Pyrotechnic and drone show provider for brand and marketing agencies
A twelve-minute show. Celesta provides you with months’ worth of images.
Product launches, brand anniversaries, awareness campaigns: entertainment is one of the most powerful tools at marketing’s disposal, and Celesta has treated it as content from the very beginning. What you’re buying isn’t just an evening’s entertainment; it’s a production plan, clearly defined rights and an image that will still resonate in six months’ time.
- Shooting schedule drawn up in consultation with you
- Usage rights as set out in the quote
- France, Europe, the Middle East, Asia
The dividing line
It’s over to you. Its reflection in the sky belongs to us.
A brand, branding or communications agency doesn’t commission a fireworks display: it commissions a statement. The scene must convey the right message, be photogenic, and remain true to both the brand guidelines and the tone of voice. We never alter the message: we seek to give it a physical form.
Brand and branding agencies
You are championing a platform, a space, a tone. We work on the basis of your guidelines and terms of use, and we let you know what is permissible before you post it.
Advertising and content agencies
You’ve got a film to deliver and a campaign to keep going. The show must be filmed as it unfolds: we finalise the scene and the shooting schedule together, not one after the other.
Marketing strategies
You are responsible for a marketing budget and its fallout. We provide you with the means to measure it: a reusable visual asset, with the rights set out clearly in writing.
The four disciplines
Four disciplines, four types of images.
When it comes to a brand campaign, the real question isn’t which shot is the most impressive, but which one creates the image you need. A wide shot of fire and a close-up shot of drones aren’t suitable for the same campaign.
The image you get
What we agree with you
Fireworks displays and pyrotechnics
A sweeping, warm image that is hard to replicate. It is the wide shot that opens the film and conveys the scale of the event.
The pace of the firing, the usable shot lengths for editing, and the angles from which the scene is actually filmed. Full details can be found on the pyrotechnic show page.
Light drones
The only discipline that writes a legible form in the sky: a symbol, an object, a signature. It is the image that then circulates of its own accord.
Checking the feasibility of the shape and colour before making any commitments: the sky is not a screen, and not all shapes are visible from a distance. See the drone light show page.
Sound and light show
The atmosphere in which your guests are photographed. It doesn’t just feature on the poster; it features in all the photos from the rest of the evening.
Light temperatures suitable for filming, and a layout that ensures your light sources are not directly in the cameras’ line of sight.
Video mapping
The discipline that adheres most closely to a brief: what you design is exactly what you’ve approved, frame by frame.
The survey of the façade, the viewpoint from which the image is not distorted, and the use of your source files rather than a reinterpretation.
What we cover
Four guarantees that offer protection your recommendation.
An agency puts its credibility on the line when it recommends a spectacular campaign. These four points remain internal to our organisation, and that is what enables you to defend the recommendation without putting yourself at risk.
In-house F4 pyrotechnicians
When an advertiser asks who is actually carrying out the work, the answer does not point to a third party. That is what ensures a committee’s recommendation is upheld.
Licensed storage facility
A campaign is scheduled to start on a fixed date. Our licensed storage facility means we do not have to rely on external supplies on that date.
Timecode synchronisation
That’s what makes a programme editable. The footage is set to a soundtrack that is known in advance, so the editor is working with material that is predictable.
A single point of contact
The same spokesperson speaks to your creative director, your production team and the director. A brand image cannot survive three different interpretations.
The shared timeline
Five steps, from the brand brief right up to the rough cuts.
The difference compared with a conventional production lies in one thing: filming becomes part of the conversation as early as the second stage, not the day before shooting begins.
You
We
01
You tell us the brand
The platform, the code of conduct, the tone, what is prohibited, and, above all, the intended use of the images after the event.
01
We are assessing the feasibility
What the scope of your brief allows for, what it does not allow for, and how this affects the venue and the budget. Say this beforehand, not afterwards.
02
You choose the director
Who is filming, using what equipment, and for what output format? This is the information that is most often missing when it would be most useful.
02
We write for the camera
Script, musical score and cost estimates, as well as camera angles, suitable shot lengths and the exact timing of the key action.
03
You confirm the form
The symbol, the signature, the colour sequence. Once this has been approved, it cannot be changed without affecting the timetable.
03
We are putting together the file
Risk assessment, implementation, regulatory documents and declarations. You do not need to carry out any administrative procedures.
