Beijing Olympics 2008 Official Opener

Creative Agency BDA’s Singapore office has designed the official opening title sequence to the Beijing Olympic Games 2008,

The 30-second opening sequence will be broadcast to over hundreds of countries in August this year as the worlds top athletes step into the broadcasters’ spotlight at the planets biggest sporting event being held in Beijing, China.

The 2008 Olympic titles combine live action footage with 3D animation. The design is based around the Chinese elements of nature - metal, wood, water, fire & earth, with athletes and elements battling it out in a symbolic representation of the ‘spirit of contest’ at the games. The Clouds of Fortune, the official motif of the Beijing Olympics, combine in swirls around the athletes as a sign of good luck and fortune.

The shoot took place over the space of four days and was directed by BDA Singapore Creative Director James Chung. “The biggest challenge of the shoot was finding the right athletes”, commented Chung. “Once we had cast the perfect Olympic challengers, their performance was captured in high speed on 35mm, where each action became a snapshot of pure talent in slow-motion. We had so many perfect moments to choose from”. It took three months to cast the group of varying ethnicity and genders, as it was important for the international nature of the games to be represented, but each athlete had to also be able to perform at “Olympic standard”.

The 3D animation was undertaken by the BDA designers in the Singapore office, where each of the athletes were composited into a graphical environment built around the five elements. The music was composed by the company based in China and lends a mix of drum-pounding heartbeats and soaring flute to the piece.

The 30-second sequence will first be seen by millions of viewers during the opening ceremony on 08th August 2008.