The ‘first down marker’, Forrest Gump, and the Beijing Olympics' opening ceremony

It was a great innovation. Now I could see on my TV screen just where the ball had to go to get a first down. A yellow line on the screen looked just like it had been painted on the field. It was remarkable. How could they artificially insert a line that looked as if it was actually a part of the field. A player could step where it was and it looked as if his foot was on top of the line.

Forrest Gump shows up in a clip with LBJ, interacting with him. Moving through the scene as if he was actually there! He would move through the scene in and out, behind and in front of people and objects as though he was actually there.

Very entertaining! But, if they can do that for entertainment purposes, what other purposes could they use it for? The possibilities are frightening. We could be watching a live event on TV and not know whether it was real or computer enhanced – computer generated!

Beijing Olympic 2008 opening ceremony giant firework footprints 'faked'

Parts of the spectacular Beijing Olympics opening ceremony on Friday were faked because of fears over live filming, it has emerged.

Organisers feared it would be too difficult to capture each footprint live so inserted computer graphics for viewers at home and in the Bird's Nest stadium

As the ceremony got under way with a dramatic, drummed countdown, viewers watching at home and on giant screens inside the Bird's Nest National Stadium watched as a series of giant footprints outlined in fireworks processed gloriously above the city from Tiananmen Square.

What they did not realise was that what they were watching was in fact computer graphics, meticulously created over a period of months and inserted into the coverage electronically at exactly the right moment.

 

Beijing Olympics: Faking scandal over girl who 'sang' in opening ceremony

Chinese officials have admitted deceiving the public over another highlight of the Olympic opening ceremony: the picture-perfect schoolgirl who sang as the Chinese flag entered the stadium was performing to another girl's voice.