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L'International des Feux Loto-Québec 2007
Montréal International Fireworks Competition Report

France Love unto Death July 21st, 2007

Féérie - designed by David and Jöel Harmon. FireOne and FireLite firing, ~1900 cues

France to tell the tragic story of Romeo and Juliet as part of L'International des Feux Loto-Québec presented by TELUS

MONTREAL, July 21 /CNW Telbec/ - At 10 p.m. this evening, as part of L'International des Feux Loto-Québec presented by TELUS, French firm Féérie will provide fireworks enthusiasts with numerous moments of intense emotion during "Amour à mort", a pyrotechnics presentation filled with joy, love, duels and hope.

In the sky above La Ronde, Féérie will present Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare's celebrated play about the passionate love affair of a young couple whose families have feuded for decades. To move and dazzle the expected tens of thousands of people who will be taking in the show, the firm's president and artistic director Joel Hamon has chosen to tell the greatest love story of all time in a series of scenes that weave together carefully selected effects and colours.

The ball scene, enlivened by joyful Italian music, will open this magnificent tale. The classic balcony scene, with red and gold hues and soft Zamphir pan flute music, will enchant all romantics. Duelling and death will dominate the following scene, with excerpts from modern film scores and a chorus of very deep voices contributing to creating a truly sorrowful atmosphere. Blood reds and pure whites will make up an integral part of the grand finale, as a chorus's euphoric singing and festive music close out the performance on a hopeful note. At one point in the show, a heart-shaped flower at the end of a long green stem will appear in the sky.

A vast range of colours will be used during the performance, with special emphasis on monochromes and colour duos. Each scene focuses on an emotion and each will present specific colours and well-adapted musical pieces that will stir hearts throughout the huge crowd. "The show's technical creativity is employed in the quest to experience pure emotion," Joel Hamon explained.

Founded 15 years ago, Féérie is honoured to be participating in the Montreal pyrotechnic arts competition. The firm's many exploits include its performance in 2000 at La Baule, where it was invited by the mayor to produce a pyrotechnic spectacular extending 9 km along the immense beach that borders the region. Winner of a silver Vestale at Cannes in 2005, in 2006 Féérie also captured the gold Vestale in a competition involving the winners from the five previous years.

Perfect weather conditions lead to huge crowds at La Ronde with the Quebec Construction holiday in full swing. A highly anticipated display from the winners of the Gold Vestale in Cannes last year with basically the same theme, Féérie's premier in Montreal promised to be very special.

Part 1 to the music Vollt ihr das bett in flammen sehen by Rammstein. The display began with a setpiece in the shape of a red rose with green leaves and stem light up on the top of ramp 4 as strobes fired on ramp 5 and an introductory narration began. Crackling comets then began firing from ramp three with salutes above these. These were followed be sequences of comet mines firing from left to right and mines of salute-terminated tourbillons firing from right to left as well as mines of whistling serpents. This theme continued and was augmented by shells of salute-terminated tourbillons above as well as shells of whistling serpents, the segment coming to a close with a a barrage of shell-of-shells of stars and more salutes as the music moved straight into

Part 2 to the music Primi Baci - Polka à Alfred Mourret by Calicanto Isole Senza Mar. A line of wheels on ramp three were placed between pairs of angled candles firing green stars as nautic fountains also lit up on the lake. More nautic fountains were launched, already burning in the air as they tumbled onto the lake. Fans of meteor comets fired from the centre as the wheels continued to spin and changed to gold glitter as shells of silver rain fired above. The meteor fans continued together with the silver rain shells. Then shells of few stars that wobbled (but didn't do anything else) followed by a front of glitter mines. These were followed by volleys of farfalles with red and blue pistils and then shells of rings of willow comets with blue pistils. Bright mines then fired left and right as more farfalles brought the segment to a close as the music transitioned to

Part 3 to the music Tempo de Carnavale by Musica Nova. The forth rainbow candle set of the season fired across ramp 3 as shells of colour comets burst above. Then shells of red changing to silver followed by runs of gold glitter comets from left to right and then right to left below. Then the same sequences in star shots with vivid colours with bombettes above these. Meteor comet sequences then took over with double ring shells aove these and huge nautical shells of stars. This theme continued and was augmented by shells of go-getters and then a barrage of large shells bringing the segment to a close.

