L'International des Feux Loto-Québec 2009
Montréal International Fireworks Competition Report
Australia Dreamcatcher July 4th, 2009
Foti's International Fireworks Pty., designed by Fortunato and Celestino Foti FireOne firing, ScriptMaker choreography 120 modules 3096 cues
From the Sydney’s Harbour Bridge to Montreal’s Jacques-Cartier Bridge: The company that designed the fireworks display for the 2000 Olympic Games is at L’International des Feux Loto-Québec presented by TELUS!
Montreal, Thursday, July 2, 2009 - Foti International, the Australian fireworks company that lights up the sky above Sydney’s famous Harbour Bridge annually to celebrate the New Year, will put on a show this Saturday at L’International des Feux Loto-Québec presented by TELUS. Its goal isn’t to ring in the New Year but to strike gold - a Gold Jupiter! With a Silver Jupiter in 2001 and Bronze in 2006, this year, Foti International has its eyes on the top prize.
In addition to its annual light-and-sound spectacle above one of Sydney’s landmarks, just next to the famous Opera House, Foti International put on the fireworks display for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games of the 27th Olympiad in 2000 - a dream for any pyrotechnics professional!
In fact, dreams - along with fantasy, imagination, and magic - are the theme of the show, which is titled "Dreamcatcher," a reference also to the Native North American object designed to protect its owner from nightmares. The creators of the show, Tino and Fortunato Foti, say they designed their "Dreamcatcher" to snare the public’s attention and interest.
To do so, they’ve put together a "dream" soundtrack that includes songs such as "Magical Mystery Tour," "Xanadu," "The Great Gig in the Sky," "When You Wish upon a Star," and "Somewhere," to name only a few. Expect pyrotechnics featuring dazzling colours and astoundingly precise timing. Foti manufactures its fireworks in Australia and in China. Foti International is certainly used to world travel: in the early 1950s, Celestino Foti moved his whole family to Australia from Italy, where the company got its start in ... 1793!
After a dismal week's forecast that turned out not to be as bad as predicted, the weather for Foti's display was unseasonably cold, with temperatures such that the Fotis exclaimed that it was more like winter in Sydney. Despite La Ronde feeling empty, a large audience materialized just before display time to pretty much fill the grandstands, though the wind direction was unfavourable to say the least. Despite the cold, the brightness and warmth of the colours certainly warmed the hearts of the audience.
Part 1 to the music Pure Imagination by The Hit Crew. Large numbers of nautical strobes lit up on the lake as well as nautical shells of strobes. Shells of pale yellow strobes then fired above in several barrages by way of introduction as the music moved to
Part 2 to the music Magical Mystery Tour by Magical Mystery. Bright fans of starmine silver meteor comets fired across ramp 3 followed by volleys of nautical strobe shells and more fans of starmine comets as shells of silver comets fired above. This theme continued with volleys of pastel shells and then shells of crossette stars at low level and large sky blue shells above at the right hand side. More large star mine comet fans with shells of stars with pistils above and then fans of strobe mines with stars of crossettes and crossette shells above interspersed with fans of comets in the centre below and volleys of pastel shells above. Back to the large fans of star mine comets with sky blue shells above, the colours moving through a sequence in both the fans and the shells, bringing the segment to a close.
Part 3 to the music La Vie en Rose & Fantasy Remix by Grace Knight and Blackbox. Fans of star candles with shells of blue with crackling pistils above and shells of blue turning to small strobes formed the main opening theme. Then shells of short gold crossette comets intermixed with pale blue. Then crossed candles of crackling comets with shells of crackle with crackling pistils above. Then more fans of crackling comets and a move to shells of stars with crackling pistils above, bringing the segment to a close.
