Editing Pyrotechnics (section)

==Proximate pyrotechnics==
Explosions, flashes, smoke, flames, fireworks and other pyrotechnic-driven effects used in the entertainment industry are referred to as proximate pyrotechnics. Proximate refers to the pyrotechnic device's location relative to an audience. In the majority of jurisdictions, special training and licensing must be obtained from local authorities to legally prepare and use proximate pyrotechnics.

[[Image:Rammstein-flamethrowers.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|[[Rammstein]] uses pyrotechnics numerous times in their concerts; their performance of "[[Feuer frei!]]" is pictured here.]]
[[Image:Stunt Pyrotechnics Luc Viatour.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Pyrotechnics [[stunt]] exhibition by Giant Auto Rodéo, [[Ciney]], [[Belgium]]]]
Many musical groups use pyrotechnics to enhance their live shows. [[Pink Floyd]] were innovators of pyrotechnic use in concerts. For instance, at the climax of their song "[[Careful with That Axe, Eugene]]", a blast of smoke was set off at the back of the stage. Bands such as [[the Who]], [[Kiss (band)|KISS]] and [[Queen (band)#Live performances|Queen]] soon followed with the use of pyrotechnics in their shows. [[Michael Jackson]] attempted to use pyrotechnics in a 1984 Pepsi advertisement,<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/27/newsid_4046000/4046605.stm BBC ON THIS DAY | 27 | 1984: Michael Jackson burned in Pepsi ad<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> where a stray spark caused a small fire in his hair. German industrial metal band [[Rammstein]] are renowned for their incorporation of a large variety of pyrotechnics into performances, which range from flaming costumes to face-mounted flamethrowers. [[Nightwish]], [[Lordi]], [[Sabaton (band)|Sabaton]] and [[Parkway Drive]] are also known for their vivid pyrotechnics in concert.{{citation needed|date=June 2019}} Many professional wrestlers have also used pyrotechnics as part of their entrances to the ring.

Modern pyrotechnics are, in general, divided into categories based upon the type of effect produced or manufacturing method. The most common categories are:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Generic Close Proximity Product Types: Pyrotechnics Used Before A Proximate Audience |url=https://www.americanpyro.com/assets/docs/Checklists/apacloseproxdescriptionsfinal.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130915054849/https://www.americanpyro.com/assets/docs/Checklists/apacloseproxdescriptionsfinal.pdf |archive-date=2013-09-15 |website=[[American Pyrotechnics Association]]}}</ref>

*Airburst – Hanging charges designed to burst into spheres of sparks. Primarily used to provide an effect similar to an aerial shell without producing fallout. May also be designed to launch pieces of confetti or streamers. A plurality of airbursts is usually achieved with a harness.
*Binary powders – Kits divided into separate oxidizer and fuel, intended to be mixed on site before being loaded into hardware.
*Comet (meteor) – Brightly colored burning pellets resembling [[Meteoroid|shooting stars]]. These are no larger than 50{{nbs}}mm for proximate use. Crossette comets carry a small cavity filled with a small amount of burst charge in the middle which causes the stars to split into four pieces. Crossette comets are usually no larger than 45{{nbs}}mm for proximate use.
*Flame Mortars – These articles use a smokeless powder-based composition to produce a rising column or a rolling ball of fire in various colors. Duration is typically 5 seconds or less for proximate pyrotechnics, and the diameter is usually 1 to 4 inches.
*Flare – Cylindrical tubes containing a pressed pyrotechnic composition intended to produce a bright flame of various colors. Proximate flares are usually 2 to 6 inches in length and 0.5-1 inches in diameter, and may last 60 seconds or longer.
*Flash Paper/Flash String/Flash Cotton – Stored and transported when wet with either water or alcohol, these are different forms of nitrocellulose which burn with very little smoke or ash, and are popularly used as hand flashes for magicians, amongst other uses.
*Flash Trays – A preloaded tube 6 to 18 inches in length with a slit cut between the two end plugs. Used to produce a fan pattern flash and spray of sparks.
*Flash Pots – Preloaded cylindrical tubes 2 to 4 inches long and 0.5 to 1 inches in diameter used to emit bright flashes of light, often with a bang or spray of sparks.
*Gerbs – Pyrotechnic fountains used to produce a controlled plume of sparks, and may be classified as fast gerbs or duration gerbs depending on the burn duration. Special waterfall gerbs are often used to produce an effect similar to a waterfall, using several hung upside down in a line.
*Line Rockets – A device attached to a line specifically to produce thrust. Usually has a duration of 5 seconds or less. May also produce a whistle effect.
*Ice Fountains – A gerb-type device with no choke specifically used to provide a low-smoke alternative to gerbs, at the cost of lower height.
*Mines – Devices containing multiple stars, propelled into the air using a lift charge. Special mine-comet effects feature both mines and comets in the same article.
*Mortar Hits – Produces a bright flash and a puff of smoke, and may be designed to produce noise in addition to the effect. Concussion mortars are special mortars exclusively used to produce loud bangs, and may be used to accentuate other effects.
*Multi-Shot Devices – Articles used to chain multiple effects together, may be timed or instantaneous.
*Smoke Cartridges – Used to produce a plume of smoke, duration and size vary greatly depending on the device used.
*Smoke Cookies – Compressed discs of pyrotechnic composition used to produce a smoke effect.
*Spark Hits – Used to simulate short circuits in an electrical panel.
*Saxons – Articles that produce revolving showers of sparks, consisting of two gerb-type devices pinned at the center.
*Shock Tubing – A special thermoplastic tube used to simulate lightning strikes and the resulting thunder, using special igniters.
*Strobe Pots – Used to produce multiple flashes of light.
Various ingredients may be added to pyrotechnic devices to provide colour, smoke, noise or sparks. Special additives and construction methods are used to modify the character of the effect produced, either to enhance or subdue the effect; for example, sandwiching layers of pyrotechnic compounds containing potassium perchlorate, sodium salicylate or sodium benzoate with layers that do not creates a fountain of sparks with an undulating whistle.

In general, such pyrotechnic devices are initiated by a remotely controlled electrical signal that causes an [[electric match]], or e-match, to produce ignition. The remote control may be manual, via a switch console, or computer controlled according to a pre-programmed sequence and/or a sequence that tracks the live performance via stage cues.[[Image:Jeff-Hardy-&-Triple-H on Stage,-RLA-Melb-10.11.2007.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Pyrotechnics are widely used in [[professional wrestling]], including the [[World Wrestling Entertainment|WWE]], to enhance the event. Special concussion mortars are often used to augment these effects, as most of these are low-noise effects.]]