Part 4 to the music The Lonely Shepherd by Zamfir. A short narrative section lead into a line of flares across ramp three and the launch of nautical flares which turned into strobes on the lake. Sequences of comets then fired from ramp 4 as shells of red and glitter burst above. These were then augmented by bombettes and shells of red with silver pistils. These theme continued and was followed by heart-shaped shells in purple as candles of purple stars and gold glitter fired below with sequenced shells in an arc above in red. These continued and were followed by shells of gold glitter as the purple star shots continued below. Next, shells of gold glitter with bright bursts. These were followed by sequenced gold glitter comets on ramp 3 from left to right with purple star shots from right to left and then augmented by gold glitter shells followed by shells of red stars with silver pistils. These continued and were followed by large shell-of-shells of gold glitter comets and large red shells bringing the segment to a close.

Part 5 to the music Concerning Hobbits by Howard Shore. Sequences of mine shots moved across ramp 3 with bombettes above as another narrative continued the story. The mines and bombettes continued and were augmented with shells of go-getters and shells of comets. This theme continued and added shells of whistling serpents, the segment coming to a close with large shells of wiggling serpents.

Part 6 to the music Sempire d'Amor by Era. Crackling fountains lit up on ramp 5 and then angled crackling mines fired on ramp 3 together with candles of crackling willow comets. Then shells of green fired above and shells of crackling willow comets above these, bursting with titanium pistils. Larger green shells added into the mix as a fan of willow comets arcing over fired below. These were followed by shells of horsetails with strobing tips and the same in kamuros and then a fan of meteor comets and strobing mines as the music moved to

Part 7 to the music Ode to Oren Ishii by RZA. As the rap music started, strobes lit up on ramp 5. Strobe mines then fired at angles on ramp 3 which were then augmented by strobe shells above. This theme continued and was augmented by large faster strobe shells above and a mix of orange and white strobe. More and larger strobe shells fired, filling the sky and trailing down as a front of strobe mines fired up from ramp 3. More mine fronts with strobes of orange and white above, again filling the sky with huge volleys, the segment coming to a close with a barrage of really large strobe shells to cheers from the audience.

Part 8 to the music Posthumus by Menouthis. Angled mines of salutes fired from left to right (as the strobes on ramp 5 continued). Then mines of salutes shooting straight up followed by a run of glitter comets from left to right ending in a bright purple mine. Then the same thing from right to left with bombettes of kamuro comets above and a purple mine in the middle. Salute mines from the middle followed by wide fans of glitter comets from ramp 4 and Z cakes of stars are salute-serpents at the left and right. These were augmented by shells of purple above and shells of crackling willow comets. Next, three wide fans of comets with salutes at mid-level, purple shells above and crackling willow comet shells above these and more barrages of salutes at mid-level. This theme continued its frenetic pace as mines of salutes fired below, bringing the segment to a close.

Part 9 to the music Don Juan by Mozart. More narrative lead into comets shots left and right from the centre with large comet shells at the extreme left and right. Then the same but in fours, and mines of willow turning blue with silver rain bombettes above. This theme continued and was augmented by shells of blue and shells of comets. Then very wide fans of blue mines at the left and right of ramp 3 with blue shells above in the middle and comet sequences from ramp 4 ending in bombettes. More comet shells were added into the mix as the mine fans continued below. Then barrages of large comet shells filling the sky and bringing the segment to a close.

