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We're a month
closer to December 31 since the last time I wrote about New Year's
celebrations, and many groups have already contacted us about their
upcoming New Year's events. While most of our customers don't have
much trouble choosing a confetti cannon, a lot of folks get confused
when it comes time to pick out confetti. So I thought I'd take some
time this week to talk about the different types of confetti Theatre
Effects offers, and the pros and cons of each.
The least
expensive paper confetti we carry is the Traditional Confetti.
This product is similar to the confetti you might find in a party
supply store. It's punched from cardstock, is irregular in shape, and
is available in multi-color or white. Traditional Confetti is good
for throwing or for loading into snow bags; it's also the best
confetti product for use in our Confetti Spreader. Since it's punched
from heavy paper, Traditional Confetti falls much faster than tissue
paper confetti. Also, the small size of the individual confetti
pieces can make the effect somewhat harder to see from a distance.
A bit more
expensive than the Traditional Confetti is Aerofetti. Aerofetti is a
tissue paper confetti with pieces cut to about 1.5" square.
Since all the pieces of Aerofetti are the same size and shape, we
sell it in stacks as well as in bulk (loose in bag). Stacked
Aerofetti will fly farther from a cannon before breaking up into
individual pieces of confetti. Aerofetti is a great economical load
for cannons, and it can also be loaded into snow bags. Standard
color options are multi-color or red, white and blue blends. Solid
color bags of Aerofetti can be special ordered. While there's no
extra charge for the solid-color bags, they are non-returnable. One
product in which Aerofetti will not work is the Confetti Spreader, as
the pieces are too large and will clog the Confetti Spreader's hopper.
Turbofetti, a
tissue-paper confetti that is cut to 5/8" by about 1.5" in
size, may be considered our "high-end" confetti. The
rectangular shape of the Turbofetti causes it to catch the air,
spinning and fluttering as it falls. Turbofetti fired from a confetti
cannon will hang in the air longer, spread farther from the cannon,
and generally "look bigger" than other types of confetti
fired from the same cannon. Like Aerofetti, Turbofetti is available
in multi-color, red white and blue, and special ordered solid-color
bags; and Turbofetti is also sold in stacks as well as bulk. The only
drawback to using Turbofetti is that it can be quite expensive when
compared to Traditional Confetti or Aerofetti. For some effects,
however, the look justifies the price.
In addition to
offering Turbofetti as a tissue paper confetti, we also have it in
mylar. Mylar is a shiny, metallic film that reflects light and can
add excitement to almost any confetti effect. You often see mylar
confetti effects at fashion shows or rock concerts. Because of its
impressive appearance, many designers try to use mylar Turbofetti for
any confetti shots they do. Mylar Turbofetti is more expensive than
paper Turbofetti, and the pieces of Mylar can be difficult to clean
up, but nothing else looks quite like it.
As you can see,
the "best" confetti could-and most likely will-change from
designer to designer and from show to show. An effect that works on
Broadway may be too expensive for a regional theatre, and an effect
that requires special equipment may not be possible in a space
lacking that equipment. Think about the look that you want to
achieve, the hardware you' ll use to get that look, and the amount of
money you have to spend on the overall effect. Those three concerns,
in that order, should help you pick the perfect confetti for your job!
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