1
00:00:00,934 --> 00:00:02,836
[hissing]

2
00:00:02,936 --> 00:00:05,171
[echoing electronic marimba 
composition]

3
00:00:05,271 --> 00:00:08,608
♪

4
00:00:08,708 --> 00:00:10,610
(man) 
Light a fuse and get away.

5
00:00:10,710 --> 00:00:12,812
One of the very first 
things I did--

6
00:00:12,912 --> 00:00:14,948
how to spell or read probably.

7
00:00:15,048 --> 00:00:16,950
♪

8
00:00:17,050 --> 00:00:19,986
I don't know many people 
who don't like fireworks.

9
00:00:20,086 --> 00:00:24,557
♪

10
00:00:24,657 --> 00:00:27,727
People who shoot 
fireworks, now,

11
00:00:27,827 --> 00:00:29,763
kind of a special 
breed of us.

12
00:00:29,863 --> 00:00:32,699
A'right! I want some 
creamer in my coffee.

13
00:00:32,799 --> 00:00:34,267
[explosion]

14
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[voice-over] 
John Brock was right 
in 1542 or whenever it was.

15
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He said, "He who hath once 
smelt the smoke

16
00:00:39,839 --> 00:00:41,274
is ne'er again free,"

17
00:00:41,374 --> 00:00:44,077
and that's kind of one 
of our own little pyro mottos

18
00:00:44,177 --> 00:00:45,945
is, you know, 
you smell the smoke

19
00:00:46,046 --> 00:00:48,181
and it kinda gets 
in your blood,

20
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and there's just a certain 
group of people that--

21
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we really like 
that kinda stuff.

22
00:00:53,353 --> 00:00:54,687
That's what we do.

23
00:00:54,788 --> 00:00:57,290
We entertain people 
with fire and explosives.

24
00:00:57,390 --> 00:01:01,227
♪

25
00:01:01,327 --> 00:01:04,831
[guitar leads 
easy arrangement]

26
00:01:04,931 --> 00:01:08,001
The first thing I need to do 
is go visit the site.

27
00:01:08,101 --> 00:01:10,003
♪

28
00:01:10,103 --> 00:01:12,005
We are regulated 
by the parameters

29
00:01:12,105 --> 00:01:14,441
of how much space 
we have to work in.

30
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There's quite 
a few regulations

31
00:01:16,409 --> 00:01:18,578
on how much room we need.

32
00:01:18,678 --> 00:01:21,314
You find you a groundhog 
there, Sparky?

33
00:01:21,414 --> 00:01:25,251
So I wanna look and see 
where the roads are,

34
00:01:25,351 --> 00:01:28,354
where the midway's gonna be, 
where the carnival trailers

35
00:01:28,455 --> 00:01:31,424
are gonna be, 
where the people are gonna be.

36
00:01:31,524 --> 00:01:34,360
All--all of those factors 
come into play.

37
00:01:34,461 --> 00:01:38,098
Well, you just make sure 
that we are within our codes

38
00:01:38,198 --> 00:01:41,301
and far enough away 
from the barn.

39
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These barns were probably 
built 70 years ago.

40
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A lot of yellow heart 
pine timber,

41
00:01:46,372 --> 00:01:49,309
and we sure don't wanna 
burn one of those down.

42
00:01:49,409 --> 00:01:52,345
♪

43
00:01:52,445 --> 00:01:54,414
We were down 
in that hollow, you know,

44
00:01:54,514 --> 00:01:55,849
takin' our initial 
measurements

45
00:01:55,949 --> 00:01:57,450
from the shoot site itself.

46
00:01:57,550 --> 00:01:59,519
Now we're back up 
from the vantage point

47
00:01:59,619 --> 00:02:01,454
of where the spectators 
are gonna be.

48
00:02:01,554 --> 00:02:03,756
This is where 
all the rides are gonna be.

49
00:02:03,857 --> 00:02:06,059
All the food vendors 
are back over in here.

50
00:02:06,159 --> 00:02:08,128
They usually have 
all the kiddie-land stuff

51
00:02:08,228 --> 00:02:09,729
back over along this wall.

52
00:02:09,829 --> 00:02:11,464
Ferris wheel usually 
goes over here,

53
00:02:11,564 --> 00:02:13,600
but you can kinda 
see here, you know,

54
00:02:13,700 --> 00:02:15,201
as we're lookin' at it,

55
00:02:15,301 --> 00:02:18,171
and visualize the fireworks 
goin' up right above that tree.

