The 30th edition of the Montreal International Fireworks Competition already comes to a close. Following a well-established tradition in this forum, it is time to summarize our viewpoints, to disclose our final ranking, and to make our predictions of the upcoming official results. While this anniversary edition has been held with great cooperation of Mother Nature, it has also been organized against all odds, with the withdraw of an important sponsor (Telus) and the constraints of the Federal Bridge Corporation, more and more reluctant to close the Jacques-Cartier bridge for fireworks events given scheduled construction works on other bridges in the area. Even the newly appointed Quebec Minister of Transport, Robert Poéti, added his two cents a couple of days before the opening of the competition. Such pressures are likely to continue over the forthcoming years. Furthermore, we are still waiting for news regarding the renewal of the sponsorship by Loto-Québec. So once again this year, all fireworks fans should tip their hats to the organizers of the competition, more specifically to Martyne Gagnon and Paul Csukassy, whose commitment should be acknowledged, somehow, one time or another.
It is unclear why the line-up has been shorten to only 8 displays this year (the sponsorship or bridge closure issue?), but the quality has certainly not suffered. The 2014 edition is definitely one of the best since a couple of years. Of course, without recruits – whose performance is more or less unpredictable – and given the record of the contestants, the level of the competition this year is not a surprise. The off-competition opening show, performed by the Platinum Jupiter winner Weco Feuerwerk, was the prelude to a great vintage. My only regret is that the Platinum formula, introduced 10 years ago, has not been reproduced, which would have contributed to create a new tradition.
In contrast with previous editions, we didn’t experience any major technical problems and no significant delay. The only one occured with the Italian display, in order to manage late viewers who were still coming to the grandstands at 10:00pm, according to the annoucement made by Michel Lacroix. Generally speaking, the seating process seemed more efficient than in previous years, with numerous ushers wearing a question mark in the back.
As media coverage of this event is almost nonexistent, Internet-based sources are critical to be informed about what is coming up and the features of each display. I want to acknowledge the work done by Paul Marriott and Mylène Salvas who have voluntarily devoted time to collect and to deliver relevant information for each display. Bob also contributes to share the experience with people who can’t attend thanks to the full videos he has uploaded the following day of each display, in addition to his great photos.
It is my opinion that four excellent displays are contenders for the podium this year : Pirotécnia Caballer (Spain), Royal Pyrotechnie & Fireworks Spectaculars Canada, Brézac Artifices (France), and Foti International Fireworks (Australia). While Pirotécnia Morsani (Italy) and Melrose Pyrotechnics (USA) are classified lower in my ranking, they did very good shows, but I unfortunately believe they won’t be on the podium this year. Whereas there was a clear winner in 2013 and winning trios in 2010 and 2011, I feel that the competition is tighter this year, between the aforementioned four contenders, so the differences in my ranking are not very significant. The jury prediction is also more difficult to do.
As it should always be the case in a competition, and especially when the level of the competition is so high, the winners of the Silver and Bronze Jupiter – as well as those who are not on the podium – should not be too discouraged, and the winner of the Gold Jupiter should be modest in the victory. I really want to emphasize this as I heard some mean comments this year, fans of some teams being openly happy of (actual or anticipated) misfortunes or weaknesses experienced by other contestants. In my opinion, this does not comply with the spirit of the "university of fireworks" envisioned by Panzera and many other people, that is, a unique place gathering excellent pyrotechnicians who may learn and be inspired by each others. Everyone should keep this spirit alive.
As I posted detailed comments on each display, I am not going to summarize them. So, my personal ranking is :
1. Brézac Artifices (France)
2. Royal Pyrotechnie & Fireworks Spectaculars Canada (Canada)
3. Pirotécnia Vicente Caballer (Spain)
4. Foti International Fireworks (Australia)
5. Pirotécnia Morsani (Italy)
6. Melrose Pyrotechnics (United States)
Soundtrack Award : Brézac Artifices (France)
While Brézac Artifices has experienced some minor problems, the degree of difficulty was higher given the theme. The French team reached a new level in art of storytelling. As a political scientist, I may also have enjoyed the theme more than most people. The Canadian display met all the criteria, while the theme and the overall concept were easier to share with the audience and to stage with fireworks. The Spanish show was a great achievement too, with an excellent know-how, high quality pyrotechnic pieces, engaging soundtrack and perfect synchronization. However, it should be noted that my personal preferences only occasionally fit with the jury decision. From 2005 to 2013, my favorite display has been awarded by the Gold Jupiter only once in three (in 2007, 2011 and 2013).
My jury prediction is consequently different than my personal ranking. An important predictor of the official results is the position of each contestant in the competition schedule. Being among the last contestants is strongly correlated with a place on the podium.
Since 1992, the Montreal International Fireworks Competition relies on a popular jury and presents about the same number of contestants, that is, between 7 and 9 (more often 8-9). A different sort of jury existed from 1985 to 1991 and the line-up was shorter. There were Bronze, Silver and Gold Jupiter awards each year (but in 2004 with the Platinum Jupiter, nonetheless three finalists were announced). The following statistics are about the three annual winners (or finalists) from 1992 to 2013:
- 1 of 22 first in-competition displays (4.5%) won a Jupiter.
- 10 of 66 first three contestants (15.2%) won a Jupiter (never more than one within a single year).
- 39 of 66 last three contestants (59.1%) won a Jupiter (we have never seen a podium without any contestant from the ultimate trio).
- 15 of 22 last in-competition displays (68.2%) won a Jupiter.
Given these statistics and the anticipated differences between my personal tastes and those of the public, my final prediction is :
1. Royal Pyrotechnie & Fireworks Spectaculars Canada (Canada)
2. Foti International Fireworks (Australia)
3. Brézac Artifices (France)
Whether the parachute or spiral issue in the French display penalizes Brézac Artifices, I would then predict a Bronze Jupiter for Pirotécnia Vicente Caballer (Spain).
I am not sure whether the soundtrack award is decided by the jury or the organizers, so I hold my personal preference (France) as prediction.
Fred |
Page 1 of 3: 2 3 Next »