Chrome balloons are the latest thing in twisting, and John the Balloon Man has them! The silver balloons make great swords…
Pittsboro’s Summer Fest 2021
Pittsboro, NC, was able to host Summer Fest in 2021 after missing a year in 2020. John the Balloon Man had a tent and spent the late afternoon making animal balloons for children of all ages. Karen the Hula Hoop Lady had a booth nearby and reminded lots of parents that they could still spin a hoop.
The weather was perfect for the event.
8-Track Mind playing at Summer Fest.
Cornhole on Salisbury Street.
The Dowdy Boys playing at Summer Fest.
Pittsboro Police booth at Summer Fest.
Pittsboro Business Association hosted Summer Fest.
The Dowdy Boys played at Summer Fest.
John the Balloon Man making all manner of balloon animals and toys.
The hula hoop booth.
Post-pandemic Parties!
Ubi the Clown and John the Balloon Man hated missing all the fairs, festivals and parties almost as much as the people who host those events did. We’re all vaccinated now, and we have antibodies, and we’re ready to come to your birthday party or special event! Balloon animals and clown magic, ready to travel from Raleigh to the coast.
Ubi the clown off to a party.
Ubi dressed and masked for a post-pandemic party.
Hoops and Balloons at Abbingdon in Apex
John the Balloon Man & Karen the Hula Hoop lady took hoops and balloons to the spring festival at Abbingdon subdivision, on NC 64 just west of the intersection with 540. The HOA had a party at the pool with burgers and hot dogs. Inside the pool house, volunteers helped people sign up for the summer swim teams, the Abbingdon Alligators.
Kids & parents in the balloon line at the Abbingdon Spring Fling.
Steady stream of traffic in the Balloon Tent.
More hoops.
Hoops all over the parking lot at the pool.
Some children came back for another balloon.
The HOA ran an Easter Egg hunt every half hour during the afternoon, and people could get their picture made with the Easter Bunny.
Starring in a Straight 8 Movie
In January 2019, Ubi the Clown was contacted by Jason Meaux and invited to star in a movie Jason was shooting for the Straight8 competition. Straight8 movies are shot on one cannister of Super8 movie film, with no editing; soundtracks are added blind, before the film is developed.
We met at the UNC Med School library. Karen made a reverse-breadcrumb picture story so she could find her way back to the parking garage.
The first breadcrumb shot.
Laid a bread crumb trail of backwards pictures to make sure we could find the parking garage.
John & Jason talked about making movies and clowning on a Saturday afternoon.
The next day, John turned into Ubi the Clown, with full clown makeup and outfit. John and his wife Karen Tiede met Jason and his partner Katharine Henry on Rosemary Street, where the movie began. The movie opens with Ubi getting out of a car.
Ubi, Katharine, and Jason set up the arrival shot.
The movie opens with Ubi getting out of a car.
Next, Ubi walks uphill to get to town. The director got lucky when one last car in the parking lot at the turtle mural left just before shooting began.
Making notes about the amount of film already shot.
Shooting the movie title card.
Walking to Chapel Hill.
Ubi checks out the mural.
Jason shoots the movie while Katharine notes the timing.
Ubi waited for everyone to catch up.
The movie crew walked from the Turtle Mural to Franklin Street, where Ubi walked down to the post office and then back the other side. Even though the theme of the movie was, “is a clown a clown if no-one sees him,” we proved it is impossible to walk around in full clown and have no-one see you!
Are you really a clown?
Walking along Rosemary Street toward Franklin.
People can’t help but smile when they encounter a clown.
Just waiting for the bus.
For the record, the dogs paid no attention to Ubi.
Ubi shuffles on down Franklin Street.
Bopping down the street.
Lots of families were out in Chapel Hill on a chilly Sunday afternoon. The kids wanted to interact and as much as he could within the confines of the movie script, Ubi did engage.
I hear something… can I see it?
There… I see some children!
And who do we have here?
Ubi dances down Franklin Street.
The crew joked around a bit at the Post Office, then crossed the street and walked back up the other side, passing University Methodist Church along the way. They turned south on Rosemary Street, toward campus.
Clowning around at the Chapel Hill post office.
Hanging out at the Chapel Hill post office.
Leaving University Methodist Church.
At University Methodist Church.
Just past Top of the Hill, Ubi stopped dead in his tracks. What is this?!?
THIS is a Patrick Dougherty Reed sculpture installation at the Ackland Art Museum.
Patrick Dougherty installation at the Ackland Art Museum.
Patrick Dougherty installation.
The sculptures in Step Right Up were created by Patrick Dougherty.
Patrick Dougherty teapots at the Ackland Art Museum in Chapel Hill.
The team blocked out the scene where Ubi receives flowers in a teapot.
Exploring the reed teapots at the Ackland.
Checking the light at the teapots.
Now you don’t!
Now you see him…
John and Katharine block the scene in the teapot.
Setting up the camera angles.
Rehearsing the scene in the teapot.
Flowers appear like magic!
Flowers? For me?
Of course, people wanted to meet Ubi.
Even in Chapel Hill, you don’t see a clown every day!
Ubi is a baby magnet.
In Chapel Hill, even the golden retrievers are well-read!
The final scene of the movie was shot in Forest Theater at Battle Park.
Planning the final scene of the movie.
Ubi juggles.
Ubi juggles.
Ubi confers with Jason and Katharine about plans for the stage.
Ubi practices a dance on the stage.
The movie ends with Ubi the Clown walking up the steps of the auditorium.
Ubi the Clown walks away at the end of the day.
Stay tuned–nobody knows how their movie does until the winners are announced in London in May!
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