56
00:02:18,271 --> 00:02:19,906
I have to provide a listing

57
00:02:20,006 --> 00:02:22,008
of all the materials 
that we'll shoot--

58
00:02:22,108 --> 00:02:24,677
three- and four-inch shells, 
and it's an accurate count

59
00:02:24,777 --> 00:02:28,348
of what we're gonna bring in 
every day on the fair.

60
00:02:28,448 --> 00:02:32,285
And then we submit all of this 
to the fire marshal's office,

61
00:02:32,385 --> 00:02:34,320
who presents it 
to the county commissioners,

62
00:02:34,420 --> 00:02:36,623
who then turn it back 
to the fire marshal,

63
00:02:36,723 --> 00:02:39,559
and he calls me and says, 
"I've got your permit ready."

64
00:02:39,659 --> 00:02:42,028
That process in Davidson 
County takes about 60 days.

65
00:02:42,128 --> 00:02:44,764
[voice-over] 
We just don't put together 
something in a week.

66
00:02:44,864 --> 00:02:47,500
I start workin' on 
4th of July stuff in December.

67
00:02:47,600 --> 00:02:49,903
[electronic score]

68
00:02:50,003 --> 00:02:52,438
Display fireworks 
are legal all 50 states,

69
00:02:52,539 --> 00:02:56,409
but they have to be put on 
by a licensed company.

70
00:02:56,509 --> 00:02:59,779
I hold licenses 
in four different states.

71
00:02:59,879 --> 00:03:02,048
All right, you know, 
I think everybody

72
00:03:02,148 --> 00:03:04,918
has heard this phrase 
at one time or another,

73
00:03:05,018 --> 00:03:08,655
and that's, 
"let's get ready to rumb-llle!"

74
00:03:08,755 --> 00:03:10,156
fwoosh 
fwoosh

75
00:03:10,790 --> 00:03:14,961
I know just enough to keep me 
in trouble--hah, hah...hah!

76
00:03:16,296 --> 00:03:17,764
[rooster crowing distantly]

77
00:03:17,864 --> 00:03:20,333
Most of what we do 
is a full turnkey job

78
00:03:20,433 --> 00:03:22,769
where we provide all materials 
and all the equipment

79
00:03:22,869 --> 00:03:25,171
and the technicians 
and everything.

80
00:03:25,271 --> 00:03:27,607
Once we arrive on the site 
with the materials,

81
00:03:27,707 --> 00:03:29,642
then that site becomes ours.

82
00:03:29,742 --> 00:03:32,612
We become a hot zone-- 
only authorized personnel.

83
00:03:32,712 --> 00:03:35,682
Back then, what they call 
a ship show or a drop show

84
00:03:35,782 --> 00:03:37,116
was much more common.

85
00:03:37,217 --> 00:03:39,419
We, as a customer 
or the local fire department,

86
00:03:39,519 --> 00:03:41,487
would buy the fireworks show 
for the town.

87
00:03:41,588 --> 00:03:43,790
The company would ship it 
to the fire station,

88
00:03:43,890 --> 00:03:45,858
and they would put on 
the actual display.

89
00:03:45,959 --> 00:03:48,161
With the advent 
of some of the newer rigs

90
00:03:48,261 --> 00:03:49,696
and the licensing program,

91
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nobody really does 
many ship shows anymore.

92
00:03:51,898 --> 00:03:53,166
[funky electronic tune]

93
00:03:53,266 --> 00:03:55,168
Depending on the venue 
that we're at

94
00:03:55,268 --> 00:03:56,769
and how much space we have,

95
00:03:56,869 --> 00:03:59,472
there's a lot of different 
ways you can set up.

96
00:03:59,572 --> 00:04:02,642
You can see this zigzag; 
we call it a herringbone.

97
00:04:02,742 --> 00:04:05,678
Each rack is--has one end 
it's supported against.

98
00:04:05,778 --> 00:04:08,748
The strapping system makes it 
really nice and rigid.

99
00:04:08,848 --> 00:04:13,219
But, again, you wanna make sure 
that that's pretty solid

100
00:04:13,319 --> 00:04:15,488
and, uh, 
makes it pretty stable.

