"It all started with my mother buying the wrong type of toy pistol cap."
Being a typically curious kid, Andrew Krywonizka decided to try to figure
out what made the caps "pop."
"Holding the small explosive as close to the top as possible and gently
carrying it outside, I flung it at the ground and got a small flash, but hardly
any noise. It was a success! Sort of. Thus I was thrust into the wonderful
world of pyrotechnics," he explains.
Of course, Krywonizka doesn't recommend trying this yourself.
It's tough to break into the fireworks business full time, so Krywonizka
works at it part time. "I work with a local fireworks company putting on professional
shows that cost many thousands of dollars and contain hundreds of aerial shells
and other devices."
To Krywonizka, the best thing about being a pyrotechnician is the pyro
itself. "There's nothing quite like crouching next to a loaded six-inch mortar,
touching the flare to the shell fuse, ducking away and actually feeling the
shell explosively thrust itself into the clear night sky," he says.
"You look up and see it spread its colorful glory across the most massive
canvas an artist could hope for, listening to it burst and hearing the audience
cheer and applaud at the spectacle of fire overhead."
There are dangers, however. "Probably the worst thing about the job is
the inherent danger that working with explosives brings," he says.
"Accidents can and do happen, but it's not something you can constantly
worry about. You have to adopt a certain mindset though, because it can happen
to you. You take all the precautions you can and hope for the best."
Stephen Ente sincerely loves the performance of fireworks. "There's nothing
else I could do where 50,000 people would watch me!" he says.
"We fire shows electronically where they're choreographed to music. We're
given a soundtrack and we interact with it. There are some very large fireworks
competitions around the world."
Besides shooting fireworks for holidays, parades or carnivals, Ente has
performed in some rather unique settings. "I've shot special effects pyrotechnics
for David Copperfield when he needs a flash on the stage because he wants
to distract you to make an elephant disappear," he says.
"I've done fireworks to simulate bombs at air shows where planes come whipping
down the runway, and they want to make it look like bombs go off on the ground."
A variety of fireworks are used in a typical show. "A good firework show
will be an accumulation of shells from all over the world," Ente explains.
"The bulk of a show will be regular, plain red, white or blue shells that
go up and have a whistle or two. Ten to 20 percent will be comprised of very
fancy, ornate shells that do special things."
Debi Dunn is the only female who works for one fireworks company. "It was
a little struggle for me the first year I worked for them. They weren't used
to having a woman around, and didn't think a woman could do it," she says.
"My best advice for a female who wants to do this is to get in there, give
it your all and show them that you're not messing around. It's a lot of hard
work, and you've got to be willing to do it."
Aside from the initial struggle, Dunn loves working with fireworks. "Whether
I actually shoot the show or just help put it together, the gratification
you get afterward is great," she says.
"I guess you could liken it to a rock concert in the way the singers must
feel when the crowd is cheering. It's a complete adrenaline rush. It's the
only exciting thing I ever do."
Though the element of danger is always in the back of her mind, Dunn doesn't
dwell on it. Instead, she does what she was taught to do to reduce the possibility
of an accident, and focuses on the pure joy of her craft.
"It's like Christmas dinner. It takes all day to put it together, and in
20 minutes, it's gone. For that 20 minutes, though, it's worth it. When the
crowd starts cheering, it makes all the hard work worthwhile."
David Blankley always enjoyed fireworks as a kid. "Coming from a rural
town, it wasn't long before I tried making my own. At first, it mostly consisted
of trying to make the loudest boom possible, but I soon tired of that. I wanted
to make lights in the sky."
Now, Blankley is a manufacturer, display operator and consumer fireworks
retailer. But he doesn't sell the fireworks he makes. "The ones that I manufacture
are for my own private display. Due to liability reasons, they are not for
sale."
Tom Dimock works as a pyrotechnician part time. "In a very good year, my
income from shows that I shoot...covers my other pyro expenditures,
but not very often."
Dimock considers pyrotechnics more of a hobby than a career. "It's a hard
business to make a living in, as the competition is fierce. The special effects
end of the business, movie pyrotechnics, is especially hard to break into,"
he says.
"Knowing some chemistry is important, so pay attention in chemistry class.
Contact your local fireworks display company and explain your interest, and
that you would like to become a shooter for them. The work will be hard, and
the pay poor to non-existent, but you'll get experience. And it's a lot of
fun."