Shanks FX Attempts to Recreate Aurora Borealis with Household Items

Joey Shanks, better known by his YouTube handle Shanks FX, has released another YouTube video based around the idea that Hollywood effects can be achieved by anyone and with only household items. This time he attempts to recreate the legendary Aurora Borealis (or Northern Lights), one of the seven wonders of the world, with just some sheets of fabric and a handful of fans. Combining those few fans, fabric, and just a little bit of precise lighting with just a touch of videography editing magic, he suddenly has one of the world wonders in his garage. Check it out!

The Aurora Borealis video is the first in a series of four videos attempting to recreate "supernatural" weather phenomenon. He's making this particular series of videos to help campaign for a Kickstarter project entitled "SPECTRUM 'Adventures in Light.'" The film will be a short narrative movie based in real life science about a man who finds the undiscovered laws of the universe hidden in the lighting of the supernatural weather phenomenon.

Shanks is no newcomer when it comes to attempting to recreate supernatural phenomenon. He's partnered with PBS Digital Studios to bring us quality behind-the-scenes videos of his adventures into the do-it-yourself supernatural phenomenon. We last saw his work attempting to recreate the Millennium Falcon dog fight scene in the new "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" trailer and before that, his video recreating the black hole, Gargantua, from "Interstellar."

I don't know about you, but we can't wait to see the next three videos in the series!

[via Shanks FX]

Stephen Atohi's picture

Stephen Atohi is a film and fine art digital photographer based in Charleston, SC. His specialities are in portraits, weddings, and travel photography.

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5 Comments

It almost looks like a dance battle. It's nice to see how to create one and add it to any video

How easy it is to be fooled sometimes.

Creative thinking and thinking cheap. I like it

This is great! I could fake an aurora in South Carolina where it would take a huge solar storm to bring the aurora that far south.

This is a cool idea, although it seemed like it needed a bit more tweaking to look "right". Not sure exactly what, but it wasn't entirely "there". Certainly seems like it could be taken all the way with a bit of experimentation. Don't know how he dreamed that up but, nice going. :-)

Great work!