Creating the setpiece
Trip Start
May 10, 2003
1
Trip End
May 26, 2003
Grand Coulee, Washington
Thursday, May 15, 2003
designer's dream, or nightmare, depending on how you look at things.
While I was working at Entertainment Firework I learned we were going to be doing a 40 foot by 40 foot pyrotechnic setpiece for General Electric, and I was going to do the enlarging.
We started with a 1 inch logo off of their web page. And laid it out on a 5x8 foot grid.
The crew at Entertainment fireworks spent the third week in May constructing a 40 x
40 foot set piece of the GE logo that was viewed from atop the Grand Coulee
Dam, Sunday, May 25, 200
The construction crew at EFI made 40 - 5x8 foot frames and we laid half of them out on the floor in the warehouse at EFI.
I stapled the rattan to the frame with the frames together and them cut the rattan so we did not have to worry about the curved lines matching properly.
Hope everybody enjoys the pictures.
Jackie Whedbee
Larry Mattingly put the pins on the rattan and the bracing on the frames.
No matter how careful the logo was mapped out, and no matter how careful we were enlarging and putting on the rattan, pinning, lancing and fusing, the success of this magnificent set piece came down to the assembly of the 40, 5'x8' frames on the scaffolding by the hardworking pyrotechnicians that we cannot thank enough.
High above the Grand Coulee Dam, the pyrotechnicians from the Spokane division of Entertainment
Fireworks, had attached, cross matched and wired in the electric match, to the massive structure. The designers crossed their fingers. the GE executives and photographers on hand held there breath, and the cameras stood ready for the moment when the GE set piece popped on like a dependable GE light
bulb.
Photos Copyright 2008 Jackie Whedbee
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Jackie Whedbee