Part 10 to the music Negligence by Mark Isham. Z-cakes of stars turning to falling leaves fired across ramp 3 in red and green. Above these, shells of silver turning to blue followed by shells of falling leaves. The falling leaf shells continued and were augmented by more of the shells of silver turning to blue. This theme continued until a narrative started leading into the next segment.

Part 11 to the music Nightmare by "Lord of the Dance" Ronan Hardiman. Mines of willow comets fired across ramp 3 as willow comets sequence from right and left in and then out simultaneaously. Weeping willow shells fired above these as willow fountains burned on ramp 5. Then angled mines of willlws turning to blue on ramp three as the weeping willows continued above. These then changed to willow turning to blue shells as the angled mines continued below. The shells became larger as the mines continued. Then a large fan of blue star and willow comet mines and bright mine fronts in red alternating in twos and threes across ramp 3 - giving the impression of fireballs. These alternating "fireball" mines continued and were followed by mines of crackling comets and then multibreak shell-of-shells in red stars above followed by more crackling mines and volleys of salutes above. This theme continued and was augmented by shells of salute-terminated crackling willow comets and a final volley of large multibreak shell-of-shell star shells. Large fans of comets fired on ramp 3 with shells of comets above and shells of blue at a lower level. Then larger shells of blue and shells of silver comets followed by fans of silver meteor comets from ramp 4 as the music transitioned to

Part 12 to the music God's Creation by John Tavener. The large silver meteor comet fans from ramp 4 continued as shells of silver comets fired above. These were then augmented by shells of silver horsetails and even larger silver comet shells.

Part 13 to the music Knights Templar in the Temple Church by John Tavener. The sound of church bells were heard as silver comet shells continued for a moment. Then a large red heart setpiece lit up on ramp 4 as silver horsetail shells continued above. The heart then became surrounded by gold glittering gerbs as a narrative started. A bright burst of dazzling mines erupted around the heart as fans of gold comets and purple stars fired from behind it on ramp 4. The heart and gold gerbs kept burning as the gold and purple fans continued. These were augmented by bombettes of gold glitter turning to purple and the same in shells. Above these, larger willow shells and kamuros, with barrage after barrage filling the sky, bringing the segment to a close.

Part 14 to the music God's Creation by John Tavener. Stars shot out horizontally across the lake from the ramp 5 platforms as crossed kamuro bombette candles fired from ramp 3. Above these, larger kamuros and then kamuro mine fronts on ramp 3. This theme continued and was followed by sequences of kamuro comets across ramp 3 turning to bombettes from left to right and right to left. These continued and were augmented by the same in shells above ending in purple tips and then massive crossed mines of purple and gold and mosaic shells of gold comets, bringing the segment to a close.

Part 15 to the music Come What May by Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor. Strobes lit up on ramp 5 as meteor comet fans fired from ramp 4 turning to bombettes in red. Then silver meteors from ramp 3 added into the effect with silver comet bombettes. Larger silver comet shells then fired and shells of red stars and shells of silver strobes. Crossed meteor comet fronts fired below as barrages of silver strobes and red shells fired above. This theme continued and increased with crossed mines of strobes and glitter comets as the silver and red shells continued above. The pace increased with salute-terminated whistling serpents and a large barrage of titanium salutes, bringing the display to a close to cheers from the audience.

This was an excellent display which was very artistically choreographed. The use of colour was particularly well done in that the colours represented the characters in the story. Excellent use was made of the "stage" and the effects fitted extremely well with the music. 2007 seems to be the year for rainbow effects and was slightly out of place in this display. Synchronization was good on the whole but there were a few places where shells continued to fire, sometimes blurring the demarcation between segments (though at other times this was effective in achieving the transition). The narrative didn't detract from the display and was used to good effect. The finale was perhaps somewhat short, especially given the theme, but overall the display was very well executed and must stand an excellent chance of a podium position this year. It's going to be a very tough job for the judges this year and there is bound to be disappointment for at least one (or possibly two) companies that have made the grade this year.

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Thanks to the public relations people of La Ronde for the official press release material, shown in white.