Any Ideas?

[Suzette]

Once you have fitted a keyswitch and found a competent adult to set up/fire the pyros ... have you thought about firing the pyros outside? Just a thought but if your disco hall has large windows on one side (as many have) looking out onto a open air area (designed to distract kids during the summer exams when all you want to do is be sitting outside in the sun!)

 

If that area can be secured from students wandering outside than maybe you can set something up outside which can be seen from inside?? Obviously you will need a risk assessment to be done to make sure you don't set fire to low hanging trees or anything else that might be there, but maybe you can still get your effect without putting anyone in any danger?

[wycome5]

If you did have it inside, I would go for the theatrical flashes as they are over instantly so aslong as the safety area was clear at the point of firing, if anyone went over staight afterwards, it would be safe (where as mini gerbs last sometime so inquisitive, falling, running kids could run into them once they are going).

[Ynot]

Sorry, but I would HAVE to disagree here MOST STRONGLY!!

With ANY pyro effect, puting them within easy reach of ANY youngsters is just asking for trouble. The flash pots get very hot on firing and don't cool down that quickly that a child inquisitive enough to try it could easily pick it up and get a burn from the residue etc.

 

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE DO NOT CONSIDER USING PYRO AT A SCHOOL DISCO!!!!!

 

It really is not worth the potential risks.

[Al Cain]

Th Only minietly possible idea is to set them up on trussing 3M pluss into the sky. Therefore no one can get hold of them.

 

Good luck

 

Alex

[david.elsbury]

I have to fix this... now... :blink:

The only minutely possible idea is to set them up on trussing 3M plus into the sky. Therefore no-one can get hold of them.

And the problem with this is that you have the height of the pyro, which may be 1-3 meters, PLUS the 3 metres of the truss. So you need an incredibly high roof. (Plus the possible damage to the truss from the fallout.)

 

Perhaps not the best solution.....

 

I second what everyone else has said. Be responsible, be safe. IMO, don't use pyro at all. What about hiring some other FX lighting for the night?

 

David

[paulears]

If you asked the science teacher at the school what precautions get taken in class when the do experiments with magnesium, sodium, etc etc, you'll get the reply that sfaety glasses and probably lab coats are deemed 100% required. firing pyros needs the same level of risk assessment. My 2p's worth on the truss mounted pyro is 'oops'. 3m up means the spread for the ground safe area will be rather large. Pyros that have ben damp at some stage very often 'glob' up and lumps fall, remaining hot for longer - just look carefully at the floor near the pyro pods. Kids are unpredictable and the benefits are totally swamped by the dangers. It is all 'ifs'. If it is clear to fire and if nobody is near and if it is certain nobody will suddenly run in at the last minute and if you make sure nobody prods the pod with a finger........ Too much stress for me. Last show I did, the pyro op got lambasted by the client for not firing the pod. He pointed out the 3 little girls were in the wrong place, standing almost over the pod. "well, they've been told" was the response.

[willpower]

Once you have fitted a keyswitch and found a competent adult to set up/fire the pyros ... have you thought about firing the pyros outside? Just a thought but if your disco hall has large windows on one side (as many have) looking out onto a open air area (designed to distract kids during the summer exams when all you want to do is be sitting outside in the sun!)

 

I really really like this idea!! We have huge windows looking out onto a courtyard type area where we could easily put the pyros and no-one could get to them. There are a few trees, but there are also spaces where there arent any, and I can look it over with a couple of the technicians.

Many thanks for all the comments and suggestions (dont worry those of you saying not to use pyros, if we do use them I'll get an adult to fire it and we'll put them outside!).

If we cant use pyros because of low hanging trees/school doesnt like it/no adult willing to fire them, is there any other effect that would amuse the young ones and maybe get them coming to a few more discos (our main problem is attracting them to buy tickets, so I reckon if we have something which they think "woah, that was incredible" and go tell all their friends about it, then we sell more tickets - and more money goes to charity!!)?

 

Thanks for everything so far!

Will

[Aran2000]

...is there any other effect that would amuse the young ones and maybe get them coming to a few more discos..

 

It's a disco: how about focusing on playing some tunes that are popular with the punters, and squeezing the most out of your LX rig?

 

Surely that's where you should be starting if you want more people coming?

 

Assuming you've got that covered, have you considered using a few sound to light laser effects and fog rather than pyro? That's something many of the kid's probably haven't seen before, will be able to fill a larger space, and last longer than firing off a few theatrical flashes. I'd also point out that once you've bought the laser units, there's no more outlay involved, unlike buying more pyros each time you use them up.