101
00:04:15,588 --> 00:04:18,524
And it's fairly quick, 
and in the event

102
00:04:18,625 --> 00:04:20,193
that something might happen

103
00:04:20,293 --> 00:04:23,630
where we have 
to skedaddle pretty quick,

104
00:04:23,730 --> 00:04:26,299
then we have 
a pretty clear, straight run

105
00:04:26,399 --> 00:04:28,501
out and, uh, 
to get away.

106
00:04:28,601 --> 00:04:31,471
And hopefully, 
we don't have to, uh,

107
00:04:31,571 --> 00:04:34,107
utilize that.

108
00:04:34,207 --> 00:04:36,242
Typically, 
the end of the show,

109
00:04:36,342 --> 00:04:41,014
the big grand finale-- 
have--this is 122 shots,

110
00:04:41,114 --> 00:04:45,151
and we get this thing 
pretty tight.

111
00:04:45,251 --> 00:04:47,954
You can pretty much 
drive a tank over this thing,

112
00:04:48,054 --> 00:04:49,756
and it's not gonna 
go anywhere.

113
00:04:49,856 --> 00:04:53,593
The whole idea 
is to make it pretty immobile.

114
00:04:54,861 --> 00:04:57,230
[ambient arrangement]

115
00:04:57,330 --> 00:05:00,633
The history of fireworks 
goes back thousands of years,

116
00:05:00,733 --> 00:05:02,068
so it's evolved.

117
00:05:02,168 --> 00:05:06,072
It's been a long process, 
and it is a--an art form.

118
00:05:06,172 --> 00:05:08,574
It's got the history and-- 
and science.

119
00:05:08,675 --> 00:05:11,311
The actual method 
of making a fireworks shell

120
00:05:11,411 --> 00:05:13,046
is the same as it's been

121
00:05:13,146 --> 00:05:15,081
for hundreds 
and hundreds of years.

122
00:05:15,181 --> 00:05:17,083
You've got the lift powder

123
00:05:17,183 --> 00:05:20,119
that fires it 
out of the mortar

124
00:05:20,219 --> 00:05:22,355
and lights 
the time-delay fuse.

125
00:05:22,455 --> 00:05:24,090
The inner part of the shell

126
00:05:24,190 --> 00:05:25,958
is where you have 
a burst charge

127
00:05:26,059 --> 00:05:28,561
that actually does 
break the shell apart.

128
00:05:28,661 --> 00:05:31,064
It lights the petals 
or the stars

129
00:05:31,164 --> 00:05:35,068
that create the petals 
of the flower.

130
00:05:35,168 --> 00:05:37,603
You can't imagine 
how many people come up,

131
00:05:37,704 --> 00:05:40,173
"Ohhh!" you know, 
"Can I get a couple of those?"

132
00:05:40,273 --> 00:05:41,941
"No! You cannot!"

133
00:05:42,041 --> 00:05:43,710
"Go away."

134
00:05:43,810 --> 00:05:46,579
This fuse, 
this is the quick match.

135
00:05:46,679 --> 00:05:48,614
It burns 
about 300 feet a second.

136
00:05:48,715 --> 00:05:50,483
I mean, 
it's supposed to go down

137
00:05:50,583 --> 00:05:52,218
and across 
and down and across,

138
00:05:52,318 --> 00:05:54,787
but it can go down 
and across and jump over

139
00:05:54,887 --> 00:05:58,091
and start a fire here and jump 
and start a fire there;

140
00:05:58,191 --> 00:05:59,692
then you got all these--

141
00:05:59,792 --> 00:06:02,862
This should go up 
in about...ten seconds,

142
00:06:02,962 --> 00:06:05,331
but it could go up 
in about three.

143
00:06:05,431 --> 00:06:07,533
We'll tie 
all of these together,

144
00:06:07,633 --> 00:06:10,002
and if I do my job well

145
00:06:10,103 --> 00:06:13,373
and don't have to duck in here 
and relight it,

146
00:06:13,473 --> 00:06:17,009
[panting] 
we'll only light one time...

147
00:06:17,110 --> 00:06:19,479
hopefully.

148
00:06:19,579 --> 00:06:22,949
For you folks who like that 20- 
or 30-minute firework show,

149
00:06:23,049 --> 00:06:24,550
people don't realize, 
you know,

150
00:06:24,650 --> 00:06:26,619
the crew shows up 
early in the day.

151
00:06:26,719 --> 00:06:28,354
They work 10, 
sometimes 12 hours

152
00:06:28,454 --> 00:06:32,058
to set up a fireworks show 
that lasts 12 or 15 minutes.

