Paul,

I always had a question that I've been dying to ask you about for years now, but I keep forgetting. I wanted to know something about your note-taking technique. How do you do it??? I mean, I know you told me a while ago that you write page after page of notes. My question specificly, is how do you remember what types of fireworks go up? I mean the fireworks are relatively going at a steady pace and often appear in a variety mixed together at times, so I'm thinking that you're constantly looking up and down all the time. I do know that in some finales, like Pirotechnia Igual for Spain in 2001, for example, that you wrote "Out of control." Also, generally, you write "WOW" when finales are intense and the fact that you can't keep up. I know you can't write in extreme detail for this segment, but I mean for the rest of the show. How do you do this? It always puzzles me every year when I think about you taking notes while I'm watching a display! I always wonder how you're managing, while I'm watching the displays!

And while I'm at it, do you know, approximately, how many spectators were at the Panzera closing show? Just at me looking at De Lorimier and Notre-Dame, it was exceedingly a big capacity! Just by looking there and estimating the bridge, the Old Port and other favourite or popular viewing areas, I would estimate, with an educated guess, around 500 000-600 000, maybe more. Is this accurate? Remember, the weather wasn't that bad either, but the earlier rains and threatning weather, prior to the display, may have discouraged people, though, which may, in fact, obscure those figures.

Regards,

Trav.

Trav,

I thought I'd already answered this question. Anyway, here's an answer I sent to someone who asked the same thing by email:

No tape recording or any electronic aids of any sort are used in writing
the reports, nor do I take video footage and watch it afterwards to write
me reports. Just a small notebook and pencil. Here's a picture of the
notebook, on page 1 of the report of IPON:

http://www.montreal-fireworks.com/cgi-bin/photogen.cgi?Pics2004/Specia l/book1.jpg,600,401

And here's the last page of that report, complete with WOWs!

http://www.montreal-fireworks.com/cgi-bin/photogen.cgi?Pics2004/Specia l/book2.jpg,401,600


By thw way, the reason that the writing on one page on the 1st picture is
upside down is that I only write on 1 side of the page - when I get to the
end of the book (which I inevitably do) I just turn it over and start from
the beginning. Admittedly a bit thrifty, but it keeps a whole season in
one book.

Stay green,

Paul.

p.s. I wrote a paper for the 7th International Symposium on Fireworks on
my coverage of the competition, you can download the PDF at:

http://www.montreal-fireworks.com/pyromusicals101-paper.pdf

with the slides I used here:

http://www.montreal-fireworks.com/pyromusicals101-slides.pdf

There are also some video examples - full details can be found here:

http://www.montreal-fireworks.com/symposium.html

As for the crowd on the night of the closing show, I wouldn't be surprised if there were 500,000 people on the streets - that used to be the number given in previous years.

Cheers,

Paul.

Paul,

I'm guessing that you told me the answer in the past, but I probably forgot. Thanks for the answer, anyways.

I find it pretty cool in the way you take notes, despite all that goes on during a typical display!

Anyways, I guess there was an excess of 500,000 people! The bridge alone had roughly 100,000! It's reasonable!

Once again, thx!

BTW, that's the first time I saw one of your notebooks! I now see the way you write "WOW"!

Regards,

Trav.