The press conference for this year's competition is being held this coming Wednesday 27th May at 10:30am. As promised, this site will feature a completely new look afterwards! Most of the design is done, I'm just finalizing the details (mainly the look of the forum itself).

Paul.

I'm looking forward to see the new website design. I also hope that the press conference will bring us some explanation about the 1-week delay between the closing show and the award ceremony.

Being in charge of the press conference, I would also prepare some lines about the environmental impact of the fireworks, an issue which may be raised again following some articles published in La Presse last summer. (BTW, La Presse wrote that Disney's firework displays were more environmental friendly. I went to Disney World in January and I saw all three nightime shows which feature a pyrotechnic component: Whiches at Magic Kingdom, Illuminations at EPCOT and Fantasmic! at Disney's Hollywood Studios. I remain skeptical about the environmental value of these shows. It looked to me that pyrotechnic devices produce as many smoke as those I see at La Ronde. Moreover, Illuminations includes an inferno barge where a lot of kerozen burst every night.)

One intriguing information from La Ronde's invitation to this press conference is the launching of a book about the Montreal International Firework Competition history. Who is the author of the book? Is it a book mainly made of pictures (from Bob?)? Is someone from this forum behind this project???

Fred

Hi Fred. Sad to say, I have not been involved in the special book about the competition - which, given that I am now the longest serving reporter on the competition, is rather disappointing. I believe that Bob's photographs will form a majority of the content of the book, but I have no idea who has written the text. It would be intriguing if there was a special 25th Anniversary memorial DVD - but I doubt that will happen.

As for environmental impact of the fireworks, it's always going to be difficult to avoid the negative press that smoke generates. Much as the pyromaniacs amongst us love the smell of blackpowder smoke, it's hard to convince anyone that it is environmentally benign. I think a more interesting aspect, though, is the use of plastics in shell construction. This is definitely an area manufacturers can address as it's quite easy to state that paper and cardboard are biodegradable and therefore not an environmental problem. I think the biggest environment impact of fireworks is that they bring joy and happiness to the huge audiences that attend - in these depressing economic times I'm sure no-one could argue that this is a bad thing!

I'll post whatever information I get from the press conference on my return tomorrow, together with the site design change.

Paul.

Hi I'm very very excited about the new look of this web site. After reading your post I have some questions:

Can I buy the book you'r talking about ? Maybe on the official web page or Amazon... As I'm sure you know I'm not from Montreal, so it's impossible to attend to the Press Conference.

Another more question: I was planning to open a new topic about the Themes. The competition will start in less than one month and at this time we don't know anything about the music and themes. Does anyone know something about the Themes? On the official web page ther's no information.


Ant last but not least: Are you going to share the videos this season? I HOPE so. For me is the only way to see the shows. And believe me, for me to have the chance to attend the Montreal competition (even in video) is one of the best things of the year.

I'll be waiting for your answers. THANK YOU VERY MUCH !

I'll be updating all the forums tomorrow with a section for 2009 reviews etc. I presume the themes will be announced tomorrow ... you can be sure I'll post whatever information I can find.

For the book, I would think it will be available for sale. Maybe I could run a competition here on the forum with the book as a prize. I'll enquire tomorrow about the possibility of doing something like this.

As for videos, I'll do the same as last year. Maybe I'll have more time this year to get better quality versions up

Paul.

Hi Paul,

As always, we very much appreciate the news and updates.

On the issue of the environment, I think it would be a good idea to discuss the environmental impact of the fireworks, especially with the subject becoming increasingly talked about in recent years.

I'm not exactly sure as to how much more beneficial smokeless fireworks would be in substituting the more conventional ones altogether. One of the problems with smokeless fireworks, though, in accordance to what you've told me before, is that it can be rather difficult to produce certain effects, particularly those that involve any kind of tail. In general, too, smokeless fireworks can be rather expensive in their entirety.

I think the main argument is, according to most scientific research, the emissions that the fireworks themselves give off, such as sulfur oxides, heavy metals and carbon monoxide, in addition to smoke and dust. However, I personally would question how much it would take for fireworks to be considered significant to the environment. The thing is, much of the fireworks in use today are much less toxic than those in the past, and new possible alternatives have been and are currently researched. For example, I heard that using compressed air in substitution for gunpower can greatly reduce the amount of smoke and other associated pollutants. Similarly, I read that current studies are testing the use of nitrogen in place of gunpowder as a propellant, and the compound of nitrocellulose can be a replacement for perchlorate, helping to diminish smoke. Though most toxic chemicals have been banned from fireworks, I think barium is still allowed. However, there may be a safer method to produce the same effect, where researchers are looking into copper compounds as opposed to barium in order to produce the green color. Just of curiosity, but does anyone have a fair idea of the average total emissions discharged into the atmosphere per display (separately for sulfur oxides, carbon monoxide, etc.)?

