1998 l'International Benson & Hedges Montréal Pyromusical Competition Report

United States Cinema Sunday July 12^th, 1998

Performance Pyrotechnic Associates

Heavy thunderstorms in the days preceeding this final competitor gave way to a perfect summer's evening with warm temperatures and just enough wind to move any smoke. Eric Tucker of PPA commented that in past times, composers were commisioned by the Royal courts of Europe whereas these days, it is the film industry which has spawned a new generation of composers. The display is a hommage to the composers John Williams, Gerry Goldsmith, John Barry and James Horner. Fired using a computerised Pyrodigital control system, the display used over 2600 cues, the most complex choreography performed by PPA using the system to date. With more than forty 12" shells and a selection of material from the best suppliers around the world - Panzera candles, Italian and Japanese shells, a lot of material from Sunny International and special material from PPA, the display promised to be special.

The music used flowed seamlessly from one segment to another and included tracks from the films Hook, Rocketter, Fifel, The Postman, Rob Roy, Brave Heart, Titanic, Back Draft and Islander. Due to this, my report is divided into thirteen segments which don't necessarily follow the changes in music directly, but reflect the changes in the pyrotechnics, as far as my notes could keep up.

Segment 1. The display opened with front of glitter comets with shells of the same above with twinling pistils. Then crossed comet candles with comet shells above. Next balls shells and then multi-break shells of glitter comets followed by gold charcoal comet shells with ball star heads. A line of purple ball candles and a rapid line of glitter mines were followed with huge shells of purple with gold comets. Then another rapid line of mines and more of the huge purple and gold comet shells. Next, blue shells with starfish-like comets, then blue shells with fireflies. Below this, two left and right arcing bright gold comets and willow shells with blue pistils above. Then a line of synchronized mines in purple and glitter and then again in gold and glitter. Then a barrage of willow shells with blue pistils. Next, crossette candles and glitter comet bombettes bursting to blue were followed by shells of glitter and fireflies. A line of glitter mines with willow and blue pistil shells above and finally two huge willow and pistil shells with the comets trailing to the ground.

Segment 2. A line of silver fountains opened up and then a front of mines. Next, bright comet candles and multi-break shells of rings above followed by shells of red and silver go-getters. Then a line of bright crossed comet candles with more shells of rings and go-getters above. This theme was repeated and followed by a repeated sequence of low bomebettes, shells of rings and red and silver go-getters and go-getter bombettes. Next, a front of large mines with shells of large bright pink stars above.

Segment 3. Silver comet candles and shells of crackling fireflies were followed by mines fronts of purple and glitter, then bombettes of the same and more mine fronts. Next, large shells of purple and fireflies, repeated and followed by firefly glitter mines.

Segment 4. A line of silver wheels opened up with shells of slow falling fireflies above followed by crossette glitter comets. Next, a line of gold wheels with glitter comet candles from the centre of the lake and then a line of the same. Above these, shells of glitter, then glitter comet fans, shells with glitter rising tails bursting to glitter comets and fireflies. Then some slow rising gold comet candles, more comets in fans and glitter and firefly shells. Next, crossed gold comet candles with shells of small bunches of stars behind were followed by more crossed comets and then the same in vertical candles. Then three huge bright gold glitter frond shells, then three more in silver glitter fronds and then three more with silver glitter trails falling all the way to the lake, with cheers from the audience. Left and right arcing comets and crossed comet candles lead into:

Segment 5. Huge double petalled flower-like tourbillon and pistil shells with crossette candles below were followed by more huge tourbillon shells. Then a line of synchronized mines followed by a repeated theme of whistling tourbillon mines, huge flower-like tourbillon shells with crossettes below and mine fronts of purple and glitter. Then another huge double ring flower-like tourbillon and pistil shell followed by a repeated sequence of silver comet shells and fronts of huge mines.

