Light my fire

When TV shows work with fire onscreen, they want to make sure that everything’s perfect – and safe!

“Safety, safety, safety,” Joburg-based freelance pyrotechnician Jim Souza emphasises. If you don’t get the safety part right, you could end up not only burning down the set, but also endangering the lives of those working on it. Sounds scary, but here’s how TV shows do it – safely! the amount of smoke made, who will be most at risk, safety measures in place should something go wrong and a full breakdown of emergency procedures.

A lot of planning, care and preparation goes into filming a fire scene, especially when it comes to keeping everyone safe.