Display Design

[AirCowPeacock]

I've been thinking about putting on a little show for the 4th (early, I know. However; in my experience--especially when it comes to fireworks--planning in advance is the best strategy.) I don't have much experience with putting together a display and don't really know how to go about it--especially on the matter of pace. The biggest show I've put on was 10 shells and a wheel. It didn't go so well, the "master fuse" failed to ignite two of the divergent fuses and only 3 shells and my wheel went of at first try.

 

I'm thinking on using a short waterfall, wheel, 25 shot 1" cake, 24 1.5" shells from fan racks at two different locations, and a 3" multibreak for the finale. Obviously this is pretty small, so I want it to last awhile--but on the other-hand I don't want it to be sparse and dull. I'm also concerned about repetition and predictability, but suspect that I need a balance between repetition and diversion. I could purchase a few consumer items to lengthen the show or as filler. . . but that doesn't seem like very much fun.

 

Right now I'm just watching videos of displays to get my brain working, but most are far larger and more elaborate than I'm going to be working with. Can anyone give me advise on planning a show?

[nater]

Planning a small show on a budget is harder than planning a larger one. You will be happy to start early. This is a video of the smallest show I have done. We did special effects for a Civil War reenactment and gave them a short show as a treat at the end. The product was just a case of 2.5" shells with a few cakes and larger shells thrown in. It was fired with a simple pinboard. It isn't the best example of an artistic display, but just something short and sweet with limited product. Hopefully it helps you get some ideas.

 

For pacing, I think the best way is to get a roller coaster type feeling where the show speeds up and slows down several times before building to the finale. I also prefer to use different sizes of shells and ground effects to really fill the sky. Again, that ideal isn't really shown in this video. When using typical Chinese color shells, I like to lift a new shell as the other breaks. If a shell has a long hanging stars, a unique effect or inserts, slow down a little so it can be enjoyed.

 

How you are firing the show makes a big difference on the pace as well. Are you aiming for a single fuse? Handlighting everything yourself? Using a firing system?

 

How about your product - is each shell different, or do you have paired effects? Were you planning on firing each shell individually out of the fanned racks or get a fan effect? Do you have effects that compliment each other? Rising effects also add a lot, especially to small shells. You could add some loose stars on top of your loaded shells to get a mine to break. You could also fire a pair of comets at angles with the shell straight up in the middle.

 

If I were going to showcase all homemade product, I would pace it slowly so each shell stands out by itself. To me, there is no use building pyro only to hide it with other shells. If you want to know the idea that first pops in my head with your product list, I will share it.

 

Edited April 19, 2013 by nater

[pyrokid]

Adding consumer items really helps a show.

 

When I am mixing product, my approach is to have fast and slow segments, with the fast segments being dominated by consumer product, and the slow segments being used to showcase single shells.

[AirCowPeacock]

I was thinking about starting with the waterfall, leave that stand alone. When it goes out I start the 1" cake: open with one shot, then pause 2s between the shots, then two shots with 0.5s in between. Followed by bursts of three with 0.5s in between shots then 1.5s pause between the shots over and over. Until the last 5 which are one lone break then 1.5s pause followed by a burst of 4 with 0.5s inbetween.

 

My for 1.5 inch shells are more difficult to explain, but similar. Open with a little special, main phase of burst of three, then a little something special. The racks would be 3 by 4 with the 3 being angled and then 4 rows of that. I would for the mainphase work left to right on the left rack for three, than left to right on the left rack for three.

 

For the 3" I'm thinking about 2 breaks of firefly or glitter comets (3/4" pumped) to report (bottomshot)

 

The wheel would start at the begining of the 1.5" shells and would change directions a few times all the way through til the 3".

 

I would put about 3 seconds in between the waterfall, 1" cake, 1.5" racks, and 3" shell.

 

I will be electronically fireing this using an Arduino board and a little analog circuit I'll cook up preprogramed for the show, so that I can have more control while being able to enjoy the show from a safe and pleasing distance (I don't like the 'underneath view.')

 

I've thought about shotting comets accompanying my 1.5" shells, but that would require I either cut way down on 1.5" shells or buy many more mortar tubes. I'm planning on using rising effects on my 1.5" shells, but it's just a PITA for 1" shells, which I will want to produce as quickly and as easily as possible.

 

I havn't built anything yet, so I have no need to select what kind of shells and what variety I will be shooting just yet. But for 1" I was thinking either a Red White and Blue theme (or Red and Blue with tails) or a green and red with titanium tails. As for 1.5" I was thinking a mix of firefly comet shells and plain tiger tail. The firefly comet shells I would lift a little harder, break a little later, and as such higher.

 

I know it seems like I have everything nicely planned out, but its constantly changing and I'm worried when I shoot it it will be too dull or too short.

[AirCowPeacock]

Thanks for the video by the way, it does help. And I would love to hear your ideas, just to get a better idea--maybe adapt it into what I finally decide on.

[eb11]

aircow i am planing on doing a 4th of july show also i have gotten some cheap megabanger cakes really cheap the fireworks place was selling them at 60% off so i bought a bunch to enhance my show i am in the process of making 400 shells of my own hence all the shell testing iam doing. i have made 4 80shot morter racks now i need to figure out how to fuse it all together so i can just light 1 fuse and just watch.

if you are in the northeast i can tell you were the sale is for the fireworks

Edited April 20, 2013 by eb11

[AirCowPeacock]

I'm not too hot on the idea of putting consumer fireworks into the show. I would love to keep it totally homemade. I would rather spend the money I would have used on consumer fireworks for my own.

[nater]

Well, my first idea was thinking that it was a traditional pre-fused cake with a volley at the end.

 

Open with the Waterfall

Fire 9 of the 1.5" shells one by one

3 1.5" shells at once like a three way fan

Wheel

Remaining 12 1.5" shells, starting again one by one and moving towards pairs to speed the pace up

The cake, with it's built in 5 shot finale

3" multi break fired at the end of the cake as a punctuation mark to the finale.

[AirCowPeacock]

So the cake after the 1.5" shells or so the ends coinside?

[nater]

Either way would look nice. It would mostly depend on how much you want in the air at once. I would not overlap anything homemade and shoot a slower show, but that is just my preference when we spend the time to make everything.

[AirCowPeacock]

Yeah, considering all the time put into one shell that only lasts a few seconds. I don't care to much about the 1" shells. Those I'm just going to figure out the fastest method of production. But I'm going to put in care and attention to everything else.

[psyco_1322]

One thing that really helps is spacing, spread the stuff out if you can. Use fanned racks and cakes. Shooting maybe 2-3 shells at once is ok, just as long as they are not going off on top of each other. Also remember that good symmetry will make stuff look nicer too. That symmetry in the sky, not in the shell breaks. Don't be shooting something charcoal or crackly on one side why you got colored peonies going on the other.

[AirCowPeacock]

Good advise on the symmetry thing. I'm going to be shooting exclusively color shells for 1" and exclusively tailed for 1.5". I'm going to read what Shimizu has to say about the topic in FAST again.