Dancing Fireworks Add New Twist To Independence Day Display
July 02, 2008
Often billed as the nation's largest Fourth of July fireworks celebration, organizers of Macy's annual aerial display in the Big Apple aren't just concerned with size, each year they also hope to put on a pyrotechnic effects rarely seen before anywhere in the world.
“This is the show where we go all over the world to find that unique and exotic shell that no one has ever seen, that we're going to integrate into the show. You're going to see among 1,100 other shells that all go off the very same minute,” said Robin Hall of Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks.
This year is no exception, the ultra high-tech display, ironically, choreographed through magic marker drawings, will not only fire off newly created shells, but organizers say by making the launch barge much longer this time, they're able to achieve new effects by simply altering launch angles.
“So instead of having the fireworks fire off in a smaller area straight up, now we take the barge, make it much wider – almost 400 feet – spread the fireworks over that greater length,” says Gary Souza of Pyro Spectaculars by Souza. “The digital technology allows us to fire them at one one-hundredth of a second and as we're doing that we can create these fans and dancing movement with the fireworks.”
“Each aerial shell has an address, not an IP address because we don't want people dialing in to them, but what happens is the fireworks are connected by five miles of wires and it goes back to our 12 computer systems we'll use to fire the display,” Souza adds. “Those computers have received a script that comes from our design software. That script will then tell each of these addresses, ‘OK, you have power, but now you can open the gate, send a charge to an electronic match and that launches the firework into the sky.’”
One of the new features this year was tested last year, but will be a big part of the show this time – a floating firework – which floats in the water, shooting out fireworks.
“They're launched out around the barges to create this big wide carpet or dance platform [where the] spinning fountains will be,” says Souza, pointing out a sketch of the display.
Organizers say to look for a surprise, explosive tribute, honoring Macy's 150th anniversary.
– Adam Balkin
July 02, 2008
Dancing Fireworks Add New Twist To Independence Day Display
Adam Balkin Adam Balkin covers the technology beat for NY1 News. He is the champion of NY1's "Hat Trick" hockey video arcade game.
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