Check out these videos of Olympic Opening Ceremonies, from Athens in 2004 to Rio in 2016.
2004 Athens Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony
The Opening Ceremony for the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics featured a sea and sky theme, taking the audience on a journey from Greek mythology and civilization to the revelation of DNA as common threads throughout humanity. Artistic director Dimitris Papaiaonnou collaborated with lighting designers Eleftheria Deko and Robert Dickinson, David Zolkwer of Jack Morton Worldwide, costume designer Sophia Kokossalaki, and more, with projections by Athina Tsangari and pyrotechnics designed by Christophe Berthonneau. Read more about the design for the 2004 Opening Ceremony.
2006 Torino Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony
The 2006 Olympic Opening Ceremony, held in Turin, Italy, featured production design by Mark Fisher of Stufish, with a lighting design by Durham Marenghi that featured more than 900 moving heads, almost 1,000 LED fixtures, and 400 dimmers, with 24,500 DMX channels. Read more about the lighting design for the Opening Ceremony here.
2008 Beijing Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony
The Opening Ceremony was divided into sections to celebrate Chinese accomplishments throughout the centuries, from calligraphy and philosophy to The Silk Route and The Great Wall, with a healthy dose of Tai Chi. The show featured the production design and direction of Zhang Yimou, with lighting design by Sha Xiao Lan, stage design by Mark Fisher of Stufish, video content by Andree Verleger.
2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony
The 2010 Vancouver Olympics Opening Ceremony was produced and directed by David Atkins of David Atkins Enterprises (DAE), who collaborated with DAE team members Catherine Ugwu and Ignatius Jones. Robert Dickinson designed the lighting, while Patrice Bouqueniaux designed the video systems.
2012 London Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony
Click for video designs from 59 Productions for Isles of Wonder.
From Daniel Craig as James Bond to Queen Elizabeth, the London Opening Ceremony paid tribute to the United Kingdom's history and culture, with everything from farmlands to the Industrial Revolution and Mary Poppins to Mr. Bean. Danny Boyle was the director for the Opening Ceremony, with production design by Mark Fisher of Stufish and lighting design by Patrick Woodroffe.
2014 Sochi Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony
The Sochi Olympics Opening Ceremony featured production and set design by George Tsypin, with lighting by Al Gurdon and projection by Peter Milne. The show as divided into five sections, depicting various periods of Russian history: the birth of Russia, from its mythology to fairy tales; Pagan Russia; Imperial/Classical Russia; 20th century Russia and its strong avant-garde art scene; and a look to the future from the Cosmos.
2016 Rio Olympic Games Opening Ceremonies