La Ronde is gathering feedback about the laser shows that are now embedded in the fireworks displays.

If you have any thoughts, please feel free to add them to this thread. I'm also interested to hear what people who watched from outside La Ronde thought, too.

I understand what La Ronde is trying to do, to cut down on smoke particles. But, when used for multiple minutes without any firework support and kept low, it becomes boring. From the ambiance on the streets, many were getting ready to leave due to how little was visible. It can create a malfunction sensation. Had I not read comments here, I too would think something happened to the firing system.

I think a major improvement would be to incorporate drones or use some higher altitude smoke products to create a canvas for the laser beams to become visible (Mascletà-like effects). That would be very cool to experience from anywhere outside of La Ronde, and still cut down on particles (canvas assistance doesn't have to be fired continuously).

My short answer? Boring and a complete let down mid-way during a fireworks show.

My longer answer:

The laser technology felt extremely dated and lackluster. This is something that may appear "cool" in an enclosed room. However, in an open, water-based amphitheater setting like La Ronde, it just felt out of place. As well, as PyroDan pointed out, unlike the fireworks that are quite high, yesterday's lasers were all very low to the ground and the novelty wore off after a matter of seconds.

I would agree - it would be more interesting if the lasers were coupled with drones, water fountains or anything else. However, it's possible that they're worried that the drones would need too much time to "return back down" to avoid being damaged by fireworks.

I looked last night - Laser Quantum also produced "Montreal Avudo" - a highly immersive show at the Old Port in 2017. I saw this show then and enjoyed it. (https://www.laser-quantum.com/en/montreal-avudo/)

This company also supports water screens, water fountains and more. At the absolute minimum, we should be seeing more during the 5 minute period. How cool would it be to see a clip from a TV show that relates to the song on a water screen? Or even something custom made for the show?

Overall, I understand that this is being done to position La Ronde as more eco-conscious. However, it has a long way to go to become meaningful.[url=][/url][url=][/url][url=][/url]

As I predicted in a previous post the laser experience is a let down, to no one surprise.

My friends who were outside La Ronde told me they were confused with the full show. They thought they were having technical problems and the show felt too long with all the pauses .

Probably I miss something and it has to do with the accumulation of thick particles but i dont get why the lasers have to be inside the show. Isnt it enough cutting the time of the show to 25 min? I feel like the laser inclusion in the show is a disrespect to the pyrotechnics work.

if its the only solution to keep the outside pressures of the competition happy then the la ronde team must work harder to deliver a more impressive laser show.

what they have at the moment is a very basic laser show and its a disrespect to the amount of work the pyrotechnicians put in what could be the most important job/show in their life. only to be disrupted by a laser show that was probably not even choreographed or put any thought into.

there are many ways to make it work like adding lasers that can draw pictures, adding more beams, maybe laser light dancers and water jet dancers with lasers attached. to make it a real multimedia experience that people will want to see live inside la ronde. im sure water fountains and drones are out of the question as adding these could cost the same as a 1 30 minute la ronde show.

i dont know how much time the teams had to think where to put the laser shows in the show. But if it was early enough, it was worth scrapping their original idea and rethinking the whole structure of their show to give a better mix of the pyro and laser.

I am hoping we see better laser segments going forward. The Japanese team had already designed their full show before the laser show concept was introduced. When I interviewed La Rosa yesterday they did say that they were able to work with the laser company. Other constraints on the angles of the beams were introduced by Transport Canada as there is an airport close by (St Hubert) and we often see planes flying over La Ronde. Recently, we've seen planes that are either coming from or going to PET Airport over La Ronde too.

For me about the Japan's display, which is gonna be a slight good idea in my opinion where lasers will be provided for this year's competition.

Unlike other show, fireworks will be replaced with lasers in few minutes and going back to the fireworks segments once the smoke is cleared. That it will be a perfect environmental option.

After seeing both laser shows, I'm sorry but I'm not at all convinced this belongs in the "most prestigious pyrotechnic competition". Having lines just move in pseudo-synchronization to the music from 4-5 origin points just looks cheap (less pyro, smaller budget) and not really earth conscious focused. La Ronde is trying to spin it as must be present to experience it.

Either change the rules to make it 25 mins of just pyro, or invest money to make it a show worth watching in person. La Ronde can very easily look at videos for Disney's World of Color in Disneyland for inspiration. Yes, it's very expensive but if the results are similar (could be much less complex), I would think about going in person to get the full experience. As is, it really just ruins the pyro experience. In no way do I blame the pyro teams, they are forced to deal with this new rule.