153
00:06:32,158 --> 00:06:33,493
It's--it's quite a--

154
00:06:33,593 --> 00:06:34,994
a labor of love.

155
00:06:35,094 --> 00:06:36,396
Thank you, 
sir.

156
00:06:36,496 --> 00:06:37,830
[voice-over] 
Our biggest fear

157
00:06:37,930 --> 00:06:39,899
is the summer thunderstorm 
that rolls in

158
00:06:39,999 --> 00:06:41,901
and just 
gully washes everything.

159
00:06:42,001 --> 00:06:44,437
High wind 
is really our worst fear

160
00:06:44,537 --> 00:06:47,006
'cause a little bit o' wind 
here at ground level,

161
00:06:47,106 --> 00:06:49,575
you don't know what 
it's gonna be up at altitude.

162
00:06:49,675 --> 00:06:52,145
You know, at 300 feet, 
it can be whippin' along

163
00:06:52,245 --> 00:06:55,581
at 40, 50 miles an hour, 
and you send a shell up there,

164
00:06:55,681 --> 00:06:57,316
and then, it just-- 
chooo!

165
00:06:57,417 --> 00:07:00,153
Always at a fair or festival, 
there's flags everywhere.

166
00:07:00,253 --> 00:07:03,256
A full-size American flag, 
if it's standin' straight out,

167
00:07:03,356 --> 00:07:05,124
that's at least 
ten miles an hour.

168
00:07:05,224 --> 00:07:07,560
At ten miles an hour, 
I'm gonna start thinkin',

169
00:07:07,660 --> 00:07:09,295
Do we readjust 
our mortar racks?

170
00:07:09,395 --> 00:07:12,331
Do we make any changes, 
or do we just not shoot?

171
00:07:12,432 --> 00:07:14,901
Well, one of the things 
we do like to do,

172
00:07:15,001 --> 00:07:16,636
especially when 
we're at a fair,

173
00:07:16,736 --> 00:07:18,404
starting around 5 o'clock--

174
00:07:18,504 --> 00:07:20,706
[off-screen] 
Fire in the hole!

175
00:07:21,674 --> 00:07:23,376
Just as kind of a tickler...

176
00:07:23,476 --> 00:07:24,811
[deep electronic droning]

177
00:07:24,911 --> 00:07:26,712
we'll send a big salute up,

178
00:07:26,813 --> 00:07:30,650
you know, and a salute is one 
that just kinda-- boom-yah--

179
00:07:30,750 --> 00:07:32,819
and you can hear 'em 
all over town.

180
00:07:32,919 --> 00:07:34,220
BLAM!

181
00:07:34,320 --> 00:07:38,224
We'll start sendin' those up 
'bout once every hour.

182
00:07:38,324 --> 00:07:39,492
BLAM!

183
00:07:39,592 --> 00:07:41,360
Let the town know, 
"Hey! We're open.

184
00:07:41,461 --> 00:07:44,497
"Come ride the rides; 
come spend some money.

185
00:07:44,597 --> 00:07:47,233
Come watch the fireworks."

186
00:07:47,967 --> 00:07:49,135
BLAM!

187
00:07:49,235 --> 00:07:52,038
[distant exclamations 
and cheering]

188
00:07:52,138 --> 00:07:53,706
[quick electronic score]

189
00:07:53,806 --> 00:07:55,541
Our show is generally

190
00:07:55,641 --> 00:07:58,778
the last thing 
of the evening,

191
00:07:58,878 --> 00:08:02,982
the culmination 
of the day's events.

192
00:08:03,082 --> 00:08:05,551
My job is to be ready.

193
00:08:05,651 --> 00:08:07,854
When it's time to shoot, 
we're on time.

194
00:08:07,954 --> 00:08:09,355
We're right on cue.

195
00:08:09,455 --> 00:08:11,390
There's a little thatch 
on that

196
00:08:11,491 --> 00:08:14,260
we might catch on fire, 
so, uh,

197
00:08:14,360 --> 00:08:16,696
your fire extinguisher's 
right there.

198
00:08:16,796 --> 00:08:19,499
[voice-over] 
You're ready to light 
that first barrage.

199
00:08:19,599 --> 00:08:22,502
Yeah, I get 
the little butterflies.

200
00:08:22,602 --> 00:08:26,072
♪

201
00:08:26,172 --> 00:08:27,673
Let it rip!

202
00:08:27,773 --> 00:08:29,375
Fire in the hole!