Segment 6. This opened with mines of whistling serpents with bombettes above and a line of purple ball candles. Then a front of mines, more bombettes and shells of rings of comets above. Next, low breaking shells of small stars with ball candles below and then barrages of ring of comet shells. Next, bright gold fat comets followed by loud crackling crosettes, the same in shells with crackling rising tails. Then mine fronts of loud crackle, more crackling candles and shells of the same above, another loud front of crackle mines and then shells of slow falling fireflies above. These were followed by shells of comets with pistils and bunches of slow falling crackling comets.

Segment 7. A line of red ball candles with clusters of red star shells above were followed by barrages of titanium salutes and more red shells. Then shells breaking into bunches of very bright salmon stars followed by red go-getters. Next, some multi-breaks followed by lines of bright salmon mines and fan comets in the lake centre. More multi-break spider shells followed by brilliant fronts of mines and more fan comets in the centre. A barrage of multi-break shells, titanium salutes and red balls brought this segment to a close.

Segment 8. Red strobe pots with a front of silver firefly mines were followed by a barrage of silver comet shells, filling the sky. Then shells of fat comets and two enormous silver weeping willow shells. Next, silver nautic fountains danced in the lake with shells and multi-breaks of fireflies above. Then a line of white fountains firing to the left and right with clusters of fireflies above followed by upright white fountains and firefly shells above. Then fountains to the left, fountains to the right and fountains straight up with firefly clusters above followed by barrage after barrage of multi-break firefly shells.

Segment 9. Barrages of twelve inch orange shells with purple pistils were followed by huge shells with mine fronts turning to fireflies. Then crossette candles and more of the huge orange and purple pistil shells, followed by purple shells with comets and more crossettes. This theme was repeated and ended up with two huge comet and purple ball shells.

Segment 10. Ball candles in the centre and a line of ball-headed pale gold comet candles in fans were followed by orange bunches and glitter candles. Then left and right arcing fat gold comets with bombette candles and crossed ball candles. Above these, shells with bunches of white comets in six sheaves with more lines of ball candles below. Then big pistil shells and a front of mines, shells with stars which started out dazzling and then turned to comets. Barrages of shaped-burst shells forming bowties were followed by big white comet shells and left and right arcing fat comets below. A line of pink firefly candles was followed by glitter mines in the centre moving to the next segment.

Segment 11. Shells with crackling rising tails bursting to crackling palm tress were repeated over and over. Then really nice small gold weeping willow frond shells in threes, then again and again, then bigger in groups of four, then brighter gold glitter fronds, then white comets and fireflies. Next, bigger weeping willow shells in gold, getting larger and larger until the sky was filled with huge gold glittering fronds reaching all the way to the ground, with cheers from the audience.

Segment 12. This began with a line of blue ball candles with repeated barrages of blue ball shells above. These got larger and larger and were augmented by salute candles and followed by shells of glitter comets with blue heads. Then more salutes, more large blue and comet shells and then shaped burst shells with sheaves of stars. Next, multi-breaks in blue and glitter comets then a repeated them of silver comets and blue ball. More and more shells in blue and comets or blue with pistils with crossed comet candles below, barrages of salutes and finally a barrage of silver comet shells.

Segment 13. This began with white ball candles with glitter comet shells above followed by huge crossette mines with shells of the same above. This was repeated, the size increasing each time and then rising tail shells bursting into crossettes. The pace increased as the finale began with barrages of ball shells of all sizes and colours, some with large pistils and intermixed with titanium salute barrages. The pace increased still further and the display was brought to a close with a huge front of intensely dazzling magnesium comet mines from the centre platform. The audience cheered and cheered.

This was a truly great display. The synchronization was flawless throughout and the choreography superb, accentuated by the seamless music. A very complex display, my notes cannot do it justice since it was hard to keep up with the multi-level ballet of fire. The only downside was that the finale was too small in proportion to the rest of the display and that the choice of music didn't always demonstrate just how good the synchronization was.