Given the level of the competition this year, a display of this magnitude seemed to have jumped out as if from nowhere. It just goes to show that even with a smaller budget, you can accomplish a beautiful performance. Fireworks "Spectaculars" surely delivered a spectacular display tonight and is easily my number one choice so far. Product quality was excellent and the choice of music corresponded beautifully and creatively with the theme. Music transitions were seamless and the arrangement permitted for delicate changes between subtle and active pieces. Similarly, music choices were excellent, appropriate, enjoyable and many possessed an emotional feel to them, drawing you into the display. A great diversity in effects at all levels - those massive nautical shells being some of the most memorable, as were those 12" tail ring shells and double-ascension girandolas, to name but a few. Colors were rich and also in a very good diversity. Excellent balance between low and high levels of sky and the scope of the display from the left to right was often quite wide. Synchronization was excellent and creative in which the music choices were represented in terms of enforcing the critical points and the signature notes, especially at low level.

And the finale....That was a true finale and resembled those that we used to see in the past! The start of the finale also reminded me a little of how Fireworks Spectaculars initiated it in 2007 with all the cakes and then overhead shells. The faux finale was convincing, too!

Other than that, weather seemed to have followed closely to what was stated in the reports with periods of brief isolated showers during the evening and South-Southwesterly winds at roughly 12 km/h by 10:00 p.m. Temperatures at 26 C and falling slightly at 25 C later in the display. Humidity was, of course, stagnant.

Brad, let me tell you that your performance was a real success tonight, as I knew it would be! The display was large and very entertaining to watch. Apart from the rain drops occasionally falling, I had a great July evening!

In any case, post your reviews of the Canadian display here. I'll have more later on and soon will, with pleasure, post my video of the glorious finale from De Lorimier/Notre Dame's perspective. It was fantastic is finally witnessing a quality display.

Trav.

After lurking since last year, I've decided to join the forum in order to congratulate Brad on his company's show tonight.

I don't have much to say right now other than it was easily my personal favourite of this year's competition (with the expected caveat of "so far" ), and definitely one of the best pyromusical shows I've ever seen. I left with a huge smile on my face - hopefully the judges feel the same!

Bravo!

Bonjour tout le monde,

Je me devais absolument de laisser mon commentaire cette fois-ci. Je reviens tout juste du spectacle grandiose que nous a offert le Canada ce soir. Ça faisait très longtemps que j'attendais un tel spectacle. Le Canada nous en a mis PLEIN la vue et PLEIN les oreilles Somme toute, une trame musicale ordonnée, quasi militaire et un spectacle solennel.

C'est bizarre, mais seulement quelques minutes après le début du feu d'artifice, j'ai senti que l'on était pour assister à un spectacle superbe, comme on en a trop peu souvent la chance. Les prestations des firmes précédentes ont été très intéressantes jusqu'à maintenant cette année, mais ce soir, le Canada a mis la barre très haute. La trame musicale était non seulement bien choisie, mais elle inspirait le respect. L'originalité des feux était évidente, l'intensité du spectacle était bien présente du début à la fin......et quelle fin!!!

J'ai lu plusieurs commentaires dans ce forum depuis le début de la compétition, commentaires qui disaient que les finales sont souvent trop courtes et/ou pas assez intenses (opinions que je partage bien). Eh bien ce soir, Fireworks Spectaculars a parfaitement démontré comment on peut faire une VRAIE finale, digne d'une compétition internationale. On en a eu plein la vue, plein les oreilles et j'ai vraiment eu le temps de bien sentir l'émotion monter en moi pendant cette finale dont la grande intensité a été soutenue assez longtemps pour humecter mes yeux.

Bravo Canada......jusqu'à maintenant, vous avez le Jupiter d'Or!

Travis.....I hope you had a wonderful day for your Birthday
Pierre

Here is my video of the final minutes of the display:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsBjfz5l1Qw

I apologize for occasionally getting my hand in the way - I was merely wiping the rain droplets off of the lens.

And here is a composite radar image snapshot I took earlier in the afternoon of an impressive thunderstorm closely passing South of Montreal between 5:00 and 5:30 p.m:

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b132/Rain12/CIMG3072.jpg

This is why I felt it was appropriate to issue the risk for afternoon convective showers and thunderstorms since Thursday for yesterday (Saturday) afternoon.

Hi Pierre,

Thank you for the birthday wishes earlier! Indeed, my birthday was excellent as the weather was very warm/humid and good thunderstorms were present four days ago - lots to like.

I fully agree with your review of the Canadian display as it was truly enjoyable from beginning to end. The finale was most delightful and was a little surprising as we haven't witnessed such magnificence and power in a finale for quite some time. I believe Canada 2010 is enough to hit my list for top finales. I am happy that the display in its entirety satisfied you, Pierre. Nice to see you with us on the forum once again, by the way.

