Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

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Lloyd
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Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by Lloyd »

Fireworks by Santore, Inc., the company I work for shot the NYE countdown show for Times Square last year, and we got the contract AGAIN!

Last year's was perfect... but it's a HARD shoot. Racks have to be mounted horizontally ALL THE WAY up the outside of the tower, and vertically on nearby rooftops. And NOTHING can come to the ground!

And then, of course, there's the 'regulatory environment' in NYC.

But FBS did it once. We'll do it again!

LLoyd
TimesSquaresmall.jpg
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Pyro-Gear
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by Pyro-Gear »

Well done Lloyd I figure you’re going to be busy :D
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by Tyvole »

Kudos, and well deserved!
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richardh08
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by richardh08 »

Happy rigging, Lloyd, but don't look down! :lol:
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sambo
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by sambo »

and brag you should !
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by dave321 »

top man Lloyd :D
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Lloyd
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by Lloyd »

I must say, there's something between zero and nothing chance that I'll be on that show.

I'm not certified in NYC, so all I could do is hump guns and be wide-eyed for six days! <grin>

We have a super-qualified NYC-certified lead shooter. I know he'll do the same professional job he did last year.

But I'm still "proud as hell" that we got the show again. It was a long trek between starting out in the close-prox industry, and getting to such a point.

LLoyd
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richardh08
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by richardh08 »

Sometimes my sense of humour gets the better of me. I didn't really think you would be part of the crew, but the thought of you swinging from a skyscraper made me laugh.

All joking aside, that's terrific news and I well understand how proud you must be feeling. Getting that show once is an achievement, winning it again is amazing.
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by Andibates »

congratulations lots of hard work and planing ahead
Pyrotechnician If you see me running TRY and keep UP !!
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Lloyd
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by Lloyd »

Don't forget to watch Times Square tonight, if you're in a time zone that permits you to.

I made about 90% of the base-plates for all the multi-shot effects that will go tonight. It's fun stuff!

Happy New Year, all!

Lloyd
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Boophoenix
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by Boophoenix »

Gonna try to check the show out Lloyd.

I kind of committed myself for a possible memorial / anniversary / New Years shoot a few hours ago.
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Lloyd
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by Lloyd »

Boo,
A show takes precedence over all-else. Be safe, son!

And have a great show!

Lloyd
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Boophoenix
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by Boophoenix »

Traveling relatives got delayed in route so we've pushed it back to tomorrow night so I have a little extra prep time. Which will come in handy being able to plan during daylight hours without rain.

Gonna be a busy couple of days. I have a great aunt with a 101st birthday Monday as well.
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Boophoenix
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by Boophoenix »

Uh oh, did I see a bunch of dead cues on the right hand side of the clock? It seemed very left hand heavy in the horizontal from the clock.
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Lloyd
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by Lloyd »

Could've been, Boo. They re-did all the cues this year to make the show run longer, but they only showed a total of about six or seven seconds of the whole thing on NBC!

They might've also suppressed some of the cues on that side. They're very picky about wind conditions and fallout (understandably). Like at the 'unnamed water-themed parks', each type of cue has group suppress capability, and very narrowly-defined conditions under which they may fire each sort of cue.

I won't know until tomorrow or the next day.

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Boophoenix
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by Boophoenix »

If they don't mind you sharing I'd like to know as much as they will allow. The oopsies are very valuable. Like the lightening strike at PGI I was very disappointed with the small amount of information shared from such a valuable nature initiated event.
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Lloyd
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by Lloyd »

I can tell you the sorts of products that were used, because I made most of the plates. But I don't have (or have access to) the script.

What I can describe is how the theme parks set up for such shows.

Right now, babies are banging at the door for their belated Christmas. Later...

Lloyd
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Boophoenix
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by Boophoenix »

Happy late Christmas to the little ones!!!
sambo
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by sambo »

The show was fantastic - I didn't notice the dead cues. I also managed to squeeze in a little show of my own and the ridiculous thing is I missed the London show so I'll have to catch up on that next...
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by Pyro-Gear »

The London show was amazing, unfortunately the BBC has removed it on catch-up TV.
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by sambo »

damn, why have they done that ? I'll have to do some searching and see if I can pick it out.
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Lloyd
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by Lloyd »

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Boophoenix
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by Boophoenix »

They certainly did it up pretty big. It was hard to miss that even from the filmers vantage point.
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Lloyd
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by Lloyd »

Sans the actual script, I can give you a sort of 'point-by-point' perspective on the Times Square show -- partly from what I know I made for it, and partly from shooting in other 'restrictive' sites where fallout and/or noise are BIG issues.

