Monday 18 August 2008

3D VFX used for Olympics opening ceremony

Just to demonstrate the power of 3D visual effects today, Olympics Beijing organizers confirmed that some of the fireworks display featured prerecorded VFX footage. Fireworks that burst into the shape of 29 gigantic footprints were shown trudging above the Beijing skyline to the National Stadium near the start of the ceremony. Though the footprint-shaped fireworks were real, some of the footage shown to television viewers around the world and on giant screens inside the "Bird's Nest" stadium featured a computer-generated three-dimensional image.

"It was confirmed that previously recorded footage was provided to the broadcasters for convenience and theatrical effects," Beijing organizing committee spokesman Wang Wei said. "Because of the poor visibility of the night, some previously recorded footage may have been used." The computerized images were produced by Crystal Digital Technology Co. of Beijing. "We did our best to create a rendering that would look like the shot was taken live," company spokesman Lei Ming told the Beijing Times. "Most people could not tell the difference."

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