Case Study: When the Britannia Royal Naval College required the loudest, most spectacular display possible - and still work inside a budget - they turned to Event Horizon to meet the brief. The first task was a site visit and meeting with the officer in charge. The site was set overlooking Dartmouth harbour with steep hills rising up on all sides. This reflected the sound of the fireworks back toward the spectators, dramatically improving the acoustics of the show as Event HorizonÕs show choreographers worked to maximise the impact of the siteÕs natural features.

The Brief: The client stressed that above all else, the show must be "ground shakingly loud". Working with the military, who usually experience some of the loudest bangs man can create, this presented our team with quite a challenge over and above impressing our usual public audience! To meet this challenge we had to devise a method of creating the sound and still have a display not lacking in beauty. One of the first options briefly discussed was the use of air burst high explosives Ð only possible because Event Horizon is one of the only pyrotechnic companies in the UK licenced in its use. Unfortunately, due to the size of site and security, this had to be ruled out on the grounds of safety Ð always our primary concern. The next best option was to use our 4" super max salute shells as the sound provider. Safe for this site, using the excellent natural acoustics, they would provide bangs sufficient to shake the ground. It was also decided that the use of lasers would add an extra dimension, making it a really spectacular show for our discerning audience. With the pieces in place, the task of putting it all together to produce something to take the spectatorsÕ breath away fell to Event HorizonÕs top show designers.

The Show: The laser system decided upon was Event HorizonÕs own 3.5 watt YAG full graphics system, which would be used to project collage crests onto the main collage building. The quarter of a tonne of fireworks used were then selected and choreographed to blend with the laser effects. The day of the show came and the team arrived to discreetly set up on site. By 6:00pm everything was ready Ð well ahead of our scheduled midnight firing time. At 10:00pm, the laser was used to project the college crests. At midnight precisely, firing commenced with the opening shot of ten x four inch salute shells, four x four inch salute mines and multiple salute candles creating a deafening wall of sound! The display carried on at a furious rate, building up to the final climax of unsurpassed noise and colour to rapturous applause from the crowd.

The Wash-up: Once the team had cleared the site and restored it to its original condition, we met with the client who concluded that Event Horizon had risen to the challenge laid down in the spec. The show had run perfectly, in complete safety with the best possible result Ð a happy audience and a satisfied client. Why not contact us at Event Horizon Pyrotechnics and join Britannia Royal Naval College as one of our case study clients?