Pixels transform Olympics Closing Ceremony

13 August 2012

UK - Following their debut in the London 2012 Opening Ceremony, the 'pixels' and Crystal's animations immersed the audience in a celebration of British music at last night's Closing Ceremony.

Danny Boyle said: "Every Olympic ceremony aims for a major technical breakthrough. Our remarkable audience pixels have opened up amazing new images, effects and spectacle, but most of all they have enabled our live stadium audience to be part of the ceremony in a way that's never been possible before."

Directed by Kim Gavin, the Closing Ceremony assembled stars of the British music scene from 1967 to 2012 performing their biggest hits. Working closely with Gavin's creative team, Crystal created 27 animated sequences, totalling the length of a feature length film to accompany the songs that brought Britain's musical heritage to life.

Over 10,000 pixels wide, the animations required huge amounts of computer rendering and 24 hour IT support. To make it all happen, Crystal assembled an experienced creative and production team of local talent. The animator skill sets had to be extremely versatile and include complex 3D design and programming, as well as character and stop frame animation. As each act and song was confirmed, Crystal assigned a small team to create test animations and then executed full production. This included shooting catwalk models in high-end fashions, filming drifting clouds over London and flicking paint onto rooftop canvases.

Unlike the Opening Ceremony, the Closing Ceremony had no Stadium rehearsal time. When the sporting events finished, the Closing Ceremony team worked hard to transform the Olympic Stadium's field of play into an arena stage show with multiple stages and screens.