Set Pieces and Lance Work

Lanceworks consist of a series of small, quick matched colored flares (lances) arranged to form images and designs or to spell out messages. They reached an elaborate form in the mid - 19th century in Great Britain where some lanceworks were as long as 200 feet and 60 feet high and produced fire pictures for example of Queen Victoria and her generals. Today, lance works continue to be used around the world to advertise fireworks display sponsors and to deliver messages to the spectators. This presentation will briefly consider the mechanics and techniques used in creating lanceworks and importantly, provide a series of lancework ideas – some tried, and some untried by the author. Lanceworks can and should generally be inspirational, humorous, sometimes mysterious but always entertaining. They are especially effective when they have moving parts, are motorized, or tell a “story”. They can include various pyrotechnic ornamentations including fountains and gerbs, waterfalls, whistles, salutes, wheels, saxons, strobes and roman candles and many other kinds of pyrotechnics. They can be accompanied by music and appropriate (or inappropriate) sound effects. They may include political caricatures, current events, and likenesses of famous (or infamous) people. They can feature changing images such as a frowning face becoming a smiling face, moving eyes, and a surprised face after a loud salute. Elaborate transformation pieces can be designed using color changing lances and dark fire lances in which a green pastoral scene transforms into a bustling city, or a green garden into a colorful flower bed. Hair can suddenly grow from a bald head, a big white mother duck lays an egg and the egg cracks open to release a moving yellow duckling, faces can transform from sleepy to surprised or from angry to happy, a long green caterpillar changes into an elaborately spotted winged butterfly, or a giant figure on stilts walks mysteriously through a forest. Multiple lancework frames can be ignited by a series of line rockets. Lancework frames can be ignited when lying flat on the ground and then pulled upright on hinges to become fully visible – this can be designed to be especially “mysterious”. Creativity and imagination have few limitations!