Star Trek Transporter Effect Created With Christmas Lights
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I used to go gonzo for Christmas lights when I was a kid. Little ones, big ones, white ones, multi-colored ones, blinking ones, chasing ones. It didn’t really matter to me. Christmas was about illumination first and foremost. And then came presents and manger messiahs. But over the years, my exaltation has withered to the size of a burnt bulb, even as light displays have gotten increasingly more beautiful and complicated.
But when you take those lights off of houses and trees and put them into the hands of Joey Shanks and Shanks FX, the magic comes back immediately. You could even say it “teleport effects” back, as Shank and his effects team put together a plethora of sped-up clips that feature subjects spinning in circles while wrapped up in Christmas lights, which gives the not-quite on-the-nose effect of a transporter from Star Trek. But even though it isn’t exact or anything, I’d argue that some of the bits seen above are much more interesting looking, no matter what era of transporter we’re talking about.
This whole video is actually more engaging than 90% of the videos I sit through in a month’s time. Beyond the lights’ hypnotic qualities, the “transporting” of the Tron light cycle and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man inspire me to watch every sci-fi icon get put through the motions.
Want to see more of Shanks’ work? Check out his video below, which features magnetic putty eating magnets. Can’t go wrong there!
