Olympic Fireworks Faked For TV
By Sky News <cite class="auth">SkyNews - 2 hours 53 minutes ago</cite>
Parts of the spectacular Beijing Olympics opening ceremony were faked, it has emerged.
The global television audience of more than three billion people watched in amazement as a series of giant footprints outlined in fireworks proceeded through the night sky from Tiananmen Square to the Bird's Nest stadium - except they were watching a computer animation.
Even the giant television screens within the stadium itself broadcast the fake images.
Stunned viewers thought they were watching the string of fireworks filmed from above by a helicopter.
But in reality they were watching a 3D graphics sequence that took almost a year to produce.
It even included a 'camera shake' to mimic the effect of filming from a helicopter.
The dupe was revealed by China's Beijing Times. Speaking to the paper, the man responsible for the animation said he was pleased with the result.
"Seeing how it worked out, it was still a bit too bright compared to the actual fireworks," Gao Xiaolong told the newspaper.
"But most of the audience thought it was filmed live - so that was mission accomplished."
The designers even added some haziness to simulate the polluted Beijing skyline.
Broadcasters around the world had no choice but to show the footage because it all came from one feed provided by Beijing Olympic Broadcasting - the organisation responsible for filming the games.
The ceremony has also been strongly criticised by architect Ai Weiwei, who helped design the Bird's Nest stadium.
Writing on his blog, Mr Ai described the ceremony as "a recycling of the rubbish of fake classical culture tradition; a sacrilegious visual garbage dump and an insult to the spirit of liberty; low class sound play that's just noise pollution".
He was directly critical of China's ruling communist party, characterising the ceremony as "a showcase of the reincarnation of the Marxist imperialism; the ultimate paragon of an all embracing culture of fascist totalitarianism; an encyclopaedia that encompasses total defeat in intellectual spirit."
Mr Ai helped design the stadium alongside Swiss architect firm, Herzog and de Meuron.
But since then, he has become an outspoken blogger against the Olympics and the Chinese regime. Unusually, he has not been censored by the authorities.
Organiser said that the footprint fireworks were there for real, but thought it unsafe to try to film them - so they recreated them instead.
Don't be fooled by my smooth skin. The deepest scars are the ones unseen.
Remember compliments you received, forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how..~ Baz Lurhman.
Letting it get to you - You know what that's called? Being alive. Best thing there is. Being alive right now that's all that counts. ~ Doctor Who "The Doctors Wife" 06.November.2011
see i thought they looked fake!!!!
no one listened to me!
As a little kid you believed in fairytales,
that fantasy of what your life would be: white dress; prince charming who would carry you away to a castle on a hill.
You closed your eyes and had complete and utter faith.
Eventually you grow up. One day you open your eyes and the fairy tale disappears.
But the thing is, it's hard to let go of that fairytale entirely because almost everyone has that smallest bit of hope, of faith,
that one day they will open their eyes and it will come true.
see i thought they looked fake!!!!
no one listened to me!
I thought they looked like CGI. But i dismissed it by thinking 'why would they fake that? if anyone could put together a firework display it would be the chinese. they invented the things'
I also dismissed it by thinking that i was so used to seeing such amazing sights in films and such, knowing they were CGI, I was just automatically thinking these images were CGI too because they seemed almost too fantastic to be true.
turns out they were.
Don't be fooled by my smooth skin. The deepest scars are the ones unseen.
Remember compliments you received, forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how..~ Baz Lurhman.
Letting it get to you - You know what that's called? Being alive. Best thing there is. Being alive right now that's all that counts. ~ Doctor Who "The Doctors Wife" 06.November.2011
i realise why everyone tries to **** on china. but whatever man, i don't care & i still think china is badass.
Although I understand what you mean, you have to agree that their communist ideals, and popaganda put out to their own people to continually deny basic human rights is a little bit on the wrong side.
But it's not really the first time that something like this has been done is it? The fireworks (as far as I can tell from the little that youtube gives me because I didn't watch it) were still pretty ****ing awesome. And no one noticed until now, so it's not like they did a really shitty job of it and spent no time in preparing it.
I kinda agree with Dicky. The only thing i think they should have done it tell people either before or straight after, however it took them a long time to do and looked good so.. (Y)
Ali xox
With demons dancing off mirror images reflecting all that you wanted.
So far from perfect, onward we will strive.
Take it for what it's worth, this truth that you've realized.
You're not who you thought you were, it's time to see the other side of what you have become.
Seriously, so much of everything you see is CGI that it would be ridiculous to put disclaimers before every computer-animated segment of a TV show or movie or live event. And, as was mentioned in a brief sentence at the end of this super dramatic article, the fireworks actually happened. It just wasn't practical to try to film them live.
I think it'd be okay to get over it. The government of China has some screwed-up policies and a pretty crappy reputation with HRW and plenty of other reasons to be scrutinized, so it's just silly to turn this tiny detail into a story that makes it sound like they're a bunch of robo-grinches sucking all the joy from life and ruining childhood for everyonnnne. It's not exactly the scandal of the century.
Although I totally agree with Mr. Ai. Opening ceremonies always make me feel like I'm watching an entire culture being exploited one exaggerated, rhinestoned, perfectly choreographed cliche at a time.
well, i have sown untidy furrows 'cross my soul,
but I am still a coward,
content to see my garden grow so sweet & full
of someone else's flowers.
I thought the opening ceremony was brilliant. As for the fireworks, knowing CGI was involved doesn't make that opinion change, it was all great to watch!
my candle burns at both ends
it will not last the night
but ah my foes
and oh my friends
it gives a lovely light!
the judges are on the chinese payroll anyway, no matter how bad they preform they get great scores. I dont like the olympics much, i just watch incase i miss anyone falling over.
It might seem to take a little bit of the 'magic' out of the ceremony but the chinese still put on a display that we in 2012 cannot hope to match.... If they really did try the fireworks, but then had to film them for health and safety reasons.... I think that would be fine....
^^yeah I agree. The news tonight about the little girl miming bothered me more. Why couldn't they just have let the girl with the amazing voice sing? Never mind if she was 'picture perfect' or not..!
'Won’t you run, fly, open up your lungs tonight, breathe freedom for the first time in your life..'
Here's something that I think is a little more screwed up: a little girl who "sang" at the ceremony was actually lip-syncing to the voice of a girl who was considered not cute enough to be in the spotlight. I think that's just straight-up deceitfulness. And it takes a great deal of heartlessness to tell a seven-year-old she can't be on TV because she'd make the country look bad.
edit: Undomiel beat me to mentioning this, but hey, check out the article anyway.
Last edited by chasing bliss : 12-08-2008 at 06:57 PM.
well, i have sown untidy furrows 'cross my soul,
but I am still a coward,
content to see my garden grow so sweet & full
of someone else's flowers.
Although I understand what you mean, you have to agree that their communist ideals, and popaganda put out to their own people to continually deny basic human rights is a little bit on the wrong side.
yeah. i mean, i am not completley ignorant about whats going on in china. i just meant, yknow, that this wasn't really a big deal.
&my friend literally just told me about the miming little girl. and yes, that is far far worse. &anyway, i clicked on the link hannah gave & she's not even that weirdlooking at all.. i think they could have/should have just used her instead.
Last edited by linder surprise : 13-08-2008 at 12:02 AM.
Reason: deleted a completley irrelevant pointless rambling story.
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