helpful and I'm going through it learning new stuff, so it's doing it's job. Thanks.
Dan Freed
AKA The Amazing Spaghetti https://www.magiciandanfreed.com/birthday-party-magician-for-kids http://thecaricatureartist.com http://danieljayfreed.com |
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