Curious if any of our members are pyro guys. Wondered what the professionals at small town shows are using. Are the pros using 4 inch shells or something larger? I figured major cities use big shells (8-12"?) but curious if anyone knows what I'm seeing in our small town shows for reference sake in comparison to consumer fireworks.
I don't think you realize what a can of worms you just opened.
Unfortunately there's no simple answer as to what we use. It's generally based on the physical location, venue, and budget.
Physical location: Important as there are footage minimums that are determined by shell size; the rule of thumb is 70' feet per 1" of the maximum size of shell you're going to shoot. So if your biggest shell is a 3" you need a clear 210' in all directions, 6" would be 420', 10" 700', etc.. No structures, no spectators, no vehicles, no power lines, no trees. Trees, power lines, and structures can be fudged a little, as long as they're not directly overhead it's probably ok, if the structure is just a small equipment shed or metal roof building then it's probably ok; the shooter and/or the AHJ will have the final say - the shooter is often the AHJ. Keep in mind these footages are MINIMUMS, we frequently require more depending on location/venue, minimums also double in the presence of hazmat, hospitals, mental institutions, prisons, etc..
Venue: Obviously a rock band wouldn't want a full blown fireworks show - and probably wouldn't have the footage for it anyway - but may want some low level / close proximity effects. The Winston Salem Dash wants a huge full on fireworks show but doesn't have the footage or budget. The Thomasville HiToms doesn't really have the budget or footage so they settle for a variety of 1.3g and 1.4g cakes. (cake, a box of prestrung aerial fireworks in individual limited use mortars, can be small 6"x6" or the size of a washing machine. Shell size can be from 0.5" to 4") For really small shows we may also use the 1.75" "festival balls" commonly sold in SC because the footage requirement is so small, but we use more robust mortars than the limited use disposable mortars that come with them when sold to consumers. It's becoming increasingly rare to find a venue with the footage to shoot the bigger mortars - upwards of 6" (8, 10, 12, 16, and 24 are the most typical but anything over 12 is exceedingly rare) - and those require special handing and firing accommodations. Most low level stuff has to be fired electrically for safety and timing, most stuff greater than 6" has to be fired electrically for safety tho there are some exceptions, everything in between we can hand fire. In my 25 years of shooting 99% of my shows have been handfired. (sidebar, an electrically fired show is generally double the cost. Each "e-match" is an additional $1 per queue, plus double the labor to get the shell show ready. If you want it choreographed to music double the cost again.)
Budget: Most pyro companies buy their product direct from China by the container. Since the scamdemic transportation and insurance costs have almost tripled while the cost of the fireworks themselves have nearly doubled. There are some companies in the US that make fireworks, but very few that do it as their primary business. Zambelli comes to mind. American made shells are usually high quality, but also high cost. A generic 3" color shell from China may cost $1 while a US made generic 3" color shell may be $5 and up. Surprisingly the cost of the fireworks isn't the biggest factor in the price of a show. Insurance is. The company I work for carries a $5 million binder that covers transportation and the show.
So if you've got a 8500 budget, have 700 feet of physical location, want the longest show you can get using the biggest shells - you have a decision to make. One 10" shell costs as much as 250 3" shells. You can have a pretty impressive show using a mixture of 3's, 4's, 5's, and 6's that'll last 25 minutes. Or you can have a show using 10's that'll last 5 minutes.
I'm at work now, I have some actual real world examples at home of cost and shell counts I'll post tomorrow.
Well, I found one on my phone, I still have another to post tomorrow.
A recent small town show with an $8k budget and 400ft of available space. Determination was to use smaller shells to maximize duration.
Opening Barrage:
10 - 3" Assorted Finale Color w/tail
10 - 3" Finale Salutes w/tail
6 - 4" Finale Color/Salute w/tail
Sidebar, finale shells come pre strung together in specific quantities. 3" racks have 10 mortars tubes each, the shells come strung together in quantities of 10. 4" racks have 6, 5" racks have 5, 6" racks have 4. Generally greater than 6" is individual tubes or custom made racks; the weight of the shells prevents them from being pre strung.
Main Body:
108 - 3" Assorted Aerial Shells w/tail
36 - 3" Assorted Premium Grade Aerial Shells w/tail (premium in this size would be a smiley, ring, bowtie, heart, canister, etc)
72 - 4" Assorted Aerial Shells w/tail
36 - 4" Assorted Premium Grade Aerial Shells w/tail (premium in this size would be canister shells, double break with salute, etc)
Grand Finale:
130 - 3" Assorted Aerial Shells w/tail
30 - 3" Finale Salutes w/tail
30 - 4" Finale Color/Salute w/tail
This show ran about 15 minutes.
So, 320 3" shells and 144 4" shells for a total of 464 shells. $8,000. Biggest deciding factor was budget.