And Duncan_S, I am delighted that you have decided to join the forum! Glad to hear that you, too, thoroughly enjoyed the display.

Trav.

All I can say is that I shouted out WOW many times during the display, something that's been missing this year. Kudos to Brad and Fireworks Spectaculars for giving us a truly excellent display. If they don't win a Jupiter, I'm not attending anymore!!

Paul.

Hey All,

Reduction in budget this year? Not for Brad lol. This display was absolutely stunning in the sheer number of shells employed. I was occasionally checking my watch not because I was bored, but because I was wondering how many shells were left for the finale! And boy what a finale! The entire show was powerful, so much so that many segments in themselves reminded me of previous finales Where did you manage to hide those shells?

Both the music and the quality of the shells used were incredible. I admit I have a soft spot for both Zimmer and Vangelis. Colors were extremely bright and varied, as were the effects. Some of my favs were the crackling stars which detonated so hard it felt like 12 inch shells! Synchronization was masterfully employed, unlike what we've seen so far this year (this display absolutely needed a computer to fire the shells ). I must add that the angles used were fantastic, it made the display look freakin humongous. Really wish that technique was used more often by other teams.

I had the feeling that Brad was answering our questions simply to get him on our good side ... lol. All jokes aside not only did Brad keep fans in the loop, he also created one of the best displays I've seen in a long time. Actually, after this display, I had the same feeling going home as I did after Royal's display last year. As a previous judge, my gut feeling tells me that you may very well need to update your CV this year with additional special awards lol.

All in all, a masterful display worthy of an enormous . Kudos to you my friend for such an awesome job. This display should have been called "Epic"

Hey guys,

Hey Trav happy birthday man, hope you enjoyed it.
Fortunatley, I recorded the entire display!
So now you guys can watch it here..

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnpxFtVfPDc
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cSEtgpiE2U
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gl1MT64-gIY
Finale: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZSN__b3yAE


As for my review of the display. Canada put it up to #1 in my books. The opening was nice, the body was nice. Very large 12 inch shells (you can hear the fiercefull power of them in my videos) and very nice color mixtures. One display I won't forget anytime soon. Good job to Fireworks Spectaculars. The finale was one tough ending. It was a big amount, but I still think Italy had the largest finale this year so far. Very interesting structure, and it was well synched to the music. Hope my videos give you an impression of what it looks like on the other side of Bob's view of his camera. I will be furious if they don't get anything as far as award. And PyroDan: I really liked those ground salutes and the large mines on Ramp 2. Those were LOUD! Paul, try to take a look at my videos that I took, the sound quality should be great. I just uploaded them so they might be a little foggy at first, but after several hours, they should be in mint quality.

Overall display:
1. Canada
2. Poland
3. United States

Finale:
1. Italy
2. Canada
3. U.S.A.

Enjoy!
Pat

I have uploaded the video for Canada.
http://www.burchcom.com/2010/index.html

If you want to download the video and save it, use this link.
http://www.burchcom.com/2010/canada.flv
Right click on the link and select "save target as"

Please note that I am uploading .flv files to conserve space.
If you download them, you will need a player to display them on your computer.

The Riva player is free at this site:
http://download.cnet.com/Riva-FLV-Player/3000-13632_4-10435953.html

Once you have the downloaded file, if you want to convert it to an .avi file, you can use this converter (also free download) http://www.any-video-converter.com/

I will leave all of the shows up in this index page throughout the season.

Finally a show that makes me feel same feeling than the previous seasons ! Very nice design, nice music selection, huge shells and a really good use of effects and levels, rich colors and a great finale (for me the best this year).


I'm sure people in La Ronde had a great time.

Thank you to all for sharing the videos !


Ps: the nautical shells were out of this world ..... hahaha

My rankings so far:

1- CANADA
----------

2-POLAND
3-ITALY
4- PORTUGAL
----------

5/6- TAIWAN / USA

That was definitely the best show so far! Very nice products, synchronization, and nautical shells

I thought that the products were very nice, the zaragozana shells were really nice and the breaks looked like they would be blinding when seen live xD Ofcourse it's always nice to see yung feng shells in shows, specially the rising tails I really loved the nautical shells they used, that's what real nautical shells look like xD I liked the nautical willows that had titanium or flash breaks in them. The colors of their shells were very nice too. Must be the wind direction but some of the ground fireworks looked like they produce a lot of smoke. Many of the comets looked like the stars got chopped making them look very messy :-S

The synchronization was very nice, and the sky and ground fireworks were very well balanced. I thought that there were a few small mistakes such as some mines/comets failing to ignite, this made the show look messy but it didn't distract much from the display. Their firing patterns reminded me of royal and garden city display. I really think that this 3 companies all have the same firing style, even their music choices are very similar to each other My favorite segment would have to be run free due to the very nice runs of mines and comets in different directions. I also liked how the gerbs were used here xD

