I just sent my entry to the PGI Dominator fireworks contest, in collaboration with Finale Fireworks.

To participate, we had to create a 10 minutes max. pyromusical display using nothing but Dominator products (we even had inventories to respect).

The winning display will be shot for real at the next PGI convention in Appleton, Wisconsin. Therefore, the firing site, the launch positions and the firing modules were imposed by Dominator.

In a special "tips for scripting a pyromusical" section of Dominator, they referred to l'International and suggested that we do a show that would be worthy of a Gold Jupiter.

They will evaluate the winning shows with a professional jury, so to see what to expect, I'd really like you to turn the tables on me this time and evaluate the critic's display ! Don't refrain from calling my show mediocre if you have to.

There is a 10 seconds of black sky before the show starts, so just imagine Michel Lacroix counting down to 10 (or something).

The Four Seasons

Hey congrats on this show It's quite well done I like the color themes for each of the seasons. The synchronization was nice although in just a very few parts, it wasnt so recognizable. The only problem i see in this is the fireworks drowning the music in some parts. An example would be in the Amelie segment. I like your one shot sequences

Here's the evaluation for me. (without the effects ofcourse since you will all have the same )
Synchronization: 8.5/10
Music: 8/10
Technical Design: 10/10
Pyrotechnical Design: 8/10
overall: 34.5/40 (86%)

I would love to see this show being shot in real life

Vander

Hi STL,

Unfortunately, I am unable to see the video - I see the screen, but it just remains black. Perhaps I need to install something? I'd love to see what your display has to offer as it really appeals to me.

I personally love your choice for the theme - in fact, it is a little similar to an idea that I had brought up in a thread nearly two and a half years ago, which is pretty neat. Check this out:

http://www.montreal-fireworks.com/forum/index.php?action=vthread&topic =728&forum=5&page=-1

It would be wonderful if a competitor in Montreal would center their display on this sort of approach in the upcoming years.

I just graduated last night (the 21st of June), and apart from the convocation being very interesting and entertaining, I take great pride in receiving my degree on the first day of Summer. The weather was certainly beautiful for the occasion with a few clouds, low humidity and temperatures hovering into the mid 20s C. It was a little windy, but certainly nothing that would detract from an otherwise gorgeous Summer's evening.

Trav.

Hi Trav,

You can download the video straight from my website instead :
The Four Seasons (50 MB download)

It's a MPEG4 video that you can watch with VLC if nothing else works. Hell, VLC even works with Bob Burch's videos !

I read your description of a seasons-themed display and it's really a coincidence, as I did just what you said without even knowing your idea beforehand ! For starters, I thought about my theme when returning from work and remembering that Dominator had a falling leaves cake (used for the autumn, obviously).

Just don't get too excited though, because I didn't have the effects you refer to (photoflash salutes to simulate thunder, etc.) Also, you don't have much time in 10 minutes (or 9 in my case) to develop a storyline, unfortunately.

Like you may have seen, I also used nature-themed sounds for the transitions, except for the summer part, where I felt that children playing would set the fun and upbeat mood for the finale.

I should have guessed that a nature theme would appeal to a meteorologist !

Also, thanks Vander for the good grade, and especially the fact that you took the time to view the show ! The fireworks drowning music thing is due to Finale Fireworks, as the bursting sounds sometimes feel disproportionate to the effect size (a fan of 2" comets being as loud as a 3" aerial shell ? Come on !) Yet, I take good note of your comment for future displays !

STL

Well you deserve this grade i do hope that my short comments will be able to help you in some way BTW, if you like fireworks simulators like this you should try afterglow!

Vander

BTW, if you like fireworks simulators like this you should try afterglow!

I'd like to, but I've bought the Pro version of Finale, so I think that my wallet would prefer me to wait a bit before buying another simulation software

Do they have a demo available ?

yeah! they have a demo in their website http://www.afterglow-fireworks.com/ One off my works are also in their show gallery hehe the kung fu panda one xD

Vander

What ! 50$ ! That's a steal, considering that it's much more advanced that Finale (at least for now).

It looks more complicated, though. I like Finale for the fact that it's really easy and fast to put what's in your mind on the screen.

Well, now I'm seriously thinking, I though that it would be more expensive than that (my fault for not checking their website )

i think finale's expensive because it can be used to fire real shows but afterglow is solely just for fun I'm not sure how to make shows with finale though

Vander

I'm not sure how to make shows with finale though

What do you mean ?