Part 4 to the music Les Yeux Ouverts by Beautiful South. A large fan of strobing comet candles fired from the centre of ramp 5 and then the same either side of ramp 3. Above these, the same comets in shells. Then larger more golden strobing comet shells followed by shells of silver crossette comets followed by silver tipped gold willow crossette shells bringing the segment to a close as the music moved to
Part 5 to the music One Vision by Queen. Fast fans of strobing comets turning to blue bombette colour changing falling leaf clusters fired from ramp 5, appearing to be very close to the audience and eliciting a WOW from me. These continued in different colours as willow comet shells with strobing pistils fired above. This theme continued and was followed by fast Z-cakes of bright crossette stars to cheers from the audience as bright star mine comets fronts fired with shells of stars and dahlia comets above. The skyblue and silver dahlia shells continued and then changed colour. These were followed by bright photoflash shells corresponding with the music's lyric and then a return to the star and dahlia shells as more strobing comet to falling leaf colour bombette fan cakes opened below on ramp 5. Barrages of large shells fired above as a front of star mine comets brought the segment to a close as the music immediately moved to
Part 6 to the music Harry Potter Theme by The Jack Dorsey Orchestra. Fronts of mines of strobes gave a feeling of mystery as ramp 4 lit up surrounded by gold fountains. Star candles fired across ramp 3 as large shells of pale gold comets with blue pistils fired above. This theme continued and was followed by more of the fast fans of strobing comet to falling leaf bombettes on ramp 5 but in pale green as shells of green strobes fired above. This theme continued and was augmented by double ring farfalle shells with strobing pistils. Then bright fans of starmine meteor comets as the farfalles continued above. Then large shells of pale gold comets with pistils, bringing the segment to a close.
Part 7 to the music It's a Kind of Magic & You Can Do Magic ReMix by Queen and America. Sequenced fans of clusters of stars fired from ramp 4, then comets followed by bright fans of comets on ramp 3 with shells of pastel stars above. Then arches of bomettes from ramp 4 with barrages of pastel shells above. More sequenced fans of clusters of mines on ramp 4 in bright colours followed by the bombette arches, sequences of comets on ramp 4 and pastel shells above. This theme continued with shells in colours such as lime green and magenta and volleys of star shells with strobing pistils. Then shells of multi coloured stars followed by large shells with pistils above and double ring farfalles below with strobing pistils. These were then augmented by the bombette arches from ramp 4 and the fans of clusters of mines, bringing the segment to a close.
Part 8 to the music Nella Fantasia by Amici Forever. The lake lit up with large numbers of nautical strobes. Then bright silver comet horsetail shells with strobing ends fired above as crossed silver comets fired below. This captivating theme continued, becoming just strobing-tipped silver comet horsetails as nautical strobes shells fired out of the lake and then back to just the horsetail shells. Strobing crossed gold comet candles then formed the main theme with gentle go-getters above and shells of willow turning to silver, filling the sky. This theme continued with the go-getters in pastel colours together with willow comet shells turning to colour stars, the segment coming to a close with huge willow comet to colour shells with crackling pistils together with more of the go-getters and a final barrage of willow comets turning to strobes.
Part 9 to the music Wizards and Warriors Overture by Cincinnati Orchestra and Erich Kunzel. A fan of meteor comets from ramp 4 was augmented by shells of glitter comets and then an arch of bombettes from ramp 4. These were followed by fans of starmine crossette gold glitter comets on ramp 3 and shells of glitter comets above. This theme continued and then moved to whislting candles and shells of comets followed by broad fans of silver meteor comets. The whistling candles continued with shells of whistles above and then shells of pastel stars and shells of gold comets. Z-fans of meteor comets on ramp 3 were augmented by gold glitter comet shells above and then synchronized fan shots on ramp 3 and an arch of bombettes on ramp 4. Barrages of pastel shells then fired and more note synchronized starmine fan comets below on ramp 3. A return to the whistling shells followed and then large fans of meteor comets with gold glitter shells above. Several of these fronts of fans and gold glitter comet shells followed, bringing the segment to a close.
Part 10 to the music Xanadu by Olivia Newton-John. Fast crossed comet candles were augmented by synchronized shots of crossettes and kaleidoscope shells above with twinkling pistils. The crossettes continued with shells of comets and then more of the twinkling pistil kaleidoscopes. These were followed by shells of glitter comets turnign to colour changing stars with pistils or twinkling pistils. This theme continued and was followed by large kamuro mines and a fan of gold comets from ramp 4 and then back to the large glitter comet to colour changing star with twinkling pistil shells. Bright mines were augmented by Z-fans of gold meteor comets and a return to the shell theme. Starmine gold comets fired with willow and broccade shells above and shells of strobing comets. The gold broccade barrages increased as the fronts of starmine gold comets continued. More and more broccade shells until the sky was full and two large gold strobe shells fired as the broccade comets trailed to the lake and turned to silver strobes, to cheers from the audience.