Most of the products shot on that show and many theme park shows are 'essentially' fallout-free. Still, there's always the possibility of a slow-burning star or comet, or some piece of detritus that just doesn't burn up completely before it hits the ground, a fabric awning, or a guest's head. So, effects are categorized not only by size, but by their potential to do those bad things.

Shows in touchy venues like that have various whole SETS of cues on individual enable/disable circuits. Should a fire official, show-director, or the lead shooter see a need, those groups of effects can be disabled with the flick of a switch. Of course, that's always with some detriment to the show, but the show layout and sequencing is carefully planned with respect to those group-disables, so that it can continue with little effect on what the average show-goer would know to look for.

Usually, when wind is the issue, high-altitude effects like large comets and paper shells are first to be cut. Lower effects like gerbs and star mines are preserved, with large-diameter mines (and their larger stars) being next in the hierarchy of things to stop. I've only once or twice seen the entire show stopped after it started, even in animal parks.

The 'ocean creature' parks are particularly sensitive. We had a situation in one such park where the prevailing winds every Summer could potentially carry debris from the show site to a VERY nearby facility where large aquatic mammals were kept. Many times, portions of that show had to be suppressed as the wind developed during the show. Yet, we never had any documented injuries to those precious animals.

Sort of as a by-line to that kind of protective posture, I shot several years in a row in a North Eastern US park where adult dray horses and wolves were kept. The horses were peacefully removed to less-disturbing places, but the wolves were 'at home' where they lived, with no place to move them.

We had to shoot on a schedule that included 'calling ready'. Then veterinarians would begin sedating the wolves. And then, on THEIR CUE that the animals were down (not the show-director's), we'd begin firing. We had 26 minutes to finish, no matter what. After that, the tranquilizers would begin to wear off, and
ANY shooting was prohibited.

It's challenging... and very rewarding to shoot successfully in those venues.

What you saw in Times Square was a combination of small shells, star mines, comet mines, single comets, and gerbs. They were grouped as to distance and fallout hazards, and put on group-disables. I have not yet heard back from the maestro about what, if anything might have failed or been suppressed. If I do hear about it, I'll let you know.

Lloyd
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Boophoenix
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by Boophoenix »

Thank ya for the detailed description Lloyd. Even though I haven't done a lot of commercial shoots I do have a few under my belt. The closest to this setup would just be a rooftop shoot as a school campus. The city of Memphis when I worked it was shot from Mud Island with the Mississippi to one side and a water way between it and the shore on the Memphis site so there was lots of fallout area.
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by Pyro-Gear »

sambo wrote:damn, why have they done that ? I'll have to do some searching and see if I can pick it out.
There ya go Sam https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0qPC46McwA
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Lloyd
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by Lloyd »

I'm kind of 'splitting time' on two sites with this, but thought you might find it interesting, in terms of what precautions might be taken for fallout issues. I posted this in response to a person's statement that fallout of any kind might be an issue in 'sensitive' venues:
-----------------
Any kind of fallout can be dangerous to something...

We did one show on the parapets of an "aquatic animals stadium" in a famous theme park. It was a VERY special anniversary celebration -- and the very first time any effects had been fired within 400' of that venue.

In addition to using only 'consumable effects' (comets, mines, and some FULLY-consumable aerial shells [NO paper fallout!!]), we were also required to positively prevent end-plugs and lift plugs from traveling away from the multiple firing locations.

Lift was done with consumable powder/effect separators, and most tubes were 'plugged' with the same fully-consumable material. Those few that required paper plugs had a SS cable 'leash' attached to each plug. No kidding!

The client understood the difficulties, and was willing to pay the extra to ensure they could both protect their animals AND have such a show.

LLoyd
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by sambo »

Pyro-Gear wrote:
sambo wrote:damn, why have they done that ? I'll have to do some searching and see if I can pick it out.
There ya go Sam https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0qPC46McwA
cheers buddy, I enjoyed that !


Lloyd - how do you make a consumable shell ? that sounds pretty clever.
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Lloyd
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by Lloyd »

Because the folks for whom I designed it still sell it, I can't give precise details.

However, anyone who's ever seen one would immediately recognize that the entire shell casing and time fuse assembly are made of pyrotechnic composition -- no paper or string anywhere in or on the assembly. No foil tape. In fact, nothing you'd clearly recognize as 'flame proof'.

