CGI faked-fireworks feature in Olympics opening ceremony footage
Around 1 billion people around the globe are estimated to have tuned in to watch the spectacular opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. I wonder how many of them realised that some of those fantastic fireworks they were watching had been created by a computer visual effects team?
The eyes of the world, it seems, were on Beijing last Friday for the opening of the Games of the XXIX Olympiad. It was without doubt a truly stunning extravaganza. It could be nothing else. What with more than 15,000 performers and nearly 11,000 athletes taking part on the night. Or the estimated $300 million cost for that matter.
But what most people remember about any Olympics opening ceremony is the fireworks display. In the case of Beijing, that meant some 30,000 fireworks. It's just a shame not all of them were real.
