Wizard of technology casts his spell

One of the visual highlights during the Paralympics opening ceremony, which was held on March 4, was a performance, titled Winter Paralympic Waltz. After a short video showing visually impaired children painting, the stage floor of the National Stadium was transformed into a large canvas with the image of a smiley face, illuminated by an LED display system. As the dancers performed, the colors under their feet changed randomly.

"It was a touching moment to showcase the talent of those children as they paint. Though they cannot see, they use beautiful colors to display their imagination," says Wu. "The cutting-edge technology helped to realize their visions, in which real people performed to create those magical displays."

During the closing ceremony of the Beijing Paralympics, held just over a week later on Sunday, the stage of the National Stadium was dominated by a glittering disc, recounting memorable moments from the Games.

When the athletes and flag bearers entered the arena, it turned into a blue planet, symbolizing a united family on Earth. Before extinguishing the Paralympic caldron, the glittering disc was transformed into a clock. With 13 percussionists and 60 dancers performing on it, photos of some of the great moments of the Games were displayed on the clock.

"The creativity and innovation of the ceremonies were backed up by high technology, but high technology is not cold. Visual effects and such elements can be designed to evoke emotions, which bring warmth and unity," Wu says.

Unlike his previous work, usually situated at indoor venues, such as theaters, Wu says that it was very challenging to apply ideas for visual effects at such a big outdoor venue like the National Stadium. Meanwhile, the design catered to audiences in front of TVs, computer screens and phones, so the ideas were quite different from other projects he has undertaken.