Software for pyrotechnic special effects in film and television

On set, pyrotechnics changes scale. You do not fire a grand finale, you trigger a car explosion, bullet hits, a gas flame, a spark on a cable, often across several takes until the director is happy. Products are small and specific: charges, gerbs, smoke, electric igniters, with precise lots so the effect behaves identically from one take to the next. The pyrotechnician works under the special effects supervisor and alongside the production team, and often waits hours for a few useful seconds. Safety briefings happen daily, because the crew around the effect changes.

The production buys time and skill more than products. It thinks in shoot days, with a daily call sheet, a day rate for the pyrotechnician and the assistant, a flat fee for equipment and consumables recharged at cost. Days shift with the weather and the actors’ schedule. The location, whether a studio or an outdoor set, requires its own declarations and the owner’s consent, and the production’s insurance does not replace yours. Without lot traceability, you cannot show what was consumed take after take, and that question always comes up at wrap.

PyroDesk opens one dossier per production and files quotes, call sheets, the effects plan and declarations in it. The quote is built per shoot day with consumables listed, then the invoice picks up the days actually worked. Stock handles small items with their lots and expiry dates, reserved as soon as the supervisor confirms and drawn down take by take. Planning follows schedule changes, the client portal lets the production sign the contract, and accounting exports everything for your accountant. The declaration form is pre-filled where the location requires one.