Before the opening of the Olympic Games, an official preview film will be played by all the Olympic broadcasters around the world in an effort to build up excitement for the Games.

The preview film, which is still being produced, will run about an hour in length and will show a modern Beijing to the rest of the world, the directors said.

"The film for Beijing will be about the city itself and people, the history, and what Beijing is like today because it has changed a lot," Andrew Scott, associate producer of the preview film, told China Daily.

Andrew Scott

"We will show modern Beijing to the rest of the world, perhaps the image they have now is out of date, so we will show them what Beijing looks like today."

Scott himself was a bit surprised upon his first visit to Beijing. He said he wants viewers to get a full taste of the rapid modernization Beijing is experiencing.

"We are going to film shops and cinema, all the modern parts of Beijing, such as the new buildings that are being constructed and also the Olympic preparations, like the venues that are being built," said Scott, who came from England.

"Various considerations will be taken into account, like the environment and the inspiration behind these amazing designs for the aquatics center and the 'Bird's Nest', since they really look spectacular.

"We will also be looking at China as a sports nation and the history of China at the Olympic Games."

The impact the Games will have on China will be a major focus of the film as well.

"We will also pay attention to how the Olympic Games influence China, how the people are preparing for it," he said. "The film will finish by asking the question, 'What will be the long-lasting effects of the Games?' since you have new infrastructure, the new stadiums. What else will be the legacy of the Games?"

As a freelance TV producer, Scott has had rich experiences working for the Olympics. He was also the producer for the preview films for the 2000 Sydney Olympics, the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games and the 2004 Athens Games.

Compared to his previous films, Scott said the biggest difference this time is introducing a country with which the rest of the world is not very familiar.

"We are dealing with a country that people don't know very well. So, we start from a very different basis," he said.