Comments on Those Footprint Fireworks? Faked.

The footprints were still pretty cool, even if faked. Think of them as a David Sedaris story.

did they at some point claim this was a "real" effect?

i thought the NBC announcer even said "this is a visual effect..."

i think the other parts creeped me out a little more. when they all jumped out of the boxes, i was ready for them to be waving walmart t-shirts and nike sneakers before running for the exits to escape their sweat-boxes.

Bummer.

This is a perfect metaphor for, um... something probably. Are people watching the Olympics?

chops: Did you read the story? Of course they claimed it was real. No, nobody made any reference to it as a "visual effect."

Actually, Ms Graves, Chops @ 2 is right. Matt Lauer admitted during NBC's broadcast that "this is a bit of a cheat" (exact words may be different) - acknowledging that the city flyover highlighting the effects was metaphorical.

The fireworks real; it was the TV footage shown that was not.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/olympics/2534499/Beijing-Olympic-2008-opening-ceremony-giant-firework-footprints-faked.html

A view from the ground:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbZrI8onelg

That's, "were real."

yeah, jen. i followed your link, read the story, and then played the video where the announcers states that it's an "effect."

i will admit, however, that it's unclear if the adjacent video w/announcer was the live broadcast, but it appears it is. so it looks like some folks were in the know, while perhaps others were not.

Ah... No. Jen. Chops & ReverendZ are correct. Go back and check the tape.

all right. last post about this and i'm willing to eat crow on it.

matt lauer says "you're looking at a cinematic device...virtual animation..."

i took that to be referring to the CGI.

but i see that he could be simply referring to the "animation" of the footsteps towards the stadium even as fireworks, the cinematic device being the sybolism of the two-dozen-plus games, etc.

knowing the trickery and looking back, the comment took on new meaning.

anyway. nice feet.

In Torino, Luciano Pavarotti turned out to be lip-synching, but any hack producing a superbowl halftime show or Macy's parade can accomplish that.

Beijing has even raised the bar for fakery.

I feel cheated.

Good thing I watched Juno at SLU Cinema on the Lawn instead.

Yeah, I don't think "faked" is the word we're looking for here. Do these same people complain that their TV shows are "faked" because Stephen Colbert isn't actually in their living room?

I have to admit, you guys had me thinking I was crazy. I'm relieved I wasn't.

I *do* actually think "faked" is the word, Fnarf. There were no fireworks. Ever. At all. It's as though Stephen Colbert didn't exist, not as if he didn't show up in your living room. (Unless I've gotten something wrong, which I hope I haven't, about the fact that there were no fireworks ever, at all--and if I have, we will have to adjust our metaphors accordingly.)

@14 isn't there a difference? fireworks are impressive mostly because they are really happening. how'd they get footprints like that?!?!

then again, i don't really like fireworks.

Just one more thing, for the record. Part of the reason MSNBC was on this story so fast was that NBC itself had been tricked. (Matt Lauer, in other words.) I remember now the comment you're talking about, but yeah, it was in reference to Zhang Yimou's usual profession, as a film director.

Phew. Glad we got that settled.

So, does this mean the explosions in Georgia are fake as well?

those weren't footprints. they were south americas and africas.

They didn't look real from where I was sitting anyway.

I think the boxes, when revealed to be people, enhanced the amazement I felt rather than detracted from it.
I don't feel the same way about the footprints, though.

The fireworks did go off. This was taken from Tiananmen:

http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=wbZrI8onelg

The TV footage was faked, however, as they felt that there was too much that could go wrong with live shooting.

Please read the news story carefully. The footprint fireworks did go off, but the one displayed on TV was CGI. You're not gonna fool a city of 15 million people that footprint fireworks were set off across the city. Regardless, I think it was because the Chinese cared too much about the image and it backfired.