 

The risk assessment on the cheaper laser units (usually class 2) is also a lot simpler than for pyro. The fact that they scan across an area, rather than remain static, coupled with suitable positioning so that the eye cannot remain on axis with the beam means that they are generally pretty safe.

 

Alex.

[Ynot]

.... is there any other effect that would amuse the young ones and maybe get them coming to a few more discos ....

 

Smoke

Bubble machine

Snow machine

Different moving mirror effects

Small mirror balls - bit cheesy, but if you use with a decent profile and experiment with gobo's/colour you can create some decent effects

 

All of the above can be acquired VERY cheaply if you shop around on Ebay and all are pretty much safe as houses. Find some disco gear on Ebay and look see what other items the seller has to offer.

 

To be honest, even if you use pyro outside (which still has quite a few if's about it, including the chance of inclement weather!!) it may not have enough 'wow' factor for your audience. To make anything really wow-ee would take a mini fireworks display and thus be expensive. Trust me - go with some tried & trusted disco gear, but maybe use it in different ways (eg gobos on the mirror balls). And as someone else has said, make sure that the music you play is the sort that THEY want to hear, not what YOU want to play.

 

TD

(Middle aged tech & DJ a hundred years ago... )

[wycome5]

Ynot, surely, if you were going to have pyros in this situation, TFs would be better than Gerbs, there is much less time for potential injury and whilst you shouldn't be able to get to them, obviously something that if over instantly and gets the kids attention is going to be better than a 12 second gerb which gives them time to wonder over and poke and prod.

[Ynot]

Ynot, surely, if you were going to have pyros in this situation, TFs would be better than Gerbs...

Not sure why you've asked me this one...

I'm actually advocating having NO PYRO WHATSOEVER at such an event as a school disco (see rants above!).

I don't recall I commented about gerbs being preferable... In fact I think I said that gerbs would be worse than TF's anyway.

Have you confused me with somene else on the list??

:)

[Guest lightnix]

...dont worry those of you saying not to use pyros, if we do use them I'll get an adult to fire it and we'll put them outside!...

With respect, willpower, you don't seem to be fully taking on board what has been said. It's not just a case of finding "an adult" to push the button, it's finding a competent one, i.e. one that has knowledge, experience and (preferably) training in pyrotechnics and their safe use. They don't grow on trees and you'll probably have to hire one, for money, if you want to be at least 99% confident that everything is safe and legal.

 

I'm a 43 year old adult, with over twenty years in the (lighting) business behind me and I refuse point blank to have anything to do with pyros whatsoever - I won't even push the Fire button. Why? Because I'm not legally competent and the implications if something goes wrong are too horrible to contemplate, even for a Big Bad Boy like me.

 

A lot of people are using CO2 / compressed air-driven confetti effects in place of pyro these days; they're not completely risk-free, but far safer to use than pyros (especially indoors). The initial burst is over in a fraction of a second, but the effect can last for ages, as the confetti flutters gently to the floor over several seconds. Use glitter confetti, or maybe fluorescent confetti with a UV wash and you have the potential for a pretty and "big-looking" effect.

 

The caretakers probably won't love you for it, though :)

[wycome5]

Ynot, after I made the following point...

 

"If you did have it inside, I would go for the theatrical flashes as they are over instantly so aslong as the safety area was clear at the point of firing, if anyone went over staight afterwards, it would be safe (where as mini gerbs last sometime so inquisitive, falling, running kids could run into them once they are going). "

 

You followed up with...

 

"Sorry, but I would HAVE to disagree here MOST STRONGLY!!"

 

That was my only issue.

 

____________________________________________________________

 

But we do agree that gerbs would be worse.

[Ynot]

Ynot, after I made the following point...

 

"If you did have it inside, I would go for the theatrical flashes as they are over instantly so aslong as the safety area was clear at the point of firing, if anyone went over staight afterwards, it would be safe (where as mini gerbs last sometime so inquisitive, falling, running kids could run into them once they are going). "

 

You followed up with...

 

"Sorry, but I would HAVE to disagree here MOST STRONGLY!!"

 

That was my only issue.

 

____________________________________________________________

 

But we do agree that gerbs would be worse.

 

My issue was with the statement "if anyone went over staight afterwards, it would be safe", which is not correct. As I said, the pots can stay hot for a while after firing, hot enough for some 10 year old to poke it, possibly scald his pinky and run to it's mother, who then sues the school, the council and the disco because her iddle baby was in a position to do so! (And possibly quite rightly, in some ways..!)

 

That's all.

 

TD

[wycome5]

Ok, that is a fair point that I mis-understood...sorry for my rant.