Show Creation Process

[3 Fingers]

I'm curious how you fellow Cobra users all go about putting your shows together?
For me I end up putting the music file together first and then start tying the pyro items to the audio track.
I also map out the station positions on a Google map of the shoot site.
Then work within my cue and budget limitations.
I have reworked some shows like 10 times!
Perhaps I need help.
Anyways just wondering how you all go about it....what is your process?

[Donnie]

I'm curious how you fellow Cobra users all go about putting your shows together?
For me I end up putting the music file together first and then start tying the pyro items to the audio track.
I also map out the station positions on a Google map of the shoot site.
Then work within my cue and budget limitations.
I have reworked some shows like 10 times!
Perhaps I need help.
Anyways just wondering how you all go about it....what is your process?

The key to (mostly) avoiding re-working an entire show is visualization. Get some visual choreography software (some is available for <$100) and you'll be able to simulate your entire show, seeing it before it actually fires.

[Bazerk]

I first buy all of my product. Then I figure out what items will make up my finale. I then take whats left and build my show keeping symmetry in mind. I usually have 3 firing locations so if I have 3 cakes of the same kind I will fire them simultaneously across all 3 locations. If I have 2 of the same I will fire them at the same time on the left and right and singles will be fired from the center. I also figure out which cakes can stand on their own. If they are a weaker cake, I will fire it in the center and add a pair of weaker cakes to the left and right firing at the same time as the center one. I dont do mine to music simply because I wont do a pyromusical until I have enough ques to do it right which in my opinion is 700-1000 cues. Right now I only have 12 18Ms so I have a ways to go. I hope this helps. It turns our pretty well I think. Check out the links below to see how they turn out. Below is a link to my 2016 and 2017 shows. Let me know what you think.


https://youtu.be/UyU1D60HTZ0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyU1D60HTZ0&amp;feature=youtu.be

https://youtu.be/qgMveezbT7A

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qgMveezbT7A&amp;feature=youtu.be

[3 Fingers]

Bazerk I really liked your video production of the fireworks from 2017.
Did you do that or have it done? The drone footage is very cool.
I am curious how high the drone was on the down shots?
If the highest shells are breaking at 250 or so, you had to be at least 300 ft above the shoot site?
Anyways nicely done!

[Bazerk]

Bazerk I really liked your video production of the fireworks from 2017.
Did you do that or have it done? The drone footage is very cool.
I am curious how high the drone was on the down shots?
If the highest shells are breaking at 250 or so, you had to be at least 300 ft above the shoot site?
Anyways nicely done!

I did that. I appreciate you taking the time to watch it. We had 4 drones out there that night the oldest of which was put in harms way although it never got hit. It was sitting probably around the 200ft mark because we wanted the breaks to blow up and fly past the camera. One was set somewhere around 350 feet and doing a large circle around the entire show. The other 2 were manned and flying around at different heights and distances away from the shoot site. A lot goes into making those videos and sometimes I get to involved in that end of it that I forget simple tasks like pressing record on the go pro. In a way, if the video gets messed up, it kind of disappoints me and somewhat ruins the show itself for me which I hate. It shouldn't be that way ya know?

[Rick_In_Tampa]

This is my first year doing a pyro-musical. I picked 4 songs that I thought would lend themselves to pyro. Songs that had distinct symbol crashes or a driving beat. I also wanted to include some patriotic songs for obvious reasons. So we're starting out with Eruption/You really got me now by Van Halen, followed by Fuel by Metallica. Then we move into Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue by Toby Keith and finish up with America the Beautiful by Ray Charles. I had an idea in my head for what I wanted to do at particular points in each song, so I hopped on the SO76 website and started watching videos. For Fuel every effect I'm using is orange/flame colored. Lots of 1 sec flame pots and fan sweeps going off. Unfortunately, the Nishiki Kamuro's and the swirl fan slices never showed up. So I had to sub out those items. But you get the idea. The rest was just having a vision for what I wanted to convey during the song, and finding effects to match. If what I have in my brain translates to the show, it's going to be awesome!

Like Bazerk I only have 12 firing mods, and I'm planning on shooting a left, center, right show. So I'll be putting his theory to the test!

[3 Fingers]

Bazerk - I get it...I feel the same way about the videos! And the Audio! I noticed you too recorded the audio separately and flew it back in under the video file.
Nicely done. Sometimes the timing can be tricky doing that. I am assuming you shot the video at 1080p? I only have one drone and last year was my first try with that. It was catastrophic in my world. I was trying to do too many things at once and the first few minutes of the show my drone was up at 300 ft capturing the black sky and zero fireworks! This year I have an audiobox so I will be scripted up and just have to hit one button to fire the show...then I can concentrate on the footage. That being said, I have some 5" shells and am guessing those go up near 300 ft before they blow so I should be okay if I'm flying the drone at 400 ft (max it will fly). I don't have as many mods as you do but if it turns out worth anything I'll post it. Good Luck!

[3 Fingers]

Rick I only have 7 mods and an audiobox. Still a big undertaking for a backyard Joe. Lots to think about....
One of the things I'm trying to work on this year is the timing of my shell racks.
I'll have MJG Initiators all the way around but those racks are still fused (not enough cues to wire 200+ tubes of excals).
It's been a challenge to script them into a show where I want them and know start and stop times. They inevitably fire too soon, too fast, too slow or too long!
I've resorted to just using them all in the finale and fast fusing them. It sure is a sky puke but isn't that the idea in a finale?
Any ideas out there for scripting fused shell racks would be awesome.