203
00:08:29,475 --> 00:08:34,213
♪

204
00:08:34,313 --> 00:08:35,815
[cymbal roll]

205
00:08:35,915 --> 00:08:37,683
[popping]

206
00:08:37,783 --> 00:08:40,553
The principia, 
or the opening barrage, is--

207
00:08:40,653 --> 00:08:42,889
well, it gets 
everybody's attention.

208
00:08:42,989 --> 00:08:45,024
[droning orchestration]

209
00:08:45,124 --> 00:08:47,994
♪

210
00:08:48,094 --> 00:08:51,564
And then, our job 
is just to keep goin'.

211
00:08:51,664 --> 00:08:54,300
The pace will ebb and flow 
a little bit

212
00:08:54,400 --> 00:08:56,802
with the different effects 
we want.

213
00:08:56,903 --> 00:08:59,739
We just don't want 
a whole lotta dark sky.

214
00:08:59,839 --> 00:09:02,208
[popping and explosions]

215
00:09:02,308 --> 00:09:07,780
The sky is our palette, 
and fire is our paint.

216
00:09:07,880 --> 00:09:09,448
We wanna try to give

217
00:09:09,549 --> 00:09:11,851
as many different effects 
as we can

218
00:09:11,951 --> 00:09:14,153
so people will find something, 
and they say, well,

219
00:09:14,253 --> 00:09:15,755
"Wow, that was 
really cool.

220
00:09:15,855 --> 00:09:17,857
I really like that one."

221
00:09:17,957 --> 00:09:20,359
[continued popping 
and explosions]

222
00:09:20,459 --> 00:09:23,129
You know, they're watching 
the fireworks explode up here.

223
00:09:23,229 --> 00:09:26,065
They don't always see 
what's happenin' on the ground

224
00:09:26,165 --> 00:09:29,235
where we're actually firin' 
those things.

225
00:09:29,335 --> 00:09:32,405
There's a lot of fire 
comin' out of those mortars

226
00:09:32,505 --> 00:09:34,774
and stuff flyin' everywhere.

227
00:09:35,775 --> 00:09:37,577
There is an element of danger.

228
00:09:37,677 --> 00:09:39,312
Your adrenaline gets pumpin'.

229
00:09:39,412 --> 00:09:42,114
When I come up and start 
slappin' somebody on the back,

230
00:09:42,214 --> 00:09:44,417
"Oh, it's not 'cause 
you're doin' a good job.

231
00:09:44,517 --> 00:09:47,420
Your back's on fire." 
Heh, heh!

232
00:09:47,520 --> 00:09:49,422
Yeah, it's organized chaos.

233
00:09:49,522 --> 00:09:51,123
[rapid popping]

234
00:09:51,223 --> 00:09:53,192
[plodding piano score]

235
00:09:53,292 --> 00:10:07,206
♪

236
00:10:07,306 --> 00:10:12,712
♪

237
00:10:12,812 --> 00:10:14,447
Yeah, you build up 
the crescendo

238
00:10:14,547 --> 00:10:15,881
to the grand finale,

239
00:10:15,982 --> 00:10:18,884
and that's the big splash 
at the very end.

240
00:10:18,985 --> 00:10:22,455
♪

241
00:10:22,555 --> 00:10:26,292
I've just really loved 
fireworks all my life.

242
00:10:26,392 --> 00:10:28,294
[orchestration builds]

243
00:10:28,394 --> 00:10:30,930
It is one 
of the most spectacular

244
00:10:31,030 --> 00:10:33,599
of the entertainment media.

245
00:10:33,699 --> 00:10:35,201
It involves all your senses.

246
00:10:35,301 --> 00:10:37,570
You can see it, 
and you can smell it,

247
00:10:37,670 --> 00:10:40,840
and you can hear it, 
and you can feel it...

248
00:10:42,041 --> 00:10:45,077
so it really encompasses 
your whole body.

249
00:10:45,177 --> 00:10:47,546
♪

250
00:10:47,647 --> 00:10:49,548
[loud, rapid popping]

251
00:10:49,649 --> 00:11:04,063
♪

252
00:11:04,163 --> 00:11:06,098
Once that finale goes off

253
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and then you hear 
50,000 people go "WAAH!"

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you know, that's-- 
that's really what--

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what makes it happen for us.

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Even though 
they never see me, uh,

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they see my work.

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♪

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[hissing]

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♪