L'International des Feux Loto-Québec 2009
Montréal International Fireworks Competition Report

South AfricaNight With The Stars August 8^th, 2009

Fireworks For Africa - designed by Nick Mitri, Galaxis Wireless firing - 27 100 cue modules, ~2500 cues

The Fireworks Company selected for the 2010 World Cup comes to La Ronde!

Montreal, Thursday, August 6, 2009 - With just under a year to go before it lights up the sky at the 2010 World Cup of Football, which will be held in South Africa for the first time, Fireworks for Africa (FFA) is coming to L’International des Feux Loto-Québec presented by TELUS this Saturday to give us a spectacular preview of its pyrotechnical know-how ... a great kick-off for next year’s great event!

For this "Night with the Stars," the South-African company will feature popular music from the movies. Unlike the U.S. competitor whose recent show focused on films about love, FFA has opted for action-movie soundtracks, including Superman, Jurassic Park, Gladiator, and the James Bond film series. The show will also feature lyrical musical selections - creating, in the words of its designer, Nick Mitri, a kind of ECG where spikes of heart-thumping action alternate with moments of heartfelt emotion!

While this is only its second participation at L’International, FFA knows Quebec very well, having won the Chute-Montmorency competition twice and the Lac-Leamy competition three times. FFA got its start by providing fireworks for the Bon Jovi concert tour in South Africa in the mid 1990s. Founder Nick Mitri is committed to making FFA one of the few, if not the only, fireworks company to cover the African continent as a whole, with displays as far as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Nigeria, Mozambique, and others.

Perfect summer conditions and packed grandstands were the backdrop for this anticipated second performance by the only company the services the entire continent of Africa. Winner of several competitions in Canada, and competing in both Vancouver and Montmorency Falls this year, we were treated to a display using 100% material from the renowned Spanish company Ricardo Caballer.

Part 1 to the music 20th Century Fox Theme. Volleys of large shells of glitter with pistils, then shells of red, followed by more gold glitter shells with pistils, farfalles and this short but dramatic segment coming to a close with shells of gold glitter turning to blue.

Part 2 to music from the filmArmageddon. A line of red bengals lit up across ramp 3 (except for two which were mis-wired as strobes at the left side). Candles of charcoal comets in Vs then fired. These were augmented by pastel star candles in fans and then two huge studatas above followed by shells of rings with delayed firing strobing pistils. Shells of go-getters then added into the mix and were augmented by starmine crossed starshots below. Another volley of studatas was followd by large shells with pistils, with volley after volley. Then the same but with brighter shells of white stars with vivid orange pistils, this theme continuing until a final volley of white strobes brought the segment to a close.

Part 3 to music from the filmSuperman. Converging brilliand blue star candles fired on ramp 3 as some flights of rockets took off at the left hand side as huge blue studatas burst above. Then a volley of huge blue shells with silver strobing pistils. The blue candles continued as huge red studatas burst above as flights of red stars lit up across ramp 3 and massive blue nautical shells burst from the lake. The nauticals continued, eliciting a WOW from me as large shells of red turning to strobes fired above. As the nautical blue shells thundered away, shells of large red stars fired above at mid-level followed by shells of blue. A fan of blue-headed gold glitter comet candles fired from the centre of ramp 3 and was followed by gold comet candles where the comets could be seen spinning into the air as shells of the same burst above. These were followed by shells of rings with pistils intermixed with barrages of salutes. Next, gold glitter comet candles bursting to blue bombettes with huge blue studatas above. These were followed by large gold glitter comet shells and candles of orange below with the same then in shells above together with vivid multi-colour shells. Flights of whistles also took to the air as the rifling comet candles continued. More brilliant multi-colour shells, the colours themselves causing me to shout WOW. These were followed by fans of pale gold comet candles and then note synchronized angled shots of blue mines and whistles across ramp 3. Volleys of star shells then followed and increased in size with pistils and massive gold glittering comet shells as more rockets took to the air from the middle of ramp 2. More shells volleys interspersed with huge blue studatas. The lake then burst to life with barrages of red nautical shells as shells of tourbillons fired above. As the nauticals continued, bright red star shots across ramp 3 were augmented by massive barrages of shells above as the star shots were replaced by bright blue, the segment coming to a close with fronts of starmine comets as yet more rockets fired.

Part 4 to music from the filmJurassic Park. Gold glitter comet bursting to blue bombette candles in Vs fired across ramp 3. These were augmented by volleys of blue shells with gold dahlia comets and then gold glitter comet shells with blue tips and blue pistils. Flights of deep gold glittering girandolas rose into the air as gold glitter comet candles continued. More flights of brighter gold glittering girandolas were followed by mines of serpents and shells of whistling serpents above with pistils. This theme continued and was followed by candles of whistles as the shells continued followed by shells of triple rings with serpents as the outer ring. Sequences of clusters of crossette silver comets fired across ramp 3 as colour changing shells fired above. Then huge volleys of multi-colour shells, causing WOWs from me and cheers from the audience as a front of crossed silver meteor comets brought the segment to a close.