Part 11 to the music Il Sogno de Volare by Cirque du Soleil. Crossed silver glitter comet candles were augmented by falling leaf shells above, gently filling the sky with stardust. This theme continued with fans of stars below. A line of fountains then lit up across ramp 3 and then star candles. More falling leaf shells then were added, with volley after volley filling the sky and bringing the segment to a close.
Part 12 to the music Magic by Pilot. This began with fast bright crossed candles and then shells of comets with pistils above followed by sequenced fan shots across ramp 3 and then shells of crossing stars above. The volleys of crossing star shells continued and were followed by a front of starmine comets and a volley of large comet shells with pistils. Crossed star candles then followed and then meteor comet candles with glitter shells above and a return to the star candle and crossing star shells. Another front of starmine comets and then a line of gold glitter fountains lit up across ramp 3. Fast sequences of starmine silver comets fired across ramp 3 in fans and were followed by shells with pistils and then sequenced fans of starmine comets with shell-of-shells of clusters of stars above. This theme continued and then large shells of silver comets with silver comet pistils and fronts of starmine comets below, this theme bringing the segment to a close to cheers from the audience.
Part 13 to the music The Great Gig in the Sky by Pink Floyd. Orange nautical strobes lit up across the lake as volleys of shells of orange strobes fired above. These were augmented by crossed star candles and then nautical shells of strobes. Crossed strobe comet candles then fired with shells of stars turning to gold broccade comets above. The shell theme continued and included shells with twinkling gold pistils and then shells of sky blue turning to gold comets. The blue to gold comet shells continued, bringing the segment to a close as the sound of a baby laughing was heard.
Part 14 to the music Twinkle Twinkle Little Star by Nancy Allen. Shells of white strobes and shaped burst shells five pointed stars in gold with a ring of blue around formed the main theme as the music moved to
Part 15 to the music When You Wish Upon a Star by Billy Joel. The strobe shells continued and were augmented by silver comet shells and fronts of starmine comets below. Then volleys of shells in the shape of hearts, corresponding with the lyric. The heart shells continued and were followed by gold meteor comet spider shells and more of the ring around a five pointed star shells as the segment came to a close with a short narration thanking the audience and wishing them good luck.
Part 16 to the music Somewhere by The Pet Shop Boys. Big fans of starmine comets fired across ramp 3 in dazzling colours as huge broccade shells fired above, turning to silver. As the music got going, fast bombettes were augmented by very wide starmine comet fans, dazzling the audience as star and dahlia comet shells fired above and crackles below. The pace increased dramatically as ramp 5 burst into life with crackles and comets as shell barrages continued above with broad comet fans on ramp 3. A move to photoflash shells as the music calmed for a few monents and then large dazzling fans on ramp 3 as it got going again and huge barrages of shells started to fire together with titanium salutes. Ramp 3 became ever more dazzling as the pace increased and I started to shout WOW and ramp 5 came to life with dazzling crackle stars as huge barrages continued above and more dazzlement from ramp 3, the pace increasing tremendously as the display came to a thundering close with the sky filled with comets and crackle as the audience cheered and shouted.
A very enjoyable display from our antipodean friends with dazzling products and especially good colours in both regular shells and strobes. The timing of the shells was particularly good and allowed tight synchronization with the music. The nautical shells were good, but being of relatively small calibre, weren't as exciting as those used by Igual. The theme generally worked well with a good balance between fast paced and more serene music, but some of the music transitions were a little bit awkward. A lot of fans of starmine comets were used in the sequences and these don't give as strong an impression of synchronization as single-shots do (because the fans are broader and overlap) - and so this may have contributed to the impression that the display design was not as complex as some others we've seen in recent years. The arch effects using bombettes on ramp 4 were good but would have been better if they were larger! The finale was great and ramp 5 was used very effectively, both here and in other parts of the display, really feeling close to the audience. It's a fierce competition this year and really too early to predict as there are still potential Jupiter winners left to perform. I have a feeling that the companies performing later in the competition will be at something of an advantage due to competing later.
Thanks to the public relations people of La Ronde for the official
press release material, shown in white.