Please post your reviews of the French display here!

Trav.

The great 30th anniversary edition continued tonight with another excellent display made by Brézac Artifices. Indeed, I am even tempted to use the qualificative outstanding as I don't remember having seen a such giant historical fresco with fireworks. Tonight, I found that Brézac pushed the art of storytelling to a new level. It "may be" a strong contender for a Jupiter (more on this reservation below).

Following its tradition of humanist themes (If in 2001, The Emergence of Man on Earth in 2006, and Our Earth in 2010), Brézac's performance told the life of Nelson Mandela, arguably one of the most important political figures of the modern era. Doing a fireworks show on a political theme is a bold choice. The only other case I remember is the Argentinian (Cienfuegos) display in 2006, which was a tribute to Evita and Che Guevara. As Brézac did in 2010, a high-quality booklet was offered at the entrance of the grandstands. As shown in Paul's interview report, it features the key moments of Mandela's life, each one being a part of the display.

The soundtrack was unusual too. I am pretty sure that it is the very first time in the competition history (Brézac's extravaganza, tonight, was the 271th show in the Montreal International Fireworks Competition) that excerpts from political speeches were included in a soundtrack, from the infamous statement of the architect of Apartheid, prime minister Hendrik Verwoerd who claimed that apartheid was a "policy of good neighbourliness" to Frederik De Klerk's annoucement of Mandela's release (I hope that everyone understood the historical meaning of these authentic excerpts and weren't upset by the inclusion of such English-language "narratives" in a French show). Brézac also explored an uncommon repertoire of musics, several being African musics, with a gospel segment as a finale.

The French team has managed to make the most of the firing area, with a great, very complex design and some innovative effects. Often, low-level effets have simultaneously (or successively) appeared on ramps 2, 3, and 5, emphasizing the depth of the area. Most of the time, high-level pyrotechnic pieces were combined with other effects below, creating very complex tableaux. Several sequences were very large. The lake has been covered by thick carpets of nautical fountains and flares. Mandela's imprisonment was dramatically depicted 10 minutes 40 seconds after the beginning of the show, with a fast sequence of flashy devices along five "doors", as we heard the sound of closing doors. These doors were made of five structures along the third ramp:



The above picture also shows a cable between the third and fourth ramps, another one being symmetrically installed on the other side of the firing area. They lit up shortly after the imprisonment scene, but I unfortunately don't know what the meaning was. I also believe that "doors" were used to shoot some pieces horizontally. Later, at 24:30, Mandela's Day (he was born on July 18, 1918) was emphasized by a giant "18" which suddenly appeared in the sky. Reviewing my pictures, I just discovered they were made with stars from tubes located on each extremity of the second ramp (encircled on the first picture below) whose lay out had a 1 and 8 shapes (second picture).





Brézac used great products and a wide range of vivid colours. The love-theme opening segment set the tone, with different shades of red. Very complex effects have been achieved. However, the range of pyrotechnic products appeared to be slightly more limited than in other displays, especially the Canadian one. The synchronization was flawless throughout the show. Unfortunately, some mistakes happened, like fountains which seemed to be fallen on the ground during the opening segment, or which lit up at the wrong time.

I felt anxious immediately after the mid-point of the show, as I saw green lanterns which seemed hanging below a device similar to a parachute. There were a dozen of them. In 1999, the Swiss team has been disqualified (or so penalized that it was close to a disqualification) for having use these devices forbidden by Montreal Fire Services. But in 2002, the Société Étienne-Lacroix (France) used something similar and wasn't penalized (the team even won the Gold Jupiter), apparently because the device wasn't the same. (It was so confusing that Paul even provided two jury predictions that year, with and without a disqualification.)

It would be a dramatic scenario to disqualify or to penalize Brézac given the quality of this display. With this reservation, I believe that Brézac is definitely a strong contender for a Jupiter, and even for the highest position on the podium. There were a couple of mistakes and the range of products might be more limited than in other shows, but this one was outstanding in storytelling, it conveyed powerful symbols, and brought more emotions and dramatic sequences thanks to different rhythms.

Personally, I found this show being the best this year, so far.

Fred

Here is the link for the 2014 videos.

http://www.burchcom.com/2014/index.html

To download your own copy, right click on this link and select "save target as" ... the file is 898 MB

http://www.burchcom.com/2014/2014france.mp4

This was an excellent display by Brezac.

Although the theme was sometimes a little difficult to understand, the quality of the pyrotechnic material was exceptional. We saw high quality european shells of multiple patterns and colors, and even double effect ghost shells that would swipe from one side to the other to red stars. then swipe in the opposite direction to green stars.

