PYRROS2004 Posted August 10, 2008 Report Share Posted August 10, 2008 Dimitris Papaioannou gave today an interview to eleftheros typos, newspaper owned by Gianna Angelopoulou. The interview must be made before the opening. Some intresting points: 'We should finish with this. In few days the Olympics will belong to beijing. Not to us anymore' After 2004 in what phase are you? Better than 2004. With a new play '2' and the remake of 'Mideia' which means things move slowly. The speed is down -Seems so, we are older now. In what rythm you were working 4 years ago? - Cruel. The last year was hysterical. There was a hostile enviroment between the creative team and the multinational production team...... Did you back down - Yes, at the begging the pregnant woman would appear naked. In respect to muslim countries we dressed her. When I see my work, I regret because it doesn't look what I wanted to look, but this is art. You must compromise. Which was the first plan of the opening ceremony? - It had the breaking of the statues, and the Clepsythra. The man walking on the cube was 3 minutes longer. The fire circles (olympic flag) was supposed to be made from water, something like lakes, but it was prooven impossible -technically- to make it. These are the basics, there weren't big changes. Today, watching the ceremony, would you change something? -A lot. It doesn't matter to say what. I would make it more determined, more daring. With the reactions of the people, I realised I could make it more extreme. Watching it again and again, I see things I could change. 4 years later I would make it more tight, more elegant, more powerful. Even more surealistic. Now I have a better criterion, back then what I knew is what I made. What do you think about the TV coverage. -I didn't like it. We fight for the result the people saw, but there was no cooperation with the tv direction. There was an intention to cooperate, but just to ensure my hysteria that I wanted everything to be ready years before. The mostly treated my like a semi crazy director that demands, than a co-worker. At the end they saw that what I meaned wad true, but they cut their asses. For the HD production things are better. The director was more co-opeative. What went wrong with Bjork? - She didn't raise 6 meters as it was planned to. She was wearing the wonderful huge dress of Sofia Kokosalaki, that she worked on it for months, and it didn't appear! The production team is responsible. Thank God it was the only think that went wrong in the ceremony. Things could be more difficult. I remember the mystery around the ceremonies. Not to spoil the surprises. - Gianna wanted that. I never understood why we should keep it secret. And we did it. But the TV channels released the senario the last few days. - They had cameras in near by buildings. How stupid! Complete stupidity. To prepare the Olympics in your own country, wanting to keep it secret and to have greek channels spying on you. To show what? That we had a paper ship? Like the paparazzis that follow chicks! Come on! Contrary to the Opening, nobody talks about the closing ceremony. Thank God! It didn't come out great. It wasn't our strong paper. There were reactions for the datsun with the watermelons - Racist reactions with no sense of humour. To say that it wasn't dare, wasn't extreme, wasn't powerful, wasn't a real ethnic ok. But to say that we were insulted from the water melons, huge complex. The reason is that you've focused on the Opening Ceremony? - Yes. All the money, all the time. Americans say that a good ceremony has a power that lasts till the middle of the Games. What's your favorite ceremony. - I saw all of them. I'm not from the persons that don;t follow the work of other artists. My favorite is Albertville. Do you have agony for Beijing opening ceremony? - None at all. Just a tiny devil agony to see if Zhang Yimou could make it better than me. I;'m not interested in anything else. I was never a fan of the Olympics. I love and worked my mission with all my power and all my heart, but this didn't change my opinion for the mass super show of the games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted August 10, 2008 Report Share Posted August 10, 2008 (edited) Do you have agony for Beijing opening ceremony?- None at all. Just a tiny devil agony to see if Zhang Yimou could make it better than me. I;'m not interested in anything else. I was never a fan of the Olympics. Hmmmm. No wonder I didn't really see any deep connections between his DNA, pregrant-woman stuff and the Olympics. Why did they pick someone who's not jazzed by the whole reason for the show? Doesn't make sense to me. What's your favorite ceremony? My favorite is Albertville. No wonder again I wasn't too warmed up by his Athens work. He picked the most BIZARRE Olmpics Ceremonies of recent times. Kinda validates my feeling that the vision of the Athens 2004 was slightly off-focus: it's from a Greek who doesn't like the Olympics. I am more impressed by what he did for the 1997 IAAF meet. Edited August 10, 2008 by baron-pierreIV Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savas Posted August 10, 2008 Report Share Posted August 10, 2008 Hmmmm. No wonder I didn't really see any deep connections between his DNA, pregrant-woman stuff and the Olympics. Why did they pick someone who's not jazzed by the whole reason for the show? Doesn't make sense to me. No wonder again I wasn't too warmed up by his Athens work. He picked the most BIZARRE Olmpics Ceremonies of recent times. Kinda validates my feeling that the vision of the Athens 2004 was slightly off-focus: it's from a Greek who doesn't like the Olympics. I am more impressed by what he did for the 1997 IAAF meet. "...I love and worked my mission with all my power and all my heart, but this didn't change my opinion for the mass super show of the games." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted August 10, 2008 Report Share Posted August 10, 2008 I'd be interested seeing him do the next Super Bowl half-time show. Really. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savas Posted August 10, 2008 Report Share Posted August 10, 2008 It is really a mysterium baron why you are loving to play the dumb one!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
baron-pierreIV Posted August 10, 2008 Report Share Posted August 10, 2008 It is really a mysterium baron why you are loving to play the dumb one!!! Because I am a disciple of Dmitris!! You have a lot to learn, young 'un. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savas Posted August 10, 2008 Report Share Posted August 10, 2008 Then maybe you would like to become my mentor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
savas Posted August 10, 2008 Report Share Posted August 10, 2008 Here is an answer to the question of "why did you like the Ceremony of Albertville the most" The fact that it was an expresion of fantasy. It had the elegance in the music and the costumes and the naturale of artitic thought free of guilt. Without all those stereotypes of smiling faces and the fake symbolism that has been used in the Ceremonies to make them to a supershow. I hope i wil not see too much smiling in Chinas Ceremony. Because i am afraid of the artificial nature of it when it comes from thousand of people at the same time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PYRROS2004 Posted August 10, 2008 Author Report Share Posted August 10, 2008 ATHENS 1997 IAAF was made by Vangelis Papathanasiou (extraordinary effects for 1997) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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