Their use of space, as stated by many was really good. They covered up the air, ground and water pretty nicely specially in the finale. I think one of the weak points would have to be the theme because with the song choices, it wasn't really that evident. Overall this display was very nice although it could have used a little bit more polishing. While watching, it felt really short... hope it was longer xD

Here's my grading for FSC:
Effects: 9.5/10
Synchronization: 9.2/10
Music: 8.5/10
Technical Design: 9.5/10
Pyrotechnical Design: 9/10
overall: 45.7/50 (91.4%)

My rankings so far:
1. Canada - Fireworks Spectacular Canada (91.4%)
2. Italy - Pirotecnia Soldi (86%)
3. Poland - Surex (85%)
4. Potugal - Macedos Pirotecnia (79%)
5. U.S.A - Western Enterprises (76%)
6. Taiwan - Santai Fireworks (72%)

Next is Sweden's GFF! I can't wait to see this display

Vander

Another excellent display by Fireworks Spectaculars Canada. Finally a real pyromusical show at La Ronde! A good classical soundtrack, always works well with fireworks. Synchronization was again flawless like their 2007 show! A very creative and complex design that made good use of the whole area and the lake. It was just an excellent entertaining show that sure pleased the general public and the pyromaniacs. The theme was somewhat weak, but this is a very minor criticism. The finale was too amazing! Loved every second of it.

They didn't get the chance to win an award in 2007, but due to the low level of competition, they must win something this year!

My rankings so far:

1. Canada
2. Poland
3. Italy
4. Portugal
5. United States
6. Taiwan

OK, here's the first review from Holland.
I really like this show. This was a pyromusical what's it ment to be. Very good soundtrack which make it possible to shoot the fireworks where it belongs. I mean, Nautical Shells, Single Shots, Mines over the water, that all makes this Pyromusical just a little better than the shows i've seen before.
In Europe there is only one company that can beat this show and thats the company you will see next saturday. Don't expect a huge final, but the goreography from Martin Hildeberg is something too look out for.
PS, sorry for the spelling foults.

I haven't yet posted a single review for this competition season. I decided that the first five displays of the 2010 season did not demand much afterthought, much review. They existed as they were; 30 minutes of (hopeful) entertainment, but none seemed to offer anything well beyond entertainment. "Going beyond" is what, to me, has established l'International des Feux as superior to other pyromusical competitions spanning the globe. While the standard in 2010 has been a less-than-stellar - Italy did offer a very consistent 30 minute display and Poland had about 10-11 minutes that were breathtakingly beautiful - Fireworks Spectaculars Canada, last night, affirmed that this competition has not yet lost its luster.

What exactly made Canada's display so exceptional? First, an impressive diversity of pyrotechnic pieces. Each segment felt unique, not stepping on the toes of previous segments. Second, a finely crafted and varied firing pattern kept the audience on the edge of their seats from start to finish. Third, it featured a wholly enjoyable soundtrack consisting of musical selections that, while perhaps not directly invoking the idea of real-life heroes, was music that would connect with the audience and evoke a certain sympathy and hopefulness. Coupled with this point, the music worked in a manner that benefited the overall display and not the song, or segment itself. Too often this year firms have used songs that are popular either locally or internationally only to try to connect with and please the audience. I find that this tactic, while arguably successful, often creates a disconnect from the display. Point being, Fireworks Spectaculars Canada knew better than to fall into this trap. The only selection where the fireworks played second-fiddle to the music was the Pink Panther sequence.

What Fireworks Spectaculars Canada were able to do, which separates them from those who have already presented in 2010 , was carry these aforementioned fine points, consistently, over a 30-minute period. Each of the previous presenters had a failing with regard to one of these points, in my opinion. It goes without saying that Canada's synchronization, quality of product technical design and quality of colour was splendid.

Now, on to why the Gold Jupiter needs to stay locked up for another 14 days. This was not a flawless display. My main criticism would be their inability to truly convey their theme. In 2007 this was not an issue for Fireworks Spectaculars Canada. Of course, they used narration three years ago (which I did not have much problem with except that it was used in excess). When it comes to theme in a pryomusical display sometimes you buy it hook, line and sinker; sometimes you take the bait but it doesn't bring you anywhere; and sometimes you are left swimming aimlessly. With Canada's display, "Heroes," I went along with the theme but found myself going too far trying to impose it on the display itself; even that wasn't easy. What I did gain a sense of was that the display spoke of, and paid tribute to the goodness of human nature - how we can brighten and rise above (as literally represented in the display) the darkest and most frightening of situations (wonderfully represented on at least two occasions during the display).

