Hi everyone,

Please post your reviews and/or comments for the French display here!

Trav.

Clearly the winner this year.

I know a gold when I see it.

French display was the best show this year. Period.


2024 was a great edition, all displays had an excellent level and very good products. All of the shows had some memorable segments but the french exhibition had the best mix of all of the categories: product, design, creativity, excitement, soundtrack...

First of all: The use of the firing place and specially the use of ramp 5 was really good. They used the space as if it was a stadium, creating walls of fireworks with the space available, during some segments these walls were really well done (for example during the Imagine song when the mines went from the end of the firing place to the audience - ramp 5 giving a very dramatic effect) The use of angles on the lower effects was great too.

The italian product was really good, and the choice of it for each song was great. The artistic aproach was very good too, chosing a color pallete for each song and not mixing too much, giving importance to the emotion more than the variety of product used. Color choices made the show very emotional and flowing through each song. I liked this. Maybe they had some repetition in some of the medium shells, but overall great choice of color.

Im really happy that finally a more elegant/mature show is going big and ready to fight for the gold. As a fireworks enthusiast Im a bit tired of the mainstream music uptempo formula shows. I really hope they get the gold and with some luck maybe designers in Montreal will start using a different range of soundtrack and emotions for their shows. Its been a LONG time since we saw a gold contender using a more "arty" soundtrack for a big show. Its not that the soundtrack was experimental but the feeling I had is that they werent trying to replicate the Pyroemotions 2013 formula with a bunch of well known funny songs.

My only criticism would be the opening being a bit anticlimatic and the feeling the show was a bit mechanical in some parts. Still this is a minor critique cause they really used a good amount of roman candles and delayed lower effects ( finally!) that made the show very emotion oriented. You could feel the audience was really excited and invested in the show.


The final was also very good, long, bot rushed, well designed and with a good build up, my only criticism is they could have gone a bit louder and crazy/chaotic during the last seconds just giving a bigger closing. Still very well done.


To me this show is a clear sign that designers need to come back to what worked in the past while mixing it with new technologies. Most of the shows now feel mechanical and formulaic, too based on the beat and scared of using delayed effects. This one shows to everybody how with an unknown and not so mainstream soundtrack, using the space available and good positioned delayed effects mixed with digital sequences you can do a GREAT show.



I really hope they win the gold, for the sake of future shows.

Here are some of my notes about France.

I liked :
- Effects on ramp 3. Very precise angles with all single-shots, creating clear sequences and patterns.
- The three towers on ramp 2 added spectacular effects at times.
- Children of the sky and Apollo : WOW.
- Variety of products.
- The excellent buildup with the faux finale (Outro) and the real finale (One Moment in Time) ending with white/silver colors that made both ground and sky very bright. Spectacular and very powerful.
- Wide range of colors used.
- Glittering / Strobing effects used throughout the show, in harmony with the theme.
- Heart shaped shells : the imperfect ones were less noticable because they were shot at the same time with other shells, clever.

I noticed :
- "Les étoiles filantes" segment was very repetitive.
- Circular pattern on ramp 4 didn't create depth as much as anticipated.
- Narration introducing the show was a bit long.

Personal thoughts
Without a single doubt, France display was the best of the season. Soundtrack was very well edited and emotions were felt through fireworks at all time. A lot of creativity combined with close to perfect execution made this show remarquable. Thanks to the narration at the beginning, the theme was clear and every song was connected to it. This was the kind of show that rapidly felt engaging, leaving no other choice than staying focused and not wanting to miss a single second of it. Gold Jupiter performance.

After 6 shows :
1) France
2) Italy
3) Mexico
4) Canada
5) Japan
6) Austria

Dan

Just one day after being at the centre of global attention with the 2024 Summer Olympics Games opening ceremony, France was represented in the Montreal fireworks competition with a new entrant. Arteventia was the 110th competitor – and the 10th from France – since the beginning of the event in 1985. For its debut display in Montreal, it delivered an excellent show and will most likely be rewarded with the Gold Jupiter.

For its pyromusical concept, Arteventia decided to go ahead with a light theme, which was the underlying foundation of the 34-minute soundtrack. The title of the show was written in two ways and I understood several layers of meaning. Entitled “Crépusculaires” (the French adjective for twilight), the theme referred primarily to the many life experiences that humans live differently after the sunset... or before the sunrise : the love, the pain, the dream to reach the stars, or the awakening of nature. The theme also evoked the twilight of the human life. Finally, it alluded to the role of musics in these circumstances, as the descriptive on La Ronde website also included the alternative spelling “Crépuscul’airs,” a wordplay for twilight tunes. This theme was emphasized with two very well-scripted narrative segments at the start and nearly the end of the show, each time with musics in the background and complemented with some fireworks.