The nautical material was also of very high quality. Fan cakes of nautical flares would carpet the lake with bright multicolor stars. The first segment also made great use of nautical fountains, although I was not able to see if they erupted from cakes, nautical shells or were tethered underwater like the mines in the "Jaws" segment of the 2008 Portuguese display.

Unfortunately for Brezac, they used what appeared to be flare lines suspended from parachutes, which are strictly forbidden by the competition due to the high level of danger that is associated with these shells due to their long burning and unpredictable landing characteristics. This could lead them to be disqualified although they presented an excellent display worthy of a Jupiter.

Speaking of which, I found that the contrast exhibited between the segment was a little too high for my tastes, where an engaging and powerful sequence would lead to a long serene segment of fountains on masts or nautical flares, losing a great amount of the momentum that was just built by the powerful preceding sequence. Some other people did however appreciate this amount of contrast, so I cannot in my right mind deduce too many points for this as it's a very personal evaluation.

Also, I found slightly puzzling that a display dedicated to one of (if not *the*) greatest anti-racism figure would finish with an all white finale. This sent a mixed message in my opinion, as I believe it would have been more fitting to finish with a multicolor finale (in which white shells could also been featured) to illustrate the abolition of the Apartheid policy and the great "brotherhood of man" (to quote John Lennon) that would ensue without the segregation. It would also have helped in my opinion to illustrate the celebration by referring to the same colors used in the first segment of the show, during which the Apartheid policy did not exist.

Note that my opinion on this part of the display can explain why political themed displays are so rare, because our appreciation of the selected effects can be linked to our own interpretation of the theme, and we cannot just appreciate a white finale for what it really is (i.e. one way to do a finale, and not a political statement).

On another note, I have to congratulate Dominique Brézac for being able to mix different family of effects in the same segment while maintaining an overall coherence. We were delighted with long burning horsetail shells on both sides while completely different shells would be used in the center during numerous parts of the display, and he's one of the only designer that I know whom is able to pull this off and not make me think of technical issues.

Speaking of which, we observed more technical mistakes this week than in the previous displays, but they did not detract too much from the show, although they could make Brezac lose a few points for the symmetry. Even if the cue count was not published, this was a very complex display, so a few mistakes here and there are to be expected.

Therefore, if Brézac doesn't get disqualified due to their use of parachute shells, I predict them at least a Silver Jupiter. Good job !

STL

One could argue that white is an equal mix of all colours without one predominating over the other! Personally, I prefer all-white finales to all-gold!

Paul.

Yes, Paul, that's right ! It was well done, though, and it's true that many gold finales lack the visual punch that white or color finales can achieve.

Also, speaking of equality, I was surprized to see Dominique Brézac introduced as an "Artificier" during the ceremony and not as the designer of the show like it's normally done. Maybe this also has a connection with the theme

Good show by the French team. I'm not too familiar with Nelson Mandela and South Africa in general. Had it been about a political figure whom I was familiar with or even admired, I might have appreciated the show more. Overall, I'm not a fan of themes that pay tribute to an individual (fine for the closing displays). However, I like how the French team presented the show in different stages of Nelson Mandela's life.

The show had some interesting pyrotechnic pieces and segments. The flare lines suspended from parachutes were really cool. I did notice some technical issues. I really did not feel the soundtrack, not my type of music, especially for a fireworks display. However, the synchronization was pretty good throughout the show. Overall, well done.

The finale was very good, but I would have preferred a colorful one.

My rankings so far:

1. Canada
2. Spain
3. USA
4. France
5. Italy

In general, I personally prefer a vividly colorful finale occupying all levels of sky for an extended period of time (with gradually larger salutes exploding in the background).

Trav.

I think Brezac went back to their old messy style like in 2006. Their last show was a lot cleaner than this year's show. I did not like that they used so much cakes in the display. It's unfortunate about the problems in ramp 3. They were quite obvious specially since they lost a rather major position. I found the quality of effects to be not so good, they were not bad either. I specially liked the multi colored horsetails and the long gold horsetails they used in one of the songs. The best surprise this year would have to be Brezac's sky writing with the number 18. I heard they were really effective. The theme was definitely the most interesting part of the display. The songs they picked this time were more lively, i specially liked the finale song.

Unfortunately i don't think Brezac will be in the podium this year.

Vander

Salut les pyromaniaques


Malheureusement je n'ai pas vu cette prestation des Francais de Brézac.
Mon classement demeure donc le même.

Je serai là toutefois pour le dernier feu celui de l''Australie avec Foti , une excellente firme.
Dans ma pensée la prestation de Royal pyrotechnie et son associé a mis la barre haute pour les autres participants.