See Disney's take of a no pyro show:
https://youtu.be/dzJNtAB8Rxw?t=1358

I didn’t want to reach a definitive conclusion too quickly. Now, with three shows since the introduction of these new laser segments, I come to the conclusion that it is a failure and should be dropped from the event as soon as possible (that is, probably next year as the upcoming shows are already designed).

While I have seen some improvements between each of these shows, refinement remains minimal. Basically, it appears to be a set of straight lights, adjusted at two levels (the lowest one being just above the lake surface, the highest one reaching the roof of the corporate boxes), with a limited number of angles and colours. At the best, their “movements” are barely synchronized with the musics, and their integration does not go any further. These laser segments are way too long. They cause a disruption in the pyromusical performances and they undermine the overall experience.

Inasmuch as the underlying motivation of this “innovation” (the laser technology had been used in this competition in 1997) is to make a claim about a reduction of the environmental impact of the fireworks, La Ronde should instead set and publicize a limitation about the type and quantity of explosives allowed in each show. The environmental impact is much more related to that component of a display than its duration.

Fred

Here is my opinion about lasers, after watching 3 shows so far.

From the start, I was pretty convinced that lasers could not replace the beauty and elegance of fireworks. But, as a person with positive thinking, I still let myself be convinced that it could be interesting...

With only 4 positions, and 2 different angles (0 degree at water level and something like 15 degrees towards the audience), it is obvious that each segment quickly becomes repetitive, redundant, dull. As a result, the rhythm of the show completely breaks. One might wonder what kind of rules and/or constraints are imposed to have so few options.

If the IFLQ is the most prestigious competition in the world, this “addition” is worthy of the opposite.

We must not forget that all of this was introduced following the forest fires of summer 2023, an EXCEPTIONAL situation. Something we might not see again for 5-10-20 years. It therefore seems obvious to me that all of this is an environmental marketing gimmick to show that La Ronde (and the IFLQ) is doing its part to reduce pollution.

Quite honestly, whether you shoot 7000 cues in 30 minutes or in 25 minutes plus 5 minutes of laser, it is exactly the same thing.

I don't see anyone who is on the winning side right now.

All I see are losers : the biggest being the pyrotechnic companies who were forced to incorporate this technology, drastically destroying their shows twice. The audience also sees itself as a loser since the interesting part was replaced by 5 minutes of boredom. And, above all, the laser company which had a unique chance to promote its product, but which, in the end, seduced almost no one.

Dan 

A couple more comments related to the laser shows.

Last night, I had to hide behind the person in front because some of the laser beams were reflecting off the lake directly into my eyes (really not enjoyable).

Secondly, the beams, at their highest extent, shine on the top of the grandstands just below the control room. This reflects back onto the audience and lights up the entire area, making the contrast with the lasers less than it would be due to all of the stray light.

FWIW the 1st laser segment in the Mexican display was most certainly not supposed to have any pyro effects during it at all ...

Paul

"Last night, I had to hide behind the person in front because some of the laser beams were reflecting off the lake directly into my eyes (really not enjoyable)."

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Third position from the left (or second position from the right if you prefer) had that issue during the last two shows (Austria and Mexico). It wasn't like that for the first two. People seating in the lower middle section of the audience probably noticed that.

Also, as if it wasn't enough, during calibration time (or verification) about an hour before the show, lasers were pointing directly at us for a short period of time.

Dan

Bonsoir tout le monde

Les effets laser ?? J'aurais pu vraiment m'en passer. Cela brise le rythme des présentations pyrotechniques. Cela me semble vraiment anti-climax

Roger

Lasers during the fireworks show «should be back next year», according to a news report quoting the competition technical director, Paul Csukassy, published the day after the closing show.

“Many adjustments will be done” continued Paul Csukassy. “The first nights, it was quite complicated. Now, we are going to have something really interesting” (my translation).

https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2024/08/02/dans-les-coulisses-des-fe ux-dartifice-de-la-ronde

It is likely that the way lasers were integrated into the closing show (as I described in my review here ) was a preview of some of these adjustments.

Fred

For laser fans, here's a good news !

For everyone else like me, the disaster is growing...

https://www.tvanouvelles.ca/2024/08/14/les-grands-feux-loto-quebec-ajo utent-des-lasers-a-leur-arsenal-de-spectacle-plus-ecologique

Dan