more bangs...
While I'm on the subject of explosions, and because not a lot else is happening, I thought I'd reminisce;Sometime in the dim and distant past I was doing a job in Harrogate, the client was a large chain of liquor stores, their chairman was an elderly egyptian with arthritic hips who loved to make a bit of an appearance. The first year I did this, he made his dramatic entrance across the stage as the video screens split and flew out and two rows of seven second silver gerbs fired up (a gerb is a pyrotechnic that fires a jet of flames and sparks into the air, and are identified either by how long they stay alight or by weight). He trundled uncertainly down to the lectern on both his sticks, and everything returned to normal; the customary review of the financial year, normally the point when we techies settle down for a snooze. This particular gig was notable for the extraordinary quantities of industry samples that the delegates were able to consume, it wasn't especially good for me, as I managed to get through three lighting desks on a show that lasted only a day.
By way of a big finish, the whole roof of the conference centre was strung up with popcorn (tiny airburst pyros, lots of bangs and flashes, not a lot else), and we gave the drunken hoards a big send-off.
The next year he wanted more; two things to bear in mind; Harrogate is a large facility equipped with a state of the art fire alarm system, and in the other hall was the annual conference of fire chiefs.
It's also important to realise that our chairman was often the originator of the sillier ideas, the plan this year was for even more pyros, and the chairman would jump through the video screen to an enormous confetti hit with even more, bigger, gerbs. So; the lights dim, we get the opening triumphal video and then a sinister shadow cuts into the image, it's our hero, the chairman, building up speed. Sticks flailing, he crashes through the screen, the confetti cannons go off, the gerbs fire, and he wobbles triumphantly down to the lectern. With the inevitability of perfection, he opened his mouth to speak, and the fire alarms went off. A passing technician had left an interconnecting door open, up in the roof void somewhere, and whilst we were isolated on the alarm system, the hall next door wasn't (fire chiefs don't normally make very incendiary speeches).
So, our hall was evacuated, our slightly shell-shocked delegates emerged blinking into the light to be presented with the sight of a display of senior firemen, fire engines and associated machinery, not only that, but the local fire brigade were not going to be shown up by the vast numbers of senior fire servicemen and sent the whole shop down. Both exhibition halls, all the hotels onsite, every pub and restaurant was emptied out; a bit of a 'whoops' moment.
After about half an hour, it was established that nothing was actually on fire, and we were allowed back in, our client said 'have you got enough pyros left to do it again?' after a moments disbelief it was admitted that we did, we reset, and did the whole opening again, door closed this time.
After that experience, life holds few terrors, shortly after we sacked the client.
posted by Lampy @ 1/05/2006 06:29:00 pm
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