Show Intro Countdown

[Rick_In_Tampa]

For the past few years I've started out my shows with some fountain effects just to ease into the show. Next year I'd like to shake things up a little. I'd love to start out with some suspenseful music that moves into a 10...9...8 etc. countdown, then BOOM!! Up with either a row of cremora pots or flame effects. I was wondering if anyone has done something like this before, and if so, do you have an audio file you'd be willing to share? Or maybe a script and effects list that details how you did the intro?

I usually use a four stage front so I'm thinking about using 10 of the 1 second flame effects from SO76 across the show front, and have them go off 2 at a time (1 from each side) starting from the outside and working their way in as the countdown rolls down to 0, then have a large fan effect (or multiple fans) go off at 0 to start the show to Boston's "Cool the engines."

I'd be interested in your thoughts and/or suggestions to make it look awesome!

[Mattp]

Rick.. after this post I did some YouTube searches... and there’s some pretty cool sounding nasa audio rocket countdowns.. you would have to do some editing with them to make it how you like it.. but I think they sure would sound pretty cool...

[esgrillo]

Rick, In my early days (pre - audiobox, trying to synch the fireworks and the music with 2 remote button starts and 3 18m cobra mods for my entire show) I did something like you describe with Fanfare for the Common man song.... I was all pretty rudimentary looking back but I kind of like the effect considering what I had to work with. Please remember this is without an audiobox lmao....

holy crap, I was the scab wire king back then lol

https://www.vimeo.com/304384018

[krayg]

For the past few years I've started out my shows with some fountain effects just to ease into the show. Next year I'd like to shake things up a little. I'd love to start out with some suspenseful music that moves into a 10...9...8 etc. countdown, then BOOM!! Up with either a row of cremora pots or flame effects. I was wondering if anyone has done something like this before, and if so, do you have an audio file you'd be willing to share? Or maybe a script and effects list that details how you did the intro?

I usually use a four stage front so I'm thinking about using 10 of the 1 second flame effects from SO76 across the show front, and have them go off 2 at a time (1 from each side) starting from the outside and working their way in as the countdown rolls down to 0, then have a large fan effect (or multiple fans) go off at 0 to start the show to Boston's "Cool the engines."

I'd be interested in your thoughts and/or suggestions to make it look awesome!

Something like this? I decided to skip the 5 seconds of silence and do something interesting. The silence-to-BOOM scared most of the audience. :cool:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7O6WDIm-XI

[PyroJoeNEPA]

I used the Mission Impossible theme several years ago with a long line of fuse up about 4 feet off the ground burning across the fronts to a one shot hit at the end. I would advise against cremoras for an opener--you will "flash blind" everyone before the show starts & they will be squinting for the first 5 minutes of the show. I'm sure Ed can comment on that issue.
Lots of ways to ease into an opener...think outside the box [i.e. "one shots"].

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Krayg - Yes. Something like that. I like the idea of the NASA countdown with the flame pots and the slices you and Ed used. I think that will definitely get the audience attention.

[Rick_In_Tampa]

I used the Mission Impossible theme several years ago with a long line of fuse up about 4 feet off the ground burning across the fronts to a one shot hit at the end. Lots of ways to ease into an opener...think outside the box [i.e. "one shots"].

Hmmm... That sounds pretty cool too. I could maybe use mines for the countdown hits with left/center/right fan slices at 0 to start the show. Yeah.... I think that's the ticket!

Thanks for the inspiration guys!

[AxeElf]

One of the site sponsors offered a free voice-over track in June:

http://www.pyrotalk.com/bulletin/showthread.php?421-Free-Fireworks-Voiceover-download&highlight=voice

I embellished on it a bit to get a full 3:15 opening number out of it. Here's my final opening track:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1DwZO1LIsUUzx_foXBxYz4o9XiCw6-DUE

There were no fireworks for the first 90 seconds, I just let the mashup build the suspense. Then when the Lil Jon "Outta Your Mind" kicked in, I began with some fountains and some small little aerial poppers (Mighty Minis and Snafus) to kind of mock the idea that this was supposed to be a "grand opening" when really it was kind of underwhelming, and just when (I hoped) everyone was thinking, "That's all you got?" then I moved up to some comets (Mighty Cobras), Saturn Missile Batteries, and some 200g cakes (2 Battle of Lexingtons and a Mobile Menace--was supposed to be 2 Mobile Menaces, too, but one didn't fire), and finally hit them with the 500 gram cakes Gorilla Warfare and Great Nation for the final 20 seconds of "Here Comes the Boom." It definitely got their attention.

I can show you some video of that, too, but my source didn't start filming until just before "Let's Get It Started":

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1mEatbb6j7-kRRvYrFhMXl2L2ZSups4sC