Finale is able to export firing scripts for the most popular firing systems out there (Pro and Business version only), so as long as you set up correctly your launch positions with the correct firing modules, you'll be able to design and shoot your show in no time. At least, that is what some people that tried it to fire real shows said on Finale's forum.

You may want to have a look at this video:

Finale and Real comparison

A team prepared the show using Finale and simulated Dominator products (yes, they sure like Dominator there ), then filmed the real thing and made a comparison video. I for one have been really surprised at how the simulation and the real show are alike !

The guy in charge said that it was so easy, even a caveman could do it

If you need help, the huge (and I mean huge) user guide is available on their website (you need to have an account to access it though).

Even if you may get started by reading 10 pages or so (or even figure it out yourself, it's really that easy), the manual covers in detail how the shell editor works and describes each option that is available depending on the type of shell (this is where the page count gets high very fast).


Sorry for the sales pitch, but I'm a convinced customer, though Afterglow visual quality really is incredible ! (Looks for spare change around the house )

STL

I meant that i didnt know how to choreograph using the finale software, haven't tried (maybe i should) xD For real shows i use microsoft excel and use after glow just for visuals haha xD I've made a video that's something like that for after glow but i have lost it as you can see im also quite a convinced customer anyway if you would like to see you can compare the shows
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-VUWC3eLGg after glow
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX-Jxt7ZIzY real

Im sorry i have turned this thread completely off topic

Vander

For real shows i use microsoft excel and use after glow just for visuals

Excel ? What is your workflow, exactly ?

I'll check your videos when I get home.

Im sorry i have turned this thread completely off topic

No problem at all ! Maybe we should move the discussion to the "Simulation software" topic, though.

its like working with excel and the the music and writing every times i want to put pyro in xD

haha i guess it still fits the pyromusical design topic

Vander

Good job! Nice choice of colours for the different seasons. For the synchronization, though, in many places you were sync-ed to the wrong beat in music - this detracted from the overall feeling in a few places I felt. It's OK to not sync to the principal beat, but it should be consistent within a given segment otherwise it seems somewhat random. Also, too many cakes for my taste, but that's probably the nature of the inventory you had to work with.

As for sim programs, I was involved with "PyroCreator" a few years ago - this was the "game" version of VisualShowDirector that sells with PyroDigital systems. I know that Afterglow was being developed around the same time (as the pro program ShowSim).

We had a demo of Finale at the recent Canadian Fireworks Association convention - I made many requests for enhancement that will make it much easier to script real shows. Hopefully the developers will implement some of them.

For my upcoming Canada Day show, we just scripted it in ShowDirector, without using any visualization - it's much faster that way. In either case, you need to have a good conceptual grasp of what you're trying to achieve. I have a good teacher though: Yanick Roy - and I tried to follow his example of not using the same effect twice within the display.

Paul.

Also, too many cakes for my taste, but that's probably the nature of the inventory you had to work with.

I would have liked to have more aerial shells too, but I had three 2" peonies (green, red and "variegated" - red and green ) and 1 pattern shell (the red and blue one). Dominator seems more specialized in cakes than in shells, unfortunately.

They had cakes of shells (see the Autumn and the Winter seasons for examples of such cakes), so I used them as a compromise for the lack of other, real, aerial shells.

Also, the biggest size in this show is 3". Therefore, I wonder how my display would cost to do, as the pyrotechnic effects are all small.

For the synchronization, though, in many places you were sync-ed to the wrong beat in music - this detracted from the overall feeling in a few places I felt. It's OK to not sync to the principal beat, but it should be consistent within a given segment otherwise it seems somewhat random.

Do you have examples (ideally with the approximative time) so I can correct this in future shows (simulations, that is) ?

For my upcoming Canada Day show, we just scripted it in ShowDirector, without using any visualization - it's much faster that way. In either case, you need to have a good conceptual grasp of what you're trying to achieve. I have a good teacher though: Yanick Roy - and I tried to follow his example of not using the same effect twice within the display.

Not everyone can have Yanick Roy as a teacher, obviously ! Yet, he seemed indeed a good teacher on Dec. 19th, as it was my first display and I had made minor beginner mistakes that he helped me to fix.

Good luck for your Canada Day show !