The Secret of ＂Bird’s Nest＂ Fireworks (I)： Let’s see how peony blooms.
On August 8, the 29th Summer Olympic Games opened at the Beijing National Stadium, and gorgeous fireworks reflected the night sky in Beijing. China News Agency issued Wang Dongming photo
China News Service, August 8 th: The Secret of the "Bird’s Nest" Fireworks (I): Look at how the peony blooms.
China News Service reporter Wu Qingcai
At the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games tonight, red peonies are in full bloom over the "Bird’s Nest", and there are many strange shapes such as the Olympic rings and the dove of peace. So, how on earth are the peonies blooming over the Bird’s Nest?
Zhao Weiping, the commander-in-chief of the "Bird’s Nest" and the Great Wall fireworks display team at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing Olympic Games, revealed to our reporter the secrets of the seven classic shapes of fireworks that night.
The First Classic Modeling-How Peony Blooms
The first climax of the "Bird’s Nest" is to interpret the whole process of peony, the national flower, from budding to blooming, and suddenly the Bird’s Nest turns into a red ocean of peony. From the blossoming of flowers and bones to the "relay" opening of petals, and then to the blooming of peony, the blooming process of "peony blossom" took only eleven seconds, but the number of fireworks was 4,845.
Zhao Weiping, chairman of the national brand Panda Fireworks Company, said that in order to make the whole red peony cover the whole bird’s nest, the "Peony Blossom" was set off all the steel frames at the top of the bird’s nest and the upper edge of the bowl of the bird’s nest. In order to choose the right color and fully show the elegance and wealth of peony, the designers of Panda Fireworks screened dozens of schemes and finally chose a peach red.
Using the three-dimensional special effects of the computer, the designer drew a huge peony covering the roof of the "Bird’s Nest", and then selected 85 points on the roof of the "Bird’s Nest", each of which was responsible for emitting three petals, each of which was composed of 29 fireworks, symbolizing the 29th Olympic Games.
"Eighty-five points have different inclination angles, so as to draw a peony flower that is natural." Zhao Weiping said that when setting off, the "flower heart" was emitted from the inside to the outside, and then the innermost "petal" was emitted, which in turn went over to the outermost petal. When the last petal was opened, 85 points were started at the same time, and fireworks were fired in unison, forming a big peony with bright red and unrestrained enthusiasm.
The Second Classic Modeling ―― Turning out the "Olympic Five Rings"
That night, five circles of five colors, red, yellow, green, black and basket, appeared in the sky, and the five circles were connected with each other, showing the Olympic rings pattern.
"Playing the Olympic rings pattern, some Olympic host cities also had this idea, but it didn’t work out." Zhao Weiping told reporters: The biggest difficulty in displaying the Olympic rings and other patterns with fireworks is that the initiation point and time interval of fireworks are difficult to control. The interval error of each fireworks is less than 0.03 seconds, and the audience can see the circle and the five rings only when they are fired in series at a constant speed. Finally, under the guarantee of new scientific research technologies such as air launch and chip fireworks, the global problem of depicting the Olympic rings with fireworks was completely solved by China fireworks people.
The Third Classic Modeling ―― "Silver Waterfall" Flows into the Stand
During the opening ceremony, there was a "silver waterfall" nearly 40 meters long, like the Milky Way, which slowly hung down along the bowl of the "Bird’s Nest" and flowed into the stadium. The "Bird’s Nest" stand immediately turned into a silver hall. Fireworks exploded around, but the audience couldn’t smell a trace of sulfur, and there was no worry about sparks.
Zhao Weiping said that the diameter of the bowl of the "Bird’s Nest" is about 500 meters, which is more than 40 meters above the ground. This shape requires that the diameter of the "Silver Waterfall" should not be less than 500 meters and the length should not be less than 30 meters, otherwise, the audience will not be able to be there. In order to realize this idea, Panda Fireworks Man has broken through four major problems: environmental protection, safety, tasteless, discharge, quick installation and quick disassembly.
The Fourth Classic Modeling ―― "Dove of Peace" Bird’s Nest "Spreading Wings"
Careful viewers will find that a pair of snow-white wings were born on both sides of the "Bird’s Nest", flapping up and down, just like a dove spreading its wings and flying.
Zhao Weiping told reporters that it is not difficult for the "Bird’s Nest" to give birth to "wings". What is difficult is that the wings should be flapped up and down, showing a dove of peace spreading its wings and flying dynamically. In order to make this dove of peace "smart", the researchers first improved the discharge effect of the traditional fireworks element "white tail", which has only white light and no track left by the tail passing through the air, just like the wings of the dove of peace. In order to make the wings move, the researchers calculated the flapping frequency of the flying dove of peace, so that the "Bird’s Nest dove of peace" fluttered its wings once a second on average.
The Fifth Classic Modeling ―― Dynamic World of "Red Flash Bird’s Nest"
Its modeling features are as follows: a red silk thread runs through the "Bird’s Nest" as red neon lights keep flashing, and under its embellishment, the whole "Bird’s Nest"
"In the flashing, running, jumping.
Zhao Weiping said that the first difficulty of the "Red Flash Bird’s Nest" lies in the layout. In order to cover the entire "Bird’s Nest", a launching point should be set up every five meters on each main beam; At the junction of the two main beams, a launching point is also set up every five meters, and all launching points are evenly distributed, so that the whole "Bird’s Nest" can jump in the red ocean; The second difficulty lies in the time difference control, and the fireworks at each point must be lit and extinguished at the same time.
The Sixth Classic Modeling ―― "Opening the Tianmen"
Its modeling features are: a resplendent arched gate, which appears over the "Bird’s Nest". From closing the door and opening a crack to opening half and three quarters until the Golden Gate finally opens.
Zhao Weiping said, "Opening the Tianmen Gate" is difficult to measure in the distance and angle between the ground and air. The distance between the first group of emission points and the angle with the horizontal plane must ensure that the emitted fireworks meet in the air and hand over an arch shape; The distance and horizontal angle between the second group of fireworks must ensure that when the fireworks meet in the air, there is just a gap, just like the door has just opened a gap, and so on, until the Golden Gate opens, the angle is a little off, so the process of opening the door cannot be vividly reproduced.
The Seventh Classic Modeling-"Countdown" Entering "Olympic Time and Space"
9, 8, 7 … At the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, the first thing that appeared in the air was flashing numbers, which sent a strong signal in fireworks language: the Olympic Games is near! Zhao Weiping introduced that the number nine drawn with fireworks stays in the air for no less than one second. As soon as the number nine goes out, it lights up at eight and flashes again for one second. "If any number stays even in the blink of an eye, the fireworks will not draw a countdown stopwatch, which is synchronized with the stopwatch and does not allow any error.".
Editor: Lu Wei
