The Opening Ceremonies

Okay, time for a few comments about the Opening Ceremonies.  I thought they were great.  Just incredible, fabulous, breathtaking and monumental.  I saw things happening in the stadium (and the city) that I had never seen before.  Most of the expats I know also had similar reactions to the event.  Given that were expecting to see a smog-filled stadium, I think we were just happy the cameras could see the other side of the stadium (and the smog seemed to magically clear up for the long-distance, external shots of the city).

I was surprised that a substantial number of the locals didn't like the Opening Ceremonies.  The complaints? "Too much Chinese history, they should have shown more of modern China."  "Just a repeat of the show in Yangshuo by the same director." "Too much like a movie and not a real performance." ... Let's stick on that movie comment.  

There were a lot of outdoor shots of fireworks across the city and we were amazed that the city could be so clear after dense smog we had during the day.  We thought that perhaps the light from the fireworks cut through the smog.  There was also a scene where giant firework footsteps were stomping across the city on the way to Bird's Nest.  The scene from a helicopter/plane was incredible.  I and the people around me commented, "Wow, it's just like a movie shot!  The view was absolutely perfect."

Problem was: It was a movie shot. >:(  They faked the giant footsteps because it was "too dangerous" for a flying vehicle to get the live shot (although the fireworks actually did occur).  I'm not sure this is the end of the story.  I think back to our surprise over how clear the skyline was and the great visibility of the fireworks across the city and now I'm filled with doubts.  On a higher level, I guess I don't have a big problem with computer-generated effects ... for a movie.  For a live event where the point is the fact that it is a real event, I want to see what it really looked like.