And yes, been looking forward to the new look for this website. I guess that means that this is the last day of seeing the site like this. I find it pretty cool that the design has changed, so far, on a three-year interval.

Trav.

ABOUT THE BOOK...

All the images in the book are shared by me and Bob. I also happen to have the cover page, and the back page but I have no idea which image was used for the back yet.

But I have not seen the book either, did not hold it in my tiny little hands yet - can't wait to see it

It is a coffeetable book, with lots of images, I don't think there is a ton of text - it is about 9"x12"

Tomorrow is the press conference and the book will be launched - also the schedule of fireworks for the season will be described.
Will keep you posted - sorry I was unable to say anything until the deal was done - printing of the book only started on Friday, about 10 days ago.

Rachel

Here's my article on the press conference :

Mylene et Artifice

The site redesign is complete. Mylene's article above covers the press conference very well.

Let me know what you all think of the new look - I'm sure there's still one or two wrinkles to iron out! Also let me know if the special 25th anniversary logo gets in the way or not.

BTW, the coffee table book is very good - excellent photos from Bob and Rachel. It's going to be on sale for $25 both in book stores and, from what I can gather, at La Ronde too.

Paul.

Hi Paul,

What a surprise, indeed! You brought the gold text back along with a fairly dark background! I love the new look - it really reminds me of what the site used to look like in 2003-2006. The background picture is also fantastic. Is it a photo from the gallery on this site (it looks shot from La Ronde, given the bridge on the left)? Also, would it be possible to adjust the background picture such that the image would be entirely visible from top to bottom without making the text difficult to read at the same time?

Overall, it looks so much more like a fireworks site with the new design. Good stuff! Other than that, some of the tabs on the left are being concealed by the sponsor tag - you could always just shift it downwards.

Trav.

The sponsor logo should be in a better position now (in Internet Explorer - it was ok in Firefox of course). The photo is from a DVD of material given out at the press conference. To make all the picture visible would make a lot of the text hard to read unfortunately - but the idea of half hiding the picture is to add intrigue and get people to want to go and see the fireworks in person!

Other news from the press conference: there will be a special Jupiter this year for the soundtrack as well as special recognition for environmental awareness (I guess we'll see what is meant by that at the awards ceremony).

Paul.

Hi Paul,

Well, everything sounds and looks good then. The logo is also situated in a better location now (bottom left on my page).

And I'm really delighted with the news regarding the return of the special Jupiter this year, mainly because it both makes things a little more exciting and it also allows for an additional participant a chance to win something. I find the environmental awareness component to be most interesting - I'm curious if this partially involves the use of fireworks that are more environmentally friendly, among other things. On what grounds was the special Jupiter awarded in the past when it was a part of the competition? I seem to recall it being associated with a variety of standards.

Also, was there anything discussed at the press conference that covered why the awards ceremony should be held separately from the closing show? Similarly, was there any reason why the closing show itself is not being presented by Panzera? I'm not sure if this has anything to do with them being already scheduled to perform the opening display, though.

Trav.

Good day,

Can I get an update on the Press Conference?

I'm sure Mylene's article is excellent, but unfortunately I can't read French. Sorry.

Paul, the new look is better, but I'm not a big fan of the logo in the bottom corner. I have to scroll to read around some of the blogs.

Thanks again for putting together this forum for 2009. Look forward to your videos and reports this year.

Sean

YEAH. That's nice. Love thebetween the contrast beween the dark background and the gold letters.

I like the log, maybe its useless ( it could be a link to the official web page) however it's a good way to remeber the official site. The problem, as it has been said, is that sometimes it's dificult to read some posts...

However nice work !

I don't know why but I don't like the idea of giving new Jupiters. It's a fireworks competition, maybe an special recognition for the best soundtrack could be better than a Jupiter. Jupiters are for the fireworks, a very elitist award, not (from my point of view) for the soundtrack.

I've read the feedback and so I've played around with the 25th Logo (made it smaller and moved it to the left). I've also implemented a way to see the full background image through everything except the table cells of the forum - but it's visible through most everything else

Now for some more press conference news. First, the themes:

Opening: Happy Birthday!
Spain: Odyssey
UK/England: Mars and Venus
Australia: Dream Catcher
HongKong/China: Feng Shui Melody
Argentina: Carousel of Emotions
Quebec/Canada: Voila!
USA: Reel Love
South Africa: An Evening with the Stars

As for the special Jupiter, in the past it was given for various things and was given for the soundtrack in 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992 and for the imposed theme in 1994. It was last awarded in 2000 to Benson and Hedges for their support of the competition (2000 was the final year of tobacco sponsorship). It has not been awarded since. If a special Jupiter is to be given, then it makes sense, to my mind, to award it to the soundtrack since the music is such an integral part of a pyromusical.