I thought the music selection had been done very well (good mix of vocal/non vocal pieces; songs in English and French; Audiomachine’s version Imagine rather than the original one; countdown before lift-off with Apollo, etc.). Most transitions were well-done too. They allowed quick transitions from one part to the following, with one deliberate exception after the penultimate tableau to fuel the impression that the show was over when it was not. A minor criticism is that editing between some musics could have been refined a bit more, to favour an even more fluid display and a less abrupt transition between the Vangelis’ musics (laser segment) and the Cowboys Fringants’ song.

One week ago, I wrote here that Fireworks Spectaculars Canada had the most complex technical design so far in the competition this year. Arteventia went beyond and was more successful. First, as described by Paul in his interview report a couple of days ago, the French setup included the two 15-meter (or so) elevated platforms on each side of the firing area similarly to the Canadian one, but also featured a higher structure reportedly about 40 meters above the ground. These elevated firing positions were used more effectively at key points in the display, without being overused. It was the case with some 360-degree patterns appearing like “spherical” cakes of stars (Save your tears), and of very thin comets (M83’s outro music). Second, firing positions were added to the “access ramps” (the floating platforms perpendicular to the 2nd and 3rd ramps). They allowed for a spectacular fast sequence of thick gold mines/comets on those and extended on the third ramp, the fifth ramp and the position supported by the cherry picker, causing my first “WOW!” moment of this show, toward the end of Imagine. Third, the 4th ramp had two circular sets of firing positions: an inner set in the centre of the roof of the control room, and another set around its perimeter. Those were also used in an effective way, especially for the countdown and the liftoff on Apollo. Fourth, the 5th ramp in the centre of the lake has been used for a variety of effects, including some massive ones which impact the audience more powerfully, as well as cakes in horizontal positions shooting multicolour stars surfing across the entire width of the lake on Children of the sky. Overall, this complex show has been almost perfectly executed. It appeared extremely “clean cut”, without asymmetries, incorrect angles, or inadvertent “dark moments.” One minor criticism is that nautical products have been launched on the lake just once, that is, during the (strong) finale with nautical shells. I would have liked to see more nautical effects during the show.

Speaking about the products, they were diverse enough to avoid too much repetitions. They appeared to be of excellent quality, too. I am not sure to what extent the vividness of colours was augmented by the cooperative weather conditions, but they appeared very vivid. Many shells had stars changing of colours once and twice. On Children of the sky, we saw several mines with three changes of colours. Later, the Apollo part ended with large chrysanthemums comprising sparkly pistils. Those and many other effects throughout the extravaganza were perfectly shaped. I saw a number of studatas on Future lovers but, like nautical products, I would have liked to get more multibreak shells. It is possible that some escaped from my attention, as the design of the show did not do justice to some of these more sophisticated shells. For example, during the finale, I saw a couple of shells with two layers of changing-colour pistils which, I am afraid, were not noticed by many people.

Generally speaking, the pyromusical design benefited of the light theme described above, which glued all parts of this show together. The designers have demonstrated their talents to bring the audience through that journey with a variety of rhythms, a number of serene moments and some climactic sequences. The aforementioned chase sequence of thick mines/comets on Imagine, countdown and liftoff scene during Apollo, and the false/actual finales were three of these energetic sequences. Generally speaking, the synchronization was very good too. Nonetheless, some choices left me somewhat skeptical, especially the launch of several barrages of comets augmented with mines across the width of the firing area during the introduction narrative. Also, on the Cowboy Fringants’ popular song Les Étoiles filantes, the many farfalles and twinkling comets (almost tourbillons) evoked the musicality of the accordion, but I would have liked a more serene moment to fit with the theme of the song and proper shooting stars (“étoiles filantes”).

To summarize, that was an excellent debut display for the French team, performed in front of the largest audience this season. For the first time, I saw from the Ferris wheel a significant number of cars in the backlot parking (towards the north tip of the island). It was far from a large crowd... but much better than the very small audience who fought against rainy conditions to appreciate the Joho Pyro’s award-winning show last year.

So, my personal ranking is:

1. Arteventia (France)
2. La Rosa S.R.L. (Italy) *very tight*
3. Fireworks Spectaculars Canada (Canada) *very tight*
4. Lux Pirotecnia (Mexico)
5. steyrFire Fireworks (Austria)
6. Omagari Hanabi (Japan)


Some general comments about the 38th edition of the competition and my Jupiter predictions will follow soon in the corresponding thread of the forum.