My second criticism (and this one is slight), is that "Heroes" was predominantly centered and symmetrical in design. This is okay - though I do enjoy finding beauty in off-balance, asymmetrical things. In maintaining a centered and symmetrical pyrotechnic design, Fireworks Spectaculars Canada left themselves open to mistakes seeming even more glaring. There were a few instances where, particularly, low level effects would occur on one side and not the other. What may have actually been a strategic decision on the part of the firm stood out, to me, as a mistake. And because their display was so centered and symmetrical, these observances were all the more obvious.

Beyond my criticisms, this was a return to form for l'International des Feux and Fireworks Spectaculars Canada deserves every bit of adulation from appreciative spectators who witnessed the display Saturday evening.

In the same vein as Paul's message above - if Canada does not make the podium this year, I will do all I can to be part of the jury next year and see to it that deserving firms, such as Fireworks Spectaculars Canada are rewarded for their achievements.

With only two firms left to present (albeit powerhouse firms who we all expect a lot from), Canada has certainly cemented themselves on the podium. Congratulations on a job well done.

Tyler

*also, best birthday wishes to you Trav*

What a show !

Now that my show-basher reputation is established, allow me for once to give out a very positive review, as Fireworks Spectaculars clearly deserve it !

Congratulations to Brad Dezotell for his amazing and extraordinary work. I was truly entertained from the very beginning to the end of the deafening and exquisite finale.

Speaking of which, I never though that it was possible to layer so much levels of intensity in the same segment (titanium salutes cakes at the bottom, chaos in the middle and what appeared to be studatas on top). I would have expected the show to end about midway during the finale, but Brad just increased the pace again and again, to the extent that I was wondering if it was even possible to go even further in intensity (guess what, it does !)

As for the remainder of the show, the soundtrack was as epic as the theme would have suggested and was in itself a good tribute to these "ordinary heroes" that are firemen, policemen and soldiers. The mixing work was worthy of a soundtrack Jupiter, that is if such award was awarded this year... I still don't understand the removal of this prize (or its brief reintroduction in 2009), as having a good soundtrack is paramount regarding to the level of excellence at l'International.

The public seemed to be very receptive when colorful effects were used (I remember people going wild when the 5-color Dancing Fireworks fan cakes erupted from ramp #3), and fortunately color was used a lot.

There truly was almost no repetition during the show : each effect was used at most 3 times, then gave way to other sequences. Excellent selection !

As for the nauticals, I don't recall being as much shaken by the shockwave caused by such effects from the time I began covering the competition (2008 season). Some nautical shells really did pack a punch, at least when the show called for it. I also remember beautiful blue nautical flares during a peaceful segment, so really the product selection was indeed well done.

Unfortunately, I felt that the "Pink Panther" sequence was a clear rip-off from the "Bummel Petrus" segment of Quebec 2009, as the pink comets clearly mimicked the trajectory of the golden ones that were the staple of this humorous segment last year. It might be a coincidence, though, but it left me with a strange impression... Maybe can Brad Dezotell indicate if it was the case (coincidence) or not (not so subtle inspiration).

All in all, a truly excellent display. I mirror the thoughts of the other commenters in that Fireworks Spectaculars already won something (what exactly depends on the remaining two promising concurrents). If they leave Montreal empty-handed (as was Portugal's team in 2008), then something's clearly amiss with the way the jury members evaluate the shows.

Let's just hope for the better !

My grade : 91%

Obligatory link to my review (and pictures) : Right here


STL

To "STL"

Thank you very much for your kind remarks on my show, I appreciate it along with all the other remarks on this forum and in person from several people. Even got thanked by the security guard in the airport. Really good feeling and what we are all about.

With that said, you asked me to directly respond to the Pink Panther segment and your suggestion it was a "rip-off" and therefore I will. I need to make sure you know, there is zero basis for you saying these things about this segment and I'm really not sure where these comments came from. To leave you no doubt, I would like to offer you the following facts:

1) I've never seen live or on video a show from Quebec City competition or the company you speak about.
2) The product we used was custom built by RES to do the effect we asked. They in turn developed it and we shot it at the suggested angle to make the effect happen.
3) The trajectory was set by my Ramp 3 supervisor to avoid the docks we had set of to hold all of the nauticals. This call was made the day of the show and worked out well.
4) Last, but certainly not least, "Pink Panther" has played a role in two other very successful competition shows we had performed in 2003 and 2004 (a full 6 years before 2009). I promised I would do the segment if I ever came back to Montreal and I was very pleased to be able to bring this and perform it in such a great venue and in its full version. In fact, many of my peers who I look up to consider it one of my "signatures".

I'm sorry about being so direct with you in a public forum, but I really had no choice as believe it or not 100% of the idea's for the show and soundtrack were mine! I also would kindly ask for an apology as I believe it is in order.

Regards,
Brad