Behind a fireworks show, pyrotechnicians mix technical and artistic skills

Across from Jack Trice Stadium in Ames on Wednesday, a small crew buzzed around long tubes held upright by wooden racks.

Jake Amsden, lead shooter, salesman and driver with J&M Displays, a national fireworks company, said his team started setting up that morning.

“A lot of people don't realize how long some crews will be out here,” Amsden said.

For larger shows, he said the set-up for fireworks can take two or three days.

“And then all get shot off in 15-20 minutes,” he added.

While a member of the crew dropped fireworks into tubes, another ran wires into red plastic boxes.

“Every firework has its own wire that comes off of each individual firework and plugs into each one of these boxes here, and it's a wireless connection from that box to my controller. And then my controllers hooked up to my computer,” Amsden said.

According to Amsden, this allows his team to run the show from a few hundred feet away. It’s much safer than the old method: lighting fuses by hand. It also allows for more fireworks to go off at once and in more precise patterns.

Beyond the safety and technical aspects, Amsden said a lot of creativity goes into a show. He uses 3D modeling software to experiment beforehand with the timing, colors and effects, like a crossette that breaks into four stars and keeps multiplying as each piece breaks again.

“I joke with my wife about this. It's me being an artist, I guess. I don't know, just kind of coming up with ideas and something that we think would look neat at that night,” he said.

That’s something all fireworks enthusiasts can appreciate.