The whole affair is coated with an engineered polymer we had designed specifically for the purpose. It's JUST enough fire-resistant to allow lifting of the shell (with some precautions I can't divulge), but is capable of being fully consumed by the components to which it's applied.

And they look good in the air! The casing becomes part of the effect in the sky!

Lloyd
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Boophoenix
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by Boophoenix »

I held one in my hand once they are really neat. I was a bit over whelmed on that adventure and have planned a returned trip to see more. Free time for the trip hasn't allowed it though.
sambo
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by sambo »

Are we <allowed> to see a picture... I've never come across anything like this before, i won't press you guys for any other details but I might glean a bit more from a pic ?

pretty please ....
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Lloyd
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by Lloyd »

Sambo,
I'm not sure I even HAVE a picture, either of one fully-assembled in-hand or of one firing. I know I have some vids (somewhere) of them being used at Sea World Park in Orlando, Florida, but I'll really have to 'dig' for that stuff. I don't keep memorabilia on my laptop... just 'back it up', then delete it.

If I find some, I'll post it. It's SOMEWHERE... just don't know where.

Lloyd
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sambo
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by sambo »

don't go to any trouble.... digging doesn't sound like fun. It's a while since I perused any of the other forums but I'd imagine there would be quite a few guys interested in these.

I live in close proximity to a lot of cattle and fallout is always a big consideration for me, it's an intriguing concept.
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Lloyd
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by Lloyd »

AND.....Fireworks by Santore, Inc. got the contract AGAIN for next year!

Boo, you were correct: One module failed (on the right as viewed by the audience). But the client was still thrilled, and signed with FBS for the 2017/18 show!

Lloyd
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Boophoenix
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by Boophoenix »

Thank ya for the info Lloyd. I try to pay attention since I'm still deep into learning.

Congrats to to them. That's a very popular show to have in your list for sure.
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by richardh08 »

Congratulations to Lloyd and the rest of the team!

And congratulations to Bradley on being more observant than most people I know.
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by dave321 »

Lloyd wrote:Because the folks for whom I designed it still sell it, I can't give precise details.

However, anyone who's ever seen one would immediately recognize that the entire shell casing and time fuse assembly are made of pyrotechnic composition -- no paper or string anywhere in or on the assembly. No foil tape. In fact, nothing you'd clearly recognize as 'flame proof'.

The whole affair is coated with an engineered polymer we had designed specifically for the purpose. It's JUST enough fire-resistant to allow lifting of the shell (with some precautions I can't divulge), but is capable of being fully consumed by the components to which it's applied.

And they look good in the air! The casing becomes part of the effect in the sky!

Lloyd
sounds really interesting, never heard of anything like it before
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Lloyd
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by Lloyd »

Well... I guess I'm braggin' again, but I just received word from the company that shot the Superbowl halftime show (StrictlyFX, Orlando) that ALL of the aerials shot from the rooftops at SB51 were of my "fully-consumable" shell design! WOOH-HAH! < and grins, too! >

Lloyd
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richardh08
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by richardh08 »

Brilliant! I reckon that's something worth bragging about.
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sambo
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by sambo »

I'm still massively intrigued by your fully consumable shell design Lloyd. Massively intrigued. Nice one.
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Lloyd
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by Lloyd »

Thanks, both! It was surely a "tickle" to know!

Lloyd
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Boophoenix
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by Boophoenix »

Sambo, maybe if a couple of years I'll figure out more of this chemistry stuff and bring this back to mind to ya and we'll figure an option out. It'd be sweet to not have to clean much up after shooting, lol.
sambo
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by sambo »

I'm going to hold you to that Brad !

;)
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Boophoenix
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by Boophoenix »

Oh gosh Sambo!!! It took me 2 years to nail down a flame projector formula I liked. Maybe Inshouod start testing ideas now so I might could at least not be a lead weight in the design part later, lol.
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Pyro-Gear
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by Pyro-Gear »

Hmm I reckon Lloyd is using NC hemispheres :lol:
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Lloyd
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by Lloyd »

Nope, Ken. That's what Disney tried. They come down in great, ugly, flaming gobbets.

Our casings are part of the effect in the air. ;)

LLoyd
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by Pyro-Gear »

Working on it ;)
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Re: Bragging, yes. But we GOT it!

Post by biffo »

Cardboard nitrate works for me. B
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