Part 5 to music from the filmLa Belle Histoire. Bright star candles were augmented by shells of interesting strobes that had a strobing tip and trailed smaller strobes behind them (but not comets). This theme continued and was augmented by intersection strobing comet candles below as the strobes continued above. Then shells of rings changing to crossing-stars which formed a theme that was followed by a huge blue studata with candles of whistles below. Then shells of rings of serpents with blue pistils as the whistles continued. Fans of starmine starhots opened sequentially with brilliant pastel colours followed by Vs of candles of gold bombette comets with shells of the same above. This theme continued and then was just large pale gold comet shells, with volley after volley. Then a pause and a return to the opening sequence of pastel starmine comets. These were followed by sequence of note-synchronized mines in blue and gold strobes. Fans of gold glitter candles left and right with converging meteor comet candles in the meeting in the middle were augmented by pale gold glitter shells above with a fan of meteor comet candles added in the middle. Strobe shells then fired above in both regular and the "double strobes" described earlier as the meteor fan in the centre continued. Pale gold glitter comet shells with strobing pistils then came into play as the music faded and the segment came to an end.

Part 6 to music from the filmTapestry of Nations. Shells of charcoal comets turning to strobes were augmented by a large fan of meteor comet candles in the centre as well as strobing comet candles in Vs across ramp 3. Then bombettes were added, replacing the shells. Shells of meteor comet crossettes with twinkling pistils then fired and were followed by more bombette candles below. This theme continued and was followed by fans of candles of the meteor crossettes together with the same above in shells, this theme continuing for some time. Then volleys of bright star shells were augmented by more flights of rockets and then shells of strobes with pistils, bringing the segment to a close.

Part 7 to music from the filmGladiator. A line of downward-firing fountains lit up across ramp 3. Two sets of crossed comet candles fired left and right. These were then augmented by shells of deep gold broccades turning to silver at the end of their burn. This theme continued becoming just shells which, interestingly, all had a couple of brighter glitter comets in them together with the darker broccade comets. Then large shells of small stars followed by shells of rings of dense farfalle tourbillons. The farfalles continued and increased in number, the music suddenly ending and bringing the segment to a close.

Part 8 to music from the filmJames Bond. Vs of thick silver comet candles lit up across ramp 3. Shells of pink stars fired above and were then augmented by bombettes in a different shade. These were followed by volleys of pale gold comet meteor spider shells followed by larger shells of stars with dahlia comets. This theme continued and was followed by barrages of multi-colour shells with broccade shells above these. Then crossed thick comet candles below and a return to the pink shell and bombette theme. Barrages of shells of pink with gold glitter comet pistils brought the segment to a close with a front of crossed gold comets below.

Part 9 to music from the filmPirates of the Caribbean. Comets converged in the centre of ramp 3 and were then followed by angled meteor comet candles with barrages of multi-break titanium salute shells above. Bright meteor comet crossed candles continued to fire (with brilliant colours) as the salutes continued above. Bright mines of clusters of vivid stars then fired below, adding to the mix as more salutes now fired at a lower level. Studatas added to the drama and then shells of go-getters above and more salutes as the meteor comet candles continued below. Then electric gold crackling comet shells as the vivid mines continued. Whistles and crossed mines fired across ramp 3 as barrages of silver comet shells fired above with more salutes. This theme continued and came to a close with a large barrage.

Part 10 to music from the filmThe Godfather. A line of V shaped fountains lit up across ramp 3 in this calmer segment. Brilliant star candles then fired in fans followed by flights of rockets bursting to small stars from ramp 2. These continued and were followed by high rising fans of white strobing comet candles. A line of wheels lit up across ramp 3, two unfortunately refusing to turn until the first colour change. After the second colour change all but one were turning. Shells of pale gold star-tipped broccade then fired, some with dahlia comets in as well. As these volleys continued, nautical flares lit up across the lake, bringing the segment to a serene close.

Part 11 to music from the filmSpirit. A line of strobes lit up across ramp 3 (except for a few red bengals that had been mis-wired as strobes earlier). Thick silver comet candles then fired up and were followed by crossed strobing comet candles intersecting in the middle. Then similar but different strobing comet candles formed another intersecting pattern. Charcoal comet shells then started to fire above and were followed by silver comet shells as the intersecting strobing comet candles continued below. The silver comet shells continued alone and were augmented by massive charcoal comet shells turning to silver above. Fans of strobing comet candles in the centre lit up and were followed by clusters of fans of bright star candles with the same in shells above which were then augmented by colour changing shells. Bright red go-getters then joined in and these were then augmented by bright blue bombettes, which then formed the theme as blue shells fired above. Meteor candles in Vs formed the low-level theme as shells of green fired above and then huge glitter comet shells with pistils. The glitter comet with pistil shells and meteor candles continued and were then followed by volleys of shells of many different colours. These multi-colour barrages continued with larger shells and then comet shells were added. The pace increased, including a dramatic low-break, as barrages of large titanium salutes fired, bringing the display to a close to cheers from the audience.

This was a great display from the African team. Excellent use was made of the lake, causing several WOW comments in my notes due to the nautical shells. Many excellent products of all types from Ricardo Caballer, with the most brilliant colours in this year's competition in my opinion. Synchronization was good when it was used, but there were perhaps too many sequence of just candles and shells which lead to something of a feeling of reptition. The soundtrack was fun, but was let down by some harsh transitions in a couple of places. The finale was enjoyable but didn't build in the same way that the music did and some chances to exploit the rhythm with some more obvious synchronization were missed. All in all, though, an excellent display.

Thanks to the public relations people of La Ronde for the official press release material, shown in white.