I met with Miguel Pérez Nivela and Jesus Asin Roche, designers of the Pirotecnia Zaragozana, competing in Montreal for the third time, having won Bronze at their first participation in 1991 and competing again in 1995. Founded in 1860, the company is one of the most established in Spain. Miguel told me that he has been involved in the company since 2004 and has moved them into the modern world of computerized firing systems which has lead to them winning many prizes in competitions, including the Vestale d’argent and the public prize at the Cannes competition in 2012. They also won the Zeus trophy at the competition held in Lac Leamy, Quebec, the same year. Miguel said that most of the competitions they have participated in in their homeland have been traditional displays, rather than pyromusical.
Miguel said that he has wanted to compete in Montreal for a long time, but only fairly recently felt ready. They had approached the organizers at 2012’s International Symposium on Fireworks, held in Malta, and he felt their prizes at Cannes determined their readiness.
Fabricating 99% of the products for the display, Miguel and Jesus said that this was one of the advantages of being a manufacturer. They could optimize the contents and delays in their candles, for example. In terms of products, the largest calibre shells used will be 225mm (9″) but the bulk of the show will be using 125mm and 150mm. Miguel noted that the spacing between the positions on ramp 1 is, in his opinion, too close to effectively use 300mm shells and that they would be angling the mortars outwards anyway to use more of the sky. All five ramps will be used, with five pontoons on ramp 5 containing mainly mines and one-shots. Miguel noted that there would be quite a lot of nautical shells as well as some special effects, saved for the finale to compliment the drumming in the (recorded live) version of Robert Charlebois’s j’t'aime comme on fou, which was one of the French pieces of music suggested by Shirley Thivierge of Royal Pyrotechnie, a large local customer of Zaragozana.
Heart setpiece for ramp 4
The design of the show began with the choice of theme and music, and Miguel said they mentally started to work on the show after the Malta Symposium, but didn’t solidify things until around December, with the soundtrack taking around a month, with both Miguel and Jesus working on it. Miguel noted that Jesus is a musician and more of a purist than him! They will be shooting using FireOne, with around 2200 cues (but lots of traditional Spanish pyro time delays) using 82 32-cue modules. No visualization software was used, both designers preferring their imaginations. The theme, being the language of love, uses music in English, Italian, Spanish and French and is not so much a story but an expression of the power of love in many languages, each in its own unique way. Both designers are particularly looking forward to the opening of the show, which will feature a large heart-shaped set piece on ramp 4. The weather is forecast to be perfect too.
Jesus (l) and Miguel (r)
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