A pyrotechnics display may illuminate the sky for only a few minutes but months of preparation are needed for the brief show. "It takes between 5,000 and 6,000 shells for a 20-minute display and that's not all," said Malaysia International Fireworks Competition (MIFC) 2008 technical director Stuart Bensley during a recent visit to the firing zone below the Gemilang Bridge in Putrajaya.

"Many factors go into the final effect that you see - skill, artistry, colour choices, the different effects, the angles and the soundtrack. It is basically the way the designer lays it down."

The MIFC kicked off on Aug 12 with Malaysia as the first competitor. This is the second competition of its kind in the country.

Two other competitors, China and Canada, lit up the skies on Aug 16 and 20 respectively while world champion Spain and Australia will put up displays on Aug 24 and 29.

Bensley said the biggest shells to be fired this year were 20.32cm in diameter. These are smaller than the 40.64cm shells fired last year because construction is taking place near the Gemilang Bridge.

"Synchronising fireworks to music for pyromusicals isn't easy. If classical music is played, the display will be slow, and if it is rock and roll, the pace must pick up, so the combination of effects is crucial," he added.

At the site making last-minute checks was Team Canada, represented by pyrotechnicians Beth Whysall, Doug Fraser and Vanessa Belcastro. Team leader and Beth's father David was on his way.

The team won its most recent award at the Da Nang International Fireworks Competition 2008 in Da Nang, Vietnam.

Beth divulged that her family had been dabbling in fireworks for the past few decades.

"My grandmother worked in a fireworks factory and my father joined her when he was 14. Later, as a chemist, he started designing fireworks and set up David Whysall International Fireworks Inc," she said.

The fireworks used by the company are imported from factories in China and Thailand. Given his background and Canada's stringent regulations on fireworks, Whysall makes biennial trips to the factory in China to help with designs.

Team Canada is banking on a rock-and-roll theme with the usage of mines, shells, comets, nautical effects and flying saucers.

Source: http://fireworkstown.com/