Aesthetic Convergences: Comparing Spectacular Key Audibles and Visuals of Athens and Beijing Olympic Opening Ceremonies

Abstract

The aesthetics of the Beijing Olympic Games Opening Ceremony produced considerable and unexpected qualitative shifts of emphasis. Not only the production technological apparatus and the post-production and delivery of images and sounds innovative and the event the first in history to be recorded by HDTV systems, but also the aesthetic creative design and the audio-visual scene movement of thousands of volunteers surprised the huge worldwide audience. The spectacle of the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony may be considered a paradigmatic innovative international media twist to the ‘giga-sports events’ and influential for future Olympic Games Opening Ceremonies. This article will analyse and compare the Opening Ceremonies of the Beijing Summer Olympic Games and the Athens Olympic Games and identify similarities and their impact that resulted from international communication aesthetic convergences and audio-visual strategies representative of both events.