Fred

Fantastic weather conditions were present for the debut of this French team. A temperature of 26 C, along with a Humidex of 30 C. Winds were fairly light, at 9 km/h, but from the SW to gradually SSW. This allowed the smoke to drift to the far right-hand side of the La Ronde audience, though more directly in that direction at the highest altitude.

A spectacular display put on by this debutante French team and, much like others have expressed previously, also my choice for the leading display this year. The performance offered so much depth that it was often difficult for the eyes to keep pace with all of the splendors that were so characteristic of most segments.

Although there are many aspects to dissect, the display really did not leave the sky barren for long from one piece to the next. The transitions were smooth and tidy, but the extent to which the transitions took place was under a different approach somehow. In particular, when the show adopted quieter moments, the serenity was made quite clear. However, despite the extensive activity materializing throughout those “tranquil” segments, somehow these cleverly and ingeniously preserved the idea of tranquility. To that end, quiet moments were often (fairly) active, but the pyrotechnics somehow managed to make it evident that the notion of peace was present. Whether or not this was the intention it was, for me, a very unique approach for depicting an emotional shift.

Synchronization was not only excellent but was also under a very complex direction that made the display even more grand. It has been quite some time since we have been treated to note-tight and elaborate segments to do music justice. The large range of firing patterns were very well choreographed and fitted well with the subtleties engendering the selected tracks.
The sky was almost always overwhelmed by incredible splashes of color, easily making this the most colorful display, not only this year but among the multitude of displays we have seen throughout the years. I cannot stress enough the magnificent spectacle of color that was showcased here, and it made sense given the nature of theme (even though the theme was not always clear). The richness of the color, as well as its brilliance (shown off better due to the correct wind direction) really also highlighted exemplary product quality. The blend between effects to support this coloring scheme was also truly fascinating to see, correctly intersecting across all available spaces. As such, the display was very explorative, taking advantage of practically all spaces of sky while hardly ever losing symmetry. One of my most favorite pieces, then, was “Children of the Sky” with respect to its diversity of firing angles and correct positioning of effects to complement all altitudes of the display. Furthermore, this segment favored a very interesting transitional moment into the next segment, “”, which featured breathtaking moments as glitters placed on the structures came to life, which were soon accompanied by glittering shells. Another moment that I loved was the interesting and somewhat eerie-sounding screaming/whistling serpent volleys.

The ring structure at the center was further executed much better than I thought it would be. In some situations, the firing patterns coming from this ring reminded me a little of some sequences we witnessed during the legendary Italy 2013. Synchronization with this wheel was superb, and it was more than well integrated into the display. The real and faux finales were also excellent, although the intensity and endurance were less than with Canada.

My principal criticisms are directed at the theme, although these are minor. Much like the “theme” this year, I found it to be a bit of a challenge to truly make a designated thematic framework largely clear and obvious throughout a display. Many themes chosen this year were rather light and broad, and this was the case here to some degree. That said, in this display, when the theme felt obvious, it was, and when it wasn’t, the meaning behind it became more elusive. Indeed, there were several musical choices that, in my mind, steered away from the central concept encompassing the theme, while others evidently worked well and were a great fit. The narration at the beginning offered some explanation as to the direction the display would follow, but as the show unfolded, it still was not always so clear. Although I can understand that the display was not meant to be meteorologically-oriented, the term “crepuscular” also appears in atmospheric optics as a way of describing emerging rays of sunlight (i.e. crepuscular rays) behind some kind of obstruction, such as via elevated terrain. This is also especially the case when a low-cloud deck partially hides sunlight to reveal the magnificent and shimmering curtains of light. In the display, there were a few songs that, at least partially, portrayed aspects of the sky and relate these through changes in human emotion. I think those were the moments where I felt more connected to the display and found the purpose clearer. The segment of “Children of the Sky” was an example of a section that sold the theme very well. The final 33% of the show is where I felt more disconnected. As such, while the technical design came clearly strong, for the reasons outlined above, the conceptual design was less tenacious.

In other dimensions, I also do agree with Rovira that the beginning of the display was a little bit of an anti-climax due to the opening narration. However, the display’s energy quickly erupted, so I didn’t find this to be overly disruptive as compared with previous displays that have used opening narration with extended periods of darkness. To another end, I found the horsetails a little redundant (horsetails fairly popular this year), although they appeared in a decent variety to keep the performance refreshing. I also agree with Fred that more nautical products (especially those massive shells) would have been a fine addition to this highly enjoyable display.

Overall, a very, very successful performance by the French team, and I do hope to see them return to the competition in the near future to represent France!

Trav.

Finally my review. Definitely the winner in my opinion and a strong contender for the Soundtrack Jupiter.

http://montreal-fireworks.com/ReportBlog/?p=2416

Paul