Sport and culture
Sport and culture: Celesta is in charge of both clocks.
A crowd, a night, a climax: the two venues are similar. Yet they operate on opposite schedules. Celesta designs, produces and handles both, using the same team and the same equipment.
- Sport: start on a signal
- Culture: starting in the second year
The crux of the matter
It’s not the same job, It’s the same moment.
On paper, a stadium and a castle courtyard both require the same thing: a finale that no one will ever forget. In reality, everything leading up to that finale is different – and that is where success is decided.
01
Sport
A show waiting for the cue
No one knows when a match will end. Extra time, stoppage time, penalty shoot-outs: the schedule is just a polite fiction. The system is therefore set up well in advance and remains on standby – sometimes for over an hour – until the go-ahead is given from production control.
- The start comes from the pitch, never from the clock
- Nothing is placed on the playing area, either before or during the game
- The equipment must remain operational the day before without compromising its reliability
02
Culture
A show written in real time
The timing code is established months before the performance and will not change. In return, it is the venue that imposes its constraints: a listed monument, local residents, ground load, and fallout. Celesta composes within these constraints rather than in spite of them.
- The start time is set to the exact time code, down to the frame
- The location is protected: it dictates the material used
- The audience is close by: social distancing is achieved in a different way
How an evening unfolds
The shoot lasts six minutes. The evening lasts seven hours.
Six minutes of performance fit into a seven-hour day. Here’s how it’s actually broken down: this is the ratio that nobody mentions, and it’s the one that determines success.
Location scouting and editing
5 à 8 h
On the very same day, before anyone else
The Celesta team arrives on site five to eight hours before the audience: setting up, cabling, marking out the boundaries, dry runs. This is the longest part of the day, and the only part the audience never sees. Any mistake made here cannot be rectified afterwards.
The day before
1 hour or more
Armed, then we wait
The equipment is set up and monitored. For a match, this wait often lasts over an hour. For a concert, it’s a matter of minutes after the soundcheck, but it never gets any shorter.
Le tir
6 min
A single socket
An average of six minutes, and no chance to make up for lost time. That’s why Celesta rehearses the timing far more often than the actual performance.
The exit
45 min
What remains after darkness
Dismantling, monitoring of fallout, and site restoration. On a protected site, this phase is checked point by point with the site manager, and it determines whether the next authorisation will be granted.
The two pitches
Choose your clock, We’re holding onto both.
Three doors, two clocks. Sport and its signals; concerts and festivals that follow a script written by others; culture and its sheltered space.
On cue
Sporting events
Finals, victory laps, competition openings. Celesta sets up a production that operates outside the playing area, starts from the production control room and prepares in collaboration with the director as well as the organiser.
On driving
Concerts and festivals
The performance is not the main attraction: it follows a script written by others, begins on production control’s cue and returns the camera’s focus to the stage immediately afterwards.
In a split second
Culture and heritage
Festivals, concerts, cultural projects. Celesta creates a style of writing firmly rooted in the passage of time, designed for a venue that dictates its own physical characteristics, distances and time constraints.
What makes all the difference
Six constraints that the programme never mentions.
They do not appear on any quote, yet they determine what is possible. Celesta notes them down during the storyboarding stage, before drawing the first frame.
01
The playground
A lawn cannot bear any weight, nor can it withstand fallout or leave marks. The installation is therefore situated on the periphery, in the stands or on the roof, and the design takes this constraint as its starting point rather than simply enduring it.
02
The stoppage time
In a match, the final countdown is triggered by a human signal. Celesta coordinates the start procedure with the production control room and the commentator, and always allows for a fallback option in case the signal fails to come through.
03
The monument
A listed site dictates its own requirements: distances, heights, materials and anchorage points. The necessary approvals are arranged with the site manager and, depending on the site, with the Architecte des Bâtiments de France.
04
The local resident
A festival takes place near people who are asleep. The by-law sets a curfew, and the noise level of a firework is calculated before it is set off, not after the first complaint is made.
05
The camera
A live broadcast event is planned for both the camera and the audience. Pacing, backlighting, drone positions: Celesta prepares the production with the director in advance, not on the day itself.
06
The season
A summer festival and a November closing event do not share the same wind, the same humidity, nor the same hour of darkness. Each scenario has its own denouement, written in advance.
Timeframes and budget
What Celesta might announce even before I’ve read your message.
Four floors and a threshold. These are not dependent on the location or size of the client, and no competitor offers them.
The deadline is a legal requirement, not a matter of preference
A fireworks display isn’t organised the day before, and a drone flight even less so. These deadlines run from the date a complete application is submitted: they are in addition to the time taken to draft the application; they are not included in it.
- A quote within 48 hours
- Bespoke show: 3 to 6 months
- Permit for a fireworks display – minimum 1 month’s notice required
- Authorisation for a drone flight lasting at least 45 days
- Systematic on-site survey
Drone light show, from
10 000 €
The cost of a fireworks display, however, depends on the set-up and the venue: it is calculated on a case-by-case basis, never according to a fixed price list. Celesta will provide a quote within 48 hours, taking into account the constraints already identified.
Let’s talk about it
Please let us know your date. We’ll tell you the time.
A match, a festival, an opening ceremony: please provide the venue, date and purpose. Celesta will reply within 48 hours with an initial quote and details of any constraints already identified at your venue.
Frequently Asked Questions
What the organisers ask us first.
Six straightforward answers from industry experts. If your question isn’t listed here, you’ll find the answer when you search.
How do you start a show when you don’t know what time the match will finish?
The start is not timed by a clock but by a signal. Celesta agrees a cue procedure with the production control room, usually given by the director or the presenter, and the system remains armed and monitored until that cue is given. A fallback option is always included in case the signal fails to arrive.
Is it allowed to set off a fireworks display above a listed monument?
Yes, but the materials used vary. Distances, heights, materials and anchor points are agreed with the site manager and, depending on the listing status, with the Architecte des Bâtiments de France. That is why Celesta surveys the site before writing, rather than the other way round.
How much time should you allow for a festival?
Allow 3 to 6 months for a bespoke show. In addition to this production time, there are administrative lead times, which run in parallel but are not to be confused with the production process: a minimum of 1 month for a fireworks display, and a minimum of 45 days for a drone light flight.
Is it possible to stage a drone show under a church nave or in a hall?
Yes. Unlike a fireworks display, a drone display can be staged indoors provided the space and ceiling height allow it. The number of drones and the scale of the formations are tailored to the venue; Celesta’s design really stands out.
What happens if the weather prevents the shooting from taking place?
Each scenario is drawn up with a contingency plan. Depending on the circumstances, this may involve: postponing a time slot, scaling back the operation, switching to a version with no fallout, or a controlled cancellation. The decision rests with the competent authority, on the advice of the Celesta pyrotechnician in charge of the display.
Who is responsible for obtaining the permits – the organiser or Celesta?
Celesta puts together the technical dossier and submits the applications: a prefecture declaration for a fireworks display, an AlphaTango application to the DGAC, and a risk assessment for a drone flight. The organiser remains the applicant and signs the documents; they do not have to compile the dossier.