For the momentous 2022 Winter Olympics held in Beijing, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Zhang Yimou returned as creative director alongside chief lighting director Sha Xiaolan (沙晓岚) from Funshine Culture (锋尚团队). This marks the second time that the celebrated team has been invited to direct the opening and closing ceremonies for the Olympics, the first being the groundbreaking 2008 Summer Olympics.
The celebrated filmmaker described his approach as creating an atmosphere that is “ethereal and romantic”, despite having fewer performers than previous Olympic productions. Sha Xiaolan’s team worked to incorporate advanced lighting technologies to achieve Zhang Yimou’s artistic, utilizing approximately 10,000 EK lighting fixtures across various Olympic venues.
The opening ceremony at the National Stadium featured over 2,000 EK fixtures, including COLLIDER BAR IP strobe bars, ORCA moving heads, COLOR RANGER Q48E wash lights, and KMAX units. The lighting installations were also present in multiple venues, including the Shougang Blast Furnace (首钢高炉), a former steel mill repurposed as an Olympic venue as well as the National Ski Jumping Center (国家跳台滑雪中心). A highlight was the use of EK’s ORCA fixtures and specialized wall washers to illuminate the latter venue, creating dramatic yet dreamy visual experiences against the snowy landscape.
By emphasizing technological innovation and environmental consciousness even through lighting design, the art direction supports the Winter Olympics’ theme “Together for a Shared Future” (一起向未来).
Special Thanks
Chief Lighting Director: Sha Xiaolan (沙晓岚)
Lighting Team: Funshine Culture (锋尚团队)
