Fake Fireworks?? OMG!!! does anyone frekin' LISTEN anymore???

[underpants]

I heard a mention of this on NPR this morning and thought "they can't possibly be talking about the shot swooping around Beijing which not only LOOKED fake but that was CLEARLY pointed out as fake by the announcers"..oh yeah I forgot no one listens to what anyone else says anymore their teeeny little minds are busy formulating their oh-so-important input into the (non) conversation.


Amazing.

http://www.reuters.com/article/televisionNews/idUSN1239590320080812
Accusation: Viewers were misled by the use of computer-generated fireworks during a sweeping helicopter shot leading up to the Bird's Nest. Organizers note the fireworks were there, but the footage was created in advance due to the danger of shooting live from a nearby helicopter.

NBC Response: An NBC Sports spokesperson says U.S. viewers were informed of the manipulation. Commentators Matt Lauer and Bob Costas said the fireworks were a digital effect. From the opening ceremony transcript during the fireworks in question:

Lauer: "You're looking at a cinematic device employed by Zhang Yimou here. This is actually almost animation. A footstep a second, 29 in all, to signify the 29 Olympiads."

Costas: "We said earlier that aspects of this Opening Ceremony are almost like cinema in real time. Well this is quite literally cinematic."

[Benhurst]

1. Anything they do is all right with me as long as they keep the little

fat girl behind the curtain when she sings.

[Richard Steele]

2. Those comments seem deliberately designed to MISLEAD, not inform.

Some pretty "careful" word choices there.

[renate]

3. I know... I rewound it several times....

... to see whether they ever explained what it was (animation over a recording of a flyover, totally computer generated, or what...?), rather than what it wasn't. They didn't, but they certainly made it clear it wasn't real.

[underpants]

5. Thank you

:hi:

[Democrats_win]

4. Fake olympics: the vision of capitalist communist china.

[Fumesucker]

6. As has been pointed out multiple times now..

Listening to these airheads is akin to torture.

[Warpy]

7. Right, that burst of fireworks was obviously faked

and was the least important part of the whole show.

Except that they had invented them, the Chinese really didn't need to use them to drive the show home. Their show was magnificent.

[underpants]

12. I completely agree

I do have to say that as great as the show was (top notch-will probably never be topped) Costas killed me with (to the "chinese expert" in the booth with he and Lauer) "okay Joshua, who are these guys?" as performers entered the stage.

[seemslikeadream]

8. My TV shows things that are fake?

What's next airplanes?

[TomInTib]

9. Next thing you know, we'll have some asslick in a flight suit, .....

landing on a carrier and telling us that we done kicked some butt.

(Or "kicked a little tail" like Scared-Shitless-Ditched-the-Plane-and-Drowned-His-Buddies Poppy might say.)

[electron_blue]

10. I thought that was confusing as hell when I saw it live.

We had a debate at my house about whether it was "real" or animated/shopped and agreed that the announcers weren't helping any.

[alfredo]

11. I noticed that too, and thought, yeah, it does look like CGI.