British special effects company Artem SFX have released details of their involvement in last week’s Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony.

Sochi 2014 organisers recruited British company Artem Special Effects for the physical special effects used during the Winter Games’ Opening Ceremony on February 7.

The effects company created hundreds of oversized tools used as props during the ceremony. Painted red, the tools were used by actors as they built a giant train suspended from the Fisht Stadium ceiling. Designed to tell the story of Russia’s industrial revolution during Soviet times, the sequence went on without a hiccup.

The same can’t be said for five gigantic snowflakes used in the ceremony. Suspended from the ceiling in the centre of the stadium, they were meant to transform flawlessly into the Olympic rings, but one may have missed the message. It stubbornly remained a snowflake while its four companions expanded into the iconic rings.

It was the only mishap of the ceremony, which featured the Russian ballet, well-known classical music from Russia’s famous composers, a performance from faux-lesbian duo t.A.T.u. and a bizarre rendition of Daft Punk’s ‘Get Lucky’ by members of the Russian military.

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Posted on: 11/2/14