My 2022 Show

[Backyard Joe]

Hello fellow pyros.

I upgraded to a Cobra with an audio box this year and couldn’t be happier. This was my first show using cobra and first attempt at a pyromusical. Unfortunately, I don’t have a video of the entire show but here’s the last few minutes. The whole show was about 14 minutes long and the pace was about the same. There was very little wind and smoke was an issue.

Critiquing is encouraged! I’ve learned so much from this site and look forward to feedback.

https://youtu.be/0Y0RDPmzQ1I

[Arles]

Fun show, nice job!

[Rick_In_Tampa]

Nice show Joe from what I can tell. If you kept that same pace for all 14 minutes, then I'm certain you captured the attention of your audience.

As for a critique.... Difficult to do as I don't have enough cues from the video to tell me how far away the effects were from the crowd. I normally like to see the show from the ground up so I can see how many firing positions, check the timing, see what failed to fire, how the layering and/or special effects worked, etc. and so on. I can't tell any of that from your video. That's not a negative on you, just an observation on why it's difficult to offer a critique to help you improve your show. Hell, I even jacked up my camera work on my own show this year, and I don't have the ground shot either. It is what it is.

I'm really hesitant to offer any criticism for the reasons I already mentioned, but I will say this. If you can get your hands on some AOP products next year, especially fan slices, I would definitely incorporate those into your show. Use them as punctuation marks at certain points in a song. Use some different colored comets to accent lines like "rockets red glare," etc.. Crossing gold comets work great to give the appearance of a battle. You can also vary the pace a little to give the audience time to breath, then hit them with multiple mines firing, or fan slices firing to surprise them. Using multi colored flame effects on the ground with a falling leaves effect is a great way to slow the pace down and really wow your crowd at the same time.

For what it's worth...

[Birdman]

What was in the video was really good. Too bad you didn't get more of the show recorded. I agree with everything Rick mentioned. I didn't want to get too into making suggestions without seeing more of the show either.

[Jay_]

Good looking show Joe, nice job. Rick is spot on about adding some AOP if possible. If you throw some slices/comets/mines in there it really enhances the wow factor of the show and puts a punctuation mark on that particular part of the song.

The only thing that I will offer is you may consider butting your tracks together in your music file when you are mixing your music. I actually like to overlap them just a bit personally. It really keeps the flow of the show going. I had gaps in the music myself back in my 2018 and 2019 shows, and I kind of felt like it slowed down the momentum that I was trying to build. When I watch those shows now, that is one thing that I wish I would have changed. To each their own on that though.

[Engineer Cat]

Great job for your first pyromusical. Now you are hooked. Welcome to pyros anonymous. LOL

[Backyard Joe]

Thank you all for the feedback! I really wish I had more of the show recorded because I had some pretty cool effects that weren’t on the video I posted. That’s lesson learned number one for this year…This literally was the first show of mine that I got to watch the sky instead of the que sheet. Working a camera was last on my list and I relied on my audience.

Also, this was a one position show. I’ve done shows with up to three positions but in the shoot space I have, I’m not sure I gain anything. My audience is only 300 feet away and it feels like you’re sitting right under the breaks. Unless they’ve been to my shows before, I’m sure most of the audience has never been that close to a show in their life.

Regarding AOP, I don’t have a good source at the moment. I do have a substantiali inventory of 200g Razzle cakes that I picked up with intentions of using to make my own fan slices. I also have a small inventory of 500g cakes that have mines that I can rewire.

When I posted my video, I forgot to mention that the lag between songs was intentional as a false finale. The other songs on the tack were blended. One thing regarding the sound track though, I played full, uncut songs. I also forced the products that I already had on hand into the sound track. I don’t know if I’ll do that again. I know there are ways to speed songs up and still be unnoticeable or to only play portions of a song. With learning a new firing system and trying to pair it to music, time just got too tight this year.

Anyway, it was my best show so far and a couple of the audience members that have been in attendance from the start commented that it was the coolest show that they’ve ever seen. In my pyro mind, that’s what I wanted to hear…but at the same time, that’s why I look for fellow pyro’s opinion on this forum. We are definitely our own worst (actually best) critic! Please do not hesitate to critique my show…that is how I learn.

[Engineer Cat]

This literally was the first show of mine that I got to watch the sky instead of the que sheet. Working a camera was last on my list and I relied on my audience.




Being able to enjoy the show and see all your hard work with 1 press of the button is fantastic. I never really got to enjoy my previous shows until I got a pro firing system. I would always have to watch the video later on to see if it did what I tried to do.

[Birdman]

If you can't get access to AOP then, yes, break down consumer cakes or try and find consumer alternatives. Most AOP is going to be much more impressive but if you can't get it then you only have one other option. I understand how difficult it is shooting in limited space. I have 3 positions in a space only big enough for, maybe, two. It's not easy and the show can quickly become a hot mess with effects blending into each other. It's a real challenge because you have to break out of the typical "pyromusical mold" and really think about how effects will blend when firing more than one thing at a time. Those with more space primarily need to focus on how things layer vertically. There's just so much more to consider with limited space. I wish we had more people posting videos of one or two position shows and look forward to seeing where you go from here.

[Mattp]

thats was a great first pyromusical,, cant wait to see what you do in the future,, having a cobra really does step up the whole experience!!
suggest getting a small tripod.. pretty sure mine was like 15$ on amazon.. and i use my phone to record.. which doesnt always work out,, but this year i checked it multiple times throughout the show to make sure it was seeing ground and sky... and still cut off some of the higher stuff,, but worked good enough, every year is a learning lesson... also if you have a really smokey year,, and your really hating it.. could always pause to let some clear away ,, its not ideal,, and not everybody likes to do that,, but if your not seeing the products you spent alot of money on,, personally id rather pause and see them clearly,