Zhang Yimou's Olympic creative case has indeed been polished.

In his presentation, Wu Yuan learned about the design of the first version of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.

It's basically the same as he remembers, but there are some differences in details, after all, it's still a year and a half before it is fully formed.

Performances such as singing and singing, picture scrolls, dream five rings, words, the Silk Road, and nature have basically been determined.

However, Zhang Yimou felt that although these designs could express the charm of traditional Chinese culture, they still lacked the use of science and technology, and could not show the new look of China's scientific and technological power.

Of course, he also thought about integrating astronaut spacewalks into the performance of the opening ceremony to create a high-tech "multimedia earth" and other stages that highlight science and technology.

It's just that Zhang Yimou, who had eight minutes of darkness in Athens, was still a little unconfident and apprehensive, and always felt that he was not good enough, and he lacked some essence, so he wanted to ask Wu Yuan, a great mainland director who knows the most about computer special effects technology, to give him some advice.

Although he didn't say it, Zhang Yimou still knew in his heart that he was old and his understanding of new technologies was not as good as that of young people at the forefront.

"Director Zhang, your idea of a 147-meter ground LED is very cool, this is the first time I have seen it at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games."

"The idea of that liquid crystal earth is also very good, the actors imitate astronauts on the liquid crystal earth spacewalk, and they are also promoting our country's manned space program."

Compared with Zhang Yimou's apprehension, Wu Yuan praised it.

He knows how good the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games created by Zhang Yimou is, even after 12 years, he is still praised at the opening of the Tokyo Olympics.

However, Zhang Yimou didn't think so, he shook his head: "It's not enough." ”

"I hope to use computer special effects technology at the opening ceremony."

"Now Hollywood's movie special effects are very powerful, and in the "Pirates of the Caribbean 2" you filmed, the crew of the flying Dutchman, each monster is doing the same as the real thing."

"I wondered if we could do a special effects short film about the Olympics at the opening ceremony."

"Or in the stage performance at the opening ceremony, computer special effects are incorporated."

"It's just that I don't have a spectrum in my heart about how to do it, and I don't know what kind of special effects can be achieved and what can't be achieved."

"Director Wu, you are an expert in this area, do you have any good ideas?"

Although "Pirates of the Caribbean 2" missed the mainland screen, Zhang Yimou has a channel to watch this movie.

He was very amazed by the various movie special effects and CG picture effects shown in this movie.

Wu Yuan frowned, looked around the conference room, and saw that all the Zhang Yimou team members who participated in the meeting were looking at him with an expectant look.

He thought about it earnestly.

How to apply computer special effects technology to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games?

If you simply make a special effects short film to be screened at the opening ceremony, or make some special effects pictures on the LED screen of the opening ceremony stage and interact with the live actors, it feels like it looks ordinary, and it can't bring that kind of shock to the audience.

However, technologies that can bring shock, such as naked-eye 3D and virtual idols, have not yet appeared.

The most difficult thing is that the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games is still live.

After thinking about it, Wu Yuan thought of the countdown made of fireworks in his impression of the opening of the Beijing Olympics.

I remember watching the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games at that time, and this picture left a very deep impression on him.

Looking at the footsteps made of fireworks, approaching the bird's nest step by step, the feeling of shock in the picture is indeed difficult to describe in words.

Can you make a more shocking picture effect on this basis?

Thinking about it, Wu Yuan suddenly had an idea.

"Director Zhang, how about we use computer special effects technology to be a special effects giant torchbearer?"

"At the end of the opening ceremony, when the flame was relayed, a golden giant made with computer special effects technology, holding a torch, came from afar."

"The pace of his running, just like the pace of the fireworks at the beginning of the opening ceremony, approached the bird's nest step by step, and finally stepped into the bird's nest, and then the screen switched to the entrance torchbearer."

"Make a giant torchbearer with special effects?" Zhang Yimou also frowned, "Then how will the picture be presented at that time?" ”

"In a pseudo-live way." Wu Yuan slapped his thigh, "The audience watching the movie in the bird's nest watched the projection screen on the big screen. ”

"The audience in front of the TV directly watches the special effects short films that have been prepared in advance."

"It's just that the background of this special effects short film is completely taken from reality, and it just composes the finished special effects giants into the picture."

"When the time comes to the normal live broadcast here, the live broadcast source will be directly converted to play the special effects short film prepared in advance, and the audience in front of the TV will not realize that it is not a live broadcast at all."

The so-called pseudo live broadcast is that it looks like a live broadcast, but it is actually playing a short film prepared in advance.

It's as simple as recording a bird's nest exterior at night months in advance, including aerial shots, aerial shots, and aerial shots looking up.

Then, in these empty shots, the finished picture of the Golden Giant Torchbearer running was composited.

When it was time for the actual live broadcast, the camera in the bird's nest cut from the infield to the outfield, and in the eyes of the audience, it was just a normal switch between the inside and outside shots.

But in fact, the scene of the outfield has been quietly replaced with this video made in advance.

As for the audience in the infield, just watch this video directly on the big screen, anyway, they can't see the situation in the outfield, and they don't know that the screen is broadcasting a short film, and they think that the broadcast is a live broadcast screen.