Paul.

Thanks for revealing the themes, Paul. I wonder if the opening display will be enormous to commemorate the 25th anniversary - it should be given that it's being performed by Panzera. I also wonder if a big "25" will be lit up at the beginning or following the conclusion of the display.

Overall, the selected themes are very interesting, but I find England's choice to be rather striking in that it would probably allow for a good setup in establishing some nice transitions that may be similar to what we had seen in Pains's last theme of Day & Night. I also question as to whether they selected this theme out of inspiration, for both Mars and particularly Venus made several brilliant appearances in conjunction with other celestial bodies in the evening skies this year - seems appropriate, then, for a theme such as this to surface. South Africa similarly also has a very inspirational theme to work with, as does Argentina. The other firms have some interesting selections as well, and it would be really interesting to see how they concoct their displays around them. Overall, I'm particularly looking forward to England, the U.S, Canada, Spain, Australia, the opening display and the final, even though it's not being presented by Panzera.

As for the design of the site, I'm really happy to see that you've managed to expose pretty much the entire image without making the text difficult to read - I knew you could do it! It's also great to see the tubes there where the fireworks are coming out. If you look at the schedule page, you'd find the picture to be most dazzling in its entirety - take a look if you haven't already! The contrast is amazing.

Thanks for the information regarding the special Jupiter, but was there anything covered at the conference regarding the awards ceremony being held separately from the closing show? And what about Panzera not presenting the final display as they usually do? I suppose it's simply because they're doing the opening this time around...

Trav.

Hi Trav,

I didn't find anything out about the awards ceremony. I'll try and find out more over the next couple of weeks.

As for the closing show not being Panzera, I have a theory about this.

As we know, Six Flags is not in great financial shape. I wouldn't be surprised if they want to divest themselves of all their non-US assets and focus on their core business. So what would this mean for La Ronde? Who would it make sense to run it? Think for a moment of how close La Ronde is to the Casino. It's not secret that Loto Quebec want to expand, but as a public corporation, this may be difficult. However, if they had a private partner, it would be easier. So, what sort of company would make a suitable partner? How about one of the most successful entertainment companies in the world, which just happens to be based in Montreal. I'm thinking Cirque du Soleil. It's no secret that Guy Laliberté has lots of cash. A lot of proximate pyro is used in Cirque-style acts. So it makes sense they would link up with FiatLux (who just happen to do a lot of that kind of pyro). Maybe the Cirque is testing out the concept. Think of a Cirque-style show on the lake before the fireworks each week. Think of a permanent Cirque show linked into the Casino (like in Vegas). Think of an extension of the monorail from La Ronde to Ile Notre Dame and then over to Old Montreal. This, I believe, is all within the realm of possibility. And that's why I think that FiatLux are doing such an extravagent (we presume since it will be 45 minutes) closing show.

Paul.

Hmmmm interesting Paul...

FireMaster : there's a translator tool on my page...

Smoke : England's theme Venus & Mars needs to be read Man & Woman as it will presents their differences and their union...

As for the extra prizes, Martyne Gagnon said 'Especially for the 25th, there will be a special jupiter for the soundtrack (given by the jury). An honorable mention will also be awarded by l'International to the contestant who showed a special involvment in terms of respect of the environement and development of green technology'

Hi Paul,

That really sounds like an interesting theory and does make sense in the context in which you explained it. Still, though, it's certainly good to see that Panzera is scheduled to perform the opening, so I suppose that's better than not having them at all. And yes, I guess it's reasonable to assume an extravagant display will come from Concept Fiatlux, given the large timespan that is allocated for the show. Is the closing still expected to endure for 50 minutes in duration, or has it been knocked back down to the original 45? Still long, either way you look at it.

And yes, I look forward to whatever news you may gather for us regarding the separation of the awards ceremony from the closing show. It's interesting, however, to consider in what will go on during the night when the awards will be presented to the winning firms/countries. Should the night be solely dedicated to announcing the winners without a formal display to follow, it may likely lead to a very small audience since only a ceremony is taking place - there wouldn't be too much incentive to attend in that respect. Plus, the usual feeling of anticipation just isn't there because there's no closing display to look forward to.

Hi Mylene,

Ah, I see now the context of "Mars and Venus". It still would be pretty cool if they did some planetary representation in some parts of their show, though - this was a grand year in astronomy for those particular two planets.

