London 2012 Olympic Ceremonies London 2012 Ceremonies

The single biggest contractor for the London 2012 Olympics Ceremonies, the full list of items Artem provided are below. To read a full report of our Olympic process, click here.

Olympic Opening Ceremony:

Smoke effects from the small cottage, from under the grassy knoll tree, from the giant chimneys and beam engines. The huge chimneys needed a special unit built into the top, remotely controlled from under the stage.

Molten metal effects from the large crucible, and the pyrotechnics along the sides of the trough that “forged” the Olympic rings.

The impossibly tall Child Catcher carriage (built in our Glasgow workshops)

Trampoline beds round the stadium (some 5m x 3m) on which the children bounced.

Telescopic beds on stage that rose from the ground to be 8m high, with a child on each.

The giant puppets – Voldemort (who rose to 20m high), the Red Queen, Captain Hook and Cruella De Vil

The giant sleeping baby (head 10m x 6m)

The lightweight flown house, a full-size replica of a modern family home, from which Sir Tim Berners-Lee eventually appeared.

Rain from the cloud above it.

Wind for the main national and Olympic flags while they were being hoisted – for all ceremonies.

Pimping the powerboat that David Beckham steered to bring the Olympic torch up the Thames, adding jet engines, and a holder for the torch to prevent the flame being blown out.

For the Olympic Closing Ceremony:

The Octobus – an electrically powered period bus built from scratch, that drove on stage carrying Russell Brand, and from which inflated a 50m diameter giant transparent Octopus covered in 700metres of LED lights that changed colour with the music being pumped out by DJ Fat Boy Slim.

For the Paralympic Closing Ceremony:

Five petrol-driven wind machines that were then mounted on steampunk style motorbikes

Fire bikes. 2.7m high ‘wire’ figures on bikes that burst into flame on cue. (originally 50 were made for the Olympic Opening Ceremony)

Fireflies. Twenty-one aerial ballet units with clusters of oversized colour changing lightbulbs, that flew into the stadium with performing acrobats (built in our Glasgow workshops)

Industry

• CAD CAM
• Live Events

Discipline

• Animation & Puppets
• Animatronics
• Atmospherics
• Electronic Design
• Mechanical Rigs
• Props
• Pyrotechnics & Fire
• Sculpture
• Special Costume

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