Of course, there is no way to hide this kind of thing, and when the opening ceremony is over, they will naturally know in hindsight that there was not really a golden giant torchbearer running into the bird's nest step by step in the air at that time.

But when they watched it live, they didn't know it, and the audience in front of the TV didn't know it, and they would only be shocked by this big scene.

To tell the truth, a golden giant torchbearer comparable to "Ultraman" ran to the bird's nest step by step from a distance, and finally turned into starry spots and entered the bird's nest through the hole in the middle of the bird's nest, which is quite shocking.

At least in 2008, it was enough to bluff.

Zhang Yimou also thought that this idea was good, and when he imagined it in his mind, he felt that the effect was quite shocking.

However, he still asked steadily: "Is this technically achievable?" ”

"It's not very difficult." Wu Yuan said lightly: "It's the same as making a movie, let's shoot a piece of material without the Golden Giant Torchbearer, and then use computer special effects technology to make a synthesis." ”

"This kind of golden giant torchbearer, it's not difficult to do."

"You don't need to depict details, you just have a body silhouette, you're covered in gold, and you're holding a torch."

If you want to be a digital torchbearer, the kind that needs to be rendered dynamic in real time, then you really can't do it with current technology.

But just make a special effects short film in advance, and then present it in a pseudo-live broadcast, with the current level of technology, it is still no problem.

"The Mummy" was released in 1999, and the special effects of the mummies in it have been so realistic that they can be fake, let alone now?

Zhang Yimou nodded thoughtfully: "Director Wu, I heard that you have poached a group of special effects artists from Haolaiwu for the movie "Gravity", and you want to be your own special effects company?" ”

"Did your company do this kind of special effects?"

At this stage, there are really no reliable film special effects companies in China, and even the commercialization of the film market has only been three or four years.

Without considering finding a foreign special effects company, Zhang Yimou's first thought was the special effects team in Wu Yuan's hands.

Although they are all blonde and blue-eyed foreigners, at least the company is a company held by pure Chinese, and it is also Huaxia technology.

Faced with Zhang Yimou's inquiry, Wu Yuan hesitated.

His team can do this kind of special effects, but his team is ready for the next busy special effects work in Gravity.

If Zhang Yimou is lent special effects for the opening ceremony, will his "Gravity" still be completed on time?

It's just that it's about the Olympics, and it's really hard for him to shirk.

Wu Yuan still said truthfully: "Technically, it should be no problem." ”

"If Director Zhang needs it, I can ask the company's special effects team to cooperate with you."

To make such a special effects short film, it is not long, running from a distance to the bird's nest, at most only ten or twenty steps, and it is estimated that the entire special effects short film is one minute at most.

Fifteen people do it together, and counting the time for design and modeling, it should be done in a month or two, and it shouldn't delay much.

Zhang Yimou nodded happily: "Okay, then thank you Director Wu for your help." ”

Next, Wu Yuan and Zhang Yimou's team chatted for a long time about the opening ceremony plan.

From their mouths, Wu Yuan also learned a lot about Zhang Yimou's various efforts and attempts behind the scenes of preparing for the opening ceremony.

It is worth mentioning that his visit to the creative team of the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games today was also recorded by a photographer at the scene.

This is dedicated to documenting the preparation of the opening ceremony, and after the end of the Olympic Games, it will be compiled into a documentary about Zhang Yimou's team's preparation for the opening ceremony for public sale.

can be recorded in it, Wu Yuan is also quite interesting.

In this way, it took two or three days of hard work, Wu Yuan held meetings with Zhang Yimou's team every day, and it was a preliminary determination of the plan for the special effects giant torchbearer to relay the flame.

In the following other matters, it is inconvenient for him to continue to participate, and he has no time to participate in it.

Now that "The City is Full of Golden Armor" has been completed, "Gravity" is about to enter the stage of actor preparation.

Gong Li, the heroine, and Wang Xueqi, the actor who Wu Yuan found to play for him, should join the group to receive astronaut training.

Yes, in the end, Wu Yuan still didn't choose Hu Jun, but asked Wang Xueqi to play the leading role.

In "Gravity", although the male protagonist does not have as many scenes as the heroine, he can only be regarded as a supporting role in the early stage, but his role is very important, and he is very good at acting.

The role of the male protagonist in this movie is to enlighten, explain, and warm the lighthouse of the heroine's heart, and the interpretation of this role is not Hu Jun's strength.

After confirming that Wang Xueqi's physical fitness was not bad, and he still regularly exercised to maintain muscle vitality, Wu Yuan still invited him to play this role.

Wang Xueqi's acting skills are still very good, and he is also good at literary drama.

After leaving the Beiyuan Convention Center, Wu Yuan found Gong Li and Wang Xueqi, who were waiting to join the group, and packed them and sent them to the astronaut training base of the China National Space Administration.

Here, they undergo 2 to 3 months of astronaut training to learn how to be a qualified astronaut.

Of course, most of them learn some theoretical things and use centrifuges to feel what a low-gravity environment is like, and then they can perform the feeling of an astronaut in a gravity-free environment in space.

After all, Wu Yuan couldn't really take them to space to make this movie.

I'm really sorry, I fell asleep directly in the early morning, and slept until dawn.

I felt very sleepy after feeling Eryang.

(End of chapter)