Pyrotechnics
Pyrotechnics used in TV and movie-making are obtained from commercial sources or are purpose-made items concocted in the effects workshop. Strict regulations govern their manufacture as well as the premises in which they are stored. Statutory licences must be obtained for both. Even the cutting open of a simple firework can be regarded as ‘manufacturing’, and the same rules apply.
Stage pyrotechnics
These (and there is a considerable range) are designed to meet the main requirements of the entertainment industry.
They include pyrotechnics which discharge small sparks, produce huge flashes, deliver small bangs and create large explosions. There are various smokes, coloured fire, flash-paper and so on.
The sparking varieties are used to simulate electrical faults, welding sequences and the contact that comes from a speeding vehicle as it grounds on the highway.
Magnesium flash-pots may be used for anything from the appearance of a genie to the searing flash of a bomb blast.
There are also various fuses, simulated grenades, tear gas bombs and other items.
Explosions
Commercially produced bombs and shell-burst simulators are available in a variety of forms, many deriving from army training requirements. Generally only those that are electrically initiated should be considered.
Where possible it is a good idea to fire a number of these items experimentally, recording the results on video or film and noting the way in which they were employed. Records of this kind can be extremely useful when planning productions.
Certain large flashes and bomb simulators may be fired in the bigger studios, but only when special precautions are taken.
A few of the pyrotechnics, fuses and firing devices used in television productions. The plastic beer-bottle containing gasoline is used for explosive fireball effects. It is initiated by the sealed gunpowder charge immersed in the liquid.