Carat Pyrotechnie, the French team of Masters de Feu 2022

On September 17, 2022, the Masters de Feu returned to the Compiègne racecourse for a highly anticipated edition, marked by the grand return of the international pyrotechnic art competition. Among the teams in competition, France was represented by Carat Pyrotechnie, a company based in Mérignac, in Gironde. A few weeks before the event, the Masters de Feu team gave the floor to Philippe Dupouy to better understand the identity of this house, its approach to pyromusical creation, and the mindset of its pyrotechnicians before facing the jury and the public.

A French house from Mérignac, defending its vision of fire

Carat Pyrotechnie is one of those teams for which a fireworks display is never simply a succession of spectacular effects. Founded by passionate designers, the company was built around a strong idea: to modernize the pyrotechnic language by combining firing precision, musical composition, light, and show technology. From Mérignac, it designs tailor-made pyrotechnic events, with particular attention to storytelling, rhythm, and overall coherence.

In the interview published ahead of the 2022 edition, Philippe Dupouy highlighted what he sees as the team’s main strength: a shared vision of pyrotechnics. This says a great deal. In a competition such as the Masters de Feu, where every second counts and the show must hold its breath for fifteen minutes, human cohesion becomes an artistic element in its own right. Color choices, the movement of each tableau, and the way silences, builds, or musical breaks are used must all stem from the same intention.

Cohesion as the driving force of pyrotechnic creation

A competitive pyromusical show is prepared like a score. Sequences must be chosen, heights determined, calibers balanced, sky volumes anticipated, and a clear progression built for thousands of spectators. At this level of demand, a team cannot function as a sum of isolated talents. It must share the same understanding of the emotion it seeks to create.

At Carat Pyrotechnie, this cohesion is based on complementary profiles. Philippe Dupouy oversees general management, while Éric Raynaud and Vincent Dupouy are involved in the design of the shows. The company embraces an approach in which technical execution serves dramaturgy: every effect must appear at the right moment, in the right color, with the right intensity. Pyrotechnics then become a visual and sonic language, capable of setting an atmosphere, surprising, and then renewing attention right up to the final bouquet.

The challenge of the theme “Around the world”

For the 2022 edition, competitors had to work on the theme “Around the world.” The subject naturally invited travel, but it also required avoiding a simple postcard approach. In an international competition, such a broad theme demands a real artistic line: how can cultures, landscapes, rhythms, and imaginations be evoked without dispersing the show? How can the movement from one continent to another be felt while preserving emotional unity?

For a French team such as Carat Pyrotechnie, the challenge was twofold. It was a question of representing recognized national expertise while offering a personal reading of travel. The Masters de Feu do not reward only firing power or the density of an illuminated sky. The jury looks at overall aesthetics, synchronization, the diversity of choreographed products, and the emotion generated. The public, for its part, is convinced by what it feels immediately: surprise, momentum, the clarity of the images, and the show’s ability to remain in memory.

Fifteen minutes to convince the jury and the public

The Masters de Feu format imposes formidable discipline. Each team has a limited time to present its universe, under conditions that are comparable for all competitors. In 2022, four nations were in the running: France with Carat Pyrotechnie, Switzerland with Sugyp, Spain with Hermanos Caballer, and Slovakia with Privatex Pyro. Each show had to be distinct enough to assert a signature, yet controlled enough to meet the criteria of an international competition.

Within this framework, preparation leaves no room for approximation. The work done in advance covers as much the writing as the safety, site survey, equipment setup, and firing programming. Musical synchronization, now central to major competitions, requires extreme rigor. A departure that is too early, an effect that is too low, or a poorly calibrated transition can weaken the reading of the tableau. Conversely, when everything aligns, the spectator has the feeling that the music lights up the sky.

An approach enriched by live performance

Carat Pyrotechnie’s identity is also linked to its professional environment. The company evolves within the broader world of events and live performance, with skills that go beyond fireworks alone. This stage culture is reflected in the way pyrotechnics are conceived as spatial design: light, sound, image, special effects, and overall rhythm must combine to create a complete experience.

This approach perfectly matches the spirit of the Masters de Feu. In Compiègne, the competition does not present isolated firing sequences, but true pyrotechnic works of art. The teams come to defend a sensibility, a style, a way of writing the sky. That is what makes the event so rich: in one evening, the public discovers several schools, several relationships to color, tempo, scale, and emotion.

Compiègne, an open-air stage for master pyrotechnicians

The Compiègne racecourse provides a particularly fitting setting for this ambition. The site can welcome a large audience and give full scale to aerial compositions. The Masters de Feu have created a rare format there: a competition that is accessible and spectacular, yet grounded in genuine artistic and technical criteria. Since their creation, they have helped bring greater recognition to a profession often admired for its effects, but less often understood in all its complexity.

For pyrotechnicians, taking part in the Masters de Feu therefore represents much more than a performance. It is a moment of confrontation, recognition, and transmission. Teams come to show their ability to turn constraints into writing, to create emotion on a grand scale, and to engage with an audience that also votes for its favorite show.

A memorable 2022 edition for Carat Pyrotechnie

Carat Pyrotechnie’s presence at the 2022 Masters de Feu marked an important step for the Mérignac-based house. Faced with seasoned European competitors, the French team presented a proposal that resonated strongly with spectators. The awards for this edition went to Sugyp, from Switzerland, which received the Silver Master, while Carat Pyrotechnie received the Public Prize.

This award tells us something essential: beyond technical scoring, a fireworks display succeeds when it creates a direct bond with those who watch it. By coming to Compiègne with a united team, an ambitious script, and a demanding vision of pyrotechnic spectacle, Carat Pyrotechnie confirmed the place of French houses in the international dialogue between master pyrotechnicians. A meeting that, in hindsight, sheds light on the very spirit of the Masters de Feu: to celebrate virtuosity, but above all shared emotion.