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 !!!!