Thanks for the information, Mylene.

Trav.

Let me know what you all think of the new look

Great job, Paul! Colour of letters and the firework image behind the text are welcomed changes.

I didn't find anything out about the awards ceremony. I'll try and find out more over the next couple of weeks.

As for the closing show not being Panzera, I have a theory about this.

I don't know about the validity of this theory, but I suspect that the Cirque du Soleil has something to do with the delay of the award ceremony. I really think that such delay is a non-sense and I guess this idea has not originated from La Ronde's people. The Cirque might have various requirements. Special entertainment (a pre-show) may be planned for the half-hour (or so) before the display, as it happens with Cirque's regular shows.

Every two years, the Cirque installs its big top in the Old Port, just across the river. I can't believe that La Ronde wouldn't be interested to bring it (and all these viewers ready to spend a lot of money) to the amusement park. It would bring in other people than the usual customers, as the firework competition does. And I am (almost) sure that Marc Tremblay, La Ronde general manager, knows well Guy Laliberté.

As for the extra prizes, Martyne Gagnon said 'Especially for the 25th, there will be a special jupiter for the soundtrack (given by the jury).

Mylène, are you sure about that? Last year changes to the evaluation grid allowed specific points to the soundtrack. Are there any new changes to these criteria?

And now: only 10 DAYS before the opening show!

Fred

Mylène, are you sure about that? Last year changes to the evaluation grid allowed specific points to the soundtrack. Are there any new changes to these criteria?

Fred, this is the piece of the official press release concerning the jury and this year's awards:

Panel of judges 25 members strong
In honour of this year’s anniversary celebrations, the panel of judges has been expanded from 19 to 25 members. Each has been chosen from among public applicants and each has accepted the important yet pleasurable task of attending all La Ronde fireworks presentations, assessing the merits of each competing firm’s performance, and deciding which of the eight competing countries are to receive awards. Highly coveted from one year to the next, the gold, silver and bronze Jupiter awards figure among the most prized distinctions in international pyrotechnical circles. This year, a special Jupiter will be presented for the best sound track, and competition management will bestow a special mention upon the participant having demonstrated initiative from the dual standpoint of the environment and the development of greener technologies.

The press releases are here: http://www.internationaldesfeuxloto-quebec.com/en/a_propos_des_feux/co mmuniques.aspx and http://www.internationaldesfeuxloto-quebec.com/fr/a_propos_des_feux/co mmuniques.aspx

Paul.

So, it seems that the jury will decide which contestant win this special Jupiter. That lead me to ask one more question: is there any change to the evaluation grid? Last year, the organizers introduced a new criterion about the soundtrack, that is, the choice of music and linking from one segment to the next. Does this criterion remain in the evaluation grid designed to decide which contestants will win the "regular" Jupiter prizes? Or is it removed from that part of the evaluation grid in order to make the overall evaluation independent of personal music taste?

Paul, thank you to bring me back to the press release. I did read it quickly last week as I was in Ottawa for a conference. Reading it carefully, I now realize that music shows are back to the Jardin des Étoiles before and after each firework display. This is a good news and an alternative live entertainment for those who remain in the park after the show and don't go in rides... or to the Salon des artificiers.

It is great that La Ronde no longer close at 10:30pm on firework nights, as it was the case a couple of years ago. The forthcoming season is promising!

About the website design, I tried last night to edit my message but I was not able to reach the "edit" button due to the International... logo overlap. But I was able to do it in office this morning.

Only 9 DAYS...

Fred

Only a few days....

Mylène, are you sure about that?

Fred, i added '(by the jury)' in my writings above as Martyne specified the special green award would be given by the Direction itself, so i thought the soundtrack was awarded by the jury... but listening to the Press Conference, it is kinda tricky... Here's the French transcript...

Ils (talking about the jury) doivent attribuer, entre autres, le Jupiter d’or, celui d’argent, celui de bronze, et pour le 25e cette année, nous aurons un Jupiter spécial pour la trame sonore. Une mention spéciale sera également décernée par la direction du concours au participant s’étant particulièrement distingué grâce à ses subterfuges en matière de respect de l’environnement et le développement de technologiqes vertes


it all depends on the word 'également'... So should we read 'une mention spéciale sera également décernée' or 'également décernée par la direction ?'

And the press release says : S’ajoutent cette année un jupiter spécial pour la meilleure bande sonore ainsi qu’une mention spéciale décernée par la direction du Concours...

'Décernée' n'ayant pas de 's', il y a lieu de croire que la direction donnera le green award, mais les juges le jupiter sonore...

Aaaahhh french language ! I'm meeting with La Ronde tomorrow... so will tell you more

4 little nights guys !!!!