Roger

My report on the Brezac display: http://montreal-fireworks.com/ReportBlog/?p=955

I think they stand a very good chance of being on the podium, but too many small mistakes to get the Gold.

A vigorous cold front passing through the region generated scattered strong to severe thunderstorms during the morning hours, followed by continued convective showers and thunderstorms for the early-afternoon. Conditions began to improve greatly by 2:30 p.m., and the cold front put an end to the very warm/hot and highly humid conditions. As such, we were left with a mix of sun and cloud, with more cloudy periods by late-afternoon into the evening. Temperatures remained warm in time for the French display, with values of 22-23 C, and low humidity. Winds were also blowing from the NNW, pushing smoke to those on adjacent sections of the bridge. In spite of the earlier thunderstorms, though, the audience was quite large!

This was a well executed display by Brezac Artifices of France. Although I do not have a great deal of knowledge of Nelson Mandela’s history, I sensed that the thematic and technical designs of the performance produced a commanding and quite compelling feeling of dedication towards a very important and legendary political figure. Indeed, the thematic premise was a complex one to adequately visualize in a pyromusical, but the organization of the display, along with a careful and unique selection of soundtrack, very nicely assisted in its portrayal. The product quality was excellent, and the colors were very rich and brilliant, much like all of the competitors’ displays that we have seen this year. Where applicable, the team distinctly used appropriate effects to highlight, or even dance along with, different musical elements that defined most of the selected soundtrack. For myself, this was particularly evident in “NelsonMandela”, where mines of screaming serpents very emotionally complimented the music at one point. I also received identical feelings when the ghost shells, horsetails, go-getters, and photoflash effects were utilized. One of the most enjoyable segments, for me, was the penultimate piece of the show, as I found the skies coming to life while it really added a different dimension to the music, called “Shosholoza”. Other personal favorite were “Mandela Day” (especially when the “18” appeared, although it looked like “81” from Notre-Dame street!), “Talkin About A Revolution” and “Give Me Hope Jo’Anna”. Choreography was fantastic and was creatively devised, as per some of the examples that I described, and significantly amplified the emotional aspect of the theme.

The display’s design allowed for good use of the available space, and the implementation of the nautical products, notably the nautical flares and fountains, were effective – the nautical fountains were particularly coordinated during the opening piece, as well as the arrangements of flares that appeared along low-level (and later in the show). In spite of a less dramatic opening, as compared to the Canadian and American displays, I thought that the show had begun with the right type of feel to introduce viewers to the theme. The soundtrack selection, even though it was not within my musical taste, merits its own discussion, as the overall feel of many of the songs, especially those African ones, created a completely different atmosphere to what we are commonly used to in this competition – it felt truly divergent. Really, the music added charisma to the display and somehow generated a distinct emotional, artistic and traditional feel. The transitions from segment to segment were also virtually seamless and evoked a variety of emotions rather well. The songs, themselves, were also very carefully arranged to create these transitions to begin with.

My more negative points concerning the display, in general, are related more so to the pyromusical design. Firstly, I thought that the show appeared somewhat more restricted with its product diversity, as compared to other displays that we have seen this year, and I thought that there was, consequently, some repetition of different sorts (such as the horsetails/drooping effects, low-level sequences and firing patterns). Similarly, the color selection also seemed more limited. While the theme was mostly well conveyed, it was not always clear to me how a few sections of the show connected with it, although this may, arguably, be due to, again, my limited political knowledge of Nelson Mandela. On a related note, like others have stated above, I, too, was baffled as to what those two lit cables represented, as splendid as they appeared to be. Of course, it was obvious that the (unfortunate) technical issues created periods of asymmetry along low-levels of the display, in particular, coupled with a few misfires here and there. The finale was good and retained Brezac’s typical monochromatic design, except that this conclusion was composed of all-white, instead of the usual all-gold. My personal preference, though, as I mentioned above, is an all-colorful finale, which did seem appropriate to conclude this type of display.

Overall, this was a successful display that is certainly competing for a Jupiter this year, although Canada still remains as my personal Gold Jupiter selection.

Well done, France!

Trav.

According to Mylène's post-show interview with Dominique Brézac, what appeared to be "parachute" devices were actually pieces topped with a spiral-shape device which decelerates the falling.

http://myleneetartifice.blogspot.ca/2014/07/bel-hommage-mandela.html

Fred

There were definitely shells with spiral patterns of stars in the show (I'd forgotten about those) but, well, I cannot comet about the parachute shells for now.

Paul.