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kevzz

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Everything posted by kevzz

  1. Athens's pool is not gimmicky at all. Water is an important element in Greek's culture and this element is used metaphorically as the source of life throughout the whole ceremony. I think it's very meaningful and poetic use of water in such kind of event. Talking about gimmicky, nothing can beat Beijing's ultra-gimmick in lighting the cauldron. To me, that's really extra.
  2. Did anyone watch BBC Olympic day highlight tonight? They showed a clip of an Australian woman cyclist dumped her bike, ran to the bush and pee on the grass!! That is so freaking hilarious! Anyone know who is she and where to find the clip online? Come on, can't she bear for it a while or just pee while cycling? Nobody will care and now it's captured on camera!!
  3. I wasn't surprised it wasn't live. It seems pre-recorded to me. It doesnt matter really.
  4. I watched on BBC and there's this moment I find amusing- when Iraq team entered the stadium and the shot move to Bush and his wife. They both look so uncomfortable, did not cheer and try to look very non-chalant bout it. His wife put on a very fake smile. Thought it's very cheeky of whoever controlling the camera shot to do that.
  5. And was it in Atlanta that the athletes emerge from the top of a slope and walk down to the stadium? I thought that whole approach of the team 'appearing' from top of a hill was quite clever.
  6. Wow I never remembered it was so inspiring before! They really made it like the parade is the main highlight of the show! They even announce each country's name with energy and pride! "The great moment has come!" The music is very happy and lively too, full of energy. DJ Tiesto was playing there live the whole duration isnt it? Kudos to Athens for this!
  7. I believe the music when China came in is actually a Chinese music with chinese instrument. It just sounds like Mexicans.
  8. Now that you quoted Zhang on the Athens precedent, I'm glad that he acknowledged that Athens brought a different kind of aesthetic to an opening ceremony. Zhang was wise not to imitate what Athens did. But I reallly trusted him to bring his own style of aesthetic to the ceremony too. I dont know if his creative freedom is limited by what the central govt want to be presented. I somehow felt he has to compromised a lot. This is certainly not his best work, and I believe he can do so much better. Just look at his films!!! It was an out-of-this-world aesthetic and elegance that is the culminance of the most advanced humanity. Yes I remembered the lady commentator voice in the Athens ceremony too! She has a great warm voice, sounds very epic-type. But after watching it the second time, I realized there's some part I kind of like now. The drummers countdown is still my favourite with the thunderous noise, the Olympic ring peeling off the ground like some magic light, and somehow I think the fluorescent green men are quite elegant when they are illuminated looking from far (esp when the fade out when exiting the field, the silhoutte of tiny human body of light flickering out is quite ingenious). The dancing/ drawing on scroll is brilliant too and wished they continue with performances like this more. And I still dont like the man singing in T-shirt and the cauldron ceremony.
  9. http://en.beijing2008.cn/ceremonies/headli...214521306.shtml Anyone read this article on the official website? Interesting insights on how the ceremony was conceived and produced.
  10. It's just a techincal glitch. Dunno what caused it, probably some audience threw a water bottle and trapped on the track.
  11. Was that a common practice in the past ceremonies? Cant really recall any....
  12. At least its not as big as a glitch to Sydney's one, which nearly became the most catastrophic glitch in human history! I cant imagine how the ceremony director must have felt at that few minutes, prob he wished he was out there giving the bloody cauldron a nudge himself!
  13. Brilliant thanks! But some parts are stalled and creaking... Can you make a clip of just the starting of the torch arriving into the stadium until the cauldron was lit?
  14. There's a portion of the lap where he over-ran the scroll and was in front of it. Do you think that was intentional or they dragged him too fast?
  15. And there I was thinking they would bring out a panda and shaolin monks too.
  16. I can imagine it's really difficult to grab on that torch, while air-running like that, plus the nerve of it all. If he is nervous, shaking hands wont help too! Perhaps they kinda glued the torch to his hand to make sure it wont happened!
  17. I like the idea of sharing. Is it just myself or I panicked for a second when Li Ning lifted up in the air cos' I thought I saw the flame extinguished on his torch. Worst case scenario, he dropped the torch and has to come down, get a replacement torch and fly back again.
  18. Whats your prophecy for London's one then??
  19. I am downloading the ceremony again, hopefully with a second watching I will like it more... and discover things I'd miss.
  20. Anyone realized the look at the volleyball venue is slightly different? It's different shades of blue, green and white. Very nice!
  21. I like how they use the blue and green look in the Aquatics Centre. It blends in well with the colour of the water and the ETFE.
  22. I felt it was a 110% Chinese ceremony which incorporates all the stereotypical Chinese elements eg. thousands of dancers in formation. In this sense, they totally succeed in representing what the world thought about China. And yes it was great to see all these on a much grander scale. Maybe I was expecting something different, a different side of China to show the world, something that focus more on the simple, confucius aesthetic of peace. Maybe I kept having the image of the ceremony as a real life Zhang Yi Mou's House of Flying Dagger/ Heroes film which are truly beautiful and a side of Chinese arts we never seen before.
  23. LOL all athletes will be carrying a torch and it will seem like a torch-wielding mob going on a witch hunt! What I have in mind is not something so literal. Maybe they can somehow activate/ encourage the flame in reaching the cauldron by doing some simple action together on the field eg. clapping, thumping their feet or setting off some ignition-popper given to them before they parade into the stadium. Something that doesnt need rehearsing, something simple and spontaneous which turn all the focus to the thousands of athletes on the field during the climax. Cos to me they seem like some human props at the end of the show, filling up the empty field.
  24. I hope London can do something different with the cauldron lighting. I like the idea of having several athletes lighting it. Maybe it sounds ambitious, but it will be great if all the athletes on the field can be somehow involved in igniting the cauldron. This way, they can look forward to contribute to the climax of the show, instead of standing there and lingering around watching the show. This will bring greater meaning to the ideal of the flame.
  25. I see, I also wonder what's that. Thought he meant 8th dimension.
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