Apart from close-up shots of Becks, the entire trip was filmed live, overseen by Billy Elliot director Stephen Daldry. |
The theatrical tour de force included a series of dazzling spectacles, from a 40ft oak tree rising serenely from a grassy mound, to a towering 18metre Voldemort character roaming around the stage. Today we can reveal some of the secrets and technical achievements - until now have been shrouded in the strictest secrecy - which it took to produce this breath-taking performance. The NHS scene used 1,200 volunteers from UK hospitals, including 600 nurses. The giant baby was made from fibreglass paper. Switches lit duvets on the 320 beds. Thirty-two actresses were dressed as Mary Poppins to descend on wires attached to rigging which could support 25 tons (the weight of five elephants). They carried umbrellas with lights attached. High-powered fans inflated the seven fabric chimneys, up to 100ft high, from trap doors in the stage. Alongside them, five 32ft long, 9ft-wide steam engines made of steel, aluminium and wood were assembled by ten crew members to help represent the Industrial Revolution. Amber lights lit in sequence created the illusion of a 100ft molten steel river, with pyrotechnic smoke and ‘dry ice’ as the steam. The steel ‘flowed’ into a 39ft diameter trough to form an aluminium ring, which was raised to join four other rings flying in on cables to form the Olympic symbol 328ft above the stadium. The 30-second shower of sparks was real, with actors and crew protected with fireproof costumes. Despite rumours that David Beckham wasn’t actually driving the speedboat — named Max Power — that sped him down the Thames, organisers insist he was operating the controls, with other crew members on hand just for safety (though they admit he didn’t dock the boat himself). Apart from close-up shots of Becks, the entire trip was filmed live, overseen by Billy Elliot director Stephen Daldry. Stuntman Gary Connery dressed as the Queen to leap from a helicopter 550ft above the stadium. Mark Sutton, a former soldier, jumped as 007. They had taken off from Stapleford Airfield in Essex and hovered over London for 30 minutes before the jump — then landed outside the stadium, next to Anish Kapoor’s steel tower. The 75 ‘dove bikes’, 70 ridden by volunteers found on internet cycling forums, rehearsed in secrecy. The fabric wings had tiny LED lights and were operated by aluminium rods attached to the handlebars which riders pressed to create the flapping effect. Bob Haro, who created the flying bike scene in ET, choreographed the sequence. (Read by Rosie Tuck. Rosie Tuck is a journalist at the China Daily Website.) (Agencies) |
在本届伦敦奥运会开幕式上,观众们看到了一系列的耀眼奇观,不仅有从草丘上安详升起的40英尺高的橡树,还有在舞台上漫游的18米高的“伏地魔”。 今天,我们将为您揭秘伦敦奥运会开幕式背后的一些秘密和科技成就,这些秘密和成就制造出了开幕式上令人惊叹的演出效果,至今还在严格保密。 共有1200名英国医务工作者志愿参加了英国国家医疗服务体系的场景演出,其中包括600名护士。巨大的婴儿是用玻璃纤维纸做成的。320张病床上铺的羽绒被的光亮由开关控制。 32名装扮成《欢乐满人间》中的玛丽•波平斯沿着绳索从天而降,绳索可以承担25吨重的重量(相当于5头大象)。她们举着的伞上面镶着灯。 高性能的风扇将7座织物做成的烟囱从舞台的活板门吹到100英尺高。此外,在表现工业革命的场景中,10名机组人员把32英尺长、9英尺宽的蒸汽火车组装了起来。蒸汽火车模型由钢铁、铝和木头制作。 依次点燃的琥珀灯制造出100英尺长的“钢水流”效果,空中还燃起眩目的烟火,并用“干冰”打造蒸汽效果。钢水“流入”直径39英尺的水槽,形成一个铝制的圆环,缓缓升起,在体育馆上空328英尺的高空和空中电缆上的另外四个圆环组成了象征奥运会的五环旗。30秒中的火花束是真实的,演员和现场人员都穿了防火服装。 尽管有传言称大卫-贝克汉姆并没有驾驶“极动力”快艇飞速驶过泰晤士河,但主办方称,他的确对快艇进行了操控,在场的其他人员只是为了安全着想(尽管他们也承认小贝不是自己把船停到岸边的)。除了小贝的特写镜头之外,其他整个航程都是现场直播,由《舞出人生》的导演史蒂芬-戴德利把关。 特技表演者加里•康纳利担任英国女王的替身,从体育馆上空550英尺高空的直升机上跳下。前士兵马克-萨顿扮演007,也从高空一跃而下。他们从艾塞克斯的斯坦斯特德机场出发,跳伞前飞机在伦敦上空盘旋了半个小时,之后他们降落在体育馆外,临近安尼诗-卡普尔的钢塔。 在75辆“和平鸽自行车”中,有70辆是由网上的自行车论坛志愿者骑行演出的,他们进行了秘密彩排。由面料制作的翅膀上有小的LED灯,由连接在车把上的铝棒控制,骑车人按车把,就能制造出翅膀扇动的效果。在影片《外星人》中制造出飞行的自行车场景的鲍勃•哈洛对此进行了精心设计。 相关阅读 (中国日报网英语点津 Julie 编辑:陈丹妮) |
Vocabulary: tour de force: 绝技,精心制作 breath-taking: 惊人的 duvet: 羽绒被 trap door: 活板门,暗入口 amber light: 黄灯,琥珀色灯光 pyrotechnic: 烟火的,令人眼花缭乱的 speedboat: 快艇 close-up shot: 特写镜头 stuntman: 特技演员 choreograph: 精心设计 |