MEMBERS ON SPORTING STAGE - Melbourne Cricket Club

HIRD, WARNE STILL
STARRING AT THE MCG
It has been a hectic time for the National
Sports Museum since its grand opening
in March and there will be no time for
a breather now that its latest stunning
attractions have been unveiled.
Two of Australia’s sporting greats of the
modern era, Essendon’s James Hird (on
September 3) and spin king Shane Warne
(October 27), are the stars of sensational
three-dimensional holograms that are
fascinating visitors to the MCG.
In Off The Bench and Cricket Found Me
respectively, Hird and Warne take visitors
through many of the highs and lows of
their magnifi cent careers. Using the latest in
simulated hologram technology, audiences
feel as though they’re actually in the room
with the subject as he interacts with the set
and moves around the space.
Standing in front of the bench at the end
of the 2007 season and facing retirement,
“Sir James” offers a moving account of his
NSM PRAISED FROM AFAR
Museums general manager Gerry Kerlin
was pleased to receive an email
commending the National Sports
Museum from an overseas member of
the MCC, Barry Critchley, a journalist
with Toronto’s National Post who
visited the NSM in October.
“As a fi rst time visitor, I can’t say
enough about the National Sports
Museum at the MCG. It is simply
wonderful,” Barry wrote. “It is easy to get
around, the displays are great, there is lots
of good information and lots of variety
with all the major sports covered.
“I especially liked the Olympic Games
section and the many gold medal-
life as player and captain, including
the private turmoil of his baby
daughter’s ill health leading up to
the 2000 grand fi nal.
The virtual Warne talks from the
MCG changerooms, where he relives
his Test debut, the famous “Gatting
ball”, his MCG hat-trick and his
700th Test wicket in the 2006
Boxing Day Test – his last at the
MCG. It’s a fabulous presentation.
“It’s going to be fantastic for
people around the world to come
here to the National Sports Museum
and have a look at this,” said Warne
at his exhibit’s media launch. “As
Australians we can be very proud.
“I have a very close relationship with the
MCG. I’ve been coming here since I was a HOW IT WORKS
young kid, watching AFL football and
playing cricket for Victoria and Australia,
which has been an absolute pleasure.” Technology used in the new permanent
attractions draws on a 19th century
technique known as Pepper’s Ghost.
An illusion is created by vision and
light being refracted from a hidden
source onto a pane of angled glass,
leaving the visitor seeing a semitransparent
version of the subject.
The technique has been modernised
using the latest high-defi nition fi lm
and sound technology.
Produced in conjunction with media
companies Shirley Spectra and
Turnstile4, Hird and Warne each spent
a day-and-a-half fi lming in a South
Melbourne studio many months ago in
order to produce the 10 minutes of
winning efforts of the Aussies. The
James Hird display was also wonderful
and I see that similar technology was
used by the TV networks in covering the
recent US election.
“The football section was also great
and showed the many highlights of what
is a fantastic form of football. There was
only one problem: I didn’t have enough
time to do it all, which I suppose is not a
bad problem to have. I will solve that
problem when I am next in Melbourne.
“Well done to those involved in
making the National Sports Museum
such a great memory of my recent trip
to Melbourne.”
footage that is the fi nal product.
Each was required to deliver his
script in one take, with no editing.
Afterwards, Hird described it as one of
the most challenging exercises he has
ever undertaken. Warne also
acknowledged the diffi culty of the task.
“It did take a bit of time and I
messed up a lot of lines,” said Warne.
“I had to rehearse it and rehearse it
and do it again and again. There was
a bit of prompting but it was basically
off the cuff.”
Admission to these superb additions
to the National Sports Museum is
included in the general admission price.
Further information is available at
www.nsm.org.au.
DECEMBER 2008 MCC NEWS 11