Dream Weavers Beijing 2008, a documentary directed by Gu Jun from China Central Newsreel and Documentary Studio, is the official documentary on the seven-year planning of Beijing 2008 Olympic games. The 90 minutes’ film documents the lives of five groups of ordinary people. They include star hurdler Liu Xiang and his path to success; the workers who built Niao Chao, the National Stadium; a local family who had to move to make way for the construction of the stadium; three young gymnasts in training and their trials and tribulations, and an Olympic security guard team.

 

Analyses:

Parallel montage with cross-cutting:

Telling 5 groups of people’s story at the same time—-multi angle, multi aspect represent the whole nation’s passion.

 

Stories are connected by the groups of peoples’ same purpose—-preparing Olympic Games. —-the cross-cutting doesn’t seem confusion.

 

Each groups of people has its rhythm, for example security guard’s parts are very fast though local family’s parts are not that tense. All five parts’ rhythm themselves form the film’s lively rhythm, which sometimes tense, some times relaxed.

 

Details:

A young gymnast is doing practice time after time in the big stadium

—-The use of Long Shot: diligence, lonely deep in her heart.

 

Cross-cut Mrs Gao and her daughter-in-law’s opposite opinions

—-tense rhythm, interesting interview

 

Straight cut many peoples’ curt answers

—-a good way to put many information together with compact rhythm

 

When film turns to the whole nation’s expectation of Liuxiang, from presenting Liuxiang’s daily training, straight cut Liuxiang’s big bus Advertisement.

—-a good example of transition.

 

The scene of the gymnast girl’s trial: when she was doing a hard action, leave the background sound of the noisy stadium, just keep and gains up the sound of parallel bars’ shake.

—-good example of attracting audiences’ attention. It seems like audiences are in the stadium watching the game with tension.