04
You’re in charge of the evening
The running order, the speeches, the audience. We’ll work around your schedule and that of your film crew.
04
We’re rehearsing in front of the cameras
Real-world testing, adjusting the camera angles with the director and finalising the take-one cue with your production control team.
05
You operate
Film, social media, press pack, upcoming tender. The rights set out in the quote tell you exactly what you are allowed to do with them.
05
We deliver and then pack up
We’ll ensure everything is in top condition, carry out dismantling and refurbishment, and then pass on the information we’ve gathered on our end in accordance with the agreed terms.
The two clocks
A campaign is scheduled for a specific date. Permits as well.
A product launch has a fixed date that cannot be changed. This is an advantage: it allows you to set the administrative clock ticking very early on – the only clock that won’t catch up with you if you forget about it.
3 to 6 months
The Time of Creation
This is the time it takes to complete a production run, from the first prototype to the final test. For a branded product, this also includes the back-and-forth process of design approval, which always takes longer than elsewhere.
1 month · 45 days
The age of administration
Permits take a month to process for a fireworks display and forty-five days for a drone light flight. These two dates cannot be adjusted: it is they, and not ours, that set the limits for your campaign plan.
3 à 6
Months in advance
To coordinate the filming with the performance
+20
Countries where the organisation operates
For brands running a campaign
F4
Certification
Execution guaranteed without subcontracting
ICPE
Licensed storage facility
To stick to a fixed launch date
What’s left of it the next day
The show finishes at midnight. The campaign starts in an hour.
This is the point that almost no one addresses before the event, and it is the one that determines the true value of the operation. Three issues need to be sorted out at the quote stage, not the following morning.
What you need to get
What we include in the quote
A scene worth filming
A show that looks magnificent to the naked eye may be impossible to film: too dark between effects, too fast, or shot from an angle where the audience blocks the view.
Axes and breathing patterns
We indicate the points from which the scene is to be read, and we allow for pauses in the script that are long enough to be staged. This is decided at the planning stage, never afterwards.
Written rights
Knowing who can broadcast what, where and for how long. That is the issue holding up the campaign a fortnight after the event.
A framework agreed upon at the time of signing
The terms and conditions governing the use of images from the show are set out in the quote and discussed in advance, including our own use for reference purposes.
A respected brand
An inaccurate colour or an illegible symbol in the sky does more harm than good to the image.
Upstream validation
We’ll show you what the chosen design and colours will look like before you present them, and we’ll be frank about what the material can’t do.
Tell us what the brand should say. We are trying to work out what form it takes.
The message, date, location and intended use of the images are all that is needed for an initial response. You will receive a creative brief and a quotation that you can present to your client as they stand.
Frequently Asked Questions
What branding agencies ask us first.
Who owns the images from the show?
This issue is sorted out in the quote, not afterwards. We set out in the quote what you are permitted to publish, on which platforms and for how long, as well as the rights we reserve for reference purposes. This is the point that most often holds up a campaign fifteen days after the event, and it costs nothing to sort out in advance.
Can we spell out our logo using drones?
Often, yes, but not everything translates. A sky isn’t a screen: very fine details, subtle gradients and certain solid blocks of colour aren’t visible from the distance at which the audience is viewing it. We test your logo before you present it, and we’ll give you our honest opinion on what will work and what will need simplifying.
Can our film be shot under favourable conditions?
Provided we discuss it early on. We identify the angles from which the scene really comes across, and we ensure that the shots are long enough to be edited together. A performance conceived without the camera results in raw footage that’s difficult to work with, even when the evening has been superb.
Do you work in accordance with our brand guidelines?
Yes, that’s where we start. We use your source files rather than reinterpreting them, and we tell you what each medium is best at conveying about your identity. Video mapping is the most faithful, whilst drones are the most spectacular but the most restricted in terms of form and colour.
How long before the event should we book you?
It takes three to six months to produce, and for a branded event, you have to factor in the time taken for the design to be approved. Then come two deadlines set by the authorities, which cannot be flexible: one month for a fireworks display, and forty-five days for a drone light flight.
How much does a drone light show cost?
A drone light show starts at 10,000 euros. The number of drones, the duration of the display and the airspace available at the venue then affect this figure. The complexity of the shapes to be created is also a factor, and this is something we take into account right from the initial assessment.