Epic Journey
Designed by Brad Dezotell, soundtrack edited by Robbie MacKeen; FireOne and PyroDigital firing with ~4000 cues
After nearly perfect summer weather for the entire duration of the setup, Mother Nature conspired to drag a sharp cold front across the Montreal region about three hours before showtime, with buckets of rain. Fortunately, it dried up after an hour or so, but there was a lot of humidity left in the air and light winds that struggled, at times, to clear the accumulating smoke. The laser segments were actually helpful this time, and were the best done so far this season, though a small sprinkling of pyro at the transitions back into fireworks did help.
This was a very anticipated display, Brad having garnered the Gold Jupiter for FSC in 2010 as well as in 2014 in a display designed jointly with Yanick Roy and Royal Pyrotechnie. In Brad’s first two participations, he chose music that reflected an Epic aesthetic (Olympian Zeus in 2007, Heroes in 2010) plus the joint display with Royal in 2014 was in a similar style and entitled Kutuan: Legends of Fire. This a style he does well and this year was no exception. Whilst I did not know most of the music, the soundtrack was both enjoyable and very well edited and put together. Even the familiar “It’s a Wonderful World”, that was used for the second laser segment, was an atmospheric version that fitted very well with the theme.
On the pyrotechnic side, excellent use was made of all of the space the site offers and the display was both broad and high utilizing every possible angle from zero degrees (comets skipping across the lake) to extended vertical positions from the two extra platforms on ramp 2. Ramp 5 was well used, but not as effectively as was the case with Austrian team. There were a few problems here and there on ramp 3 with some positions not firing or some effects not firing properly and some of the angles were a little bit off in some of the “Mount Fuji” type patterns. Unfortunately, the extensive use of slice cakes did provide some feeling of repetitiveness from time to time. Also, the extra platforms on ramp 2 didn’t appear to add much from the audience perspective, but this was also due to smoke accumulation hiding some of the details.
I did enjoy the overall range of effects presented – with by far the broadest range of nautical products this year, from nautical flares all the way up to massive nautical shells. These were cleverly utilized to provide some low-level smoke that enhanced the lasers used in their second segment. We were also treated to several types of girandolas, including single-ascension, double-ascension and whilstling varieties, to the delight of the audience. The real pyros in the audience also appreciated, with some tears in our eyes, the use of the now impossible to get shells from Zaragozana in Spain. Their brilliant colours and effects certainly warmed our hearts and reminded us of those dedicated pyrotechnicians who have given their lives of the years to this craft. A hat-tip as well to the classic Panzera Silver Rain segment.
The range of emotions and pace of the display was really well done, from serene moments to the most intense scenes we’ve witnessed this year. The finale followed from an already intense crackle segment which was as dramatic as some finales already are. Then we had a faux finale, which the audience assumed was the real finale, judging by their cheering, but a quick glance at the watch proved this was not the case. The drama of the faux finale subsided into another serene part and we rose along with the music to a really brilliant and dramatic real finale which included a thunderous bombardment of beautiful Zaragozana nautical shells.
This was an excellent display and must be a contender for a Jupiter. In my opinion it had the greatest dynamic range of any of the displays this year as well as a really excellent soundtrack. The design was good, maybe not as complex as some we’ve seen in the past, but there were certainly some wow moments and a really great finale. The team deservedly received a standing ovation from the audience and later in the salon des artificiers. At this point in the competition, it’s very close at the top between La Rosa and Fireworks Spectaculars Canada. We still have one very highly anticipated entry from the French team of Arteventia to come – so there’s everything to play for!
